Venture Outdoors’ event will ‘Connect Communities’

The aim of the event is to provide a unique networking opportunity for community groups and those involved in the provision of outdoor recreation in the Antrim area, to meet face-to-face, build positive relationships with one another and ultimately to encourage participation in outdoor recreation by underrepresented groups.

Claire Overend Development Officer at Venture Outdoors commented “The Ballymena event is targeted at all community groups and providers of outdoor recreation from Antrim and the surrounding towns and cities to come along and meet local providers of outdoor recreation.

“The event if free and will provide a unique opportunity for community groups to gather contacts and information on a range of outdoor activities that can be tailored to their group’s requirements such as accessible outdoor activities suitable for people with disabilities”.

Attendees at the Ballymena event can also pick up their copy of the new Venture Outdoors ‘Community Toolkit to Success’.

The toolkit has a wealth of information on funding sources for outdoors events and useful guides on how to write a winning funding application as-well as a guide on how to effectively organise outdoors activities.

The Connecting Communities event and production of the new Community toolkit, forms part of the action strategy taken by the Venture Outdoors project to address the barriers to participation identified in a 2009 research report ‘Barriers to Participation’ produced by CAAN (Countryside Access and Activities Network).

The research discovered that a lack of sufficient access to quality information contributed significantly as a barrier to participation in outdoor recreation.

Venture Outdoors also aim to increase participation via facilitating ‘Taster Sessions’ whereby underrepresented groups can try out up to six new activities.

The Ballymena Interethnic Forum, Mencap in Antrim, Ballymena Islamic Group and Brain Injury Support Group Ballymena are just some of the groups from the Antrim area to have been involved in Taster Sessions with Venture Outdoors.

Those wishing to attend the Ballymena event book with Venture Outdoors to secure one of the limited spaces available. The Connecting Communities Event booking form and the new toolkit can be downloaded for free at www.countrysiderecreation.com/venture-outdoors