So how did I end up setting up my own company that runs award challenges, a bit like Duke of Edinburgh but tailored for grown-ups seeking a taste of excitement and self-discovery? Honestly, I don’t think there’s an easy answer. I certainly never dreamt about running my own business and I never took part in the Duke of Edinburgh award as a youngster. It all started when I was furloughed from work during COVID. Myself and another furloughed colleague were chatting about plans we’d been each been hatching to set up an outdoor business – I think we were just looking for ways to get away from our laptops. We pooled our ideas and quickly set up a community interest company supporting people to get out into nature, particularly those who were underrepresented in the outdoors. We both had outdoors experience but neither of us had set up or run a business or even taken business studies at school. We were learning as we were going – and honestly it was much simpler than we expected. All the information you need is on the internet. When we went back to work after furlough we continued to run the outdoor business in our spare time and loved it.
Fast forward a year; we’re now in 2022. We’re still running the outdoor business – teaching navigation and leading guided walks (as well as doing our day jobs). And one day I had this idea – why isn’t there a scheme like the Duke of Edinburgh, but for adults? I did a bit of digging and found out there is an option if you’re over 50, but to be honest it didn’t look great, plus, I’m not over 50! I feel like I missed out as a kid, not getting the chance to do DofE. I genuinely believe it teaches your invaluable skills and gives you experiences that you just wouldn’t get otherwise. I was convinced that this was a great opportunity but my co-director of the outdoor business wasn’t onboard – he didn’t think the idea had legs. Thankfully, after doing a bit of consumer research (ahem, putting up a few posts in outdoor related Facebook groups) we both realised that there was definitely an appetite for an adult challenge award and we forged ahead. In August 2022 The Elemental Challenge Award was born!
So what is the award?
Like I said, it’s a bit like the Duke of Edinburgh award. It’s based over three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold. You choose your own challenges over five different themes, and for the Bronze award you carry out your challenges over a minimum of three months – but you can take as long as you like. It’s completely customizable – so it doesn’t matter where you start from or what your abilities are.
There are physical challenges, skills challenges, volunteering challenges, a mini expedition challenge and a challenge to take action to protect the environment. It’s fits in really well with the Adventure Queens ethos; we champion not only the thrill of adventure but also the imperative of environmental stewardship. Not only will you move more, learn new skills and explore new places, you’ll also be giving back to the communities you live, play and work in – what’s not to love?
We’ve currently got over forty participants, four of whom have completed their bronze award and two are already part way through their silver. It’s an absolute joy to read the participants’ plans and watch them commit to their challenges – seeing them achieve way more than they thought possible. Challenges so far have included learning to free dive, hiking part of the SeeGang trail in Germany, building a composter with school kids, knitting hats and cardigans for premature babies and learning bmx tricks – I honestly never know what’s going to be submitted next.
As Adventure Queens you probably already know about the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of being physically active. That’s a key part of the challenge award, but so is learning new skills – because it’s equally important to keep our brains healthy and active. Add into that our online community which helps to build up social relationships and you’ve got an all round package of fun that will also help to keep you healthy.
Any top tips for setting up a business?
I honestly can’t claim to be an expert, in fact I’m so far from it that made me laugh out loud. What I can say though, is that if there’s something you’re passionate about, you can find a way to make it work. For me the key elements to setting up both businesses were 1) Working with a great partner who I trusted completely and who I knew would challenge me 2) Making sure the financial risk was minimal. With both businesses that we set up the financial outlay was minimal – website hosting, emails addresses, public liability insurance and some promo materials and 3) Having a plan. And a lot of lists. You can’t foresee everything that’s going to happen, but you can fend off some potential disasters by taking the time to plan and think things through.
So, if you fancy jumping on the Elemental train, head over to our joining page and don’t forget to use coupon code AQ20 for a 20% discount on the bronze award (valid until the end of 2024)
This guest blog post was written by Helen Gough. Helen loves spending time outdoors hiking, swimming and messing around on beaches with her wife and two dogs in West Wales. She works for ScoutsCymru as well as running the Elemental Challenge Award and being a trustee for Kitsquad.
