I have enjoyed a very eclectic last couple of weeks due to work and half term.

I shall just blog about a few highlights, and not succumb to being a daily rambling diary!

I have had the pleasure of being a part of the Reading local community radio station www.reading4u.co.uk. It was a very short and relaxed two hours talking about the exploits and agenda of the Rambling Duck to the presenter, and chairman of the station, Eddy Winship. It was during the 10.00am to 12.00 timeslot which is a daily regular slot for Community Matters, where anyone can pop on the show and chat about an event, something they suffer with, etc. Just email them for more information.

I have also been interacting through twitter, facebook and a phone-in with another radio station, Redshift Radio. They are predominantly an Internet community radio station, awaiting a FM licence. In April they will have 28 days to be on 87.7FM! So I certainly wish them every success with that.

I tend to tune into the two presenters, Doctor Gav and Bizzy Lizzy, both Co-founders.  I enjoy listening to them from 7pm-9pm, for the late,Late Breakfast Show, especially as that is when I am glued to the computer interacting on facebook and twitter! They certainly have a huge and scattered listening base, despite them being based in Crewe, Cheshire!  People phone in from far and wide all over Britain,. Yhey have some great studio guests. I first heard of the station via a twitter group called Year of The Mad, a group of students doing some fun & whacky fundraising. They twittered out they would be on, so I tuned in. I also heard another twitter friend phoning in about her charity and event – Nikki Salsa, losing weight to raise awareness and sponsorship for Beat Bullying. Any one can utilise the show by writing in and participating.

The show is live, so I interact with comments through twitter, and often they get read out, which is all part of the education, fun and socialising on the radio waves. So a huge thankyou to Redshift.

On Thursday I participated in a phone in session to Redshift radio and enjoyed listening to the work of Cheshire Search and Rescue team.  That inspired me to take action and contact the local Berkshire Search and Rescue team, Sebev and also the dog handling section k9-SAR. After a few preliminary twitters and emails I completed an on-line application for k9-SAR, and training starts on Tuesday! As always, I usually see and hear of something and think “I’d like to do that” and that indeed was the case for Sebev for many years. So I took the bull by the horns and took immediate action.

So the wonders of twitter and community radio stations can indeed work in a powerfully positive way. There are no boundaries, geographically or intellectually! There is something for everyone out there on the Ethernet!  Nikki Salsa pays homage to her Twitter-family; tis an apt name and sentiment that I share and endorse. You all make my time rock! It brings a new dimension to my life, otherwise entwined and embroiled with work, family and being a Domestic Goddess, as well as a Rambling Duck! I shan’t wax lyrical about that..

Instead, I shall share a little music, my favourite track, and very appropriate!

I have chosen Path Hill Outdoors as my core charity as the work done there for Young People is something I care about and get very passionate about.

I spent the morning there today; a fine cold drizzly wet morning on the borders of Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Didn’t really notice the weather too much as the place is so warming from staff and Young People alike.  Path Hill Outdoors is run from land rented from a farm. There are a couple of outbuildings, fields and woods that are utilised to the full. It’s certainly not a place for white jeans and high heels; outdoor clothes and hiking boots or wellies most essential! Perfect for a Rambling Duck! Perfect for Young People with a lot of energy and who can’t relax in formal settings such as a school.

Essentially, Path Hill Outdoors are a gateway to help educate and equip Young People with the social skills and some qualifications to be able to enjoy a life with a reasonable job, good family and friendship network. Some Young People just cannot get on at school, and some are even tempted into the vicious circle of crime and disreputable friendship groups. Volunteers and staff who know and understand these Young People run Path Hills. They establish trust between themselves, their group and society (such as the services of Social Services, the Police, School and colleges); build their confidence, self-esteem and own sense of self worth. Some of these Young people may have special needs or learning difficulties so each part of the core programme is tailor made for each one of them so they can maximise on input and effort for a positive high achievement. 

Its not rocket science to understand what Path Hill Outdoors is about and why it is so successful– a “Ray Mears” bushcraft learning environment come classroom with some other essential life skills thrown in for good measure. Who couldn’t resist that? And want to excel? There are some fantastic Young People already there proving they do and can.

I sat in on the Morning Debrief where the young people were congratulated on the successful completion of tasks of the previous day. Not just the actual task, but how they sat quietly without fidgeting too! Conducive to good listening and understanding, taking on board the new information and then being able to apply the new knowledge. Apparently a few months ago they couldn’t do that; patience is a wonderful thing and the staff have plenty of that to nurture excellent results and “star pupils”.

I have asked some the Young people to write about their own experiences and what they at path Hills, so I shan't steal their thunder and give away any of their fun. This meeting took place in the Yurt that had a lovely woodstove burning. I enjoyed a hot chocolate, which seemed more appropriate than a cup of tea. I had also taken Penny aka Duckpooch, my young saluki/whippet, with me. She certainly made a few friends that day. We will both be back there to join in some more fun and help as volunteers.

Path Hill Outdoors does rely on a lot of funding from grants and sponsorships. I love the work they do, and there is nothing more pleasurable than to see those Young People excel and mature into responsible outgoing friendly Young Adults. There are too many disaffected teenagers abandoned by a jaded society who can’t or won’t help them to take responsibility for their actions and help them onto the “right path”. Help me to help Path Hill outdoors do just that and donate towards their ongoing work.

This page shows how money is spent.

There is an expedition to Sweden for these Young people and they need to raise £2000 too. Let’s help them there  

Wow! What a first week for the 90 day challenge! I shan’t bore you with food plans and walking stats but I do now know my definitive goal for it!

I walked on different terrain, with different shoes, some days pushing a child in a heavy buggy. I averaged 13km a day and a speed of 5.85kmh. So, my ultimate goal is to average 7kmh! I do need to re‐address the eating balance though as I appeared to have gained nearly 2 kilos!!

I also had the pleasure of doing a 24km walk with Jo Winchcombe, also known as Arctic Mummy. She is training to do a North Pole Endurance race this March/April. She was also doing a sponsored 20mile‐tyre pull from Andover to Salisbury, on Sunday. Boy can that Lady move fast over undulating & diverse terrain. Perfect for her arctic experience to come! Also great stamina, endurance, resilience and humour! Surely the successful competitor for that Arctic Race?  Hope she will be bringing home the prestigious Blue Ice Trophy!

I also had the immense pleasure of watching a young man enjoy an hour of a small dream of his own, to be a Radio Presenter. I work with children who have special need and learning difficulties. I have christened each of the children by the day I work with them, or something significant about them. This particular chap is called Wednesday Child (WC for short). He has a real love for all musicals; loves to perform and sing parts of different shows. He can get rather obsessive about certain shows and scripts, so I insure we have a healthy conversation about alternative shows; don’t think my humour could take a constant battering of  Hairspray or Mamma Mia! He also insists on Spaghetti Bolognaise and flapjacks for dinner every Wednesday – its his comfort thing and need for routine, so he needs at least one constant with me.

I digress a little, and back to his dream. I took him to the local community Radio Station in Carey Street, Reading, Reading4u.co.uk. We met the wonderful Eddie, who was the afternoon Presenter, and Chairman. He kindly took the time to make WC feel comfortable, encourage him to talk, talk a little about his own Presenter experience for radio Blast at Thames Valley College (TVU), and play some of his favourite tunes. All this time the real show is being streamed live on air, but WC is happy in the knowledge that he thinks he is on air. Now WC is not a lad of many words; he repeats a single word continuously. He often doesn’t talk or looks at strangers. So what was achieved here was absolutely amazing. He interacted with Eddie in his own way, both established a little rapport, and thus a dream was realised. 

I work with the Family Link Group, part of Reading Social Services. I do Day Care and Respite Care to families with children who have Special Needs. This is a job I absolutely adore, and have no formal qualifications. I was encouraged to apply for befriending work on a casual basis many years ago. In the past I have been a Credit Controller, Accountant, Teaching Assistant in main stream primary, main stream secondary and a Special Needs school. This is the job though that pays the soul, as much as it helps with the bills. It’s a 2 fold enjoyment – I watch a family relax for a few hours, and I watch their child in my care have some one to one fun in a different environment.  I work with children of different ages, needs and ability. I put them in an environment that suits them; so they are no longer “disabled”, let them excel and gain confidence.  A few hours treasured, in so many ways.

If you’d like to know more about my work, please email me your details and I can forward them on to the team. Or you can read more about it here