I was sent from work on an Outward Bound course for three weeks in the summer of 1978 and enjoyed it immensely. I went to Aberdovey, which is a sailing school in mid-Wales, so many of the activities were water-based. Since I wasn’t a strong swimmer, I wasn’t really looking forward to it that much, but how wrong I was! I had a wonderful time, and although much of it was hard (character-building they now call it), I gained an immense amount from the course. I still bore people today with my tale of white water canoeing, and occasionally about my 36 hours spent alone in the Dovey forest with just a sleeping bag, a bit of food and a compass for company.
A couple of years after I returned from the course, I received a letter from the Lancashire Outward Bound Association whose purpose is provide financial support to young people who may not otherwise be able to benefit from the Outward Bound experience. The association were contacting a number of people in the region who had recently attended Outward Bound to set up a group of youngsters to raise money and increase publicity for the charity. Consequently, the group Lancashire Young Outward Bound Students (YOBS) were formed in 1981.
I can’t say that the group was a roaring success, but about a dozen of us had a great time for a few years, organising adventures and trips out, reliving our time on Outward Bound. I was the group’s secretary from its formation and until people drifted away. We were all in our late teens and early 20s, so life was changing fast for us: I got married, others moved away to university or with work, and since there was an ineffective means of replenishing the group with new blood, it was inevitable that it would fold. We were never formally dissolved, however, and I’m pretty sure that somewhere there is still a bank account of ours holding a few quid. It is interesting that in 2008, my work with young people allowed me to make contact with the Outward Bound Trust once more. After a few meetings with them, I was able to commission a bespoke course for a group of graduates to undertake a week’s training as part of their development. More recently, I have begun to send all my apprentices to Eskdale each year, and I‘m very fortunate to be able to spend time there myself each year.
