Open Air Club
Encyclopedia
The Open Air Club, or OAC, is the hillwalking club of the University of Liverpool
. Like all clubs and societies within the Guild of Students
, the club is run by students, for students. The club was formed in 1937.
or campsite
. Destinations are typically in the Lake District
, Snowdonia
, the Peak District
and Yorkshire
.
The club also runs two trips to the Scottish Highlands
each year - a three or four day trip (usually to a campsite
) over the May bank holiday, and a week-long holiday over the New Year.
The OAC provide transport from Liverpool to the destination and back, in a hired coach, minibus or cars depending on subscription, and a selection of walks of varying distance and difficulty, depending on ability. Walks are led by trained and experience leaders, who are themselves club members.
With the exception of these two trips during the Easter and New Year holidays, all trips are run during term time.
Courses, indoor climbing
, ice skating
, or a talk from someone connected with the outdoors, eg. a Mountain Rescue
Team member.
The OAC holds a formal Annual Dinner around Easter time, shortly after the Annual General Meeting
when the new committee has been elected. In 2007 the Annual Dinner was replaced with a Ceilidh
to celebrate the club's 70th Anniversary.
membership and insurance, discounts from local outdoor shops, and weekly email bulletins of the club's activities.
. There are eleven positions on the committee:
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
. Like all clubs and societies within the Guild of Students
University of Liverpool Guild of Students
Liverpool Guild of Students is the student union of the University of Liverpool , though LSU and LGoS are now in partnership....
, the club is run by students, for students. The club was formed in 1937.
Day Trips and Weekends
The OAC runs trips to the countryside every weekend - mostly day-trips on a Saturday or Sunday, with several weekend trips, staying in a bunkhouseBunkhouse
A bunkhouse is a hostel or barracks-like building that historically was used to house working cowboys on ranches in North America. As most cowboys were young single men, the standard bunkhouse was a large open room with narrow beds or cots for each individual and little privacy...
or campsite
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...
. Destinations are typically in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
, the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
and Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
The club also runs two trips to the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
each year - a three or four day trip (usually to a campsite
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...
) over the May bank holiday, and a week-long holiday over the New Year.
The OAC provide transport from Liverpool to the destination and back, in a hired coach, minibus or cars depending on subscription, and a selection of walks of varying distance and difficulty, depending on ability. Walks are led by trained and experience leaders, who are themselves club members.
With the exception of these two trips during the Easter and New Year holidays, all trips are run during term time.
Socials
The OAC holds socials each week, primarily on a Tuesday evening. Socials can be anything from a pub crawl through the city centre, or going for a meal, or going to the cinema, to first aidFirst aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
Courses, indoor climbing
Indoor climbing
Indoor Climbing is an increasingly popular form of rock climbing performed on artificial structures that attempt to mimic the experience of outdoor rock.Competetive indoor climbing is also called sport climbing....
, ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
, or a talk from someone connected with the outdoors, eg. a Mountain Rescue
Mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
Team member.
The OAC holds a formal Annual Dinner around Easter time, shortly after the Annual General Meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
when the new committee has been elected. In 2007 the Annual Dinner was replaced with a Ceilidh
Céilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
to celebrate the club's 70th Anniversary.
Membership
The OAC is open to non-members, but membership brings benefits such as cheaper walks (at the moment, day-trips for non-members are £13, compared to £10 for members), access to club kit, British Mountaineering CouncilBritish Mountaineering Council
The British Mountaineering Council is the national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers...
membership and insurance, discounts from local outdoor shops, and weekly email bulletins of the club's activities.
Committee
The club is run by students from the University of LiverpoolUniversity of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
. There are eleven positions on the committee:
- President
- Vice-President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Membership Secretary
- Social Secretary/Secretaries
- Publicity Secretary
- Safety Officer
- Equipment Officer (usually known as Man or Woman With The Equipment)
- Ordinary Members
- Honorary Members