Barnabas Adventure Centres
Encyclopedia
Rock UK is a national UK Christian
charity
which supports and encourages 40,000 young people every year. Rock UK achieves its aim ‘to provide an opportunity for young people to develop physically, socially and spiritually’ through the provision of residential and day visit opportunities for groups including schools, colleges and youth groups. A wide range of activities are offered including climbing
, abseiling
, archery
, fencing
, gorge walking, high ropes, mountain biking
, night walk and bivi, orienteering
, kayaking
, open canoeing, raft building, team development, go-karting, swimming, football and volleyball.
teachers from London decided to take their groups on an adventure holiday. The groups purchased Belgrave House in Littlehampton so that they could return regularly and in 1924 also decided to rent a field at Climping which was used as a canvas camp site
. Camps continued to be run at both of these locations for 50 years under the name of the 'Belgrave Trust'. In 1977, Belgrave House was sold in order to expand the work, with the proceeds being used to buy Carroty Wood in Tonbridge
which was turned into an outdoor pursuits centre. In the following years, Halls Green, Whithaugh Park and the Frontier Centre were also purchased. The Belgrave Trust underwent a number of name changes before finally becoming known as Barnabas Adventure Centres. In 2009, the organisation was renamed "Rock UK".
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
which supports and encourages 40,000 young people every year. Rock UK achieves its aim ‘to provide an opportunity for young people to develop physically, socially and spiritually’ through the provision of residential and day visit opportunities for groups including schools, colleges and youth groups. A wide range of activities are offered including climbing
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
, abseiling
Abseiling
Abseiling , rappelling in American English, is the controlled descent down a rock face using a rope; climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection.- Slang terms :...
, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, gorge walking, high ropes, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
, night walk and bivi, orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
, kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, open canoeing, raft building, team development, go-karting, swimming, football and volleyball.
Locations
Rock UK runs four Outdoor Activity Centres around the country, including:- Carroty Wood - A 58 acres (234,717.9 m²) site set in mature woodlands (TonbridgeTonbridgeTonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
) - Halls Green - A 34 acres (137,593.2 m²) site amongst rural farmlands (SevenoaksSevenoaksSevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
) - Frontier Centre - A 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) site in the heart of England (IrthlingboroughIrthlingboroughIrthlingborough , originally called Artleborough, is a small town on the River Nene in Northamptonshire, England with a population of 6,179 people according to the 2001 census. It is the smallest town in England to have possessed a league association football team, Rushden & Diamonds. The parish...
, Northants) - Whithaugh Park - Set in 110 acre (0.4451546 km²) among the hills of Scotland's Border Country (NewcastletonNewcastletonNewcastleton, or Copshaw Holm is a village in the Scottish Borders, a few miles from the border of Scotland with England. The village is in Liddesdale and is on the Liddel Water, and is the site of Hermitage Castle.-History:...
, Scottish BordersScottish BordersThe Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
)
History
Rock UK began its life in 1922 when a group of Sunday schoolSunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
teachers from London decided to take their groups on an adventure holiday. The groups purchased Belgrave House in Littlehampton so that they could return regularly and in 1924 also decided to rent a field at Climping which was used as a canvas camp site
Campsite
A campsite or camping pitch is a place used for overnight stay in the outdoors. In British English a campsite is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using tents or camper vans or caravans; this British English use of the word is synonymous with the...
. Camps continued to be run at both of these locations for 50 years under the name of the 'Belgrave Trust'. In 1977, Belgrave House was sold in order to expand the work, with the proceeds being used to buy Carroty Wood in Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
which was turned into an outdoor pursuits centre. In the following years, Halls Green, Whithaugh Park and the Frontier Centre were also purchased. The Belgrave Trust underwent a number of name changes before finally becoming known as Barnabas Adventure Centres. In 2009, the organisation was renamed "Rock UK".