Venue: On site QE2 Activity Centre, offsite within Manor Farm Country Park

Instructor Qualification

Instructor        
In House training

Assistant        
Competent adult under direction of instructor

Ratio: 
1 Instructor to 8 participants

Equipment:

  • Safety equipment: first aid kit, mobile phone          
  • Activity equipment must be kept in a good state of repair              
  • Cooking equipment will be hygienic and in a good state of repair
  • Improvised equipment must be suitable for the task

Pre session:

  • Check site for hazards,
  • Check equipment
  • Report/record destination, nature of activity, time of return
  • Knowledge of group needs and abilities

Session:

Give safety talk, directed at visiting staff and students, taking into account group comprehension and ability, highlighting:    

  • Need for common sense and safety
  • Behaviour
  • Boundaries
  • Need to make clear instructor/visiting staff roles

Specific activities:

Building Structures

  • Need to take care with location, appropriate materials, using only fallen materials
  • Care should be taken not to cause damage to the woodland

Tools:

Tool use should be directly supervised by a competent person  

Water & food;

  • Care needs to be taken when introducing visitors to natural foods.
  • Consideration needs to be given to hygiene, allergies, level of understanding

Fire:    

  • Small and manageable fires only      
  • Water should be available to put out fires
  • Accelerants will not be used
  • Only approved methods to be used for firelighting, under supervision
  • Fire to be made safe before leaving site

 Use of Trangias and Kelly’s Kettles:

Only under supervision

Site clearing is an important element of bushcraft, not an afterthought. All traces of the activity must be removed

End of Session:                

  • Equipment stored properly when not in use
  • Faulty equipment should be labelled and removed from service. The fault should be logged (staffroom whiteboard / checksheet) and made good as soon as possible.

THE INSTRUCTOR HAS FINAL SAY IN DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT A SESSION TAKES PLACE AND IN WHAT MANNER IT IS CARRIED OUT