Embracing Autumn in the Brecks
Our quick guide for enjoying autumn to the fullest in the Norfolk and Suffolk Brecks. More
In May, 15 young people completed an extra EDGE course delivered as part of the BFER 6-month extension.
The course, specifically aimed at 13 – 19 year olds, attracted fifteen individuals who enrolled on the six day course; four students from Thetford Academy as part of an intervention package and, for the first time, eleven home schooled students, all of whom bonded and formed a friendly environment. The attendance and retention spoke volumes at 93%!
Participants were encouraged to push themselves outside their comfort zone by trying activities such as axe throwing, canoeing, and a series of ‘capture the flag’ and pirates games! Further physical activity was encouraged through nature walks and water-based study and building bird boxes as part of the John Muir award. There was also the opportunity to use phone apps to help identify fauna and flora which gained much participation and interest!
“They have come back talking about their experiences, they have bonded with other children they went to the activities with. I have personally seen my younger son grow in confidence and be able to communicate with others and hold his ground in a chilled fun way. They have developed new skills and have become more confident in their abilities to design, build and, from the nature perspective, they were talking about what makes a good den in terms of thinking about materials, and they were discussing marine life that is native and non-native.
It was very refreshing to not hear them talk about gaming all the time!” – a participant’s parent
The EDGE Project was developed, run, and facilitated by Bush Adventures with BFER support and is a heritage focused programme which includes exploring the history of the local area and nature and water-based skills. By focusing on team building, leadership and outdoor education, the team provide a holistic course enabling participants to improve wellbeing whilst learning skills such as bushcraft, fire lighting, first aid skills, and delve into the history and biodiversity of local areas.
This May course was delivered over two sessions per week, over the period of 3 weeks at the British Trust for Ornithology’s headquarters in Thetford. As well as having a great time out of school, all students were working towards an introduction to 1st Aid certificate, the John Muir Award and of course an EDGE programme certificate.
