This is what meeta trustee we do
Alpkit only exists because of our wild places and the people that make them.
Alpkit Foundation is our payback. Small awards to help protect the places we love for everyone to enjoy. To support direct action, where a positive difference can be made to help people get outdoors and experience the benefits of time spent outside.
“Hey! The outdoors is good for the mind, body and soul. There are amazing people doing incredible things to help others benefit from this and we’re super proud to be able to support them”
Alpkit Foundation Trustees
Ross Steedman
“Ultimately, I’d like to help others get into the outdoors. It’s as simple as that. Whatever form that takes, time spent outside together, is time well spent. I’d like to help make that happen more and more for people.”
Ross lives in Edinburgh and is a Store Hero at Alpkit Edinburgh and has a passion for cycling and running. Previously he ran his own digital agency, but he found the compounded stresses were having a profound impact on his own mental health and wellbeing. So he stopped.It turned out to be a re-start point. More time and using that time to immerse in the outdoors again, able to reset, take stock of what is important in life.
“I’m not sure I could have arrived at where I am today without that influence and deep learning that spending time in the outdoors can give you.”
Pete Col Elly
David Naomi
Abby
Adge
Helen Nick Kenny Ross
people & projects Snippets of Those Amazing
Blue Youth
Supporting volunteer opportunities to ignite marine conservation passion among Scotland’s youth.
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) Shorewatch is a long-standing citizen science project within which the Blue Youth project creates and enhances connections between young people and their blue spaces. It was great to put support towards this project and the focus on those from remote and disadvantaged communities being able to access these volunteer opportunities.
Freya from WDC explains a little more.
“Young people in Scotland face barriers to volunteering, the most significant identified as lack of transport and/or funds to reach volunteer locations. We look to remove these barriers by providing specific training and transport options to recruit young people to learn transferable skills, contribute to a valuable data set and connect with their local marine wildlife.”
Pedal Power
Bike Project programme offers cycle lessons for refugee and asylum seeking women to gain confidence, learn road safety and bike maintenance.
A £300 award went towards materials for cleaning and maintaining the bikes that the women learn on. Pedal Power graduates learn to cycle and gain the sense of freedom and independence it provides, along with a source of community and joy.
Peak District Mosaic secure National Lottery Heritage funding for their Championing National Parks for Everyone Project.
Accessible sailing
Taking away barriers for those with cerebral palsy to take part in water based activities.
Cerebral Palsy Plus in Bristol create opportunities for connection, fun and personal development. One of their events is a sailing day.
“No matter the complexity of their disability, our aim with this event was to provide an empowering and enjoyable day, an opportunity to try an activity that many would often feel excluded from.”
It was amazing to put support towards costs of hiring essential equipment to make the day as accessible as possible as it’s days like this that really demonstrate the huge impact being these experiences can have.
Lights for night runs
Motivation through the dark winter days, that’s when a community of like minded souls is at its strongest, pulling each other through those get-out-easy excuses.
Anyone Can Run is a small running club in Norwich, Annette is a coach there.
“Our beginners group likes to train throughout winter, but we run in a poorly lit area, so to ensure the safety of our runners we wanted to provide each with lights.”
A small £100 award was a great way to help the club support those building a love for running and fitness throughout winter.
Kayak Skills sessions
Pool hire allows regular, free kayak training sessions used to equip youngsters with the skills and confidence for moving water.
Peak Paddle Charity work with groups in the Derwent Valley to inspire and engage them through paddlesports. They wanted to provide free pool sessions for local youngsters to enhance and develop vital safety and rescue skills. £350 helped towards pool costs and their primary aim to negate any initial financial burden of experiencing paddlesports.
Pete Astle is chair at Peak Paddle and told us the impact it’s helped make.
“To have all sessions free to those going through the initial 3-level award system is a massive help. To practice essential skills really helps develop their experience and boost confidence to paddle on moving water. Combined, it all helps to enable more coaching and resource development for paddlesports.”
Kessock Swim Academy
Supporting a swim academy to take youngsters on a journey to complete a open water 1200m tidal crossing.
The Kessock Ferry Swim was a long standing event in Inverness. It was a swim that really brought people together and local outdoor education charity Àban revived it with the hope to recindle the rich community passion as well as promoting a healthy outdoor lifestyle.
“We wanted to work with local teenagers, to take them from indoor pool to an attempt on the 1200m crossing. Just as importantly though, it is the learning around the swimming: healthy lifestyle, good friendships and enjoying the outdoors responsibly.”
The work of Àban and schemes like their swim academy are a real joy to see, embedding right into the community to bring change and break down barriers that might exist. To really build on the positives of these experiences outdoors.
Happy, Happy days outside
Even those with the most complex needs can find ways to shine and outdoor activities help to build this self-confidence.
Happy Days Charity work with local communities right across the UK to provide vital respite breaks for individuals, families and groups who support children with a wide range of additional needs.
They organised a trip to Bendrigg Lodge, which meant that all the activities were designed to help the children learn new skills, promote education, inclusion and independence. A £300 award went towards their support of ensuring all the children could access it regardless of financial status.
Training a Band of volunteers
Help towards qualificatons for volunteers in the Love Her Wild community builds a network of leaders that can offer positive, accessible activities right across the country.
Communty groups around the country linked with a shared vision can have real impact. Love Her Wild (LHW) is a UK-based nonprofit women’s adventure community that builds on just this.
We are delighted to have been able to support a number of volunteers with grants towards qualifications. Wiesje van den Heerik is from the Cambridgeshire group, she completed her Lowland Leader training this year, meaning she now has a lot more confidence planning and leading groups in the area and spreading knowledge further. By having these volunteer led sessions it really helps to make activities accessible to as many women as possible, regardless of income, experience and access to kit.
Alpkit stores raise money for their local mountain rescue
to help look after those out enjpying these
The Quick Financy Bit
Annual Return for year ending Oct 2023
> Alpkit Limited donates 1% of its sales plus proceeds from events such as the Big Shakeout. Alpkit Limited commits to donate at least 10% of its annual profit to the Foundation each year.
> 1,449 applications in the year to 31 October 2023.
634 projects supported with £131,000.
> This yeaar the Alpkit Foundation received donations of over £173,000
> The net surplus in the year of £17,884 is added to unrestricted reserves. Unrestricted reserves total for future benefit were £60,267.
> Continued support of Alpkit’s Continuum. Helping get over 1 tonne of wetusit and neoprene recycled, another 655 kg of down products to ReDown and c. 2.8 tonnes of outdoor kit back out being used.
> £5,836 raised over Bank Holiday for the Mountain / Search and Rescue teams local to all our stores.
> £2,592 support to other Alpkit volunteering and personal fundraising efforts.
> Continued commitment to the Association of Mountaineering Instructors and their charity tender fund, along with Lindley Educational Trust both recieving £2,500 to reactively utilise and issue smaller grants to support groups and projects and help increase diversity and access in the outdoors.
As we whizz through 2024, we’re super proud to have smashed through three quaters of a million pounds in support to over 2500 inspiring projects.
Over £750,000 &2500 projects!
Over the six years that we’ve been running our Continuum project we have now passed on well over 10 tonnes of old outdoor kit for new adventures. Whether that’s old wetsuits and down products for recycling, or equipment to help communities around the country access the outdoors. With partners such as Curious School of the Wild, Aban, Kitsquad and Nottingham Bikeworks, amongst others, all ensuring kit can go on longer and used by those that could really benefit.
Lindley Educational Trust
Working with young people within community groups to inspire, build confidence and move positively forwards in their lives, whilst also instilling a lifelong love of the outdoors. Lindley Educational Trust certainly know the significance of high quality outdoor learning.
We’ve had the pleasure of supporting the direct impact youth and community work Lindley do for a number of years. Utilising an annual grant of £2500 they split this into small awards to help engage those from the most difficult to reach backgrounds and outdoor leaders from BAME communities.
Head of Centres, Mark Williams, explains. “We look to get groups taking part part in free adventurous activities as we know the immense value of these experience, but are very aware that youth groups are really struggling, with opportunities for residentials and activity days becoming less and less”
It’s inspiring to see how offering these activities can make real
impact. Whether that’s a days climbing for young people from communities with ongoing issues of anti-social behaviour, caving for BAME youth groups where challenging funding measn little chances for these experiences outside the city environment.
Lindley also support their young leaders, who drive change by becoming inspirational role models within their communities.
“We have a group from Afghan, Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds, whom we have worked with for several years as part of Ashton Youth Club. Highly enthused they are starting the journey of introducing others to the outdoors. We are helping them gain more skills and experience bringing positive changes to their
daily lives and the community.”
Last summer they planned and organised an expedition to the High Atlas, which we were delighted to add further support to. It’s really shows how an enthused group can make amazing things happen.
“I’m delighted to say that everyone summited Toubkal. Following the expedition the group delivered a celebration / presentation to their community and other young people, which we feel is a powerful means of inspiring the next generation and delivers the message that despite where they live and their backgrounds, they can achieve great things.”
vwww.lindleyeducationaltrust.org
Ashton youth leaders summit Toubkal, Morocco
THANK YOU
Communities built, strengthened, healed by outdoor experiences and spending time outside. These opportunities are incredible tools to bring people together, to tackle issues that cross diversity, inclusion, wellbeing, education and awareness.
The last year has seen us continue to support many people and projects which lie at the heart of that community spirit and demonstrates the strength that these groups bring. It was a partiucular pleasure to see Peak District Mosaic secure National Lottery Heritage funding to deliver its Championing National Parks for Everyone project, which we helped support during the development phase. Ultimately it’s a reflection of the hard work and passion from the team there and the impact they will make going forwards in bringing communities together in our outdoor spaces.
Whether it’s groups building a community like Love Her Wild, Wanderers of Colour, Black Girls Hike, or Every Body Outdoors. Or those like Lindley Educational Trust who do powerful work right at the heart of many deprived and challenged communities. One thing is for sure, community drives change and the outdoors can play a crucial role in making it as positive and as impactful as possible.
The annual accounts for year ending October 23 have been submitted and through that period we supported another 610 projects and so as we psuh on through 2024 we have now tipped over £750,000 of support. This is made up of many, many small steps that are helping people stride big outdoors.
This review is once again built of those little snippets of joy, stories of projects driven by real activists among those communities and deeply passionate about the benefits of time outdoors. As it should be.
Go nice places, do good things. Now that’s a joy everyone should be able to share. #goniceplacesdogoodthings
DONATE
We couldn’t have done any of this without you. Every time you treat yourself to some Alpkit gear for your next adventure you’ll know it’s doing something good for others.
You can also donate directly via tha Alpkit Foundation website, through PayPal Giving Fund, or maybe even choose us as your next fundraiser through GoFundMe
If you are a 1% For the Planet organisation you can choose the Alpkit Foundation as your Non-Profit partner. v
APPLY
If you have a project that you feel we can help with to combat barriers accessing and helping others benefit from time spent outdoors then here we are!
We look to keep the application process as simple as possible. We meet every 2 months so if possible please allow plenty of time before the start of your project.
Apply online at alpkit.com/foundation and click on the application link.