GOOD DAYS OUT
Good Days Out offers the chance to befriend some animals whilst enjoying fresh air and beautiful views of the Brecon Beacons. Poppy Manning finds out more.
An idea that stemmed from a stressful night’s sleep, Good Days Out is a unique experience up in the Brecon Beacons that will result in anything but a restless bedtime. Julia Blazer, the organisation’s founder, tells us how she’s managed to make a living for herself and for locals in a rural area with limited employment opportunities. The central plan? Take some animals – piglets, small donkeys, sheep – and invite people to go for a walk with them on the hills. Along the way you can take picnics (or pig-nics), feed your newfound friends, or just generally take it easy.
What was a community-based venture led to what seems a crazy idea. Julia explains how creating Good Days Out has not always been plain sailing; it took time to grow and have people adopt the idea of paying to walk with animals across the countryside. “It’s been a leap of faith keeping this place going.” Around the local area there is little employment and Julia’s had to have two or three part-time jobs to help build the Good Days Out business. But this year already, it seems things are starting to embed and move forward a bit more. There’s been plentiful positive publicity already, including a feature on BBC’s Countryfile.
For Julia, a huge part of Good Days Out are the people she works with. According to her, everyone involved with this organisation has such passion about what they’re doing, and many have lifestyles tied to the land. “This is a way of helping them continue to either keep their animals or stay in the countryside and carry on with that.”
The experiences have had plenty of benefits for some participants – success stories are not uncommon for Julia to come across in the five years the business has been going. One particular event stands out. “We had a lady who bought along her daughter who was autistic and had selective mutism. At school she hadn’t spoken to her teacher for two years and was incredibly inwardly focused but, from the moment she set off with the donkeys, she did not stop talking. The power of connection is such a lovely thing.”
Amenable to hosting parties for groups of any age, Good Day Out really is for everyone, as you can go at your own pace to make it the most enjoyable experience possible. Beyond that, each event is also tied into a good cause, which will benefit from the purchase of tickets. In the case of the Dinky Donkeys, a portion of each voucher will go towards the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team, whilst Pig-Nics will help out RetireMutt, which rehomes old service dogs.
There are plenty of stunning locations around the UK in which these sorts of events are a rarity, and this factors into Julia’s long-term vision for Good Days Out. “I’m hoping that we will be able to expand around the UK, so I’ll be looking at other similar rural areas, such as national parks, and offering a similar way of people to be making an income in their area as well.
“As long as you love animals and you want to be out in the countryside, it’s got to be the best thing to come and do. It’s hard to express as much how beautiful it is, all the experiences have special views and we offer that time to get up-close with the animals and spend that time to learn about them, their welfare and the area we live in.”
Good Days Out, running throughout the month; locations on booking. Tickets: from £15. Info: 01874 749092 / www.gooddayout.co.uk