• October 02, 2017

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• By aissagallie

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Customers from the across the NYYPP enjoyed days out at the Go APE activity centre in Northumberland. GO APE is a high ropes activity in the tree tops, it involves swinging from Tarzan swings, jumping into cargo nets and tackling high ropes obstacles. The purpose of the day was to give customers new experiences and to consult with them on potential future outdoor activities. Our Activities Workers report:

This activity was a great opportunity to work on communication skills and confidence building. Some staff and customers alike were actually terrified of heights but had chosen to do the activity to help conquer their fears and challenge themselves to find new confidence within to achieve new goals.
The Go Ape staff spent at least an hour coaching each Foundation group. Customers learnt how to latch on and off the wire as they gradually worked their way up the ladder from ground level to up in the trees – a vital activity to keep safe! The challenge was then to edge their way along the first high wire and down the zip wire using their feet as brakes as they came to land in the soft wood chips.

It is hard to describe to look of consternation on our groups faces other than ashen. Some who had claimed not to be scared looked terrified and it was those who confessed their fears before the activity that gave encouragement to them to take that first step.
One customer said, “I didn’t think I would be able to do it as I’m scared of heights, but once I got up there I really enjoyed it.”

Some customers who took part had also been able to attend activities at the Glade. The ‘Under the Sun’ facilitators at the Glade were the woodland artists and crafts people. They had made the outdoor installations of the growing willow structures and the wood carvings outside the Visitors centre in Dalby Forest. It was fantastic for those customers to make that connection and they were proud of the work of the facilitators they had previously met.

All those completed the extreme course and were thrilled at achieving the Go Ape certificate verifying this- well done to all who took part!