That’s what participants said:
Czech Republic, Organic Apple farming July 2017: “I just wanted to thank you for organising my placement on Rudolf Zidek’s farm. It was absolutely excellent and far exceeded my expectations. I learnt an enormous amount about organic fruit production, the care of trees and the use of fruit together with other practical skills and information. Visits to Policka, Litomysil, Vesely Kopec and Prague were well organised and informative, giving a fantastic insight into Czech life, history and culture. Informal chats with Rudolf were both enlightening and fascinating. Rudolf and Veronika looked after us in exemplary manner, feeding us wonderful food, driving us around, guiding us in Prague etc. Nothing was too much trouble. An experience that will live with me and benefit me for a long time.”
Turkey, Ancient Skills June 2017: “All back safe and sound. What an amazing trip to Turkey, both inspiring and magical. Definitely, life changing. The host’s could not do enough for us. Our time was well spent learning about their cultural heritage and partipating in the activities and site visits. I am so pleased that we all got the opportunity to go, and to participate in this year’s programme. Thank you.”
Turkey, Ancient Skills June 2017: “I have to say to you again, not only was this trip an amazing opportunity for each of us professionally! But the hard work the team are presenting, with regards their ancient Turkish traditional skills in Sultanhiser, along with their leadership skills, commitment and patience in working with us, was incredible.Thank you to Grampus for running such a fantastic programme. We all learnt so much, and it was so very special to meet both Gulhan and Halil, who really ensured this trip was both a memorable and magical one for us as a group; and also very special for the students selected for this year’s programme. And importantly, we as Team Turkey 2017 would like to endorse and to acknowledge the team’s great work, their amazing transfer knowledge skills; and for that to continue to be supported by Grampus in Sultanhiser. Clearly for other groups to benefit, they need to be out there in the grassroots to learn and share their culture and the knowledge. “
Mediterr. Harvest, Dec 2016 Cyprus: “A fascinating and extremely useful experience. We learned a great deal about foraging wild foods and farmed as well as ‘feral’ varieties; almonds, olives, grapes, mushrooms, wild native pistachios, and so much more. It was fascinating to also learn, hands on, how to use so much of this local produce in traditional methods and techniques. Then, best of all, we got to taste it all! It was of great interest to learn about traditional local silver smithing and lace making, as well as having so many opportunities to engage with the local communities, discussing contemporary issues and ideas.”
National Park Link, Aug 2016 Romania: “I really enjoyed everything that we did especially the day in the mountains (and collecting the mushrooms – not that I was any help with that!), the intrepid walk to the cave, the very special day in Girbovita and touring round all the historical sites…I really could list everything. It was a very special experience and I really appreciate all the hard work you and Monica put into making our trip so memorable.”
Forests, Tree’s and climate Change, Oct 2016 Cyprus: “I learnt so much on the PRIDE placement to Cyprus. We visited two very different forests – the Troodos and Kushi – to see and hear about the challenges that face the trees on this island at a time of climate change. We tried out practical activities to terrace and shore up an embankment lacking in water due to the drought in Cyprus; and met people working in a plant nursery and agricultural research centre. I also learnt about the culture and history of Cyprus. It was well-organised, incredibly interesting, as well as good fun.”
National Park Link, Aug 2016 Romania: “Thank you for organising and hosting such a brilliant trip. I really enjoyed everything that we did and really appreciate all the hard work you put into making it so special for us all. Thank you for helping us to experience the culture and food of the real Romania. I particularly enjoyed the trip to Rimet in the mountains with the wonderful scenery and the amazing sense of peace. Lunch with the Mayor and the plum brandy was also great! I will always remember the day spent with your family – a truly unique and special experience. Thanks to your Grandma, sister, niece and villagers for being so welcoming and making our day so special. Speaking to people about the trip, it is clear that in Britain we really know so little about the rest of Europe and easily form the wrong opinions about places. Hopefully, I will be able to educate a few people as to what Romania is really like and encourage others to visit.”
Introduction into Horse logging II, June 2016 Slovakia: “We attended the introduction to horse logging course in July 2016 and were delighted with what was involved. Although I own and work my own logging horse I found the whole experience very informative and inspiring. I left with new ideas and skills which will stay with me. Our host was excellent and made us feel very welcome and well looked after. Thank you for an excellent experience!”
Balkan Crafts, Sept 2016 Bulgaria: “I had a wonderful time on my PRIDE Bulgaria Placement. It has really developed my crafting skills and has made me a better person. I met some wonderful friends, ate wonderful food and learnt all about the interesting craft history of Bulgaria which would not have been possible without this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “
Forests, Tree’s and climate Change, Oct 2016 Cyprus: ” I really enjoyed the placement. I learnt a lot about Forestry and climate change in Cyprus, including how to mitigate climate change through new methods of planting, and so on. Talking to people in the villages about the changes over the last 50 yes was very interesting and seeing evidence with my own eyes eg water loss, increased temperature, decreased rainfall. It was good to work with the partner orgnisation and to meet the other participants.”
Balkan Crafts, Sept 2016 Bulgaria: “What a great experience I had, made lovely new friends, both people who were on the placement and also the lovely people we visited and travelled with. We really found ourselves immersed into the real Bulgaria as we were travelling with local people, and joining in with local crafts, festivities and even meeting family members to learn how to crochet (well we tried anyway)…We tried local foods (ate a lot of cheese!) and drinks, and we tried our hand at wood carving, knitting, painting, pottery, rope embroidery, wood pyrography, and we learnt about customs and techniques. We even sang at a local festival, we did ‘give me sunshine’ which seem to go down well although was completely different to the local folklore songs, I think they appreciated the effort! We also saw the real side of Bulgaria, the effects that global economies and competition has had on the industry within the country, and how they are trying to establish tourism to replace some of the industries that closed down. There are unfortunately many houses that are empty or abandoned in certain areas which was really sad to see, and I hope the country can recover and flourish, and tourists are encouraged to visit.”
Balkan Crafts, Sept 2016 Bulgaria: “Just to say that the whole experience of the placement was fantastic; it expanded my knowledge of Bulgarian customs and their craftwork and gave me an opportunity to explore a culture and country which I had not had any experience of before. Our guide Velis was absolutely excellent and always on hand to help us, and to enabled us to experience the different aspects to traditional life and skills such as knitting and crochet, pottery and painting, braid embroidery, pyrography and many local and regional foods, drinks and a surprising amount of cheese (delicious)! It was also interesting to see the efforts that the locals were putting in, to keep these skills alive in an ever modernising world and how they were encouraging the younger generations to learn. I especially enjoyed our visit to the Devetashka cave where we were lucky enough to spot several bats and snakes. I made some wonderful friends both from the placement and in Bulgaria, and learnt more about a region of the world I had little knowledge of before. Thank you for this excellent experience!”
Introduction into Loom Weaving, August 2016 Slovakia: “The trip to Lisov in Slovakia was an enriching experience to develop and teach my weaving skills to my fellow Wool Clip members on the trip.and share knowledge with staff at the museum. Lisov Museum is gradually acquiring equipment and I was delighted to be able to reconstruct and weave on an ancient loom donated by someone in the village.”