DofE Gold Residential (Learn 2 Lead) Joining instructions

We are looking forward to meeting and working with you for your upcoming DofE Gold (Learn 2 Lead) Residential Course. Please find below all (hopefully!) the detailed information that you will need, preparing you for the course itself, relevant travel bookings that you might need to make and outlining the plans for the course. Of-course if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us directly on:

WhatsApp 07444 383424 or email us on hello@up4adventureuk.com

Intro

By now you will have completed your kit, medical and consent forms, so we will be readying your kit in preparation for your adventure. What follows is some more information, including; 

• Travel arrangements
• Activity Programme
• Staff & Qualifications
• Risk Assessments, Operating Procedures and Insurance 
• Food and Accommodation
• Personal Equipment and Phone 
• Kit List
• Learn 2 Lead 
• DofE Residential Course Report 

Travel Arrangements

The residential starts and finishes at: 

Isle of Man Steam Packet Offices, Liverpool Albert Docks, St Nicholas Pl, Canada Blvd, Liverpool L3 1QW

What3words: ///change.solve.moss | Google Pin: https://goo.gl/maps/duuJbYFFoTWMfdKi8

We will book your onto the 'Manannan' high speed ferry as a foot passenger from Liverpool to Douglas, Isle of Man. The outbound ferry departs on day 01 of the residential at 11.15am, getting into Douglas at 2pm. The return ferry is on day 05 of the residential, departing Douglas at 3.15pm, getting into Liverpool for 6pm. We use this website to book your return ticket: www.steam-packet.com

From the Douglas ferry terminal you will need to find your own way (on foot...!) to the Manx Electric Railway Derby Castle Station:

What3words: ///uneducated.join.flogging | Google Pin: https://goo.gl/maps/qCAxuyTBmYFXgobH9

You need to catch the tram to 'Lewaigue'. A return ticket has been reserved for you... just jump on! An Up 4 Adventure UK staff member, wearing company uniform will meet you at Lewaigue.

Lewaigue Tram Stop, Jacks Ln, Port e Vullen, Isle of Man

What3words: ///retailers.lags.journeyed | Google Pin: https://goo.gl/maps/mFLgR6iePdXTZK4s8

Throughout the course itself you will be transported by minibus, driven by our qualified staff who all hold D1+E (minibus and trailer) licences and via electric tram. These journeys are all paid for by Up 4 Adventure UK.

Activity Programme

Although weather might force us to change some things around, we will endeavour (and expect) to keep to the following programme of activities. It is our expectation that by the end of the course you will have completed all activities, even if we are forced to juggle the order around due to bad weather! 

Day 01 

4pm: Arrive at the accommodation, set camp and intro/welcome chat.

6pm: Dinner

7pm: Risk assessment theory and coastal walk

Day 02

9am: Breakfast

10am: Mountain walk day (packed lunch)

6pm: Dinner

7pm: Leadership theory

Day 03 

9am: Breakfast

10am Gorge Walking

1pm: Lunch

2pm: Abseiling

6pm: Dinner

7pm: Coasteering

Day 04

8am: Breakfast

10am: Bike Touring Day (packed lunch)

6pm: Dinner

7pm: Outdoor First Aid

Day 05 

9am: Breakfast

10am: Review + camp down

12noon: Catch Manx Electric Tram to Douglas (packed lunch)

Staff and Qualifications

All activities are run by our highly qualified, experienced and very enthusiastic staff team. All staff members are qualified to run the activities they are leading and have first-hand experience of the area in which they are operating. They will hold an industry accredited outdoor first aid certificate as a minimum, with many staff holding much more advanced wilderness and expedition first aid training. All staff are DBS certified and known personally to company Directors Mike and Jay. We do not use staff who have not seen operating previously, know and trust. Qualifications are only a demonstration of competence on the day of assessment; a staff members decision making ability, currency and temperament can be seen as being just as important.

Risk Assessments, Operating Procedures and Insurance

All activities are thoroughly risk assessed. These risk assessments are available upon request, within 28 days of the course start date. This ensures that you have the most up to date copy of the assessments, which are constantly reviewed and updated. Our risk assessments and operating procedures are thoroughly checked and advised upon by a dedicated technical advisor, who is employed solely to ensure we stay current and are operating at the highest levels of safety and competence. We are AALA (Adventure Activities Licencing Authority) checked and registered, a government and insurance requirement. We are fully insured with AIM (Activities Industry Mutual).

Food and Accommodation

Up 4 Adventure UK will provide all main meals for the duration of the residential. You need to bring snacks with you, we can run you to a supermarket on day 01 if needed. Make sure you have filled in the form sent to you, so we know your dietary needs if any! We will be staying in a local, independent campsite, with exclusive use of indoor kitchen, dining room and function area. The site has hot showers and toilets. You will have your own tent for the duration of the residential.

Personal Equipment and Phones

Up 4 Adventure UK can provide you with all the technical equipment that you need for your adventure (make sure you have filled in the form sent to you!). The kit list for personal clothing needed is attached. Phones are now a big part of most people’s lives, we get it. If you would like to bring your phone along to take photos and or stay in touch with civilisation, you are very welcome. You may be asked to leave it in the minibus or in camp during the activities, so they don’t get broken or lost... or sunk! You need a small amount of personal money for snacks, tram tickets on day 01 and 05 and any souvenirs you would like to purchase. 

Kit List

Click here to access your kit list.

Learn 2 Lead

We will be focusing on how we (as leaders) and you (as participants) can use the outdoors as a tool in which to ‘lead’ others. This will be done via learning how to manage activities safely, how to identify and assess risk, how to manage people in hostile (potentially dangerous) environments and much more. As well as a ton of physical activity in the day, we will spend the evenings touching on the more academic side of things – identifying how people learn and develop, the history of formal outdoor learning practices and find out who on Earth Kurt Hahn was... not to mention the late HRH Prince Phillip, who founded the DofE! We are strong believers that learning needs to be fun for it to stick, so don’t worry about being stuck in a classroom for too long – that's not what we are about! 

DofE Residential Course Report

Following the completion of the course, you will be sent a full report which you can upload to your eDofE Residential section. We will also complete the online DofE assessor report form for you. Both reports will be done by 9pm on the Friday that you go home! 

Bookings and Cancellations

Our full booking and cancellations policy can be found here: 

www.up4adventureuk.com/booking-cancellation-policy 

 

That’s about it! We are really excited to meet and work with you and show what an amazing industry the outdoors is, how you can use it as a tool to develop yourself and others and finally (but most importantly) how to have loads of fun in beautiful, natural surroundings!  

Jay and Mike – Up 4 Adventure UK