Thanks for the awesome review! We are so proud of our awesome staff team, and how committed they are to making sure everyone has a great time, and helping people overcome fears :)

Thank you for taking the time to review. Please allow me to go through the points you have highlighted above. We are very proud of our Centre, our staff, and our excellent Health and Safety record. All our Instructors are trained and signed off by an external company to ERCA (European Ropes Course Association) standards. In addition they receive extensive and regular in house training by our Lead Instructor who has 8 years of experience in climbing and adventure park operations, and holds both ERCA and IRATA (Industrial Rope Access Trade Association) qualifications. Instructors range in age from 18 to 55. All our staff are familiar with our written Operating Procedures and Risk Assessments. It is a requirement that all staff read and sign off key protocols as part of their induction. Our Assistant Instructors are often under 18, though many are in their 20s. They are tasked only with tasks appropriate to their level of training, and always work under the supervision of an ERCA trained instructor when working on any high ropes activity. Every high ropes session is led by an Instructor trained to ERCA standards, including Rescue Procedures. There is also always at least one other rescuer on site (in this case there were 5 staff trained in rescue on site). The only assistant under the age of 18 who was present on site that day does in fact have a background in climbing, in addition to our extensive in house training. We are also a BAPA accredited centre, and hold the Adventure Mark, the criteria for which includes excellent training methods, risk assessments and operating procedures, alongside many other criteria designed to ensure that accredited centres are providing the hioghest standard of service and Health and Safety. Had this reviewer raised his concerns whilst he were at the centre, the manager and staff would have been more than happy to go through our training records held for every member of staff, our risk assessments and our SOPs, and show him the Adventure Mark and BAPA certificates, which are displayed in the office. The reviewer’s comments are based on conjecture. No health and safety incidents occurred during the period referred to, which involved 31 young people of secondary school age in four full days of activity. Although the reviewer states that he is experienced in outdoor activities it would appear that his knowledge is out of date. We use helmets for a number of our activities as per our risk assessments, for instance helmets must be worn on the Peg Pole activity due to the risk of pegs being dropped whilst the participants move them. Helmets are NEVER to be worn on a climbing wall that uses Auto Belays, due to the risk of the helmet becoming snagged on the descent. This is standard procedure for all climbing walls using auto belays. We do not use helmets on the wall using traditional belay methods, again due to the risk of the helmet snagging on a climbing hold during descent outweighing the risk of objects falling from above. Again, had the reviewer asked about this at the time the manager would have been able to show him the risk assessments which are in place, and alleviative his confusion over the ‘inconsistencies’. Unfortunately there was an issue with the Splatmaster guns, which having looked into it appears to be due to a change in the paintball supplier. If the reviewer was unhappy with this activity he failed to raise the matter at the time. The manager would have happily moved the group onto a different activity whilst the issue was being investigated. None of the other school staff raised any concerns about this activity or any other aspect of their time at the centre. We are an outdoor centre with facilities in line with the nature of what we offer and the numbers we deal with at any one time. The emphasis is on physical challenge and personal growth rather than on providing café style facilities, which are readily available within walking distance. The number of toilets provided is in line with current regulations. We provide hot drinks and soft drinks, and have a drinking water tap on site. In all correspondence with the school prior to their arrival it is made clear than the students should bring packed lunch and snacks with them. There are areas of shade available, including a marquee, and plenty of seating, and the facilites are well know to the schools before they book any activities with us. It is disappointing that the reviewer felt the need to leave an ill informed review without addressing any of the issues at the time with the manager, who was on site throughout the days the reviewer was present. Valley Adventure Centre has been in operation for 11 years, and has an exemplary health and safety record. We have held our accreditation with BAPA (British Activity Providers Association), and Adventure Mark for a number of years. In addition, the centre is subject to annual inspection by an appropriately qualified external organization, and appropriately trained staff undertake monthly inspections of all equipment.

Thank you so much for the review! We are really proud of our staff team, and they are amazing at encouraging the less confident to give everything a go. Hope to see you very soon! :)