Mountain safety drive at centre

Mountain safety drive at centre

Teachers are shown the ropes by instructor Andy Teasdale

Teachers and youth club workers thinking of leading adventure trips for young people in north Wales are being taught to make sure safety comes first.

A number of accidents in the Welsh mountains involving youth groups have highlighted the dangers of mountaineering without proper precautions.

At an event organised by the Plas y Brenin National Mountain Centre in Snowdonia adult leaders were given a hands-on taster of the dangers of the great outdoors.

It is part of a drive to encourage youth groups and schools to make the most of the facilities and advice available to them on their own doorstep.

People taking part had the chance to try a range of outdoor activities including rock climbing, dry slope skiing, abseiling, canoeing and orienteering.

Iain Peter, the centre's chief executive, said organisations should not be put off by climbing accidents in Snowdonia:

Plas y Brenin provides training courses for outdoor leadership

"The more practice people get at being in these situations in a controlled environment, the better they will be at assessing the dangers in the real situation," he said.

The aim, he said, is to train leaders to be safe and confident in what they do.

"We want young people to experience the outdoors and enjoy that experience.

But he added: "There is such a negative image to outdoor activities with all the emphasis on the dangers.

"We want to show it is not as worrying as it seems."

Rescue teams in Snowdonia are regularly called out by walkers who get into trouble.

In 1999, a verdict of accidental death was passed on a 10-year-old scout who died after falling on Snowdon while on a group expedition.

Earlier this month, a college in south Wales was fined £15,000 after the death of a student who drowned on a school field trip in the Brecon Beacons.

Risks

Despite these incidents, teachers participating in the Plas y Brenin event on Tuesday, Alwen Williams and Ruth Thomas, were not deterred.

Ms Williams, who teaches at Ysgol y Moelwyn, Blaenau Ffestiniog, said: "If you take children out with people who know what they are doing it is alright.

"Other school-related activities such as taking schoolchildren out in minibuses pose the same level of risk.

Teachers Alwen Williams and Ruth Thomas enjoy the experience

"Outdoor activities give children a different experience to the usual sports at school - it is something they don't usually get a chance to do," said Ruth Thomas, who teaches as Ysgol Tryfan Bangor.

"I'm here to see how I feel about being in a situation like rock climbing so that if I do take a group of children out, it will not be new to me," she added.

Anthony Green from Penmaenmawr youth club was not put off either.

"I'm here to see what facilities and activities are available," he said.

"As the weather gets better, it would be great to take the kids out on weekends and during summer months.

"Teenagers are prone to muck about on trips so as long as youth services send leaders on courses and make sure they know about the safety aspects it's a great opportunity," he added.