Tag: Venture Trust

Scottish Munro record holder, Donnie Campbell, joins Venture Trust as new ambassador

Venture Trust is delighted to announce Donnie Campbell as our latest ambassador. 

Donnie is the record holder for a complete round of all 282 Scottish Munro’s in 31 days and is one of Scotland’s top running coaches. His main sport is ultra mountain running and has won races all over the world, representing team GB at the world trail running championships and also running across the Namib desert in 9 days. 

Donnie has an incredible amount of motivation, stamina and self-belief and he wants to push others to be the best they can be. 

Mike Strang, Interm CEO at Venture Trust, said: “Donnie is a shining example of what hard work, motivation and self-belief can achieve. As an ex-marine turned ultra-mountain runner, Donnie is well placed to inspire the people we work with who may not have had the best start in life. We are delighted to have Donnie on board. 

“Donnie’s appointment is particularly timely as we recently launched an Outdoor Therapy service which specifically provides mental health support to veterans struggling with their transitioning to civilian life and looking for new goals and aspirations.” 

At Venture Trust, we work with people to gain the life skills, stability and confidence needed to reach their potential.

Through person-centred support in communities and experiential learning in the Scottish outdoors we challenge individuals to reflect on beliefs, attitudes and behaviours so they can unlock skills and learn new, more positive, ways of approaching situations. 

By adapting to environments like the outdoors, people we work with increase resilience, develop understanding of how to interact others, and improve impulse control in challenging situations. We have personal development programmes for young people, those involved in criminal justice and ex-service personnel struggling with civilian life.  

Donnie is an inspiration to those facing and overcoming challenging circumstances and shares the belief that we can build skills through new experiences in the outdoors and getting out of our comfort zone. 

Donnie says: “My achievements are about building mental stamina as much as physical stamina; once you reach difficult circumstances, you know you have been through it before, and you can get through it again. 

“The circumstances I’ve faced in life might be different, but by offering the right support and opportunities to learn out in the wild, I believe everyone working with Venture Trust has the chance to rise from their challenges and become the best version of themselves”.   

Growing up in the Isle of Skye, Donnie is used to being in the countryside and surrounded by nature. He joined the Royal Marine Commando at age 17 and went to Iraq at age 18, facing many challenges at a young age. Donnie left the marines to study Sports Coaching and Development and wanted to use his enthusiasm and coaching skills to encourage other people to reach their goals.  

Mike concludes: “We are really excited about working with Donnie and hope that together we can really inspire people to try new experiences, especially in the outdoors, and push themselves to achieve their goals and reach their potential”.  

Venture Trust to launch Scotland’s first dedicated outdoor therapy programme

Scottish charity Venture Trust is launching the Scotland’s first dedicated outdoor therapy programme. The mental health service will see trained therapists harness the power of the outdoors to support some of Scotland’s most vulnerable young people, adults and veterans.     

The Outdoor Therapy programme will involve a ‘walk and talk’ approach to therapy delivered by qualified staff and delivered in parks, community gardens, local woodland or accessible hills and beaches instead of the traditional clinic or office-based support. 

The launch of the service comes at a time when Scotland’s mental health services are over-stretched, under-resourced, and unable to support some of the country’s most vulnerable young people and adults.  

Recent statistics from Public Health Scotland continue to highlight young people are still not receiving mental health services when they need them: 

·       25% of young people referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are currently not seen within the target time of 18 weeks 

·       25% of children and young people were turned away from specialist mental health services during October to December 2020 

The Princes Trust’s annual Youth Index published in January noted: 

·       25% of young people feel “unable to cope with life” since the start of the pandemic, increasing to 40% for those not in work education or training

Research from the Scottish Association for Mental Health SAMH highlights almost half of people with mental health problems in Scotland felt they did not get care or treatment because of the pandemic.  

The Outdoor Therapy programme will also look to support vulnerable adults including veterans who already faced mental health inequalities before the pandemic and lockdown.  

Public Health Scotland statistics also show:  

·       20% of the 17,023 adults who started psychological therapies during October to December 2020 waited longer than the official target of 18 weeks 

·      None of the 14 regional NHS Boards met the 18-week target for adult psychological therapies services in Scotland 

Veteran specific funding towards the service will be used to work with Scottish veterans struggling with their mental health. Venture Trust’s existing veteran support programme highlights a trend in veterans presenting with mental health issues from 50% in 2016/17 growing to 79% in 2019/20. 

Venture Trust’s clinical manager Andy Hardie said the charity’s new outdoor therapy service can play a crucial role in supporting and coomplementing existing services to tackle the looming mental health crisis predicted in Scotland.   

“The system seemed close to breaking point before Covid-19 and the pandemic has only increased the pressure on it”, he said.

“The benefits of the outdoors for mental health have been long understood but little utilised in a clinical sense and the value of the outdoors to improve mental health and wellbeing has been increasingly highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. 

“Whilst we value traditional approaches to therapy, we recognise that for some individuals the usual offer of support in clinical settings can seem daunting. 

“As we move out of lockdown, Venture Trust’s offer of support within an outdoor setting can benefit individuals who may have sought support through traditional statutory therapeutic services such as GP’s, CAMHS, and other therapy services but have not been able to make the changes they were hoping for or were unable to gain access to services.”

The launch of the new service also brings into sharp focus the desperate need for further investment to increase and diversify mental health support for the most vulnerable young people, adults and veterans in Scotland. 

Venture Trust Director of External Affairs Tejesh Mistry said the outdoor therapy service would rollout in the Edinburgh and Lothians area of Scotland but the aim was to increase the reach and offer when further funding secured:  

“As a charity organisation we have seen first-hand the impact of the pandemic on the mental and emotional wellbeing of Scotland’s most vulnerable people. Venture Trust will continue to explore funding avenues to increase the reach of this valuable and essential service.” 

Venture Trust and Arc’teryx partnership connects people to the transforming power of nature

Scottish charity Venture Trust is partnering with global design and outdoor equipment company Arc’teryx to deliver improved mental, emotional and physical health for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people through the power of the outdoors. 

Arc’teryx’s Outer Peace initiative centers around the benefits of nature, and how being immersed in it can have measurable, long-lasting impacts on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. The $CA1 million commitment will support partners working to remove barriers and protect nature, so everybody – including those traditionally excluded – can access and benefit from spending time in nature.

Venture Trust has been making the outdoors accessible to disadvantaged groups in Scotland for more than 35 years as part of the organisation’s proven programmes of personal development.

Their work in the outdoors and wild areas creates time and space away for development and learning.  Individuals explore how different choices and behaviours can help meet their needs in a positive way. This aligns closely with Arc’teryx’ values and their belief in the transformative power of nature.  

The global pandemic and lockdown restrictions have made us realise how important the outdoors and being out in the nature can be for mental, emotional, and physical health. Looking ahead to the end of the current lockdown in Scotland, Venture Trust is ready to support people to make positive changes through funding from the Outer Peace initiative.

With this investment Venture Trust will be able to support more people to improve mental health and wellbeing by connecting to and benefiting from Scotland’s natural environments. The organisation will work with 120 disadvantaged young people through Venture Trust’s new Outdoor Therapy counselling service. Additionally, over 300 young people and adults will benefit from enhanced outdoor work throughout core programmes nationally.

Venture Trust Clinical Manager Andy Hardie said the organisation was delighted to be partnering with Arc’teryx: “The Outer Peace campaign aligns closely with our ethos at Venture Trust – how meaningful connection with nature and time spent outdoors supports positive mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

“Arc’teryx’ approach to partnership goes beyond just a donation. They have invested time in understanding what we do, what the impact of their support means, in sharing information and making useful connections, and in developing mutually beneficial solutions.”

Dan Walker, Social Impact Lead at Arc’teryx Equipment, said: “Arc’teryx was founded upon a desire to connect people with the outdoors. As advocates for the transformative power of nature we seek to collaborate with those who share our purpose.

“Venture Trust is an invaluable partner in this work.  Applying a thoughtful and diligent approach, Venture Trust has been able to inspire many wonderful stories of personal growth through connection to nature. We’re proud to be considered a partner in their journey.”

*Name has been changed.

Venture Trust awarded £18,000 from Scottish Children’s Lottery to support work with young people in Edinburgh

Charity Venture Trust has been awarded an £18,000 grant from the Scottish Children’s Lottery to support its work with young people in Edinburgh. Continue reading Venture Trust awarded £18,000 from Scottish Children’s Lottery to support work with young people in Edinburgh

Edinburgh projects net Sporting Equality cash

A £300,000 fund to encourage more women and girls to get involved in sport has been awarded to 14 projects on Active Girls Day by Sports Minister Aileen Campbell. From wheelchair basketball in Glasgow, judo in Fife and bikepacking adventures in the Highlands, the projects will tackle the barriers that lead to historically lower levels of physical activity among girls than boys. Continue reading Edinburgh projects net Sporting Equality cash