Psst…The outdoors gives you wings
I'm taking part in the Youth Adventure Trust #hikebikepaddle event later this month. Can you support the charity with a small donation. The charity helps vulnerable children build resilience through experiencing the outdoors. Many for the first time.
My reason for taking part - I was fortunate and given enough of an opportunity to be inspired.
My early years were spent a couple of miles west of Newcastle in a relatively rough area called Prudhoe. Although the North East has an abundance of stunning countryside, like most young boys from the North East, the streets around my home were our playground as the local countryside around where we grew up just wasn’t accessible. This was a problem for my mother as I had energy, lots of it and I needed an outlet. The local area was founded in industrial heritage, from mining to chemical production. Close to our home, my mother found solace in an unusual spot called the Spetchells, artificial mounds of chalk which were a waste byproduct created by an ICI factory sited there during World War Two. The factory-made fertilizer for the ‘Dig for victory’ campaign and closed in 1967 leaving these huge mounds that were turfed over to make them less obvious to German bombers. These then become overgrown and through the eyes of 5-year-old, imaginary mountainous kingdoms where I was free to roam.
A Spetchell - An artificial chalk hill. Typically formed through the dumping of chalk-rich industrial waste, which creates a sort of artificial limestone landscape. The unusual term Spetchell, is also thought to mean a 'special place'.
I gained confidence exploring the mazes of the Spetchells and it was only until we moved out of the suburbs and into Northumberland when I was fortunate to be free to experience the wonderful wilds of the North East. This was always encouraged by my parents and family and they cemented the idea that the outdoors should be about your own expression. About enjoyment. No matter your background, skin colour, or personal circumstance. For anyone considering new 'staycation' options, the North East landscape is unique. From the rolling mountains of the Lake District (technically the North West but it's within an hours drive) to the raw and beautiful coastline, from Tynemouth up to Holy Island and Berwick-upon-tweed on the Scottish boards (incredible for surfing, windsurfing kitesurfing and diving - get involved here) Many of my old friends are only just embracing it, exploring it and stepping beyond their doorstep, 30 years on.
If I sit back and consider my own personal journey, the 'outdoors' has been there throughout. I don't know why I was drawn to it or grasped it so close from day one. I think that as I'm a creative individual, the outdoors offers me freedom and helps me get into my flow state. That is being fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in being fulfilled.
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… the best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
You're not sponsoring me. You're sponsoring a vulnerable young adult that has yet to find their wings. LINK HERE
