Please note, you are currently viewing a simplified version of this site. To view this site as intended you will need to be using a device which supports the free Adobe Flash Player ...
Who are Craggers?
Craggers is a Registered Charity (number 1117364) run by volunteer members helping unemployed / low income families, and other socially excluded people experience adventurous activities such as hillwalking, rock climbing, abseiling, kayaking, bush-craft, mountaineering and an annual adventure camp.
All of our members are tremendously enthusiastic and put in a lot of effort to ensure that Craggers delivers its promise of providing quality, highly subsidised adventure activities to unemployed and low income families. We run regular training workshops concentrating on ropework, safety, First Aid, self-rescue and equal opportunities. In the last year we have had been on trips of 5-10 days including Winter climbing and mountaineering in Scotland, Camping, rock climbing and trekking in Dorset and the Peak District and Canoeing in the Wye Valley. We've also had training workhops in bush-craft, first-aid and navigation skills as well as local nature walks and a visit to the Sandstone outcrops. Our annual adventure camp at Blacklands Farm was attended by over 50 people this year! In the past we have had training on the rocks in the North of France, Wales, the Lake District, Devon and Scotland. We have also been able to inform Brighton and Hove Councils on sports and leisure policies strategy and have undertaken great expeditions to Snowdonia, the Lake District and Scotland.
The group formed after a very successful camp. We are non profit making, have no paid staff and therefore all our grant aid can be used to provide quality training for Craggers members and for buying the climbing and safety equipment which we use on our camps.
Why do Craggers do what they do?
The demand for adventure activities is huge across the whole of society, climbing being the fastest growing sport in Britain. However, while the will might be there, the opportunities for unemployed and low-income people to involve themselves, particularly in a place like Brighton, do not exist.
This is where we come in. The theory is not new: management-training outfits use similar techniques to develop confidence, team building, leadership skills, motivation etc. What's different is that our people achieve things they never thought possible. It can be a life changing experience. Families feel more in control of their lives and, particularly on the weeklong adventure camps, develop both physical skills and mental fortitude. We believe that the children enthused by these experiences can develop a lifelong interest in physical activity. Some members of Craggers have disabilities, as have some of our regular users and people who have attended our camps. Several people at the camps have been recovering from alcohol and drug addiction and have found that the experience has massively increased their self-esteem. These changes are not just a personal benefit but affect the wider community in a very positive way.
Supporting community activity, extending access and participation, increasing skill and creativity and improving the quality of life of all those involved in the project are prime aims of our group. The adventure camps draw together people from very disparate backgrounds all of whom participate in making the camp viable. Cooking, cleaning and other vital tasks are organised by the whole group.
Our aim is to ensure that the freedom of the hills and the joyous terror of a tricky climb can be felt by those normally excluded from this life enhancing exhilaration.
How did Craggers come about?
Building upon the success of the camps, we set up Craggers in 1999 to encourage more people to get involved in the organisation of events and also to harness the enthusiasm of those who had been on previous events. This has since resulted in dozens of fantastic inexpensive activity holidays being organised and enjoyed, many including training in climbing, navigation etc.
The positive benefits to the local community from the events we run cannot be overstated. To be long term unemployed or on a low income in a town like Brighton, which is now classed as having inner city status, often leads to chronic depression, lack of confidence, low self esteem, lethargy, poor health, lack of motivation and children without sporting/adventure opportunities and activities are all part of a downward spiral which many people find impossible to escape. By providing highly subsidised opportunities to participate in our activities we're offering a way for families to empower themselves and escape the spiral.
If you are using an iPad or an iPhone you may need to use two-finger drag to view scrollable content between the yellow lines.
