By: Blonde Two
Hi Blondees and Blondettes. Blondes One and Two are feeling very cheered today by our present opening experience yesterday. If you remember, we had taken delivery (via elf mail) of three giant boxes but, like good Blondes, had been very self controlled and waited until we were together to open them.
This togetherness occurred at about 7.30 yesterday morning and Blonde One was to be seen wielding a rather sharp looking pair of scissors while Blonde Two broke a finger nail (won’t be needing those for much longer this year anyway) scrabbling at the packing tape. We had the most amazing time because in the boxes was our absolutely second favourite thing in the world. Obviously, our favourite thing is Dartmoor and even we Blondes can’t work miracles well enough to squash a whole national park into three boxes (it still thrills me to think that we have a national park on our doorstep).
No, dear Blondees and Blondettes, when we opened our presents, we found loads and loads of really good quality, second hand outdoor kit. There were waterproofs, fleeces, cosy coats and a few soft shells. Most of them with some pretty impressive labels on them. Almost everything, in fact an outdoor ed stores could want to lend to youngsters. I think we may have made quite a noise in our excitement but luckily only a select few were at work at that time in the morning to hear us. We tried a lot of stuff on and picked out things for a few that some of our really committed kids might like to try. It was a joy to be able to do it and we can’t wait to share it all with them. There was enough in the boxes for us to give some away and keep loads for lending out. All we need now are some coat hangers!
The boxes came from the fantastic Gift Your Gear scheme in cooperation with the equally fantastic Rohan http://giftyourgear.com/ I can’t really put into words the difference the kit will make – but if you had seen the 50 or so keen but not so wealthy new Ten Tors faces that I had in front of me at our first meeting today, you would have been able to work it out for yourself.
So an enormous thank you to Sarah at Gift Your Gear, a great big thank you to Rohan for seeing a need and meeting it and if you have donated any of your old outdoor gear to the scheme – a big Blonde hug from us.
Wel done Blondes, this is magnificent. So much more beneficial a scheme then the clothes sack for some unknown destination.
My thoughts turn to a day of low mist on Skiddaw, my partner and I suitably clad coming across a posse of (obviously London based) school children. Walk/ climb leader in stout walking shoes, shorts and knee socks and an anorak. The por children in a motley collection of track suits/ she’ll suits and plimsols. Totally inadequate for low mist and wet scree. Regrettably folk still think they can walk the high fells and mountains with inadequate gear.
As a point of clarification, despite quiz shows stating otherwise, Scafell is not the highest mountain in England, it is the tallest point but it is a fell, check the name! Skiddaw is the highest mountain. Simples, a fell has a flat top and a mountain has a peak.
I would like to echo Blonde Two’s sentiments. It really was a joy opening the boxes and considering the opportunities that a mere cardboard box full of clothes will offer our kids. Thank you Sarah, Rohan and all of your lovely customers: we are in your debt.