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Bedfordshire's outdoor activity centre Blue Peris to close
Bedfordshire's outdoor activity centre Blue Peris to close

BBC News

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • BBC News

Bedfordshire's outdoor activity centre Blue Peris to close

An outdoor education centre will close after 50 years due to budget Borough Council has decided to terminate its lease on the Blue Peris Mountain Centre in Snowdonia, North site has offered rock climbing, kayaking and other activities to school children since its inception by what was then the Bedfordshire County Council in officers said Bedford schools now had access to similar outdoor learning facilities closer to home. The council cited the need to implement recommendations from its new sport and leisure strategy and meet savings targets in the 2025-26 revenue cost of running the centre was expected to rise by £50,000 to £185,000 next year, excluding costs for repairs, according to the Local Democracy Reporting a third of the centre's bookings scheduled for next year are from Bedford-based groups. Mayor Tom Wootton signed the decision on Wednesday, which will see the council serve notice to landowner Harpur Trust and shut down the outdoor activity centre by facilities, held on a 99-year lease at a nominal rent of £1 per year, include accommodation for 73 people and is currently run by leisure contractor Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL).The council cannot assign the lease to another operator, and discussions with GLL and others concluded the site would not be viable to run the Harpur Trust sells it, the council will receive 27% of any net proceeds. However, officers warned this share may be "negligible" once dilapidation costs are called in for debate by borough councillors, the decision will take effect on August 1. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Is it possible to safely hike solo in the mountains?
Is it possible to safely hike solo in the mountains?

The Independent

time5 days ago

  • The Independent

Is it possible to safely hike solo in the mountains?

There's something uniquely satisfying about lacing up a pair of walking boots, shouldering a pack and hiking up solo from the valley floor to the summit of a mountain and back down again, all under your own steam. The boom in outdoor leisure, fuelled by social media, has seen many explore the mountains for the first time, and hiking continues to be the most accessible way to enjoy being immersed in the world's wildest landscapes, with all of the benefits that this brings. As Tom Carrick, mountain safety officer for the British Mountaineering Council (which represents both hill walkers and climbers) says: 'It's so good for your physical health, your mental health and your social health, and we want to encourage people to safely come into the mountains, whether it's your first time, or your 600th time.' It's never been easier to hop on a plane and tackle official, well-publicised long-distance trails, such as Corsica's G20, which goes the length of the country and is known as ' Europe 's toughest trail', or the Swiss Alps' Haute Route that takes you days deep into remote, high-altitude areas. Or to catch a train and take on iconic British challenges, such as scrambling up the knife-edge arête of Crib Goch in Snowdonia National Park, or hiking up Ben Nevis. Just as with anything truly worthwhile, there are significant risks associated with being in the mountains, and there have been some recent tragic stories of solo or small-group hikers getting into trouble in challenging terrain. Conditions can change abruptly at altitude, where a lack of appropriate equipment and key knowledge can quickly lead to a survival situation. If this is all starting to sound a bit grim, then know that there are a host of solo adventurers, like Cotswold Outdoor ambassador and author Jamie Ramsay, who have made a rewarding career from overcoming obstacles and challenges in the outdoors: 'Every hike I have been on has presented something that has tested me and I have learnt so much over the years. Solo hiking is exhilarating but it doesn't need to be unsafe,' says Ramsay, who who has run across Iceland and fast-hiked the length of the Pyrenees So, is it possible to make solo, self-guided hiking safer, and what should we do if things go wrong in wild, hard-to-reach places? Fastpacking adventurer and Montane Endurance Athlete Katy Parrott is no stranger to extreme outdoor challenges, but she's had to fall back on some well-practised navigational skills, even on well-marked, official trails. 'I was doing Corsica's G20 and even though it was the middle of the summer, there were these sudden, tropical downpours and full white-outs with 20-metre visibility.' Parrott was on her own on top of an exposed ridge when the weather came in. She missed one of the trail markers that are painted on rocks every 50m or so, and ended up going off-route and down into a ravine. 'Luckily, I'd plotted the whole route on my phone on OS Maps and also had a little map book as well. I had to retrace my steps back up to where the last marker was and then do a bit of micro-navigation to find the next marker, which was kind of hidden away on a rock a bit further on.' Rather than charging backwards and forwards to visually search for the trail, which could have resulted in falling off a cliff in the bad visibility, Parrott matched her map to specific contour lines and features in the landscape that showed her she was in a gully. She then used the map to measure how far her position was off the trail (100m) and finally retraced her steps by using her watch to measure 100m. For this kind of micro-navigation, she recommends knowing your usual pacing for 100m by counting how many times your right foot touches down over a 100m distance. Parrott also recommends having backup forms of navigation, electronic and paper, because you never know when one of them might fail. It's the same message from Carrick at the BMC, whose advice has evolved from saying to carry a backup paper map and compass to recommending that hikers actually draw out their intended route on their paper map before they set off, and know how to use the compass to orientate themselves by doing a basic navigation course online, or in the hills. You can start here with the BMC's video guide to taking a compass bearing. 'I always download the maps I'll need for the day to use offline and then put my phone on Airplane Mode before I set off into the mountains,' says Tom Carrick, who is also a qualified Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor and volunteer with Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team. Not only will you save yourself from having to answer work calls, but you can still take photos and videos while reserving power in case you have to use your phone to call for help in an emergency. 'And I carry my phone in a waterproof case because when it rains, the water tends to run off your jacket's hood and right onto the screen of your phone, which can stop you from being able to use the on-screen navigation at all.' That's not to say you should completely drop from the grid, especially if you're hiking solo. Many tragedies may have been averted if solo hikers had simply notified someone of their plans and when they expected to get back, so that the alarm would have been raised and search parties sent out when they didn't return to base on time. 'Share your intended route with a friend or family member and let them know when you set off. But remember to check in when you get home so they don't call the emergency services! For multi-day hikes, I take a GPS communicator and check in with my family at the end of every day,' says Jamie Ramsay. Mobile phone coverage in the mountains is often patchy at best, but there are multiple, relatively affordable options on the market for communicating through your smartphone without mobile signal, from Garmin's InReach GPS messaging devices to the iPhone's text-via-satellite feature (on models later than iPhone 14 running iOS 18). This underlines the importance of battery life when a smartphone is part of your safety system. 'Carrying a battery pack and charging cable, just as a backup, will ensure that you have that really crucial bit of equipment that can make an emergency call if you need to,' says Carrick. As more of us explore the high places, social media has become a source of inspiration as we see influencers scaling classic summits, which suddenly seem more accessible to us. One problem with these posts is they often show the mountains in 'Instagram conditions' with bluebird skies and wall-to-wall sunshine, but in the mountains, weather hits different – and it hits fast. 'In the UK, the summit of a 1,000m mountain will have a 10-20C temperature drop compared to the valley bottom,' says Carrick. 'If you're setting off in the valley at 10-15C, by the time you've got to the top, you're going to be quite close to zero, and if there's any wind about then you're going to be below freezing, because of the wind chill.' Carrick stresses that you need to check the weather forecast for the summit or highest point on your route. In February this year, he was out in balmy sunny weather in Llanberris, but on top of the mountains it was still icy and snowy. 'And the second the cloud comes in you're in a total white out; even people with a lot of experience navigating in remote areas struggle with that. 'The weather can change incredibly quickly. Climate change is exacerbating this problem even more, but it has always been a thing in the mountains. It can change on a half-hourly basis from gorgeous sunshine to complete white-out conditions and some really windy conditions as well. We're definitely seeing that more now.' Carrick recommends having a backup hiking route planned for the day that crosses lower terrain, so that you don't have to commit to hiking high in miserable conditions. If you do have a problem at the summit, or you're just a bit tired and you sit down, your body temperature will drop really quickly, and one thing that can come from being too cold is that you start making mistakes. This is where a single problem can snowball into an emergency, says Carrick, who works as a mountain guide and also volunteers for the Mountain Rescue Team: 'If I was going to tell anybody to take one thing into the mountains it would be a little, lightweight group shelter (or solo emergency bivvy bag). They're really small and quite affordable, and they will keep your body temperature up.' On days when he's guiding clients, Carrick will even put the shelter up for everyone to have lunch in, out of the wind. Food and water also become more important at altitude, so skipping lunch is not advisable. 'You need to stay hydrated and keep your blood sugar levels up so that you can make good decisions about whether you're going up or down in the mountains,' he says, adding that when Mountain Rescue take people off the peaks they test their blood sugar levels and often find they're dangerously low. So, as well as your normal food for the day, you should always carry extra rations at the bottom of your pack. For Carrick, flapjacks are a favourite because they're energy-dense with fast-release carbs for a quick sugar hit, combined with slow-release complex carbs and a bit of fat for longer-lasting energy. Ramsay agrees: 'A lot of hikers forget to take enough food or water with them. Pack more than you think you need and think about how you can get clean water if you run out. I always take a water filter with me.' When it comes to clothing, Carrick will also always carry a packable, lightweight waterproof jacket and overtrousers even on hot summer days, because thunderstorms are harder to predict than regular rain. And in the winter or shoulder seasons, as well as waterproof outer layers, it's worth packing an additional warm layer, such as a lightweight down jacket, or fleece, that you can put on under waterproofs if you have to stop for a while, or one of your layers gets wet. Even gram-counting fastpackers like Katy Parrott, who like to move fast and light, don't skimp on the safety essentials, such as a headtorch, navigational aids and a whistle. Making noise in an emergency may seem hopeless when you're in the middle of nowhere, but it can be surprisingly effective. Just last week, a severely injured, hypothermic hiker was rescued after a 200ft-fall in the Washington mountains when two other hikers, who were far away across the canyon, heard his cries for help. They couldn't even see him, but were able to call for help through their GPS messaging device, enabling rescuers to search the area and find him in time to save his life. All of the experts I spoke to for this piece agree that there's a key skill that's essential for making solo hiking safer: knowing when to back off. 'You should never take unnecessary risks and this is especially so when solo. If something makes you feel uncomfortable, find another route,' says Ramsay. There's one other piece of advice that I commonly hear from solo adventurers: 'don't let panic dictate your decisions'. Helpfully, Katy Parrott doesn't just say 'don't panic' because sometimes that's the natural human reaction, as she found out 165km into the self-supported Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra. 'It was the middle of the night, at about -15C with 20km to go and I basically hit a wall. I started to panic because I had no energy, I was shaking and staggering and questioning whether I could make it to safety before I passed out.' She knew that she was now at risk and had to get a grip on herself. 'So I just stopped in my tracks to take a few deep breaths to get past that 'chimp brain' of fight or flight, and to get my rational brain to kick back into gear, and that really helped to calm me down.' Parrott was then able to come up with a plan to get through a dangerous situation. 'I looked at the map and saw there was a shelter about 5km away. I realised I could do 5K and that felt easier than 20K. This clear, rational thinking got me to the shelter where I rested for 3-4 hours, had some food and a little bit of sleep and then carried on in the morning, which ended up being a success because I finished fourth overall and as the second female!' As Carrick echoes, one of the best things to do if you get lost or hit by bad weather is to stop and take stock. 'If you've been caught out in the mountains, one of the first things to do is probably to sit down, try and get yourself into some shelter and have some food and a drink to replenish your blood sugar levels while you think about how to get out of there safely.' There's usually a way to navigate out of a situation, even if you've managed to lose all of your navigational aids, especially if you retain an awareness of which general direction you need to head in and which landscape features you aren't expecting to encounter on your route. For instance, Parrott says you can simply shove a stick into the ground and watch how its shadow moves across the floor to get an east-west line. At the very least, knowing such tricks can boost your confidence if you do become unstuck. When it comes down to it, there's nothing that beats experience, and Carrick recommends building a base of outdoor experiences from which you can learn new skills and encounter different conditions and terrain. This can help you to tackle more advanced hiking routes and make independent judgement calls, such as choosing different kit for different circumstances. While outdoor organisations like the BMC are keen to promote safe and responsible hiking, they are not trying to put people off completely. 'I think there's definitely an increase in people coming to the mountains, but that's certainly not a bad thing. It's fantastic for us all individually, and there are a lot of skills that you learn when you spend time in the outdoors,' says Carrick. Whatever your hiking goals, so long as you weigh the limitations of your current experience and the tools you are using against the challenges of changeable weather conditions and rugged terrain, and have a plan of what to do if things go wrong, then you can have an enjoyable and rewarding adventure in the mountains.

Demand on mountain rescue teams 'unsustainable' ahead of busy summer season
Demand on mountain rescue teams 'unsustainable' ahead of busy summer season

Sky News

time24-07-2025

  • Sky News

Demand on mountain rescue teams 'unsustainable' ahead of busy summer season

The demand on mountain rescue teams in North Wales is "unsustainable" ahead of what promises to be a busy summer season, according to emergency services. Thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the area to experience the scenic views of Eryri National Park, also known as Snowdonia, over the coming weeks. But mountain rescue teams and police on the ground are urging people to be prepared before scaling the heights of Wales 's largest national park. It comes after officers recently shared the tragic story of how volunteers discovered the remains of missing walkers David Brookfield and Shayne Colaco, the latter of whom had been missing for 12 years, on the same day last year. Owain Llewelyn, Chief Superintendent at North Wales Police, told Sky News there had been a "significant increase" in the number of visitors to the area since the lifting of COVID restrictions in 2021. "With that increase in numbers, we've seen a significant increase in demand as well," he said. "I think it's fair to say that this time of year, people who come to visit North Wales are really excited about their trip. "For the people who are part of mountain rescue teams and the blue light responders, it's actually the time of year in many ways we dread, because we know that that significant increase in demand is going to come." Chief Superintendent Llewellyn said it was important for people to understand their limits. "It's about understanding that the weather conditions on the summit can be dramatically different and it's about understanding that getting to the top is not the be all and end all of the day," he added. "So actually, if people are starting to get tired, it's about stopping, being realistic and turning round and just coming back down." He said the force was "amazingly lucky" to work alongside teams of mountain rescue volunteers, describing them as "an amazing bunch of people" who "put their lives at risk at times to help people who have got into difficulties in the mountains". One such volunteer is Chris Lloyd from Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation, who has given his time as part of the team since 1977. While a lot has changed in the last five decades, Mr Lloyd told Sky News there was "an increasing number of calls which are really unnecessary". So far this year, the team has responded to 103 callouts, while they received 121 in the whole of 2019. "We're all volunteers in all the rescue teams, we're not paid or anything, we do this just for the passion and the love of the mountains and so we go out to assist people, but there's a limit now," he said. "We all have domestic lives, we have work lives and we have to do this in our own time, to come out and rescue people. "So if we can reduce the callouts by getting people to be prepared, be better equipped, choosing the right route for the day, not taking on too much of a challenge, it'll save us, because otherwise we're going to burn out."

Young farmers need more help, TV show winner says
Young farmers need more help, TV show winner says

Yahoo

time23-07-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Young farmers need more help, TV show winner says

A woman who won the opportunity to rent a farm for 15 years on a hit TV programme has called for more support to encourage young people into agriculture. Sara Jenkins, 28 won the latest series of Channel 4's Our Dream Farm, and said there were not enough opportunities for people her age and younger to access land. It comes as farming leaders warn in a new report of "significant barriers" facing young farmers, and said figures highlighting the industry's ageing workforce were "scary". The Welsh government said it supported a number of programmes to help young people "bring energy and fresh ideas" to farming. Debate over farm subsidy plan moves to Royal Welsh In pictures: The Royal Welsh Show Tax row will put young people off farming, M&S boss says Sara and her partner Ioan Jones became tenants of the National Trust's Llyndy Isaf - a 248 hectare (613 acre) hill farm in the heart of Eryri national park, also known as Snowdonia - after the "intense" TV content last year. The young couple were already "making the most of it", after repeated attempts to secure farmland in recent years. "We're very lucky," she said, "it's a massive positive knowing that we have the tenancy for 15 years". Renting a farm was the "only realistic option" because land prices were so high, influenced in part by "big companies buying land to plant trees for carbon offset", she claimed. It was quite an "uncertain" time to start a farming business and "quite a risk", given the continuing overhaul of subsidies and other policies, and she urged governments in both Cardiff and Westminster to "think about young farmers". Scenes of protests and discontent within the industry in recent years "must have thrown some people off" agriculture as a career, she warned. "I wouldn't blame any young person that doesn't want to go into farming because of all the commotion that's going on... but it will come around in a full circle. "The country is going to realise how valuable British food is and how important farmers are to this country." In a new report launched at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, in Llanelwedd, Powys, the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) made 40 recommendations for how to encourage young people into the industry. The union stressed the "key importance of attracting and retaining young talent", to safeguard food security and tackle environmental challenges while sustaining rural communities. Teleri Fielden, FUW policy officer, said figures on the industry's ageing workforce were "scary" - with the median age of the "key decision maker" on Welsh farms being 61, and only 3% "head of holding" farmers under the age of 35. "It's a bit concerning because we've had a generation that have been told don't go into farming - it's too hard," she said. Prohibitive land prices and access to finance are identified as key challenges in the report, as are limited and insecure tenancies and the sale of county council farms. The report also warned of "a significant lack of succession planning and/or willingness within the industry as a whole", with 21% of farmers polled in a recent survey stating they did not intend to retire. Recommendations for the Welsh government included making its new Sustainable Farming Scheme work for young farmers, with more support too for agricultural colleges. The report also encouraged existing farmers and landowners to provide tenancies and offer longer-term, secure arrangements. "Give the next generation those opportunities," urged Ms Fielden. There were simple things other farmers could do like "becoming a mentor, passing on your skills, leasing livestock or lending equipment", she said. "Turning up with a little bit of help and just giving young farmers that boost to say 'yes you can do it and we're here for you' is really important." Caleb Vater made FUW history by becoming the youngest person elected to one of the union's committees when he was just 15. Now 18, the young farmer from Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, said he felt he had to get involved after being concerned by "the amount of my friends in farming who were saying they weren't going to go into agriculture". "It's heart-breaking," he said, calling for more of emphasis in the school curriculum on teaching about farming. Sara Roberts, 28, an agricultural lecturer at Coleg Sir Gar's Gelli Aur campus near Carmarthen said there was work to do too to change perceptions about a career in agriculture. "It's an industry that's changing all the time and the stereotype of a farmer in his flat cap with a shepherd's crook on the top of a mountain really doesn't portray what it's about at the moment," she said. "We obviously still need people who'll milk cows and drive tractors but the industry is much more than that - drone operators, people with very specialist technical skills, data analysts are required too." The Welsh government said it continued to support young and new entrants to the agricultural industry through programmes such as Start to Farm. "The new Sustainable Farming Scheme has been designed to be accessible to all farmers, including new entrants and tenant farmers," a spokesperson added. "We want to make sure that new and young people can enter the industry and bring energy and fresh ideas."

Young farmers need more support, winner of Channel 4 show says
Young farmers need more support, winner of Channel 4 show says

BBC News

time23-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • BBC News

Young farmers need more support, winner of Channel 4 show says

A woman who won the opportunity to rent a farm for 15 years on a hit TV programme has called for more support to encourage young people into Jenkins, 28 won the latest series of Channel 4's Our Dream Farm, and said there were not enough opportunities for people her age and younger to access comes as farming leaders warn in a new report of "significant barriers" facing young farmers, and said figures highlighting the industry's ageing workforce were "scary".The Welsh government said it supported a number of programmes to help young people "bring energy and fresh ideas" to farming. Sara and her partner Ioan Jones became tenants of the National Trust's Llyndy Isaf - a 248 hectare (613 acre) hill farm in the heart of Eryri national park, also known as Snowdonia - after the "intense" TV content last young couple were already "making the most of it", after repeated attempts to secure farmland in recent years."We're very lucky," she said, "it's a massive positive knowing that we have the tenancy for 15 years".Renting a farm was the "only realistic option" because land prices were so high, influenced in part by "big companies buying land to plant trees for carbon offset", she claimed. It was quite an "uncertain" time to start a farming business and "quite a risk", given the continuing overhaul of subsidies and other policies, and she urged governments in both Cardiff and Westminster to "think about young farmers".Scenes of protests and discontent within the industry in recent years "must have thrown some people off" agriculture as a career, she warned."I wouldn't blame any young person that doesn't want to go into farming because of all the commotion that's going on... but it will come around in a full circle."The country is going to realise how valuable British food is and how important farmers are to this country." In a new report launched at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, in Llanelwedd, Powys, the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) made 40 recommendations for how to encourage young people into the union stressed the "key importance of attracting and retaining young talent", to safeguard food security and tackle environmental challenges while sustaining rural Fielden, FUW policy officer, said figures on the industry's ageing workforce were "scary" - with the median age of the "key decision maker" on Welsh farms being 61, and only 3% "head of holding" farmers under the age of 35."It's a bit concerning because we've had a generation that have been told don't go into farming - it's too hard," she said. Prohibitive land prices and access to finance are identified as key challenges in the report, as are limited and insecure tenancies and the sale of county council report also warned of "a significant lack of succession planning and/or willingness within the industry as a whole", with 21% of farmers polled in a recent survey stating they did not intend to for the Welsh government included making its new Sustainable Farming Scheme work for young farmers, with more support too for agricultural report also encouraged existing farmers and landowners to provide tenancies and offer longer-term, secure arrangements."Give the next generation those opportunities," urged Ms were simple things other farmers could do like "becoming a mentor, passing on your skills, leasing livestock or lending equipment", she said."Turning up with a little bit of help and just giving young farmers that boost to say 'yes you can do it and we're here for you' is really important." Caleb Vater made FUW history by becoming the youngest person elected to one of the union's committees when he was just 18, the young farmer from Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, said he felt he had to get involved after being concerned by "the amount of my friends in farming who were saying they weren't going to go into agriculture"."It's heart-breaking," he said, calling for more of emphasis in the school curriculum on teaching about Roberts, 28, an agricultural lecturer at Coleg Sir Gar's Gelli Aur campus near Carmarthen said there was work to do too to change perceptions about a career in agriculture."It's an industry that's changing all the time and the stereotype of a farmer in his flat cap with a shepherd's crook on the top of a mountain really doesn't portray what it's about at the moment," she said."We obviously still need people who'll milk cows and drive tractors but the industry is much more than that - drone operators, people with very specialist technical skills, data analysts are required too." The Welsh government said it continued to support young and new entrants to the agricultural industry through programmes such as Start to Farm."The new Sustainable Farming Scheme has been designed to be accessible to all farmers, including new entrants and tenant farmers," a spokesperson added."We want to make sure that new and young people can enter the industry and bring energy and fresh ideas."

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