We were approached at the start of the year by the Centre Rocheplane near Grenoble in France, with a view to networking at the outset. But as we got chatting, and with our ‘10 projects for 10 years’ target in mind, one thing led to another…
… and the Centre submitted a project, which we gladly agreed to finance. The £10,000 will be paid over the duration of the project, in 3 yearly instalments.
Its purpose is to leverage climbing’s whole-body physical benefits, as well as psychological ones, taking advantage of the excellent natural climbing sites around the Centre, to organise outdoor climbing sessions in the good weather, and indoors during the winter in partnership with local walls, for patients in remission.
If you’re a climber, it’s not a hard sell – getting folk out of the hospital environment and on to rock, in half-day group sessions to facilitate social interaction between people who share the same challenges. And, of course, the sheer satisfaction and empowerment of mastering a new skill that perhaps felt impossible before their illness never mind afterwards… a real ‘f*ck cancer’ moment for the participants.
At CAC we like to get a lot of bang for the bucks you help us raise. What particularly appealed to us about this project is that there is a formal evaluation process. We’re hoping to use its conclusions to be able to help other structures put similar Climbing Beyond Cancer initiatives in place without reinventing the wheel. Watch this space.
The first outdoor session was a real success, we’re excited to hear how the project progresses!
Translation: “What do we say to Climbers Against Cancer? THANK YOU!!!”
