BF ADVENTURE

Every year BF Adventure, formerly known as Bishop’s Forum, helps hundreds of disadvantaged and disabled children and adults in Cornwall to believe in themselves and gain the skills and accreditations to succeed at school or to find employment.

In total the Adventure center runs more than 8000 activity sessions annually for over 3000 Cornish individuals including;

• Long-term programmes for young people aged 14-25 who are not in education, employment and training.
• Early intervention programmes for Primary age Children
• Activity breaks for disabled children and adults and their family and friends.

The organisation based at the Googygrane Adventure centre near Falmouth was established in 1989 by a group of individuals who recognised the potential of using the outdoor environment to positively influence the physical and mental wellbeing of children and young people.

Today the charity operates across the county of Cornwall with a permanent full time staff including Instructors, Management Support team and Volunteers, plus a flexible bank of freelance and part-time instructors..  The combined team offers a comprehensive and specialist range of experience and skills including youth work, advice and guidance, education, contract management, disability inclusion and challenging behaviour management, finance, training, marketing, business development, fundraising, health and fitness, environmental, creative arts and outdoor adventurous activity.

BFA works with statutory bodies, voluntary and private sector organisations concerned with the well-being of young people, particularly those disadvantaged through social deprivation, physical and mental disability, and behavioural and / or learning difficulties.

While this core charitable work represents 75% of BFA’s throughput, the activity centre is also popular with mainstream groups such as Guides, Scouts, schools, external groups, families, businesses (for corporate team building activities), and a wide variety of social events. All non-charity work generates a profit to support the overall operation.

Activities offered by BFA include basic problem solving, canoeing, abseiling, climbing, swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, archery, power boating, orienteering, bushcraft and survival skills, camping, surfing, coasteering and independent living skills (budgeting, cooking, planning, job search skills, IT, basic numeracy and literacy).  Where possible and appropriate these activities are embedded into accredited programmes at pre GCSE / GCSE level.

While, as a priority, maximum use is made of the outdoor classroom, indoor activity and problem solving space is utilised both during poor weather and increasingly to address wider educational, key and other “soft” skills, and elements of career guidance.

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