Kevin Sene The Big Weekend usual time after the meal and you can read more about it elsewhere in this issue .
On Sunday morning , the choice was between a writing workshop on expedition accounts run by Ronald Turnbull and a Neolithic tour led by Stan Abbott . After lunch , a small group also went for a look around the Ironbridge World Heritage Site , while for others it was a chance to brush up on navigation skills with Josephine , providing a useful reminder of just how precise you need to be with pacing , bearings and timings when in fog or a whiteout ; from that session , buying a pacing tally counter is now on my to do list .
In the evening , after trying out some plant recognition apps in the grounds of the centre , we met up with the FSC ’ s Charlotte again to learn about the resident pipistrelle bat population and how bat detectors work . As it turned out the bats weren ’ t co-operating , although we saw a few before night fell and
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heard several alerts on the detectors . After the meal , a friendly but competitive quiz rounded off the evening led by quizmaster Chris Scaife .
The next day , on the way home I stopped at Kitsquad ’ s base near Shrewsbury to hand over the outdoor kit which several people had generously donated . Founder and manager Fran Pearson asked me to pass on her thanks before giving a tour of their impressive depot . Since starting in 2020 , the charity has supported about 4500 low income people with kit to help them get out into the great outdoors ( https :// kitsquad . co . uk ).
So that was the 2024 Big Weekend and I ’ d like to thank Josephine , Ronald , Stan and Chris in particular for running events and the super helpful staff at the centre who helped it all run smoothly , including Charlotte for running the bat walk . Next year the Big Weekend will be from 3-6 October at FSC ’ s fabulous Blencathra site , part way up the mountain of the same name , and I ’ ll give more details in the next issue .
TOP OWPG members on Long Mynd ( Chris Howes )
RIGHT The all-important flipchart with the latest updates to activities during the weekend ( Kevin Sene ); the annual dinner ( Chris Howes ); Fran Pearson at Kitsquad ’ s main depot with the kit donated by OWPG members ( Kevin Sene ); Kevin receives ‘ Highly Commended ’ for his book ‘ Spectacular Britain ’
Winter 2024 – 25 OUTDOOR FOCUS 9