Adventure Oban celebrates first birthday
Director Ben Sunderland looks back on the debut year for the outdoor activities community charity
‘The midst of a global pandemic may seem like an odd time for a new community charity to launch and thrive but as we look back on the first year of Adventure Oban – it’s been a year full of action, activity and fun.
‘From early meetings, only possible online, to a programme of events, projects and initiatives that welcome everyone in the community, the pandemic has encouraged creativity and fresh thinking in all that Adventure Oban has undertaken. And what a year it’s been! After a long period of patient planning and behind the scenes preparation, Adventure Oban launched in January 2021 with the aim of increasing opportunities for our community to interact and engage with the great outdoors by offering support to local outdoor clubs, organisations and groups.
‘These core aspirations have already started to be realised in this first year. We started Adventure Oban with a longterm perspective.
‘As a founding board, we knew from our combined experience that initiatives like this are built on trust and are judged on the good they do and the work they support – this takes time. So, as we look back on just one year of activity, it’s hugely encouraging to already see a range of robust and active relationships with several fantastic local organisations and clubs.
‘In particular, we’re thankful for the warm welcome we’ve received from local schools and groups working with our young people – they are the future.
‘From the beginning, Adventure Oban has had a clear understanding of the importance of its activities and projects being led by the community and its needs. The charity’s first year has therefore seen a heavy focus on community engagement through initiatives like One Million Miles.
‘New events, such as Eggventure Oban - an Easter chocolate hunt, the RideOban Weekender that was October’s weekend festival of community cycling, and the One Million Beach Clean series all demonstrate various aspects of community need and appetite while also making a positive difference and being lots of fun at the same time!
‘There have been opportunities to support excellent existing local events, too, such as the Oban Sportive, Oban Sea Kayak Race, Kerrera Kids Bike Event, parkrun and Argyllshire Gathering.
‘While Oban’s outdoor environment offers amazing fun, it also demands respect and a healthy deference to safety. Recognising this from the beginning, Adventure Oban makes sure to offer access to safety training and advice in all the activities that it does. Mountain safety programme Hill Skills and the seasonal Water Safety series offer regular opportunities throughout the year for advice and guidance. These are also important partnership working opportunities to get alongside vital local services such as Oban Mountain Rescue and the RNLI.
‘In all that this first year held for Adventure Oban came the recurring confirmation: Oban sits in a stunning natural environment, one that offers rich opportunity and fun for our community.’
Adventure Oban is a notfor-profit local charity led by a team of volunteer directors looking for ways to support the community to more fully interact and engage with the great outdoors.
Use these links to find out more: Website: adventureoban. org. Facebook/Instagram/ Twitter: @adventureoban. Email: hello@adventureoban. org.