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It’s taken us a while to get our act together, but just like buses you wait ages then several turn up at once… Since we can’t run any face-to-face events for Members at the moment, SWOAPG will be launching some new online events and resources next week, which we hope our Members will find valuable: … Read more

The Outdoor Alliance Wales (which was set up two years ago to bring together a wide range of organisations with an interest in outdoor activity) has today submitted to the Welsh Government a “Post Covid-19 Recovery Plan for the outdoor sector in Wales”, which the Government will be considering as it decides how to move … Read more

You will now be able to follow SWOAPG posts on Twitter, for those of you who prefer tweeting to Facebook or e-mail: @SWOAPG_tweets

The Outdoor Alliance (in which SWOAPG and WATO are active members) is currently working on a range of advice for Welsh Government to facilitate as smooth a return as possible to adventurous outdoor activity as the Covid-19 lockdown eases – including a sub-group that is looking specifically at the safe return of ‘guided’ activity in … Read more

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has published the attached ‘recovery plan’ to recommend to public bodies a phased approach that should be taken to re-introduce climbing and hillwalking activity as quickly and safely as possible once the Covid-19 lockdown eases. Other National Governing Bodies are working on similar plans…

Bounce Back Loans The new ‘Bounce Back Loan‘ is a UK fast-track finance scheme providing loans with a 100% government-backed guarantee for lenders, for Small businesses (including sole traders); which should help to bolster the existing package of support available to the smallest businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses will be able to borrow … Read more

Just in case any of you are wondering why you receive the same message(s) several times from SWOAPG, here’s a brief explanation of how our e-mailing system works: We post messages on our website blog as they occur. If messages are important / urgent enough for wide circulation (to all our paid-up Members and ‘free’ … Read more

IOL, BAPA and AHOEC have met with NCS Trust (NCST) in recent weeks regarding the future provision of the NCS scheme, in particular for the Autumn of 2020 and the Summer of 2021. As a result, they have issued the following advice relating to contractual commitments during the Covid-19 crisis, which may be relevant to … Read more

Most Outdoor Provider businesses will already be well-aware of the impact of Covid-19 on school visits, but the Institute for Outdoor Learning has helpfully summarised this in the following statement. NB the comments relating to DfE advice refer only to schools in England, but the situation for schools in Wales is, of course, similar. “We … Read more

More impact surveys, this time specifically aimed at the UK-wide Outdoor Sector and therefore relevant for all SWOAPG Members to complete. From the Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL): “After a period of significant and necessary change, now is the time for taking stock of the impact of the current situation on Organisations and Professionals involved … Read more