Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Gold Residential Activity Days
4th Dimension is an Approved Activity Provider (AAP) for the Gold Residential Section of the Award Scheme.
For the Residential section, you need to undertake a shared activity or specific course where the majority of people are unknown to you, in a residential setting away from home and in an unfamiliar environment. Evenings are often as much a part of the experience as daytime activities. The residential section consists of a 5 day, 4 night programme.
This section offers a high degree of flexibility but it must be done with an organised group, registered charity or Approved Activity Provider (AAP).
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Completing the Residential Section during the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the current COVD-19 pandemic, the Award Scheme have made a number of temporary changes to the way in which AAPs are able to deliver the residential section. These are in place until July 2021.
We are now in a position to run ‘non-residential’ activity weeks as part of a 5 day course enabling you to complete this section without the requirement of an overnight stay! In addition, we can also run these over a series of 2 weekends if that makes it easier to fit around other commitments.
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What to expect?
The non-residential activity week will consist of a number of activities including climbing, abseiling, high and low ropes, zip lines and kayaking, plus an element of team and conservation work which remains in keeping with the ethos of the Award. You will arrive at our site on the Ashdown Forest each day and all activities will be run on-site to avoid the requirement of any unnecessary travel. At the end of each day, you will be free to return home to the comfort of your own bed!
A sample programme outlining a typical ‘non-residential’ Gold Residential activity week is shown below to give an idea as to what you will be doing throughout your week. All activities will be run outside:
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The Gold Residential Section
What is included?
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A full time Residential Course Director who will be available to assist with anything before, during and post activity week.
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Comprehensive pre-residential admin pack for participants and schools / parents / guardians, including consent forms, kit lists etc.
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High quality activity week delivered from our Ashdown Forest site with a variety of different outdoor activities to keep you busy!
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Experienced instructors holding National Governing Body qualifications relevant to the environment in which they are working. All of our instructors hold a current and relevant first aid qualification and Enhanced DBS certificate (see Overview page).
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All technical equipment and PPE provided
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All supervision and developmental training throughout the programme. We aim to help young people develop their personal and practical skills as much as possible throughout their experience with us, both as individuals and as part of their team.
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Smiles and encouragement throughout!
We also provide the following equipment:
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Harnesses, Helmets and PPE for roped activities
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Kayaks, Buoyancy Aids, Paddles and PPE for water activities
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Group First Aid Kits
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Hi-Vis Vests (for any potential road walking)
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Refreshments throughout the day
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Insurance (see Overview for full details)
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Residential Venue
Our residential packages are run from our site at Blackland Farm on the Ashdown Forest which is situated over 130 acres of woodland and open space.
Our water sports activities are run from nearby Weirwood Reservoir where we have private access to launching facilities.
The site itself features 19 high roped activities plus zip wires, indoor and outdoor climbing, archery, abseiling, low ropes and team building activities, swimming pool, canoeing, kayaking and Kata Kanus. There are also camping and glamping facilities available plus three separate accommodation lodges. Toilet and shower facilities are available across the site.
What does the ‘non-residential’ Gold Residential Activity Week package cost?
Probably the most important question!
We have managed to keep this week at an extremely affordable price due to the current lack of accommodation and catering requirements.
We are offering the Gold Residential Activity Week for £250.00 + VAT per person!
This price includes all activities, facilities and instructional staff. It also includes a full residential report and the sign-off required to complete this section of the Award.
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Further Information
All Gold Residential packages will be run in accordance with the latest Government advice and guidelines. All deposits are refundable should the week be cancelled for Covid-19 related reasons. Please refer to our website T&Cs for further information.
For further details on the Covid-19 changes, please refer to the Overview page or follow the link to the official #DofEWithADifference page here: https://www.dofe.org/dofewithadifference/
We plan to run our first ‘non-residential’ Gold Residential Activity Week over the Easter Half Term from Monday 05th – Friday 09th April 2021.
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For further information and to view all of our Residential or Open Expedition opportunities, please look us up on the official DofE Opportunity Finder here: https://www.dofe.org/opportunity-finder/
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Alternatively, please feel free to phone us to discuss your requirements on 01342 811327 or email us on opsmanager@4thdimension.co.uk