There “ain’t no mountain high enough” in the Brecon Beacons which can stop a Cardiff community group from putting their best foot forward and taking on a walking challenge.
Members from Cardiff People First are taking part in the Ain’t No Mountain High Enough challenge which will see them complete ten walks of varying difficulty and discover more about the National Park. This is the second year that the members of the group, which is run by people with learning disabilities, for people with a learning disability, have taken on a challenge as part of the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority’s Inspironment Project.
Community development officers Eleanor Flaherty and Francesca Bell have tailored these walks, which culminate with a walk up the Cribath Mountain and the legendary Sleeping Giant, to help group members connect with the environment.
Eleanor said: “The Inspironment Project is designed to encourage people to get out an about in the National Park and discover what it has to offer. The project looks at the overall experience, starting with the journey to the Brecon Beacons, to increase their confidence in using public transport.”
The routes have been tailored so they become more challenging, while at the same time helping to increase their understanding of nature, the different habitats and the wildlife that can be found in the National Park.
Eleanor added: “This helps to increase participants’ confidence in visiting the Brecon Beacons in the future but has the knock on benefit of improving personal and social development as well as health.”
The project aims to break down the barriers which may get in the way of groups, such as Cardiff People First, from venturing further than their own towns or villages.
Deputy chair for Brecon Beacons National Park Authority Gareth Ratcliffe said the routes were designed to take in different areas of the Park. “The Brecon Beacons is a very diverse area,” he said. “The landscape differs from the East of the Park to that of the West of the Park. Each walk helped the group discover which habitats and wildlife are native to each area and more about how the landscape supports biodiversity and ecology as well as business and the economy.
“The final walk takes place at the Cribath Mountain and ends with a celebration to mark the journey of discovery that Cardiff People First have been on.”