Craggan Outdoors News

Hawick, Monday 16th November ‘09: ‘freeze’, a short film that was shot on location at Craggan Outdoors received its premiere. The film, shot in July at various locations around the Glenbeg Estate where Craggan Outdoors is based, portrays the life of a young carer coping with an alcohol dependant mother.

Eleven young filmmakers - all young carers themselves - from the Scottish Borders worked with BAFTA Scotland-winning writer & director Robert Rae to create a story that highlights the often challenging situations experienced by young carers, & how these situations are viewed by wider society. With impressive performances from the novice cast & crew, a great look, & a soundtrack from Thom Yorke of Radiohead, ‘freeze’ is a compelling & memorable exploration of the cost of caring.

‘freeze’ was produced by VOMO, in partnership with the Princes Royal Trust Borders Young Carers Project, as part of the Creative Identities programme. Creative Indentities is funded by the Scottish Government’s Cashback for Communities initiative, using the recovered proceeds of crime, managed in partnership with Scottish Screen & the Scottish Arts Council. For more information see http://www.vomo.org.uk/49923

Craggan Outdoors is pleased to have played our part in this extremely worthwhile project, providing not only the location for the film, but also accommodation for the group at a significantly reduced cost, for what essentially was a respite break for the young carers. We are always open to involvement in any such charitable initiatives, & will help as much as we can whenever we can. If you have something in mind where we could help, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch & have a chat.

Needing to get your archery qualification? Then you’ve come to the right place! Craggan Outdoors, Scotland’s TripAdvisor.com top-rated outdoor activity centre, will be running a GNAS Archery Leader course from Monday 26th-Thursday 29th April 2010.

Course cost will be £249, with this to include GNAS registration, along with course fee, materials, equipment, & tuition from the man that wrote the text book…..GNAS Senior Coach Philip van Buren (www.archeryleaders.co.uk).

A residential option is also available. The course plus four nights self-catering bunkhouse accommodation costs £299. Additional nights are also available at £15.

Craggan Outdoors is located at Grantown-on-Spey in the central Highlands, & is easily accessible from anywhere in the UK. We are minutes off the main north-south A9, 3 hours from Glasgow & Edinburgh, & 30 minutes from Inverness, as well as being on the main road from Aberdeen across the Highlands. Mainline rail services come to nearby Aviemore, & Inverness Airport - offering services to many UK airports - is just 45 minutes away.

Interested? Then don’t delay as these courses always book up quickly. Call 01479 873283 or email info@cragganoutdoors.co.uk to find out more &/or to book your place.

Craggan Outdoors innovative collaboration with Edinburgh & Aviemore-based Imagination Workshop is featured in a double-page spread in the November issue of ‘Executive’ magazine.

The link-up sees Craggan Outdoors traditional outdoor activities & the Imagination Workshop’s art & creativity based teambuilding approach being combined to offer a fresh ‘all in one’ option for corporates in the search for new ways of developing their staff & entertaining their clients.

Copy this link into your browser to read the article on pages 54 & 55 of the November issue - http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?referral=other&refresh=o03H4J1np17D&PBID=4dfa2caf-6e6c-4d7b-8cef-df4828b96159&skip=

As the 2009 season formally drew to a close at end-October, Craggan Outdoors is delighted to see that we are sitting proudly at the top of the ‘things to do’ list of over 1,200 attractions in Scotland. We wait with baited breath to see if we will end up topping this achievement by winning the Highlands & Islands Awards ‘Best Visitor Experience’ category when winners are announced on 20th November.

Looking at our own customer ratings & related prize draws, congratulations go to Moira Johnston & Nigel Neill who are the winners of our October prize draw. Moira & Nigel win a £25 activity voucher.

The 2009 season definitely ended on a high, with our customer rating for the month - averaged from the ratings given by visitors after their various indvidual experiences with us - hitting an exceptional 9.5 out of 10. This was the same rating achieved in April, & demonstrates the consistency of service excellence across a full 7 month season.

Looking at customer ratings across this full period, the average achieved was an extremely pleasing 9.2 out of the maximum 10, again testament to the attitude & fantastic efforts of the superb team at Craggan Outdoors. Preparations for the 2010 season are already well under way, when we will aim to build on what’s been a great 2009. We look forward to seeing you!

Craggan Outdoors has teamed up with the nearby Grant Arms Hotel to offer a bit of winter luxury in combination with our fantastic activities.

The Grant Arms is Grantown’s most historic hotel, & boasts a visit from Queen Victoria amongst their previous guests. Completely refurbished & upgraded in early 2009, The Grant Arms offers a combination of modern luxury & tradition. Located just five minutes drive from Craggan Outdoors, it is the ideal base for those that fancy a break away from it all, treating themselves to a few days to sample the autumn/winter delights of Grantown & the wider Strathspey/Cairngorms area, & expending a bit of energy on an outdoor activity or two with Craggan Outdoors.

For further details & to book, click on http://www.grantarmshotel.com/promo-detail.php?PromoID=12