A HISTORY OF OUTDOOR ADVENTURE
Our legacy of using ‘Wilderness Experiences’ to challenge and inspire children will always remain fundamental to our ethos, approach and success.
WW was founded in 2006 as A Wilderness Way – a mobile, short-term crisis intervention service. We operated from cottages and campsites in the heart of the Lake District and South-West Scotland, offering children who were in crisis the opportunity to engage in outdoor and adventurous activities, usually for the first time in their lives.
These ‘Wilderness Experiences’ provided respite and relaxation, creating the breathing space which the children needed to enable them to begin to recover from trauma. We learnt from experience that when the children were having fun, challenging themselves and learning new skills, the benefits to their emotional and physical wellbeing were enormous.
The activities they participated in had a positive impact not only on their progress during their placement, but on their future lives. Our children thrived in this challenging and exciting environment, and we knew that outdoor adventure would always be one of the cornerstones of our care at WW.
WW is very proud of our heritage as a provider of outdoor-focused children’s services, and our spirit of adventure and belief in the life-changing power of the outdoors remains at the very heart of what we do.
Today, we continue to provide AALA approved and licensed adventurous activities, and we are a member of the Association of Outdoor Learning. Our children participate in a wide range of activities, from kayaking, abseiling and gyhll scrambling, to mountain biking, Via Ferrata and wild camping. We are lucky enough to be located within some of the most stunning natural environments in the country, with a world of outdoor activities on our doorstep.
Our qualified outdoor instructors offer a wide range of activities according to the needs, interests and strengths of each individual child.
Our bespoke programmes ensure that all children enjoy and succeed, from the child who is reluctant to take part at first, to the child who loves to go on extreme adventures. Our outdoor and adventurous activities are an integral part of our care.
We use outdoor education as an opportunity not only to have fun, but to promote emotional and physical wellbeing, and to explore concepts which are relevant to our children, such as risk, personal safety and self-image.
Sessions are planned into a child’s programme by our Health and Wellbeing and Care teams to ensure that we capitalise on opportunities for personal growth and reflection.
Careers
Join our team
Working at Wilderness Way is much more than just a job. Being able to change the life of a vulnerable child is one of the most rewarding careers there is.
We also seek opportunities to involve two or more children in activities together wherever we deem this to be safe, in order to develop teamwork skills and help build positive relationships.
Many of our children tell us that some of their most treasured memories of their time at WW was their outdoor adventures, having fun with their care teams and peers and doing things they never thought possible.
Because it was my first time coming up here from London, at first I was scared to do some of the activities. I wanted to do them but wasn’t confident enough. But doing the activities with Ben has been such a boost.
He always pushes me to go further and encourages me and I always look forward to going out with him. He has become like a brother to me, and doing outdoor activities with him has been my favourite part of being at Wilderness. We talk about what it’s like being here and what we want to do in the future, and how to become a better person.
One of our children reflects on her experience
of doing outdoor activities with another child.