Our Vision
“Everyone, everywhere – awake, aware and connected to self, others and Earth”
This ambitious mental image for the future provides the inspiration for everything we do.
Our Mission
“To ensure that every Ascend Adventure participant is offered opportunity for a meaningful experience through adventurous activity”
We achieve our mission by being cognisant of four core beliefs which fundamentally underpin everything that happens at Ascend Adventure- it’s a way of life.
Change is possible
We could go so far as to say that we believe change is inevitable! Just as the rest of the natural world is ever changing and moving; growing, evolving, dying and being reborn, so we as humans experience movement and cycles of change. Movement is everywhere, from the in and out of a simple breath, to the rising and setting of the sun; a simple reminder that everything changes. Our understanding is, that life is a series of transitions, from one state of being to another.
Everything is connected
The human genome project has revealed that we humans share at least half our genes with every plant. Droplets of water which make up our life blood today were once rushing over Niagara Falls. Our bodies are made of the same elements that make up the Earth, simply in different proportions. Ascend Adventure aims to appreciate the inextricable links in eco-systems, respecting the relationships between living organisms and their environments and believes whole-heartedly that people are part of the natural world, not apart from it.
Balance works
A weekend spent crawling around a huge field of genetically modified corn in Iowa recently revealed…. nothing. No insects, no birds, no wildflowers. Nothing. Just corn.¹ In the 1800’s one million Irish people died when blight wiped out the staple food crop- genetically identical potatoes. These eerie examples illustrate how monoculture (the cultivation of a single crop) results in an absence of biodiversity, leading to a lack of natural balance and susceptibility to pests and diseases.
Let it begin with me
If everyone on the planet lived the lifestyle of a typical resident in “developed”, affluent countries, it is estimated we would need 4 to 5 Earths to support us. ² Modern economy encourages us to be passive consumers, reliant on a chain of supply for all our needs and wants to be met, estranged from the consequences of our choices. Similarly a culture which encourages reliance on services and delights in apportioning blame when mistakes are made, fosters a non-active dependence, and a tendency towards a disempowering victim mentality.
² Leonard, A. (2010) The Story of Stuff, Free Press, New York or www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff
Latest Community Activity
Out of the wilderness!!!
Since Covid struck and after many set backs and changes in life, Ascend Adventure is
Urban Adventure Garden – Almost there!!!
Planning application submitted, lease almost secured, the Urban Adventure Garden in partnership with Sprowston Youth
New Recruits With Kickstart Scheme
One of our goals here at Ascend Adventure is to innovate, build and develop.
Everest or Bust – Zero to Hero
My attempt to reach Everest in 2024 has three aims: To continue to raise awareness
“In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows.”
“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”
“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach of us more than we can ever learn from books.”