Jumping into the New Year! Newquay Activity Centre’s Charity Coasteering a Huge Success!
Another charity success! On New Year’s Eve, we held our 9th annual fundraising coasteer in aid of the Armed Forces Families charity, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families (SSAFA). Our director, Rob Barber, commented “We are over the moon to announce that we raised £840! Every penny will help in supporting the families of military service personnel, so a huge thanks to everyone who donated, took part and supported the event.”
22 people, including 5 of our Newquay Activity Centre office staff, participated in the coasteer adventure, in which they rock climbed, scrambled, swam and jumped for two hours along Towan Head. It was fantastic to see the community support with many people showing up to support, photograph and cheer the group on. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though- the surf conditions were spicy, with a 4-5 foot swell running throughout, but this didn’t stop our group! Afterwards, the hardy participants headed back to the iconic Newquay Activity Centre base on Fore Street for some well-deserved mince pies and a New Year’s Eve drink. All agreed that they had a brilliant time! What a way to see in the New Year, in good spirits and for a great cause.
Participant Mollie Harragan, who visited Newquay from the south east for Christmas, commented: “I had an amazing time coasteering with the Newquay Activity Centre. The staff were so kind and lovely and I felt really safe in the water with them. We spent a really fun afternoon sea swimming, climbing up rocks and jumping into the sea. The perfect activity”.
Newquay Activity Centre’s relationship with the Military is something we are extremely proud of. Director Rob Barber said: “We have a long history of delivering adventurous training activities, in addition to sponsoring the Army, Navy and RAF surf teams. We’re very grateful to have built an on-going and successful relationship between Newquay Activity Centre and the Armed Forces, and relish any opportunity to give back. Here’s to fundraising and supporting them more in the future!”
As the only RAF station south west of Oxfordshire, RAF St Mawgan is the hub of RAF activity in the SW and we work regularly with Military Adventure Training groups to introduce them to our coastal marine environment.
Regular groups are put through a series of activities including kayaking, coasteering and lifeguard skills days, pushing many out of their comfort zone but building group dynamics through shared adrenaline, command tasks and enjoyment.
SSAFA are the longest running tri-military charity and provide life-long support to those in or retired from the Armed Forces. With over 5000 personnel passing through RAF St Mawgan’s doors for survival and defence training every year, Newquay Activity Centre is honoured to help with the adventurous skills development of RAF, Army and Navy groups from all over the world. This year’s fundraising coasteer was an opportunity for us to do what we do best in aid of SSAFA’s fantastic work with the military.
After the Santa Stand Up Paddle across the Gannel and the Charity Coasteer, it has been a busy month for fundraising here at Newquay Activity Centre, and we are looking forward to more events in the coming months!
If you’d like to try coasteering, it isn’t just for the military, all ages are catered for. We offer a 40% discount for military training activities. Call 01637 877722, or visit our Newquay coasteering pages for further information.
