Now is the time…
Children and young people love coming and spending time with us here at our Oxfordshire site. We already offer some fantastic activities – from archery and climbing to slacklining and bushcraft – and we see the benefits to their mental and physical health.
But imagine if we could also offer on-site canoeing, kayaking, SUPing, raft building, wild swimming, coasteering, beach volleyball, island camping, bridge building, bird watching, pond dipping, mountain boarding, caving…the list goes on!
And all of that YEAR ROUND and within a stone’s throw of hot showers and warm, comfortable accommodation!
That’s exactly what we have emabarked upon this summer! We have dug the Adventure Lake and created the hill with the spoil. The lake will feature an amazing artificial inland coasteering wall. The first in the UK!
We are excited to share with you all that the construction of the Adventure Lake and The Hill are now complete!! We are now continuing with the installation of the coasteering wall, and if funds allow, the installation of the Caving trail! Over the coming winter, we will plant over 2500 trees, reed beds and wetland plants to help establish the lake. If you would like to be involved in this incredible conservation effort or can support us financially to cover the operational shortfall due to the rise in fuel costs, please get in touch.
Let’s dig a lake!
We are going to dig a lake right here at the Adventure Base!
Whereas we are currently limited to the summer months on our local stretch of the Upper Thames, the four-acre adventure lake will mean we can safely take children on the water all year round – not to mention the huge gains it will bring in biodiversity and wildlife conservation!
Not only that – the spoil from digging the lake will remain on site (a win from an environmental perspective) and will be used to create the Hill – another gain for biodiversity on site and a fantastic way to form a new feature on otherwise flat land.
Under the Hill will be a one-of-a-kind caving trail, adding even more exciting activity opportunities! See the latest visualisation for our Caving trail below! Featuring squeeze zones and chambers for exploration!
Why do we need it?
Children and young people are spending more time than ever indoors, inactive and on screens, and we are seeing the negative effects this has on mental and physical wellbeing.
As we witness more than ever the need to engage children and young people in outdoor activities that boost their self-confidence, health and social skills we want to make the Base the best it can be – offering a truly unforgettable experience to all who visit us, so that they keep coming back for more and reap the benefits over the long term.
How will we fund it?
We have secured funds for the Lake and Hill thanks to the amazing generosity of our supporters! We hope to include the caving trail in this big build project but the growing cost of fuel and unaviodable project delays have meant that the funds we have already secured are no longer sufficient. If you would like to support the final leg of this big build push to get us across the line please get in touch. We are kindly being supported by a number of local churches and businesses as their charity of the year. Can you help us get the word out and fund this amazing project? We have a digital fundraising flyer below or get in touch to find out how you can get involved.