The Outdoors Club.

Founded by members of the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue in order to try to encourage young people to become familiar with fell rescue techniques and activities and perhaps one day join the Fell rescue team.

Activities are usually led by members of the rescue team or other experienced members and ages range from around 10 to adult.

Outdoors Club Membership Progress Scheme

The U.W.F.R.A Outdoors Club have now introduced a scheme for recording members progress in learning skills necessary for taking part in sports in the outdoors.

To accommodate members personal interest and to simplify the system the outdoors sports have been divided into three categories which are Climbing, Caving and Navigation and Fell walking.  This last category being general mountaineering skills.

For Climbing, Caving and Navigation and Fell walking there are three levels to be achieved:-

Ø      Level 1 the lowest level, will be possible to achieve on ones first evening.

Ø      Level 2 is far more comprehensive and includes minimum basic skills that are essential for one to look after oneself safely on more difficult trips.

Ø      Level 3 is an extremely high level which will only be achieved by a small number of members and may take a number of years.  Gaining level 3 would benefit someone wishing to make a career in outdoor pursuits or joining the National Instructor Scheme or becoming a full member of a rescue team.

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At each level and in each category there is a list of tasks to be achieved, these are then checked by a committee member or a member that has completed the next higher level.  That is level 1 can be checked by a member that has completed level 2.  When all the tasks have been completed the form is then certified by a committee member.

In future, on the calendar of meets, an indication of the difficulty of the trip will be shown using a similar three level grading.  Therefore In future for example if a caving trip is graded level 2 it is only suitable for those members who have completed level 2 in caving.

All members will receive lists of the tasks required to be completed together with a log book for recording their experience.  These log books are similar to those used by the Mountain Leadership board and the Local Cave and Mine Leaders Scheme and once filled in would be readily interchangeable if a member wanted to join those schemes in later years.

Recording your progress and experience is entirely voluntary.  Some members will be satisfied by just attending level 1 trips and have no interest in keeping records at all.  Others will slowly tick off each task as they achieve them and may take years or never reach level 2.  Yet some will be eager to learn all skills that will then give them access to joining difficult trips and more ambitious expeditions.  But what really matters is that we all just get out there and enjoy ourselves!