Four new canoes and equipment have been donated to a special needs charity, Chopsticks in Northallerton, enabling the further development of outdoor education provision and supporting many young people with special educational needs to access the outdoors for many years to come.
Nathan Greenwood, a teacher with the Personalised Learning College (PLC), trained as an open water canoe instructor, but needed funds to buy canoes to turn his dream of taking special needs youngsters on outdoor expeditions into a reality. He gave an inspiring talk to the Rotary Club of Northallerton, whose members were so impressed that the Club decided to fund two canoes. Then one of the members, Ian Stevenson of Stevenson Forecourts, offered to buy the other two canoes and the required flotation devices and helmets.
At the presentation ceremony, Nathan said “We are so grateful for the generosity of the Northallerton Rotary Club and Stevenson Forecourts. The benefits of engaging in adventurous activities and learning outdoors are huge for our students. We are now able to offer regular canoeing sessions for our learners which is of great benefit to their education. The canoes will also be used to support adults with special needs from Chopsticks and Northdale Horticulture in Northallerton, as many of our students transition to these charities after leaving the College. Without these donations we simply would not have been able to offer such a fantastic opportunity to members of our local community.”
Photo: Special needs students with one of the canoes, with Rotarians Ian Stevenson and John Proud (second and third from left), Rotary President David Ison (in jacket), Duncan Davison (far right), and Lauren Bowman (PLC teaching assistant, far left), John Stevenson (fourth from left), Nathan Greenwood (fourth from right) and Tracey Taylor (Chopsticks, third from right).