Stramash are proud to be supporting the festival with a variety of activities.  On Saturday 19th June we will be at Dungallan Park to offer free taster sessions in canoes and kayaks.  We’ve teamed up with the Northern Lighthouse Board, Oban RNLI, Seafood Temple and Oban Sailing Club to create a great family day out.  We have evening Adventure Activities running throughout the week and on Friday 25th May we invite you to join us at Cuan Mor for an evening with Patrick Winterton, kayak adventurer, extreme sports commentator and adventure film maker.  Combining unforgettable footage and extraordinary anecdotes he enjoys kayaking to the max!  We will be launching our NEW Junior Paddlesports Club during the evening, so it promises to be a great night!  http://www.stramash.org.uk/blog

The Festival of the Sea 2012, for Oban, Lorn and the Isles is an exciting programme of events celebrating all that we enjoy from the sea; providing us with food, employment and fun. 

From the busy SAMS Open Day to the Virtual Landscape Theatre with it’s interactive science workshop, marine-themed art exhibitions, guided walks and talks, renowned authors and storytellers, historic castles near the sea, ships, boats, seafood and of course, Stramash - it’s all there for you to enjoy.

Stramash are teaming up with Northern Lighthouse Board, Oban RNLI, Seafood Temple and Oban Sailing Club to provide a great family day down at Dungallan.  With free activity sessions, food tasting, sailing trips, lifeboat tours, face painting, stalls and more, there’s plenty going on at Dungallan on Saturday 19th May.

The ten day programme is packed with events, on the water, off the water, in the kitchen, in a castle… in all sorts of fascinating places.  A fantastic opportunity to head out with friends and family to try new experiences.  For further details of the full festival programme visit http://www.obanseafestival.org

During Festival Week Stramash have evening Adventure Activities available, some dedicated to adults, others offering a family experience.  Each session will run from 6.00pm - 9.00pm.  Have a fantastic time trying something new, seeing marine wildlife, enjoying spectacular scenery plus the possibility of witnessing our amazing sunsets!  All protective and safety clothing are included in the price along with full, guided instruction.  Adults:  £35.00, Children:  £20.00 (under 18 yrs), Family:  £95.00 (2A/2C).  Advance booking is essential.  Call the Stramash Team on 01631 566080 to book and pay for your chosen activity.

Monday 21st May - Adult Coasteering
Tuesday 22nd May - Family Coasteering
Wednesday 23rd May - Adult Sea Kayaking
Thursday 24th May - Family Canoeing

Off the water on Friday 25th May we are hosting a special evening in Cuan Mor,Oban, 7.00pm.  Our special guest for the evening will be Patrick Winterton, kayak adventurer, extreme sports commentator and adventure film maker.  Patrick will inspire us all with his talk about the only kayak crossing from Scotland to the Faroe Islands and other ill advised journeys!  Combining unforgettable footage and extraordinary anecdotes he enjoys kayaking to the max!  You can find out more about Patrick and his adventures on his website:  http://www.patrickwinterton.com/.  Inspiring the next generation of kayakers and adventurers, Patrick has amazing experiences to share with us.

We will launch our exciting NEW! Stramash Junior Paddlesports Club for local children and young people.  Come and hear about the new club and the support it will provide for young people to learn a new skill; encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle.  Supported by our qualified instructional staff, children will be involved in all aspects of the club, allowing development of their social and decision making skills in addition to following a programme of activity to achieve accredited qualifications in paddlesports.  Children, accompanied by an adult, are welcome to come along to the evening.  Kayaks, canoes and safety equipment will be on display to fire their enthusiasm. 

Tea, coffee and drink facilities will be available at the bar.  The event is free to attend and there will be an opportunity to give donations which will be specifically for the new Junior Paddlesports Club.  Registrations and notes of interest for the new club will be taken on the night.

Friday 25th May – Stramash Junior Paddlesport Club launch
Cuan Mor, George Street, Oban.  7.00pm – 9.00pm
Guest Speaker:  Patrick Winterton,  Kayak Adventurer
All welcome.

Stramash deliver a wide range of top quality outdoor activities in Oban and Argyll. Using the unique wild Scottish landscape, our fully qualified and experienced instructors will give you the quality personal experience you are looking for. We pride ourselves in providing memorable, real and unique outdoor adventure experiences that are of outstanding quality. If you are looking for things to do in Oban and Argyll then join us for a taste of adventure.  http://www.stramash.org.uk/info/adventure-days

At last ... the waiting is over ...!  We are delighted to announce that we are a regional winner of an RBS CommunityForce award of £6,000 which will be used to support our work with people living in difficult circumstances.  Dependent on public votes we are delighted to have received such fantastic support.  A huge thank you to everyone who voted and registered their support for us, we really appreciate it.

Inspired by London 2012, Stramash are partnering with Argyll and Bute Council to deliver 56 courses in a range of sports and activities; building on five years of successful growth in quality sports coaching developing quality coaches teaching in quality clubs in Argyll.

Whether you are looking to develop your skills in a particular sport, want to learn more about sports coaching or want to try something new Coaching Champions 2012 has the right combination of programmes to meet your needs. 

Stramash are leading courses on BCU Foundation Safety and Rescue Training, BCU 2* Award, Teaching Orienteering, BCU 3* Sea Kayak Award, Mountain Skills and Navigation, UKCC Level 1 Paddlesports Award, and BCU White Water Safety and Rescue Training Course.

Voting for our project to benefit from a Royal Bank of Scotland Community Force Award has now closed.
A huge thank you to everyone who voted and registered their support for us, it was encouraging to receive so much support. We will find out some time in November if we have been successful. We will let you know how we get on.

Stramash is a social enterprise and a registered charity that uses the outdoor environment to provide life changing experiences. We currently have a number of projects we are working on including an apprenticeship scheme for local young people, adventure clubs that use a mixture of structured and unstructured play and exploration to promote personal and social development, outdoor sports development, Gaelic language development in the outdoors, outdoor learning projects and Forest Schools.

It was a great privilege for Stramash to be invited to a reception with the Scottish Government Cabinet this week to celebrate the work that Stramash and others have been doing to develop outdoor sports and physical activity over the past year.

The reception was held at the Nevis Range near Fort William. Alex Salmond, First Minister, gave an inspiring and encouraging speech about the need to develop outdoor activity and outdoor sports and the support that the Government are providing for this to happen.

Stramash were given the opportunity to speak individually with a number of the Cabinet, including the First Minister, and to discuss a variety of relevant topics. We were very honoured to be given such a rare opportunity.

Alex Salmond, who had presented the original Stramash with a CoSLA Excellence Award in 2006, was keen to hear of the progress Stramash had made and of the impact of our work. He was very interested in the outdoor sports development work that Stramash carries out. He also wanted to know which activity was most popular! (It’s canoeing and kayaking if you were wondering!)

Kenny MacAskill, who visited Stramash two years ago to see our work firsthand, wanted to discuss our projects with young people and in particular our apprenticeship scheme. He was pleased with the way things had developed since he visited us.

We did suggest to Nicola Sturgeon that she persuade the rest of the Cabinet to take part in one of our outdoor team development days, but she didn’t think they would be up for it!

John Swinney was very interested in the story of Stramash and our journey from Lottery funded project, to Local Authority service, to independent social enterprise. Such a journey was, he felt, encouraging and an example of what is possible with some commitment, passion and inspiration. We spent some time talking about social enterprise and the role it has to play in today’s society.

We had an excellent discussion with Alasdair Allan, the Minister responsible for Gaelic. He was delighted to hear of our work with both Gaelic medium school pupils and with the families of the pupils. He was encouraged to know that we are using the outdoors as a way for people to use the language and develop their skills in it and is keen for us to keep him up to date with our future progress.

The chance to spend time with each of the members of the Cabinet and to tell them the story of Stramash and of the impact of our work really was a great privilege. The reception was also a great opportunity to meet various members of sportscotland and to discuss outdoor sports development with them.

All in all it was a very worthwhile time.

That’s a lot of people!

During the past year, Stramash worked with 2037 people. In total we delivered 4543 individual sessions. The team were kept busy! One of our aims is to inspire people using the outdoors and to help make a real difference to peoples lives. We are pleased that we were able to work with so many people to help do that.

Stramash will be at the Charities Day on Saturday!
Come along and see Stramash in Oban town centre for the Charities Day. It’s a great day out- lots to do and see. Hopefully we’ll see you there!