We are now fifteen months in to the life of Rope Runners. We have had a really good first year and are really driving forward as we enter our second year. We would like to thank everyone for their help and support over the past months - to our customers and our amazing team of staff - WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!

Now that we have sorted the day to day stuff, my aim for this second year is to really get switched on with our website. Blogging and keeping you guys upto date is part of that so watch out for regular updates on what we're upto.

On Friday we are looking forward to welcoming St Thomas More School from Southend and getting ready for our week of Halloween themed fun next week for half term!

Wow, where has the last month gone! We have been so busy getting ready to open. The course is coming on well and is beginning to look really great -we are all itching to get up there and have a go.

I have been very busy getting ready all the forms and paperwork that we will need for the business and doing outreach to schools and youth groups. It seems to be paying off as we have bookings coming in already - corporate, schools, youth groups - all of them. It's a good feeling, because it means we were right to pursue this dream for so long!

We have also been promoting the business at events such as The Military Vehicle Show -Bunker Bash 2009 - and the Charity Classic Vehicle Club rally and Autojumble.

Kevin was accosted in our local supermarket - a lady grabbed him and told him to stay put while she fetched her husband and proceeded to tell him that this was where he was having his 30th birthday party.

We have also had people offer to distribute leaflets for us, taking them to clubs, schools, and their places of work, which is immensely kind and really cool!

We are using a leaflet distribution company to put out our leaflets and this seems to be working well - we have had lots of enquiries from people who have picked up their leaflet in a train station, or a supermarket etc. Lets hope they all book!

I've sent a press release to all the local papers this week too, some of them have covered parts of our story before - when we were applying for and granted planning permission, so watch out in your local press if you live in Essex - you might just see us in the paper!

All we need to do now, is pray for a long hot summer - it won't really make much difference, but it would be nice!

Check back soon for more updates and news on our official opening.

1st May was the day that I officially went self employed and also the day that we expanded our family to include "Boots" - a black, white and gold Tibetan terrier. We had always promised the children that we would have a dog when our work commitments changed so that we weren't both out at work all day and this seemed like the ideal opportunity. We had given getting a dog a lot of thought - we have had to be mindful that we will have the general public on site and that not everyone is a dog lover. We eventually settled on Tibetans because of their medium size, the fact that they do not moult and are generally accepted as being tolerated by people with allergies. We were lucky enough to find Mike and Vita Davies from Pinrow Kennel at Little Downham near Ely who were kind enough to keep Boots for us until I finished work. Check out his pictures later.

Sponsors

When we were fundraising initially we hit on the idea of selling poles. People could buy poles and have them names after themselves or someone else. Below is a list of the people who were generous enough to sponsor a pole for us and the person they have dedicated their pole to if applicable.



Caryl Thomas (2) (In memory of David)

Richard Barnes

Chris and Graham Storey (For Sydney)

It's amazing how often the saying "One step forward, two steps backwards" is true of starting your own business and that's no exception for us. Unfortunately the build is later starting than we hoped, but we are pushing hard to crack on and make up time. I finished work on Thursday after 12 years with Bayer and that has made it all seem so real and so much closer. I thought I might be upset, but it was fine really because we have so many exciting plans and so much to do. I also live next door but one to my (former) regional manager, so it wasn't like I had to say a major goodbye, because I will still get to keep up with all the news through her.

The brochures are at print now - we did have a heart stopping moment when we realised that the phone number on the front was wrong! 60,000 leaflets with the wrong number on would have been a nightmare!

We have had our first enquiry as a result of the banner that we put up at the Bunker and also have someone who wants to come and see us with regard to bringing youth groups down regularly - so it's beginning to happen.

The website is under construction now - still looking a bit bare at the moment, but that's because we've been waiting for the final brochure wording so we can keep them the same. Check it out at www.roperunners.co.uk

Thanks for reading - keep checking back - there will be lots more news soon!

Now that work is about to start on the course there seems to be more to do than ever. We are designing brochures, gathering information and pictures for our website, pricing up personal protective equipment, recruiting staff and starting our outreach programme to schools and youth groups. We have had several enquiries from the public and corporate groups and WE HAVE TAKEN OUR FIRST BOOKING!
I finish work at the end of April which seems like a major watershed, but there will be plenty to do to keep me occupied.
Please take time to look at the websites for all our suppliers and partners - we really appreciate all they have done for us!!!

In February we were able to meet with Ian Roberts from Ropeworks and finalise the designs for the course - we are lucky that we have benefitted from the knowledge he has gained from some recent projects he has done and from his involvement with the European Ropes Course Association and the development of the new European Norm. This has enabled us to adapt our original ideas and plan a course that meets all the current and expected legislation whilst at the same time incorporating the best features and elements into our course.
We also began preparing High Ash Wood for the build. It had always been our intention to work around the existing trees as much as possible since we want clients to experience being among the trees and this was reflected in our planning application and woodland management plan. We have only coppiced or felled sycamore trees and we will be reusing all the wood that we have cut within our operating area. Sycamore is being used as path edging, fence posts and rails. We have also built natural "walls" of the smaller cuttings and we are thrilled to find that small mammals and insects are already using this material as their homes.
We had several weekends working hard with the help of many friends cutting, carrying, raking and generally getting scratched to death by brambles. We would like to thank Mickey, Bob, Simon, Nina, Jim, June, Richard and of course Hollie and Joel for all their help!
We have now given Ian the full go ahead and work starts on the 27th April 2009 - we have given him a list of priorities so that we don't interfere with a few key events, such as the Bunker Bash 2009 (military vehicle show) and the Whitweek Holiday. We should be open fully in June and will be having an official opening sometime early in the summer. Watch this space for more details...