Memories of Exmoor activity centre wanted for 40th anniversary celebrations

AN Exmoor activity centre for children with special educational needs and others from troubled backgrounds will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year.
Yenworthy Lodge, near Oare, was opened in 1969 especially to provide activity holidays for children from Oxfordshire.
It can accommodate up to 36 pupils aged from five to 16 years, plus five accompanying staff, offering surfing, rock climbing, kayaking, and canoeing.
The centre is set in six acres of beech and oak woodland and continues to be owned by Oxfordshire County Council as part of its outdoor education programme.
Groups of young offenders and children of asylum seekers have also been hosted by Yenworthy.
To help celebrate its 40th birthday, anybody who has spent time at the centre is being asked to send in their memories of it
Photographs, letters, and other records of time spent at Yenworthy will be used to create an anniversary exhibiton.
Centre manager Steve Cox, who has run Yenworthy for 22 years, is also organising an open weekend early to mark the anniversary in May.
Mr Cox said: “We offer children the chance to explore and have fun under the proper guidance.”
He said anybody who wanted to contribute their recollections of the centre could email him at steve.cox@yenworthylodge.co.uk or write to him at Yenworthy Lodge, Oare, Lynton, Devon, EX35 6NY.
Anybody interested in attending the open weekend should call Mr Cox on 01598 741266 or visit the website http://www.yenworthy.oxon.digitalbrain.com/.

• Our photograph shows Yenworthy Lodge manager Steve Cox with some of the youngsters who have taken part in activity holidays at the Exmoor centre. Photo submitted.

More sport and activities for disabled people planned for 2008

OPEN Daws, a group which offers disabled people in West Somerset an opportunity to enjoy sports they love, or to experience new activities, has arranged an action-packed agenda for the New Year.
Events in January include sea fishing trips, swimming, horse riding, bowling, and a visit to Paignton Zoo.
The group is also starting to put together a calendar of events for the spring and summer which includes fly fishing, carriage driving, and rock climbing, which should ensure that whatever a person’s age or ability, there will be an activity to interest them.
More sporting activities will be introduced this year, as well as trips to Tiverton Museum and other attractions.
Open Daws stands for ‘Disabled Activities in West Somerset’.
West Somerset Council leisure and recreation portfolio holder Councillor Neil Parbrook said: “We support Open Daws because it provides some great activities and helps people to make the most of their talents.
“Qualified instructors and coaches can help people of all abilities to enjoy what is on offer.
“The group is friendly and supportive and we hope that more people will come along and take up new challenges in the New Year.”
A membership scheme is available and, by joining this, people will receive reduced rates for all of the activities on offer, or they can take part as non-members.
All activities are run by qualified personnel, and transport to and from activities can be arranged.
To find out more about Open Daws, contact Liz Stewart on 07921 231369 or Gail Sloman on 01984 635208, or email to gksloman@westsomerset.gov.uk or lstewart@westsomerset.gov.uk, or log on to www.westsomersetonline.gov.uk.

AWSOM website helps youngsters find adventure activities in Somerset

A NEW website is helping young people in West Somerset fill their spare time by trying their hand at sky diving, fly fishing, and mountain biking.
The AWSOM (Activities Within Somerset for Young People) website has been created by Somerset County Council and designed by young people to help 11 to 19-year-olds find and participate in all sorts of activities.
AWSOM searches more than 1,000 records to put young people in touch with activities including belly dancing in Taunton Deane, climbing and caving in Sedgemoor, scuba diving in South Somerset, and even submarine excursions in Mendip.
Visitors to the site at www.awsom.org.uk simply have to enter the activity they are interested in and their location.
They are then given details including dates, times, cost, and contact information.
There is also a link to Transport Direct to help them travel to and from the event.
The council’s project manager for participation, John Batt, said: “The AWSOM website has been designed with the help of a group of young people to be simple, user-friendly, and enable information to be found within three clicks of a mouse.
“We are keen to improve it even further and we are meeting with providers to put young people in touch with more great activities.”
Council portfolio holder for young people, Councillor Pauline Clarke, said: “This fantastically straightforward website is helping Somerset’s young people access all kinds of enjoyable things to do.
“I hope that by trying out these activities now, they will develop keen interests that keep them happy and healthy for many years to come.”
If an activity is not found on the AWSOM website, the team can be emailed via a link on the site for suggestions to be passed to potential providers.
At www.awsom.org.uk, there is a link to the Somerset Young People’s Film Council, where there is a short film about the AWSOM website and activities.

• Our photograph shows three of the youngsters involved in helping to design the AWSOM website (left to right) Verity Colin-Smith, Maha Yuaseef, and Steph Walling, outside the Orchard FM radio station, in Taunton, where they helped to agree a script for an advertisement. Photo submitted.