Our chief officer David Shaftoe has been interviewed on BBC York ahead of next weekend’s make A Difference awards, where he is a finalist for a ‘green award’. Hear him talk about Open Country and why it is such a special organisation with “lovely people trying to do the things that many of us take for granted.”
Click here to listen on BBC Sounds https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0m1wbzr
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Transcript
Georgey Spanswick, Interviewer: So tell us a bit about Open Country and how it came about?
David: “This is our 35th anniversary year. We were formed when they started shutting a lot of the big institutions down like Whixley and High Royds, and there were more disabled people thankfully living in the community
“We were a pilot project to see how they could get out in the countryside and how life could be made easier.
“We’ve been doing that on a fairly local level ever since. In Harrogate at first, but of late, York, and Selby with hubs in Wakefield and Teesside
“We’ll try everything, I always say, apart from 5- wheel driving to naturism – but we haven’t ruled out naturism! A very broad suite of countryside activities.”
Georgey: “What do you get up to then? What sorts of activities?
David: “Walking, cycling outdoor pursuits, gentle teashop visits and nature study….”
Georgey: “And who are your clients?”
David: “Really anyone with a disability – we have a lot of people with learning disabilities, sensory impairments, sensory, physical impairments, mental health issues, brain injuries – the whole range really.”
Georgey: “Why is it so special to you – why did you get involved with Open Country?”
David: “If you give it a chance, It’s the sort of job that gets under your skin. People are indefatigably nice and pleasant; we seldom have a harsh word said. It’s lovely people just trying to do the things most of us would take for granted.”
Georgey: “What kind of reaction do you get from the people who come to Open Country and use your facilities, and go out and about with you guys?”
David: “Well, no two people are the same; for example, I took a group of homeless people out on Friday and we went to Bolton Abbey and as we were having a picnic, this very nice chap – he was probably about 30 – said to me it was the first picnic he’s ever had!
“Which is hard to believe isn’t it? Sometimes it’s small wins. As I said it before, there are things we would take for granted, but for some of the people we work with, it’ll be a first-time experience.
Georgey: “Another area you’ve been influential in is making paths, and wheelchair accessibility. Can you tell me about that?”
David: “There’s still an awful lot of barriers in the countryside – motorcycle chicanes, bollard, locked gates, stiles, A-frames littering the pathways; for a lot of disabled people, the whole country, especially the countryside, can be quite a hostile place.
“So part of our role is to try and get stiles removed and replaced with gates, get motorcycle barriers ripped out, get illegal structures removed and try and make the place more accessible not just for people with disabilities but for all of us – people with pushchairs, people with walking frames, people guiding a relative, just to make the whole place much more accessible!”
Georgey: “In the nomination, someone said: “David is a humble man, a patient man, witty with a colourful turn of phrase. Does that sum you up, David?”
David: “Well that’s lovely – I’ll try not to be too colourful on air…!”
Georgey: “I was chancing my arm there….! (chuckles) What do you love about it the most what gives you the most satisfaction of being part of Open Country?”
David: “The smiles and the joy! It doesn’t mean we don’t work hard, but to some extent we’re getting paid for doing our hobby, so every day is a joy and we’re just doing what we’d be doing anyway. …. I think there must be very few jobs like that!”
Georgey: “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, that’s what they say, isn’t it? What does it feel like to be a finalist? Not only a nominee but a finalist in the green category?”
David: “It’s lovely because I know only too well the voluntary sector in North Yorkshire is massive, and we couldn’t do without out it. And to be put in this bracket is so kind and I do appreciate it.”
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