Word Gets Around - Networking Evening

Tonight I am the guest speaker at the Word Gets Around Networking evening at Exchange House in Taunton.

I am running a practical 30 minute session giving local businesses ideas to help develop communication and team work.

Discover Moor can provide bespoke team development sessions for corporate companies at various venues from the car park of their business to an outdoor environment. Activities can be purely land based and problem solving focussed to a full on adventurous experience that can be land or water based.

For more details e-mail me on info@discovermoor.co.uk

Indoor Climbing with Bridgwater College PES L3 2nd year students

Today I have again been working with Bridgwater College students. These students are studying a Btec Level 3 in Public and Emergency Services. The students have chosen a module in Outdoor and Adventurous Activities where they are tasked with having a go at a range of activities and reviewing their progress. 

Climbing is the activity on today's agenda and we chose to use the indoor wall at Bridgwater YMCA due to the weather.

The three hour slot took the students through various tasks starting with a traversing session to warm up and have a look at  climbing technique. Following this we looked at the correct fitting of harnesses and how to tie in using a re-threaded figure of eight and a stopper knot.

When the students had got to grips with tying in the were taught to safely belay each other and put these new skills into practice on the easier end of the wall. After a quick break the students moved on to the overhanging end of the wall and we closer at good footwork and efficient climbing.

Bringing SUP to Bridgwater College

The skills for water based module I deliver to Btec Level 3 Public and Emergency Services students at Bridgwater College requires the students to participate in 4 water based activities and become proficient in two.

Two weeks ago the students were given a taster session in Bell-boating and having just attended a Level 1 coach course for paddle-boarding I thought it would be good for the students to try out the latest craze in water sports, SUP!

With the canal recently being dredged, the large amounts of weed not collected by the dredger had made it's way along the canal to our put in at the Bridgwater YMCA. This made paddling little harder than it should be but the students still got stuck in. The session taught the students progress from paddling lying down to kneeling and then up on to their feet. Once on their feet we had a look at forwards paddling, stopping and turning. Some of the students were able to complete step back turns and paddle in a surf style stance.

The weather was kind to us in the morning but the heavens opened in the afternoon and a good soaking incurred.

Really good day with two groups of confident students.

 

BSUPA Level 1 Coach Conversion Course

 Sam explaining the importance of efficient paddlestrokes

Joe and Neil getting stuck in. 

Having a go at the rescue techniques for dealing with an unconscious  casualty.

A focussed group making use of the pontoon while Sam demonstrates.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding is a fast growing sport and great fun with many different disciplines from surfing to Touring and Racing to Fishing. After a number of sessions helping Dave Jackson from Active Adventure South West this summer I decided that I would like to become a coach myself. Following a conversation with Tristan Bawn of UK Active Outdoors he put me in touch with Sam Ross who can deliver the BSUPA (British Stand Up Paddle Association) Instructor courses.

The 15th September was a free date for the course to run and I managed to get six of the paddle sports coaches from Taunton Adventurous Sports and Canoe Club (TASCC) to sign up also.

The conversion course is for coaches who already hold a coaching qualification in another watersport and therefore is a 1 day rather than 2 day course. The course focuses on the technical strokes and rescue techniques required for Paddle boarding and explaining how it differs from other water sports. A Theory session was also part of the course to give us the background knowledge of the sport which in turn will help us to give clear pathways to our clients.

It was a really enjoyable course which has inspired me to get out and deliver paddle boarding to my clients and to the Btec students at Bridgwater College as part of their water sports modules.

If you would like to have a go at paddle boarding please contact me for more details.

 

It's Been a while!

Hi All,

It's been a while since i've updated this blog. Over the last 14 month's I have been working for a local leisure trust (Tone Leisure) managing a newly built high ropes facility in Taunton. Due to the repetitive nature of the work it could of made these post a little boring so I chose not to post at all unless I was doing something exciting and away from the ropes course.

I have now finished that project and have moved on. I am now working 4 days per week, term time only at Bridgwater College where I am delivering on the outdoor education based modules for the sports and services department. I also intend to have a big push developing Discover Moor further.

If you require any of the services Discover Moor can offer please feel free to drop me a call or an e-mail and we can discuss your requirements.

More regular posts will now start to appear, I hope you enjoy reading them.

Regards


Dan