Outfit Moray Testimonials

“There was a big jump into the sea and I didn’t think that I could do it, but the instructors coached me and encouraged me and, in the end, I jumped!”

“I was very proud that I managed the jump as only a small number of the group were brave enough to do it”.

“It taught me how to work with others and gave me confidence to try new things in the future”.

Before X went to Outfit Moray, he was shy and withdrawn.  He wasn’t confident around new people and didn’t like to attempt new things as he didn’t believe that he could do them.  After the time spent with Outfit, I could see a massive increase in his confidence, he was happier at school and much more willing to try new things.  X is now more physically active and fitter, as he now has a new hobby of Mountain Biking.

My 8 and 11 year olds tried outdoor climbing in the Oct holidays, and ended up abseiling too. They absolutely loved it!! Very reasonably priced too. So impressed.

“I really didn’t think I would be able to do the Coasteering but with the Outfit Instructors help, I did do it”.

“It was great fun –I really enjoyed it”.

“I was very proud that I managed the jump as only a small number of the group were brave enough to do it”.

Before X went to Outfit Moray, he was shy and withdrawn.  He wasn’t confident around new people and didn’t like to attempt new things as he didn’t believe that he could do them.  After the time spent with Outfit, I could see a massive increase in his confidence, he was happier at school and much more willing to try new things.  X is now more physically active and fitter, as he now has a new hobby of Mountain Biking.

For X his time with you on the respite week has resulted in significant positive change.  He had previously struggled to communicate with adults and see them as people to share things with and receive support from.  You have changed this, thank you.

Really pleased to see X getting involved in new projects and enjoying spending time with others. She came back full of praise for the week and was really happy in herself.

‘A’ engaged very well with the sensory nature of canoeing. The leader adapted the seating arrangement to allow A to sit in the base of the canoe. A great inclusive experience and one where memories were made for the family as A has a life limiting condition. This activity with A and her parents will remain as a treasured valuable memory for them and the school. A’s achievements despite huge personal challenges shows there are no barriers or limits to a young person’s potential given appropriate support in their opportunities. Parents are looking to buy a canoe now for A to use and are considering Outfit Moray’s provision for disabled young people.

My son attended this today! And he had an absolute blast. This was well out of his comfort zone and spoke highly of how the instructors helped  his confidence to reach the bottom. Thank you

XY had an absolutely fantastic experience mountain biking with you and was gutted when Thursday was her last day she loved every minute of it thank you so much for letting her do this with you she’s hoping she has more fun experience with you in the future. Thanks again for letting her do this with you and also a big thank you to the staff that was with her on this trip.

I would just like to take the time to email and say how wonderful Andy Woolnough was with my daughter. He had a group of Keith Primary School pupils out yesterday.

My daughter is autistic and was very upset before going. She got very anxious as didn’t know what was involved. He took the time to explain to her what they were going to be doing and help her through her anxieties. She ended up going along and having a great time.

I was so impressed how he handle this and took the time with her.

I just wanted to take the time to thank you and to inform you of how my son’s time with Outfit Moray has helped him.

Before he began the Outfit Moray sessions, he spent most of his play time playing alone. I was also informed how he was not joining in during classroom activities.

However, after his Outfit Moray sessions, his confidence and self esteem has grown. When I picked him up from school, he always seemed so positive, happy. He described to me what tasks he had been able to achieve and also what he had achieved working within a team. The Outfit Moray sessions have been a part of helping my son to learn, develop social skills and soft skills, but most importantly, his own self confidence, so thank you.

XY a primary 6 pupil was referred to Outfit Moray for 1-1 outdoor activity based alternative curriculum for a P6 pupil. He was part-time at the school the previous year, and has spent time at Beechbrae due to Social, emotional and behavioural needs. The goals of being on this programme is to provide opportunities for him to increase confidence, cooperation, fitness and exposure to a range of activities he has not been exposed to before.

At the beginning of the 1-1 sessions, he would be destructive – not in a malicious way, but rather as a form of entertainment. He had a lack of focus and attention to the activity for example during a construction project he would hit the wood for the project off the surrounding area as a distraction to the task in hand. Being in the school playground had an unsettling effect in terms of when he saw other young people, he wanted to engage with them but did not have the social skills for the engagement, and this resulted in him kick off at other kids in the playground.

As XY was getting to know the Instructors, he acts shy, giving little eye contact. It did not take him long to be chatty, engaged and looking forward to his sessions. Planning in advance so that he knows what is happening from week to week is key to successful sessions as he doesn’t like unexpected change but can adapt quickly after gauging the situation.

He shows resilience and determination to succeed this was demonstrated on the Tyrolean Traverse. XY displayed a keenness and bravery, despite saying he was afraid, he overcame his anxieties and enjoyed zipping across the wire and was keen to go again. He communicated in both body language and conversation how pleased he was with himself.

XY has communicated that he really enjoys walking so for the last few weeks this has been incorporated into the weekly sessions. It has been made in to a journey with a destination to reach as a challenge. On these journeys he is a chatty young man who can hold a conversation and asks questions along the way.

A high point in the program would be his first week interacting with another young person. On this day the route chosen was uphill with some challenging terrain included going under/over fences. XY Had some initial hesitation with another young person on the session, this was quickly overcome through games-based play after playing a game the two interacting well. This was demonstrated with the later conversation turned to goading each other on to be ruder than the last pushing boundaries but all in good fun. They bonded quickly and managed the walk up to the top of the hill, despite it being a physically challenging walk.

The next week XY was encouraging to the other young person, although he would rather be alone on a one-to-one bases with the instructor as he enjoys the 1-1 interaction this was demonstrated by him encouraging the other to go on ahead. The interaction with QZ is worthwhile as he takes on a caring attitude towards the younger participant. He has been very helpful and caring towards QZ , and helping him and encouraging him during his cycle. He demonstrates a caring attitude and once at the destination they were playing together in the water.

XY has a strong aversion to cycling, he can ride, but just does not like it. He won’t even entertain the idea of it with flat out refusals. So, the activity is young person lead we have used other activities instead. However, with QZ riding, he was more than happy to walk along behind.

The walking is helping with fitness and it is something he enjoys so we are embracing this and will continue to develop this activity in the near future. He does find his Asthma affects him, sometimes he will pant and be out of breath – but he does not let it stop him!

We will look to develop existing learning opportunities and give opportunities for water activities which he has expressed an interest in, and continue to challenging fitness. XY from week 1 till now has developed his confidence, skill, fitness and ability to communicate with Adults and his peers, he looks forward to his sessions and is more focused and engaged.

Just wanted to pass on thanks from our young people to your instructors for the experiences they gave them yesterday. Our people had really enriching, challenging and rewarding experiences with them and they are very appreciative of this. Days with your organisation offer much broader opportunities for growth than I’ve seen from other outdoor providers – you have spectacular people working there. Many thanks again on their behalf.

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to you and your staff for a fantastic couple of days. The feedback from the young people; Carers and staff that were there has been really positive. Everyone really enjoyed it and said that your staff made the day really fun whilst also managing the dynamics and ‘spirited’ behaviours well!

One of the young people told his Carer this week he was the only one in the class with something to “show and tell” about what they had done in the holidays. He said his day at Loch Achilty was “the best day of his life”. Such a great experience for him, thank you.

On behalf of the youth team I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you and the team at Outfit Moray for going the extra miles so we could offer top notch activities to our young people this Easter holiday. Thank you too for all the extra support and flexibility with arrangements.

We appreciate that the weather provided challenges for both the Monday 29th March paddle boarding and the Tuesday 6th April Tyrolean & Bushcraft and we appreciate that it is only because of the expertise, enthusiasm and commitment of all your staff that these went ahead safely and confidently, and everyone enjoyed a great time. I understand from the instructors that, in order not to do battle with the wind, the paddleboard was rerouted to take in a 3 mile-ish paddle. It was great to see young people who were struggling to get the hang of it at the start confidently acknowledging that they had mastered it by about the mid-point and not least to go cruising past the others by the end! All the feedback was enthusiastic and very positive and although when I called with 4 of the young people to deliver cooking ingredients about an hour after they got back, they were in bed or on the sofa fast asleep, parents (or little brothers) reiterated they had enjoyed a super time!

Your instructors delivered a fantastic day in the Oakwoods with Bushcraft and Tyrolean and the activities soon warmed everyone up after the walk in in a mini blizzard! We are in awe of Marshall and Sam coping with all those ropes, knots and gearing kit while actively engaging a gaggle of excited young people in tying the knots and creating a Tyrolean crossing that they were then confident enough to use! And they loved it -even the really nervous ones (like me). Full marks to Marshall’s skill in getting the most nervous young person across with his encouragement and confidence boosting techniques (leaving me no option but to go too). Ian’s bushcraft and especially fire-lighting was also a great hit and a favourite for some of the participants. His fascinating bushcraft knowledge of different resources in nature that can be used clearly engaged the young people who persevered to get a flame from a spark and the same can be said of how Ian enthused them. The hot chocolate and marshmallows were an added bonus that added to the already good cheer.

The fact that despite adverse weather conditions there was 100% attendance and enthusiasm speaks volumes and we really appreciate that we can avail of such brilliant, enjoyable and resilience-boosting activities for young people, particularly in these mega-challenging times.

Huge thanks to you and all the Team at Outfit Moray for the unbeatable activities you provide.

You never quite know what will happen on an Outfit Moray activity day. You do know however that a day with Outfit Moray takes you to new places – whether it’s Tomintoul gorge walking in the rain, jumping off the cliffs at sunny Portnockie, skiing the Lecht, or rafting down the River Spey – it’s always good to get out with Outfit Moray. With every trip we always come home surprised at what a difference a day can make. Horizons are widened, confidence is boosted, relationships are deepened and there is a renewed sense that we can do far more than we imagined. Speyside Youth have seen the benefits year after year that Outfit Moray activity days offer and we see these days providing positive mental health and wellbeing in action.

I wish to say a massive thank you for the Bike-ability scheme you held at Hopeman Primary in April 2022 for Primary 3.

My daughter Lizzie was extremely nervous and not confident at riding her bike. We had tried in vain to get her to get on her bike but the dedicated one-to-one she received under your instruction she grew in confidence and was able to get cycling by the end of her programme.

On the Monday May Day holiday we went on a family cycle run from Hopeman to Burghead and return. You have no idea how proud we were of her.

Thank you very much.

Outfit Moray have come in over the last 3 weeks for 1 day a week and have worked with all the children from P1 – P7. The younger children have benefited from being outside and the open-ended nature of some of the activities and the willingness of the adults to follow the children’s interests, even if they go off on an apparent tangent. The activities were appropriate for the age group and captured their interest. Given the current context these sessions were something new and the children looked forward to them, many of them knew Tuesdays were an “Andy & Archie day”. Time was given for children new to the sessions to become comfortable with the new adults. Overall, I feel the sessions helped develop the children’s self-confidence and social skills, learning to cooperate in a different context to the classroom.

With the older children, it was noticeable that they did not seem to all know each other and I felt the team building activities and games that involved trusting their partner worked well and helped the children form bonds/relationships with each other during the rest of the session and back in the class.

On the first day one of the girls turned to her partner and said “I’ve made a new friend today!” to which the response was, “Who?” Her smile when she was told it was her, was priceless. The children enjoyed the mix of physical activities and the more creative/scientific activities and would ask questions in the subsequent days about what they had been learning or made comments linking it to something in their own lives.

Overall, while the sessions have definitely been beneficial, I feel they have only just begun. If the sessions were to continue, even for just another 3 weeks I think it would have a significant, positive impact on the children, particularly their confidence and emotional well-being.

The Biking work you have been doing with some of my ASN pupils has been fantastic. All the children have responded really well and have increased in confidence with their cycling skills. They are all eager to participate and have definitely benefitted from the health and wellbeing aspect of being outside, engaging in physical activity. The duration of the sessions also works well as some of the pupils have a limited concentration span.

The staff who came along to provide the biking skill sessions were fantastic. Ian, Donna and two young guys, were great with the children and helped and supported them all as best they could.

It was wonderful to see children learning to ride with confidence in such a short space of time – especially those that couldn’t ride prior to Lil (and co’s) visit. Feedback from one parent was that the day after their daughter’s first session, she went to ride around Sanquhar jumps, having previously shown no interest in cycling and totally lacking confidence. It has been monumental for her.

Another huge success was one of our P7 boys, who only learnt to cycle last year when Lil taught him. She was able to take him to the town this year and he passed the 2nd stage. This is brilliant and we are so pleased he had the opportunity to do it. He has learnt so much and it has really helped his confidence and self-esteem

Hello there, just a quick msg of thanks to you all for the cycling classes at the Buckie Hub during term time thru lockdown.I’ve had him and his brother before out cycling between nether dallachy and Garmouth as he is so much more confident and competent now too, thank you

Thank you all so much, especially Donna. My son was one of the two that couldn’t ride a bike. He is autistic and would not even sit on a bike for us. We are so grateful to you all for the patience and effort you put in to teach him. We are amazed at what he can do now and the confidence he has gained.

Hi, I just wanted to share my delight and thanks with you after hearing my son Ian, Lhanbryde Primary has cracked cycling! A big thank you to all who helped and encouraged him over the last 3 days. When I collected him today he was bursting to tell me that “I can pedal now!” Thanks again

Thank you Outfit Moray, the bike skills is a fabulous idea. Huge thank u to Iain for working so hard with Harriet today. Great job! She can now cycle after just one session.

I would just like to say a massive thanks to Iain who took the bike session today. My daughter priya is delighted she can now cycle her bike and one happy mummy. Iain is so patient with her – even when she was getting frustrated at times or wanting to stop. Getting me on the bike too really helped as her focus was more on racing mummy than of Iain letting go of her.  She was so delighted she was desperate to go out for a wee cycle before bed even though it was pouring rain. A brilliant idea to help parents struggling to get their kids cycling themselves and teaching kids the correct way to do things – like breaks first then feet down. Best £10 spent. I’ll definitely be in touch to find out about the session Iain spoke about for adults to get confident cycling on roads etc. Been a long time since I’ve properly cycled about.

Thank you so much to Ian for teaching Emily to ride a bike this morning, absolutely delighted.

Cant thank you guys enough for Evie’s bike lesson this morning …for a girl that was scared every time she went onto her pedal bike to going by herself within such a short time ..the guy was so good with her .. really can’t thank you enough.

Fabulous morning with Iain teaching my 3 year old son how to ride a pedal bike my and 6 year old son bike and safety skills. Highly recommend these sessions.

My daughter had a bike lesson and I wanted to say how fantastic it was! She was desperate to ride without stabilisers but needed the confidence to do it and I think it was hard for her to try with mummy or daddy helping so having a professional there was perfect. Iain’s manner was friendly and calm, his instructions were easy for her to understand and she was off riding by herself within the first 5-10 minutes!!! She is so happy and proud of herself and we went for a family ride at Torrieston Walks the next day. Thank you so so much

Your instructor is a wizard… Little boy with huge anxiety about riding a bike, smashed it this morning. Thank you so much. So proud and so grateful for the hard work you put in to help him overcome his fears!

This is worth its weight in gold! The guys are amazing. Within 15 mins, my little one who had been holding my hand so tight she left marks, was riding a bike independently. Amazing! The instructors are so calm and confident, just what little ones need. And it was only £10!!

Hello, could you say a thank you to Iain who was doing the Keith bike sessions this morning, just wanted to let him know that I took my Gregor back out at supper time and off he went.  He had a fall during the lesson (not off the bike) but the starting off on the ramp tonight made all the difference.

They took my daughter back to basics for the first run just to gauge her confidence, then they showed her how to find the pedals using her balance bike skills first, then she mastered a standard start and by then end she was flying! Felt sorry for the poor instructor chasing her! Having to call Bike Revolution tomorrow for a new bike now!

Hello! Can I just thank your staff who did the bike sessions today? Both the women that were working were absolutely brilliant and got two terrified children riding by the end of their session. My wee boy is currently awaiting some testing for neurdivergency and can be a bit tricky to work with and the person working with him (so sorry I didn’t get her name) was just great. Really cannot thank them enough. One very happy/proud mum tonight.

Thank you so much for Scarlett’s Bikeability lesson today….. 9 minutes and she was off on her own. Couldn’t believe it!!  She’s chuffed to bits!

We didn’t expect to leave the session almost wishing for our gears to crunch or the chain to fall off, just so that we could practice our newly gained skills at tuning.  Starting with a barrel roll, a ‘righty tighty’ to ‘loosen’ the tension (you had to be there…), listening closely to pianissimo adjustments to make the chain sprocket shift.

Thanks Stewart for a  hugely useful but also very entertaining evening, filled with anecdotes and ‘don’t do this’ exhibits. The time went very fast, but we learned so much. ‘Cadence’ was the word of the day.

Excellent evening, feel so much more knowledgeable about the parts of my bike and never thought I would know how to (or be able to) change an inner tube! Great tuition, thanks so much Stewart.

Excellent evening, can totally recommend Bike Revolution and Outfit Moray in Lossiemouth.

Thank you to Bike Revolution for a great Bike Maintenance & Gears workshop last night. Our instructor, Wayne was spot on with all aspects of the course. He took time to find out individual needs, then gave clear demonstrations of the techniques and skills asked for. He then watched our efforts giving advice and further tips while we practiced these same techniques managing to keep a close eye on everyone so that it felt we were all getting individual attention.

By the end of the session, I felt I had really benefited from the evening and now feel much more confident in what I can do looking after my own bike.

Last week I went to a Bike Revolution with Outfit Moray Basic Bike Maintenance class, and it was really good. Wayne was our tutor and he was knowledgeable, patient, kind, and made the whole evening feel very relaxed.

We learned the jargon and names for all parts of our bikes, and about the most commonly experienced problems. All the time we were able to ask questions and comment about our own cycling experiences. There was a bit of practical experience too, as we each removed rear wheels to change the tyre, after mending a puncture. This involved dealing with the chain and rear derailleur.

I was a bit worried about going because I don’t own a bicycle, but a mountain trike. Same engineering, but really an off-road wheelchair. Wayne made sure that he commented at each stage, to make each lesson applicable to me too. I have to know how to maintain my trike because if it breaks down when I’m, out and about, that’s me without legs!

Although the session was held in a working workshop, Bike Revolution made it easy for me to attend in my wheelchair, with my carer, who was able to take over for the wheel changing practical, as I have limited hand dexterity and would have had had difficulty changing the wheel by myself.

I am really grateful for this, because it is often not what I experience.

The class was well within my pocket money as it is generously funded by Smarter Choices, Smarter Places. Thank you too.

We cannot rate your quality of service highly enough from our initial enquiry, making the booking, delivering of the course and receipt of the certificates. We highly recommend Outfit Moray.

I was very impressed with Chris, he is an engaging, funny and extremely knowledgeable instructor. I enjoyed the course enormously and feel confident in my newly learned skills.

I was on holiday and went to the beach for a swim. As I approached the water, I saw a lady lying on the beach motionless and a man standing next to her, clearly not knowing what to do.

I shouted across to ask if everything was ok and he shook his head, but said nothing. I went over and asked what had happened.
The lady was conscious, but a little concussed and unable to get up. I ascertained that she had type 2 diabetes and had fainted on the beach. I took all the necessary details and, given that she was stable and with her husband, ran to the nearest place to call for help (there was no phone signal on the beach).

I relayed the information I had and returned to the scene. The tide was coming in, so we managed to get her off the beach and I called called 999 to update our location. I remained with her and a HM coastguard helicopter was soon on the scene and, eventually, an ambulance.

I followed the training on how to bring in a helicopter, something I never thought I would have to do and the lady was attended to and treated at the scene and was ok.

I have to say that, without my first aid training with Outfit Moray, I would simply would not have known what to do, nor would I have had the confidence or knowledge to ask the right questions and bring in a helicopter.

Thanks for the training, someone was brought to safety and treated because of it.

I completed a 16-hr outdoor first aid course through Outfit Moray and it was excellent. Chris Morrison, who was the instructor, was extremely knowledgeable and delivered an engaging and interactive course. I had no first aid experience before but now feel pretty confident in my own ability to help out in an emergency. Thank you!

I followed the training on how to bring in a helicopter, something I never thought I would have to do and the lady was attended to and treated at the scene and was ok.

I have to say that, without my first aid training with Outfit Moray, I would simply would not have known what to do, nor would I have had the confidence or knowledge to ask the right questions and bring in a helicopter.

Thanks for the training, someone was brought to safety and treated because of it”.