Glenmore Lodge A national asset, fit for the future
Our vision...
Preface
... is for Scotland to have the most enlightened outdoor and adventure sports community in the world, enabling our nation to enjoy the benefits of an active life in our countryside.
From early beginnings in the late 1940s Glenmore Lodge has been providing openings and opportunities for people to learn, thrive and be respectful of the outdoors. The need to provide opportunities remains as strong as ever and the stories inside this report are evidence of what can, and has been done. As part of the sportscotland group Glenmore Lodge greatly values the investment and support through the national agency for sport. The gains made since 1947 are undeniable, great strides have been made towards both facilitating enjoyment for many but also a better understanding of the outdoors because of the investment in Glenmore Lodge. Glenmore Lodge is not just a location but a crucial driver in Scotland’s capacity to deliver an outdoor strategy.
It is clear that Scotland’s outdoors contributes to the national economy, while Glenmore Lodge contributes to the local economy. There is little doubt that Glenmore Lodge provides the highest possible standards of instruction and is well-placed to do so in a stunning outdoor environment. It is my intention that Glenmore Lodge should continue to thrive as an internationally known centre and effective advocate for the benefit of outdoor sport recreation and education. Our future is clear, to provide the most supportive environment possible for exploring, advancing, engaging and promoting the outdoors and outdoor sport. Professor Grant Jarvie Chair of the sportscotland Trust Company
inspiring adventure 02
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Introduction The purpose of this publication is to provide an update on the status of sportscotland's National Centre at Glenmore Lodge.
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What could we do better?
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How are we doing?
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In 2013 the Centre celebrates its 65th year of operation. Although the history has relevance and we acknowledge the success of our predecessors, our primary concern is that the Centre remains fit for purpose in moving forwards. We recently conducted a stakeholder survey in which we asked those potentially difficult questions “how are we doing?” and “what could we do better?”. This publication is partly as a result of what others have told us. Whilst most respondents felt that Glenmore Lodge offered value for money for Scottish tax payers, many drew attention to the fact that most tax payers have no idea of the benefits provided by investment in Glenmore Lodge. It was generally felt that more could be done to better communicate the wider public benefits of Glenmore Lodge. As far as future potential, the bullet points below are an extract from the summary analysis of responses and provides us with a clear mandate in developing the National Centre to ensure it is fit for the future.
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• Sector leadership - Glenmore Lodge is exceptionally
placed to provide competent and authoritative sector leadership and should work towards taking a more proactive approach and drive sector developments. Organisational reach - Glenmore Lodge should help secure its future against the threat of public sector funding cuts by expanding its relevance and ensuring it aligns with, and meets, Scottish Government priorities. Workforce development - Glenmore Lodge should continue to train, retain and maintain the sector workforce. Communication - Glenmore Lodge should promote its work more effectively to attract more people interested in the outdoors. It should also highlight its relevance and value to the tax payer.
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The aim from the beginning was not only to give young people the opportunity of an introduction to the treasures that a true appreciation of the country can provide, but also to inspire young men and woman so much with the idea of what can be done by healthful outdoor recreation and nature study that they would act in their own localities as advocates of what can now be called the Glenmore idea.
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Where have we come from - Bob Kinnaird, Principal
... Lord Malcolm Douglas Hamilton
“green gymnasium”, an opportunity unparalleled in most of Europe. On the other hand our traditional factory based approach to health and safety has created both real and perceived barriers, particularly for our younger generation. Glenmore Lodge continues to support efforts within the sector and continues to try and develop a more “balanced risk benefit approach”. The “advocate” concept from those early days inevitably matured into awards and qualifications. Eric Langmuir referred to the very first Mountain Instructor Certificate (MIC) course in his 1968 Principal’s Report,
“Cairngorm Adventure at Glenmore Lodge” is the title of a book about Glenmore Lodge published in 1952 and written by Catherine M Loader, the Technical Representative of the Central Council for Physical Recreation at the time. The book forms part of our induction process, ensuring that the team have an understanding of the rich heritage and history surrounding “The Lodge”.
inspire young men and women so much with the idea of what can be done by healthful outdoor recreation and nature study that they would act in their own localities as advocates of what can now be called the Glenmore idea.” He goes on to say,
The foreword of the book was written by Lord Malcolm Douglas Hamilton.
“It is right that people should know what is being done at this National Centre, which I think can claim to be the first civilian mountain school in Great Britain”.
“The aim from the beginning was not only to give young people the opportunity of an introduction to the treasures that a true appreciation of the country can provide, but also to
Through six decades of social change the Centre has continued to develop, innovate and grow and yet at its very heart the ethos remains the same. What was in 1948 an intrinsic understanding
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of the value of connecting people with our landscape, is now more than ever deeply rooted in what we are trying to ultimately achieve. Catherine Loader worked in an era before it was normal for organisations to articulate their ‘vision’, but I would hope that she would have approved of ours today. “Our vision is for Scotland to be the most enlightened outdoor sport community in the world. We will do this by providing world class training and leadership and being an inspirational catalyst that enables our nation to experience the wide ranging benefits of physical recreation in our countryside”. The creation of our enlightened access legislation in Scotland provides our nation with access to our
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“One thing is for certain, and that is that at all cost we must set and maintain an inflexibly high standard. Far too many schemes in other sports have fallen into disrepute because they have become mere paper qualifications to be handed out for the price of curriculum vitae”. The Glenmore Lodge commitment to quality and excellence was born. These days the outdoor sector is complex and fragmented and at the risk of being contentious, I would question just how joined up our qualifications systems now are. The levels of competence, professionalism and excellence associated with the awards is not in doubt, but even within the sector we recognise that, where there is overlap, we need to rationalise and at the same time make sure our awards are fit for the modern market place. Striving for technical excellence
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is only part of the story, the application of these skills to help develop the sport, develop others and provide motivating and inspiring adventurous experiences remains the real end game. From a superficial perspective one might be forgiven for perceiving The Lodge as simply a deliverer of hard skill training. The provision of training courses has always been one of our core functions but this needs to be placed in a leadership context. It is this leadership and sector support capacity that differentiates the National Centre from commercial centres. Glenmore Lodge is a national resource for the entire outdoor sports sector. It is well placed to provide expertise, advice and support to the outdoor community, stakeholders and partners, which can make a difference in increasing participation and improving performance in outdoor and adventure sport. Today we can celebrate the recent trend in the real growth of individuals and organisations that are able to operate economically sustainable business models, providing recreational and adventure sports opportunities throughout Scotland. Recreation in our countryside is a net contributor to our Scottish economy; adventure travel is a growing tourism niche; outdoor learning is now a central pillar of our schools national curriculum and Scottish Natural Heritage has developed measures around how to encourage people to connect with our outdoors.
Perhaps the most significant change since Catherine Loader’s time has been the development of our understanding that the planet has finite resources and the awareness that we all have to play our part in living sustainably; this is a responsibility The Lodge takes very seriously. The National Centre has played a key role in developing and delivering key skills and instructor training that has led to growth in the sector. It has been an early trend setter, establishing best practice standards for the sector, but what about the future? The Centre is well positioned and established with a model, supported by sportscotland, that continues to deliver excellent training, and has capacity to provide supportive leadership. To remain a national asset it must continue to evolve and more than ever this means working in partnership with governing bodies, agencies that support outdoor recreation and the commercial sector. The Centre has an important role to play in an ever more complex outdoor sector jigsaw, but whatever it does, it is essential that it is underpinned by a deep understanding of the value to Scotland of connecting its people with its landscape.
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The trust & sportscotland
Glenmore Lodge is owned by the sportscotland Trust Company, a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. The company objectives refer to safeguarding physical and mental health and social welfare through physical recreation and sport. The Trust is part of the sportscotland family, the national agency for sport. It consists of 3 Scottish National Centres, Glenmore Lodge, Cumbrae and Inverclyde. Between them they provide a range of facilities and support services, including residential accommodation for outdoor and water sports, competition venues, coach education, as well as development opportunities for school and community sport. The Trust Board meets quarterly to oversee the strategic development of the three centres. The independent Non-Executive Directors, who are also Trustees oversee the governance of the Centres. Strategic and business plans are ratified by the Trustees and each year the centres receive revenue and capital investment from sportscotland to allow them to carry out their functions. This funding support is ring-fenced to ensure that public funds are not used to subsidise general training courses, which these days are readily available on the open market.
At Glenmore Lodge the total investment is used in the following way: 04
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Distribution of sportscotland Investment in Glenmore Lodge
01 Governing Body Courses
29%
02 Sector Leadership & Support 23% 02
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03 Centre Facilities
39%
04 Public Sector Compliance
9%
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Training leaders - Nigel Williams, Head of Training The outdoor industry has seen significant workforce changes and expansion over the last fifteen years. The growth has been influenced by demand for adventure activity tourism, changes in education, local authority funding and closure of centres. The growth of activities such as mountain biking, sea kayaking, coasteering and canyoning have created specialisms, enabling small outdoor businesses to find a niche market ahead of the rest of the field. In the distant past Glenmore Lodge offered sailing courses on Loch Morlich and was a major provider of BASI courses. We are often referred to as the National Mountain Training Centre. Although mountaineering is the one activity we do all the year round, paddling now accounts for about 40% of the summer throughput, with mountain biking about 10%. The instructor team is the most significant asset at the National Centre. All are qualified to the highest level in several disciplines, with a high level of coaching knowledge and experience. The sum of the whole team is greater than the
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parts, with individuals bringing ideas and techniques from their different specialist areas that help evolve our ideas, courses and processes. In turn we are able to support our governing bodies and help them with their plans for developing courses and qualifications. The department heads covering mountaineering, paddlesport, ski touring, mountain biking, rescue and safety are spending an increasing amount of time working with their respective National Governing Bodies (NGBs) or partners. Currently all our governing body partners are producing changes and new developments to their awards, some with additional frameworks such as the United Kingdom Coaching Certificate (UKCC). This significantly adds to both the internal and external verification training requirement. The new awards carry a continuing professional development (CPD) requirement in each discipline, environmental and sustainability training, as well as processing candidate portfolios, 72 pages per candidate for a UKCC level 2 paddlesport coach!
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It requires a considerable investment in staff time and money to work with the NGB to help design and pilot courses, and train staff to deliver the courses on behalf of the NGB. This in turn helps the industry reach a critical mass of qualified people to make the awards self-sustaining, as other providers start to deliver the courses and we can move onto the next development. 30% of the output from the instructional team is now in support of these developments and we use a similar proportion of our investment from sportscotland towards this end. To illustrate the challenges today, our year 2000 brochure had 30 different titled NGB courses, 13 years on, there are 120 different titled NGB courses, each requiring an approved or accredited director. Paddlesport alone accounts for 70 of these.
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We promote 249 different titled courses, spread across 715 different dates and courses vary from 3hrs to 10 days in length. In addition to this ‘scheduled’ activity we have seen a big increase in demand for bespoke dates and tailored course content, which now make up a further 10% of our provision. It is not possible to deliver NGB support as well as our brochure courses across an increased range of disciplines with just our full time instructor complement. The current team of employed instructors is ten, five of whom are part time. A core of very high quality freelance instructors has enabled The Lodge to manage its ever increasing programme and we have now developed a quality control system for all our staff. This influx of temporary staff (70 different staff last year delivered around 40% of all our training) has also had the effect of making the Centre more open and more connected to the industry.
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Collective wisdom - Ian Sherrington, Chief Instructor Glenmore Lodge is proud to be referred to as both an industry benchmark and a centre that sets standards to aspire to. Our ambition is to help support others in their quest to achieve those standards. The concept of a National Centre
Being an industry leader
Within the Scottish outdoors, The Lodge has a unique reputation for having a highly developed and specialised knowledge of our world. These skills have for years been honed and directed towards the delivery of the finest skills, leadership and coaching training available. Over the past two decades there has been a greater recognition throughout Scotland of how special this pool of knowledge and talent is. This has resulted in us seeing an increased number of requests drawing upon this very national resource, for projects as varied as the development of coaching awards, to outdoor safety initiatives.
Tasked with supporting the industry and particularly the National Governing Bodies, Glenmore Lodge has walked a careful line as a leader within the outdoor world. At times a torch for the industry to follow; at other times a sweeper picking up jobs the industry misses or has been unable to deal with. In his 8 Lessons of Leadership Nelson Mandela shows us that you can lead from the front or the back; and that the dynamic leader frequently alternates between the two.
The development of synergy The synergistic benefits of a centralised talent pool are obvious in hindsight. Over the years the way in which The Lodge has developed has given its staff a very special skill set and knowledge base. From the early years of being tasked with creating inspirational experiences for young people; through the training and assessment of the nation’s leaders and coaches; to developing a reputation of excellence in the staff deployed. The National Centre concept recognised that providing excellence in provision would come at a cost. Whilst The Lodge had potential to generate income elsewhere, there would always be a part of the concept that would need to be funded. Much of this development work has been either cutting edge or as an early adopter of sporting change. It has been this half-century of research and development and leadership that positions The Lodge as an industry think-tank, where the best ideas from the outdoors come together, and staff have experience of shaping these ideas from concept to a deliverable package.
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Lead from the back - by supporting others in leadership roles. For many years Glenmore Lodge has chosen to be a supportive anchor to our industry. It has been appropriate that the sporting and professional organisations that spearhead the outdoors develop and grow in the sunlight of public forum. True development and change is led by people. Scottish outdoor enthusiasts have been plentiful over the last 60 years, with a number of these enthusiasts driving development. Glenmore Lodge has been in the background of these developments for much of this time, supporting, guiding and encouraging people and their organisations. Lead from the front - but don’t leave your base behind It should be no surprise that from time to time, we have been asked to take a more prominent leadership role. Whilst very proud to be asked, and enthusiastic to be supportive, The Lodge would always question the appropriateness of our taking on a figurehead role. One of our strengths is our ability to be seen by all as having an experienced and independent opinion, free of prejudice and allegiance, in short, an honest broker. There are times however, that our unique position means we are best placed to take a leadership role. When this is the case, we work tirelessly to sell ideas and concepts and take the sector with us. Of the two leadership roles, this is perhaps the one that sits the least comfortably with us. We are confident in our abilities, but are always concerned to not threaten other businesses or organisations. We are in the business of team building not empire building.
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Head of department view - Jon Jones Mountaineering is the back bone of Glenmore Lodge both historically and the present, my aim is to further cement this standing.
I was appointed as of Head of Mountaineering in March 2012. This position came as a culmination of over 25 years climbing and mountaineering experience. For the last 20 years I have been instructing and coaching to a high level including running and managing a large private commercial climbing wall, running my own mountaineering business and for the past eleven years as a full time member of the training team at Glenmore Lodge.
Historically my week to week work would have involved around 85% of my time ‘on the hill’ delivering courses, with 15% in the office prepping and working on my other responsibilities. In my role as Head of Mountaineering that has changed significantly, with a greater demand on my time for managing and developing the department and supporting the industry as a whole, these different requirements lead to around a 60:40 spilt.
I am a holder of the Mountain Instructor Certificate plus the International Mountain Leader, Mountain Bike Leader Tutor, Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician Faculty member and Mountaineering Council of Scotland Climbing Coach. All but the MIC award have been achieved whilst working for The Lodge. I am the only person in the UK who is a Course Director for all of the Mountain Training UK mountaineering awards from the Climbing Wall Award through to the Mountain Instructor Certificate, as well as an International Mountain Leader Trainer.
Office time helps to underpin the departments' varying needs and demands. Just some of the responsibilities this role includes are:
I have several roles here at The Lodge, my primary role is the running and up-keep of the mountaineering department but I am also a mountain bike tutor and bike mechanic trainer. My work pattern and responsibilities have changed immensely over the last decade culminating in my current role as ‘Head of Mountaineering’. This process has not come about by accident but by sound management, targeted training and meeting the business needs. My pathway as a mountaineering instructor involved working on both National Governing Body awards (NGBs) as well as skill development courses across all mountaineering disciplines in all seasons. Over many years this has developed enough knowledge, experience and respect within the industry to enable me to apply for, and to be appointed, a course director, at first for one course but eventually through years of hard work all of the awards. A course director is someone approved by the Mountain Training UK board and the Mountain Training Scotland board to direct a course on their behalf. Once at this level the role takes on a new angle and then involves not only running these courses but mentoring other members of the instructional team through a similar pathway.
• Glenmore Lodge representative for all Mountain Training Scotland board meetings. • Mountaineering Council of Scotland Coaching Development Group member working and consulting on areas such as FUNdamentals in climbing, MTUK Coaching Qualifications Development and MCofS coach training requirements. • Identify and co-ordinate mountaineering department staff training. • Develop and mentor staff through NGB and non NGB courses. • Management of our ‘stores’ climbing and mountaineering equipment. • Writing up user guidelines for climbing wall facilities and the use of stores equipment. • Designing, writing and implementing new skills courses. • Supporting staff in course report writing and action plans. • Writing and publishing articles for the associated press. • Working closely with the Head of Department and Chief Instructor looking at course and staff programming. • Day to day answering of specialist questions both internal and external. For my personal development the opportunity arose at the perfect time. It has challenged me and in many ways reinvigorated me and my love of the outdoors and the industry as a whole. With my 25 years of industry experience I believe I have a good understanding of the current situation, as well as ways in which it could develop. This role has further increased the opportunities for me to help shape and develop the industry that has supported me. Through my personal expertise and the collective wisdom of The Lodge as a whole, we are having a positive impact on the outdoor industry and that is something I am very proud of and very keen to continue. Within The Lodge environment I strive to develop the mountaineering department whether on the hill or in the office to the best of my ability.
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Associate instructor view - Alan Halewood
I’ve been working for ‘The Lodge’ since passing my MIC in 2007; to be asked to work at the place where they ‘train the trainers’ at first feels like an affirmation that you are working at the top end of your profession. But it doesn’t take long to realise that it’s not a finishing point but a starting point. Working at Glenmore Lodge challenges you. You are challenged to run the best course you can every day and to learn more to do it better next time. You aren’t left alone to do this. From informal chats whilst packing a rucksack in the morning, through more formal information sharing at the daily staff meeting, through to ‘tea and cake’ chats in the staff room, instructors are always sharing ideas and offering advice to each other. Staff training is open to all and covers a variety of topics. In the last year I’ve been offered opportunities to share ideas and learn about: winter
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mountaineering rope-work, coaching processes, teaching avalanche awareness, ‘Leave no Trace’ camping and hillwalking and the material properties of climbing equipment amongst other topics. Working at Glenmore Lodge prevents me disappearing into my own world as a professional. My ability to pass skills on to all the students I work with is informed by my experience of working with other instructors, both full-time and freelance. The information content is constantly updated through newsletters, emails and staff training. Glenmore Lodge is the hot house of outdoor instructional, coaching, rescue and technical knowledge in Scotland. For those of us who run our own businesses and work elsewhere, what we gain at Glenmore Lodge is disseminated throughout the outdoor community whenever working with the public or other instructors.
Commercially, working at Glenmore Lodge forms part of my income; the courses I work there offer me a variety of work from the most basic of introductory courses to training and assessing my peers for the highest awards. There is an undoubted kudos to working at the National Centre. Glenmore Lodge’s reputation is firmly established with the public as well as the instructional community. There is nowhere else in the country that provides such an important range of benefits to the instructional community at all levels as Glenmore Lodge, this is strongly evidenced by the fact that so many freelance instructors who own their own businesses are happy to work for, with and alongside The Lodge.
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Course attendee view
As a National Centre, customers expect excellence across all areas of our business and our customer service. We strive hard to achieve this, with every customer comment reviewed and considered by the management team. We believe this is one of the reasons why over 40% of our customers return. A further 35% decide to choose us based on a personal recommendation and as a business with a net promoter score of over 90% we believe that will continue. Below are some of the comments our customers have made…
Feedback on our courses…
Why complete a course…
• Having experienced many centres/instructors I had high expectations for Glenmore. I regard it as the pinnacle of outdoor centres, and my expectations were surpassed. • A first class, challenging course. Excellent, informative, and fun. Would (and have) recommended the experience and look forward to booking another course soon!! • Superb! This is my first experience of Glenmore Lodge having travelled from Devon. The result was outstanding; I will definitely be recommending The Lodge to friends.
• To gain an understanding of conditions so I don’t have to rely on others. • To improve my existing skills and come away with a development path towards qualifications. [GL] was highly recommended by friends in the outdoor industry. • To gain experience to allow us to winter walk safely.
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Course Stats & business trends Income by Business Area 2012 - 2013
Income by business area 2012 - 2013
100%
10 11
09 08 07
01
06
Income % by department 2012/2013
01 Winter Mountain
29%
02 Summer Mountain
15%
03 First Aid & Rescue
14%
04 Ski Mountaineering
9%
05 Sea Kayaking
9%
06 Paddle Qualifications 8%
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07 Rock Climbing
5%
08 Mountain Biking
4%
09 White Water Kayaking 4% 02
10 Under 18’s
2%
11 Open Boating
2%
90% 80% 70% 03 60%
04
03
50% Sales number of Customers 2010/11 2010/11 - 2012/13 Salesbyby number of customers
- 2012/13
40%
3000
2500
30%
02
2000
20% 1500
10%
01
1000 1078
1119
1248
1108
1015
1307
2186
2134
2555
0%
500
01 Accommodation Bar & Other 22% 0
10/11
11/12
12/13
Skills Courses
18
10/11
11/12
12/13
Qualifications
10/11
11/12
12/13
Total Customers
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02 Tailormade & Conferences
17%
03 Brochure Course Income
61%
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Course stats & business trends
1294 18
120
Excellent Group Use
First
Good Instructors Well
Impressed
People
Kit
Useful
Instruction
Room
Lectures Friendly
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Experience
Course Information
Climbing
Ski Evening
Great
Facilities
Staff
Days
Skills
Much
Different activities
Qualification training days delivered
The word cloud below shows the top 50 words used by our customers when describing their experience and The Lodge.
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Qualification courses
Instructor
4566
Different dates
Qualification students
Beds
Night
715
Course titles
Think
249 83
85
350
Instructors deployed
Days a year
Time Food Better Lunch
Just
Boots
Week Made
Winter
Liked
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Helpful
Stores
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Taking the environment seriously
The Government Economic Strategy identifies sustainable tourism as one of the six strategic priorities which will accelerate recovery, drive sustainable growth and develop a more resilient and adaptable economy. I would like to thank you [Glenmore Lodge] for playing your part. ... Fergus Ewing, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism
Being based at the heart of the Cairngorms National Park we are reminded daily of the beauty of our surroundings and the need to preserve them for future generations. From the very first course 65 years ago environmental knowledge and awareness have been part of our syllabi. In more recent times this has evolved to not only just teaching environmental sustainability but demonstrating it throughout every area of our business. Winning the ‘Best UK Activity Centre’ category at the coveted Green Tourism Business Scheme Awards 2012 is recognition that we are at the forefront of promoting sustainability within the sector, as is the fact that we won the ‘Best Green Public Service or Public Sector Provision award’ in Scotland the same year. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 requires Scotland to reduce its emissions by 42% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. We exceeded all of our targets for 2011/12 with our reduction in GHG being 2% above the target we set. With a 20% reduction in our baseline figures in 2008/09 we are almost half way to achieving what is required by the Scottish Government.
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- Kirsty Murfitt
Renewable energy is a key focus with a new biomass energy installation completed in March 2013. We have also been successfully composting food waste using our “Big Hanna” waste composter for three years. Along with our recycling programmes this has reduced waste going to landfill by 54%. Our involvement doesn’t stop with these headline projects, last year our Environment and Community Fund invested over £3,000 towards local projects, including the upkeep of bike trails, work on safeguarding the dolphins on the Moray coast and access work on the River Spey. Whilst these statistics and awards reinforce our commitment to this important agenda at the National Centre, there is still much that we can do to improve levels of sustainability within the operation. We refuse to rest on our laurels and continually strive to improve. One recent initiative to help widen our environmental understanding and impact is to ensure all of our instructors to have completed a “Leave No Trace” tutors course by the end of 2013. Not only will this increase their knowledge but will mean that they are able to pass this knowledge onto the thousands of students they work with.
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Instructor Development Scheme (formerly the “Nightwatch” scheme)
View of a former Nightwatch - Nathan White
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In 1983 Glenmore Lodge began its Nightwatchman scheme to provide emergency night time cover for the clients and instructors living in. It soon became known as the 'Nightwatch' scheme. The scheme has had an impact on the industry as a whole. It has taken high standards of training and professionalism out well beyond The Lodge and created a good number of small businesses. The ‘Nightwatch’ over the years have played a significant part in helping the development of the Centre and its reputation. They have and will continue between them to contribute to many other aspects of society, but mainly in the field of outdoor education - the original and continuing purpose of Glenmore Lodge. It began with just one but quickly expanded to 4 and became a one year internship. Now after 30 years more than 100 people have participated in the scheme. Around 30% have been
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women, which is above the normal percentage of well-qualified female instructors in the UK. The positions are well sought after and there is an in-depth interview process to find a compatible team each year. For 2013 we have increased the team to 6. There are probably around 200 such schemes in outdoor centres around the UK. However Glenmore Lodge, being a National Centre, is able to offer training and qualifications well above anything that a traditional outdoor centre could offer, so we target people who already have the basic qualifications. This makes the scheme unique in the UK, as it offers the next stepping stone to becoming a professional outdoor instructor. Many of the past nightwatch have become well-known names in the outdoor industry. 10% have become International Mountain Guides; several of whom have been responsible for the training of the British Mountain
Guides. Some have become teachers, one is head of outdoor education in a local authority, several now run outdoor centres, some have become police officers; others have become university lecturers. A few have written books on mountaineering or written articles for the mountaineering magazines. Others have set up their own businesses here in Scotland, the rest of the UK and abroad. A good few have gone to work for the British Antarctic Survey and there are a few working in the National Outdoor Centres or for the governing bodies of outdoor sports as well. Many have achieved great things, from the first British female to climb the 7 highest summits on the 7 continents (and all the munros), to single day ascents of the North Face of the Eiger, an unheard of feat 20 years ago. Another is currently representing the UK in adventure racing around the world. All of them are inspiring adventure somewhere.
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I am a 25 year old self-employed freelance instructor based in Aviemore. I hold the Mountain Instructor Certificate as well as several skiing and paddling qualifications. In April 2008 – April 2009 I completed the Nightwatch scheme.
I first heard about the Nightwatch Scheme when I moved up to Scotland to actively pursue a career in the mountains and become an instructor of hard skills. The overwhelming opinion was that it was a huge opportunity, so that Autumn I applied. For me the main reason for applying was to make the transition from working with clients on taster or introductory sessions, to an instructor who is operating and teaching at a high level. This would involve me gaining a much higher level of qualifications and relevant experience. I felt that the Nightwatch scheme was an ideal opportunity for me, I would be surrounded by highly experienced instructors delivering top-end courses, all under the umbrella of the National Centre.
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Overview of IDS scheme - Nigel Williams
After spending almost every day I was not working out on an activity, either gaining experience or undertaking a qualification, I came away with invaluable knowledge and many qualifications. My time at The Lodge also allowed me to build relationships with future employers (The Lodge included) and colleagues who have given me some fantastic work opportunities. Also by working at The Lodge I have been able to make a home and a business for myself in Aviemore. I hope to continue working here and developing my skills, working on more National Governing Body Awards. The experience and confidence I gained has also enabled me to undertake some amazing personal trips to America, Alaska and the Alps.
I believe it is incredibly important that the scheme continues. It provides an unparalleled opportunity for aspiring outdoor professionals. There are few jobs that would give you the chance to gain so much knowledge and so many contacts in such a wide variety of skill areas. Having been a part of the scheme I also genuinely believe that at times the scheme is the glue that bonds and holds the Centre together and The Lodge would be lost without it!
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Grangers volunteer fund
Volunteer - Mark Sadler Course - White Water Safety & Rescue Organisation - Venture Scotland Their Role - A provider of long term, personal development opportunities for vulnerable young people.
The volunteer fund was created to help support the huge numbers of volunteers that help deliver outdoor and adventure sport to a wider audience.
How they operate - Their main base for residential work is in Glen Etive. The bothy experience promotes teamwork and creates a unique atmosphere in which young people feel safe to experiment with positive behaviour. Young people take part in a range of adventure activities including open canoeing, rock climbing, hill and gorge walking. The young people they work with face multiple and complex problems. It takes time for a young person to learn, develop and make changes in their life. Their service is designed so they have the time and intensive support they need to tackle the barriers that are blocking their progress. Following each wilderness experience, young people are encouraged to transfer their learning back to their lives in the city. They are supported in this process through our centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Their extensive community links ensure young people receive the support they need to tackle their specific issues and also to access positive next steps once they have completed the programme.
As the number and complexity of qualifications increases, the burden upon volunteers becomes greater, not just the burden of additional time, which so many are willing to give for free, but the financial burden of keeping up to date starts to become a barrier. Glenmore Lodge is committed to ensuring price isn’t a barrier to those volunteers, delivering outdoor education and experiences to a hugely diverse range of the population. As an organisation we aren’t able to reach all areas of society, but we are able to ensure that those who do deliver to these groups receive the best possible training at an affordable price.
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Any individual volunteering for organisations that are delivering an outdoor experience to non-fee paying clients are welcome to apply for funding. Principally it is only the lower end qualifications that are approved, as higher end qualifications tend to be the stepping stone for a professional career. The average award is about 30% of the overall cost of the course. Many applicants combine this funding with other sources, such as the organisation themselves, in order to make the award even more achievable. 50% of the overall fund is allocated solely to the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme’s Scotland office. This helps to keep the army of club organisers and other volunteers fully up to date with their qualifications and skills.
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Each year Granger’s kindly donate £4k to help fund these places, Glenmore Lodge then matching that amount. The £8k ensures that the scheme continues to grow and, as awareness of the awards increases, is also able to cope with the increased volume of applicants. 2012 saw 52 applicants benefit from just under £7k of funding, we hope this continues to increase.
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“Granger’s and Glenmore Lodge helped us by funding 4 days of training. This has now scaled into 24 days of paddling expeditions, with 8 young people and another volunteer, and 4 days of peer-peer training with 4 trainees. That’s 232 “person” days of benefit, excluding my own, a phenomenal return on investment.”
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Two years ago we jointly identified that an issue facing the award was the lack of leaders and volunteers, particularly those with the suitable qualifications. This is despite the strong number of students interested in the award and a high number achieving their Gold award.
Most of the students have spent 3 or 4 years working towards their Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. By enabling them to complete training courses for these awards, we are giving them a new goal to strive towards, as well as laying the foundations for them possibly volunteering in the future.
Working with the team at the Duke of Edinburgh award, we decided to invite Gold award holders to a week-long event with the opportunity to complete either their Trail Cycle Leader mountain bike award training or their Walking Group Leader training course, as well as the opportunity to complete a first aid course, as well as spend time with the senior team from DofE in Scotland.
Given the success of the first year we believe the programme will continue to grow, with more students taking the opportunity and hopefully continuing onto assessment and completing the circle by returning to volunteer with DofE groups of their own.
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... Alex Cummings, Assistant Director - DofE Scotland
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Last week was amazing! Who knew that there were so many “inspirational” post Gold’s in Scotland. To meet so many great people, socialise and interact about experiences of DofE and other things and all being there looking to give back to an award that really has given so much to us. It really was great and my bet the best way to progress onto being a leader with DofE! The instructors at Glenmore Lodge were just phenomenal, please pass on my thanks to them. It would be an amazing experience to one day work alongside you and DofE, so please keep us posted on any opportunities, or anything you may need a hand with! ... Kieran, DofE Gold Award Holder
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www.glenmorelodge.org.uk
www.glenmorelodge.org.uk
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The Duke of Edinburgh award scheme is a key mechanism to get young people both interested and practised in outdoor and adventure sport. Glenmore Lodge have worked together with the DofE award for more than a generation in order to promote outdoor sport. Over 50% of all Grangers Volunteer Fund applications are through the award. We also find a large number of students on our Under 18s courses are also completing the week as part of the requirements for their Gold award. However our association doesn’t end there, we regularly meet to discuss developments within both of our organisations in order to identify potential opportunities.
Thank you for making the week such a success. The evaluations from the leaders were excellent. We are definitely feeling very enthused about the TCL and trying to encourage more cycling expeditions. I’m keen to repeat this in 2013. Whilst there are some slight changes I would make from a DofE perspective, the Expedition element of the NGBs really worked for this group.
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Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold holders week
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Inspiring adventure report - Dr Pete Varley
Supporting Scottish Mountain Rescue
'an academic report commissioned by Glenmore Lodge'
As a business we are continually evaluating the current and potential future environment in which we operate to ensure our business model is fit for purpose. As part of this we recently commissioned a report on possible future developments for Glenmore Lodge. This was an Interface Innovation Voucher Project in partnership with the Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research at West Highland College. The research was completed by Dr Pete Varley in June 2012. The report confronted the current status and operating field of Glenmore Lodge, in an effort to determine additional directions for its activity and influence. The themes centre on an increasing interest in using the outdoors by a particular sector of the population and growing distance from it by most; some of this driven by technologised lives, the frenetic pace of ‘hypermodernity’ and the mediatised pressures of celebrity culture and homes increasingly refashioned as cellular leisure centres. Some of the other social trends that were identified and their impact discussed were: • Global to local. • A passion for and authenticity • Re-traditionalisation, nostalgia and valorisation of past practice • Hypermodernity • Overconsumption:
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The full report is available to anyone and a copy can be obtained by contacting us. The overall conclusions of the report are as below. Scotland has an opportunity to facilitate growth of understanding in green, sustainable and environmentally conscious behaviours via outdoor experiences - a huge part of which is simply to get more people enjoying their recreation in Scotland’s great outdoors. This is totally in line with the current Scottish Tourism Alliance 2020 mission, and with sportscotland’s 2009 Vision statement, but will need considerable adjustment to realise it. The need for late-modern individuals to go outdoors as part of their everyday lives is far less, and the fear of lurking danger in these unknown spaces just decreases the inclination to do so. Because of this, those who do wish to get involved (white, male, middle class - and increasing numbers of females) have not so often come through the scouting/guiding route as via intensive, convenient, paid courses and packages enjoyed at centres. Thus what is ‘understood’ about the outdoors and one’s place in it is largely filtered through these institutional lenses, rather than via a lengthy outdoor ‘apprenticeship’.
Because of this and the current social changes in society, there lies the colossal responsibility for leading, influential institutions such as Glenmore Lodge to include in their remit far more than a raft of high end skills taught by well-respected heroes of the field. Values and understandings - the inspiration to adventure, to belong and to engage with wild places are all important parts of the picture. As popular modern media channels feature programmes about outdoor survival, bush craft, wild food, provenance and heritage as their core interests, so the National Centre can benefit from further leveraging of such interest and by enhancing Scotland’s care for its precious natural capital. After all, as has been suggested by the consideration of key market trends and emergent consumer behaviours, far more than technical ability in the great outdoors can be learnt - Scotland’s population and its visitors can become healthier, wiser, less stressed and more in touch with their land and sea, and perhaps each other, if there is a greater focus on just being out there, feeling the power of nature and wild places.
Training
Secondment
As an operational mountain rescue team since 1957, Glenmore Lodge has always looked beyond its local rescue contribution to support the national organisation. For several years we offered the only rescue specific training courses available in Scotland which were relevant to our unique mountain environments and which proved popular with teams across the country. In recent years Glenmore Lodge has supported the work of Scottish Mountain Rescue to establish its own national training courses in the key areas of Technical Rigging and Avalanche Rescue.
In 2012 Shaun Roberts was seconded to Scottish Mountain Rescue as fulltime Project Manager. Current Chair of Scottish Mountain Rescue, Jonathan Hart, wished to prove a concept that this large voluntary organisation required full time strategic support for the executive group to progress its work, ensure effective working with key partners and raise public awareness. In addition to Shaun’s secondment Glenmore Lodge supported this initiative by providing an office base on the Glenmore campus and for the first time an important national organisation had a single point of contact for members, supporters, key partners and media available within normal working hours. Financial costs of the secondment were shared between Scottish Government, St John Scotland and Glenmore Lodge.
Instructor Shaun Roberts, currently Head of Safety and Rescue, worked with Scottish Mountain Rescue as part of their small voluntary working groups to help shape the curriculum and educational process for these now well established training courses. Shaun remains part of these technical working groups, currently Chairs the Avalanche Group, and Glenmore Lodge currently stores the course's technical equipment and offers its rescue vehicle as a course asset. These national courses are now recognised to have had a direct impact in establishing good practice and influencing positive operational outcomes of recent significant rescue incidents across Scotland.
www.glenmorelodge.org.uk
www.glenmorelodge.org.uk
During the secondment term Scottish Mountain Rescue benefitted from early completion of new a website which achieved an increase of online donations of 37% with overall donations increasing by 57%, indicating a rise in public profile and all during a period when national charity donations were recognised to have dropped by some 20%. The website has become a central hub of information for team members, 100 team members participated in national training courses and 140 attended the national conference during 2012.
Whilst supporting the voluntary Executive with the admin workload and charity governance the secondment proved the concept that significant progress could be made across several projects with improved communications with key partners, sponsors and team leaders. Media requests could be received in a positive light and during 2012 we had a clear rise in positive mountain rescue headlines as well as a significant debate on the benefits of the organisation within the member’s chamber of Scottish Parliament. Confident that its £312K annual grant towards team running costs is well governed and accounted for, the Scottish Government provided an additional 50K at the end of the financial year 2012/13 to support a key Scottish Mountain Rescue project. The support provided by Glenmore Lodge in secondment of an experienced instructor with significant understanding and experience within rescue, and provision of office space has enabled Scottish Mountain Rescue to take significant steps as an organisation. Currently Scottish Mountain Rescue maintains its office at Glenmore Lodge and has a part time Project Manager, although the Executive is seeking long-term independent funds as a priority to support a fulltime Project Manager and additional Admin Support staff with the full support of its General Committee.
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Influencing the outdoor adventure sport agenda - Bob Kinnaird
Outdoor sports tend to be activities that continue throughout life with a low skill
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Let’s Make Scotland More Active (National physical activity strategy) Reaching Higher (National sport strategy)
A world class sporting system at all levels sportscotland corporate plan
Sustainable economic activity (tourism economy)
The development of outdoor and adventure sport forms an integral part of sportscotland’s approach, with considerable investment already designated to this area. The National centres at both Glenmore and Cumbrae form part of this strategy. sportscotland leads on supporting the governing bodies of outdoor sport.
Scotland Performs (wealthier & fairer, smarter, healthier, safer and stronger, greener)
Social Physical & mental health Environmental awraeness
There are clear benefits that participation and performance in outdoor sports beyond sport itself; physical and mental health, outdoor learning, environmental education and awareness, and Scotland’s tourism economy. This economic dimension
is a particular characteristic that differentiates outdoor and adventure sport from mainstream sports coaching and development. The benefits of outdoor sport fit well with the Scottish Government’s overarching objectives outlined in Scotland Performs, towards creating a more successful country. The diagram opposite illustrates the links between sport, the outdoor sector and national strategies from a sport perspective.
Outdoor recreation & physical activity
Scotland’s seasonal temperate climate provides year-round opportunities. For example water levels in rivers, snow on the mountains in winter and wind that creates natural energy, waves and surf.
entry level. This is particularly relevant given the demographics of Scotland, leading to specific opportunities around increasing participation for older people and the push for more young people to take part in sport. Outdoor and adventure sport is often underpinned by a loose infrastructure based on individuals, families and friends networking, sharing information, skills and enthusiasm. Any successful strategy therefore needs to respect the independence of spirit whilst looking to extend that ‘value system’ more widely.
Outdoor & adventure sport
Scotland is particularly well placed to benefit from participation in outdoor and adventure sport. Strengths include the geography, the climate, the people and legislation. Scotland’s countryside is easily accessible, with enlightened access legislation and a core paths network. It is characterised by relatively short distances from conurbations to countryside and coast. It is therefore not unreasonable to position Scotland as one of the best “green gymnasiums” in Europe.
Outdoor sector
www.glenmorelodge.org.uk
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Building for the future developing the physical asset The current location was originally a new purpose build in 1958, some 55 years ago. A rolling programme of upgrading means that the current facilities, although based on the original footprint, are almost unrecognisable from the initial build.
family and some single rooms. We have also upgraded our chalet accommodation. All the main building bedroom accommodation has under floor heating and the recently completed East Wing has been furnished with London 2012 Olympic village furniture.
Customer expectations in 1958 were very different from the present day and this year we completed the final phase of upgrading all accommodation to en-suite twin,
The facilities available at The Lodge now include: 6 class rooms, 80 person lecture theatre, kayak rolling pool, climbing wall, ski slope, roller-ski track, avalanche transceiver training park, mountain bike skills track and much more.
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www.glenmorelodge.org.uk
The next phase of work is scheduled for completion by March 2014; this will be the upgrading of our main student corridor, the reception area, as well as improvements to the 'sense of arrival' to the centre. Plans for a new bike maintenance workshop reflect the growing importance of this relatively new discipline at Glenmore Lodge and this should be in place before the end of 2014.
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Glenmore Lodge has always been open to the public and could be described as “The Scottish home of outdoor and adventure sport�. From the moment someone enters the building they are immersed in this outdoor culture, whether through the pictures on the walls or the conversation in the bar. This has been identified as important aspect of the visitor experience and will therefore be reflected in the refurbishment planning. We are keen to not only capture our rich mountaineering heritage, but also our 'inspiring adventure' ethos.
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Building for the future - Glenmore Lodge strategic direction - Bob Kinnaird We believe it is reasonable to predict that Scotland’s outdoor assets will become increasingly recognised and valued in the post-Commonwealth Games era. Therefore we can expect that outdoor adventure sport and recreation will be developed through stronger strategic partnerships and Government initiatives. Glenmore Lodge will continue to play a central supporting and leadership role in the outdoor and adventure sports community as a whole; as a resource, an information source, as a catalyst for change where needed and most importantly to set the tone for quality and accessible outdoor training, ensuring it is available to the widest possible audience, irrelevant of experience, background or ability. Indications are that customer expectations will continue to rise in a more complex and sophisticated market place. Glenmore Lodge will maintain its strong brand position and high standards through a commitment by all staff to an ethos based on excellence, appropriate benchmarking and customer focused quality systems.
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Robust customer relationship management will be based on increased use of technology, modern communication tools and sound management practice. This increased reliance on customer-facing technology systems, such as social media, is likely to become increasingly challenging to manage with the current restraints of the public sector. Innovative solutions will need to be found for these and other business to issues, such as broadband limitations due to the geographical location. Expectations from customers and stakeholders will be for Glenmore Lodge to continue to be seen as a leader in outdoor sustainability and the wider environmental agenda. It will be necessary to build on progress which will require rigorous monitoring and the need to ensure environmental and sustainability factors are considered as an integral part of everyday business planning.
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Glenmore Lodge must continue to deliver first class coaching and instructor qualifications in a range of outdoor and adventure sports. Although we can expect some rationalisation of qualification pathways, further diversification is likely to continue in line with market trends, this will be an area that will have to be managed carefully. Delivery will rely increasingly on a team of external experts working in partnership with a small in house team of high level professional instructors, leading to an increased emphasis on quality control of this wider workforce. The further development of discipline plans will ensure training is relevant, targeted and supports strategic objectives. Courses with a low number of students per instructor will require some public sector investment; however general outdoor experience and introductory skills training will be more sensitive to market pricing and will not use public investment.
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Glenmore Lodge will continue to operate on a fully inclusive basis. One target market will be the existing and potential leaders and coaches of groups that experience exclusion and/or have particularly low levels of physical activity. The pressure on public funding will continue to drive a cultural change towards stronger commercial accountability within the Glenmore Lodge management team. Potential tension between being driven by new commercial imperatives and the wider strategic interest must be well managed through clearly communicated priorities and objectives. The measurement of performance and effectiveness of Glenmore Lodge will shift from simple financial and numerical KPIs to an outcome based approach.
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Glenmore Lodge was established in 1948 based at the now Scottish Youth Hostel building in Glenmore.
Having experienced many centres/instructors I had high expectations for Glenmore. I regard it as the pinnacle of outdoor centres, and my expectations were surpassed. ... A Winter Mountain Leader Qualification customer
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Key facts
The current Glenmore Lodge building was built in 1958.
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The Lodge now has a capacity of 83 beds.
Glenmore Lodge is exceptionally placed to provide competent and authoritative sector leadership and should work towards taking a more proactive approach and drive sector developments. ... Summary objective from our Stakeholder Engagement Report
The number of people estimated to visit the site each year is 9000.
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…To inspire young men and woman so much with the idea of what can be done by healthful outdoor recreation and nature study that they would act in their own localities as advocates of what can now be called the Glenmore idea. ... Initial objectives of ‘The Lodge’ as stated by Lord Malcolm Douglas Hamilton in 1952
The number of sportscotland employees is currently 31. The longest serving instructor was Jack Thomson 32 years. Each year we make approximately 35,000 rolls for packed lunches and serve 25,000 slices of cake. In our 1953 brochure we had 11 different courses, 60 years later this has grown to 249. 38
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Granger’s & Glenmore Lodge helped us by funding 4 days of training. This has now scaled into 24 days of paddling expeditions with 8 young people and another volunteer and 4 days of peer-peer training with 4 trainees. That’s 232 “person” days of benefit, excluding my own, a phenomenal return on investment. ... Mark Sadler, recipient of Grangers Volunteer Funding
www.glenmorelodge.org.uk
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The Lodge operates 7 days a week; courses, events, and accommodation are available for over 350 days a year.
www.glenmorelodge.org.uk
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The current Trust company status was created in 1992.
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There have been 10 wardens and principals over the years.
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Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, Inverness-shire PH22 1QU. Tel: 01479 861256 Email: enquiries@glenmorelodge.org.uk www.glenmorelodge.org.uk