DD Charity Roundup - 2024

This year we are proud to have donated 189 DD Charity Scout Hammocks and 189 DD Charity Scout Tarps, making a grand total of 378 pieces of equipment donated to good causes throughout the year of 2024!

Read on to find out more about all the amazing charities and organisations we’ve supported!

January and February

For the months of January and February, we kicked 2024 off with a bang by donating 40 sets of DD Charity Hammocks and Tarps to two separate organizations: Rewilding Youth and My Own Time and Space. Based in Hull and Essex respectively, both focus on bringing opportunities for underprivileged young people and children with additional needs to grow and learn in the outdoors.

Ruby East of Rewilding Youth told us about their plans for their new DD gear:

"Our plan for this amazing kit is to be able to offer the option to young people of sleeping in hammocks on our wild camps and providing them, through our sessions, a place to relax, promoting mindfulness. From all the team at Rewilding Youth, Thank you!" 

Read more here.

March and April

Spring had sprung and we were able to support two more organisations; Rock UK and one of our first international charity partners, Burlington YMCA based in the United States!

With 4 centres dotted around the UK, Rock UK is within easy access to many areas of Britain and are passionate about giving every child the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and develop valuable life skills through outside adventure. Similarly, The Burlington YMCA is a non profit charity branch dedicated to developing strong and healthy communities with child development at the heart of their work.

We have provided Rock UK with 20 sets of our DD Charity Edition Scout Hammocks and Tarps to help expand their bushcraft adventure programs, and The Burlington YMCA also received 20 sets of gear to help launch their ultimate summer camp hammock village for young people to fully discover their love of the outdoors!

Read more here.

May and June

For the merry months of May and June we teamed up with The Ernest Cook Trust and The Outward Bound Trust's Loch Eil Center; both based in the UK and with a passion for reconnecting children and young people with nature in our modern digital age.

12 sets of our DD Charity Hammocks and Tarps were sent onwards to The Ernest Cook Trust to help them expand their goals of learning through adventure and conservation, while The Outward Bound Trust’s Loch Eil center in the Scottish Highlands received 20 sets of gear so help their young patrons thrive and grow outside the city and away from the demands of modern life.

Read more here.

July and August

In the depths of the sunny summer months we partnered with Anxious Minds and FARE Scotland!

With a specialty for offering vital support to those struggling with PTSD, severe anxiety, depression, addiction and mental health crises, Anxious Minds is a UK based charity with an aim to expand their outdoors adventures.

With their donated sets of 20 DD Charity Hammocks and Tarps, Anxious Minds CEO Edward Dean explains; 

“Using our new DD Hammocks and Tarps we would like to provide more woodland school days out for the community and do some sleep overs for those looking for a quiet break from the every day.”

Based in Glasgow, FARE grew from a small youth club into a busy and thriving charity who work tirelessly to get disadvantaged communities throughout central Scotland get involved with communal activities, create personal development opportunities and other life skills by learning to work with the beauty of the outdoors. Our donation of 10 sets of Hammocks and Tarps will be used to support FARE’s DofE program, along with their school holiday programs and outdoor activities.

Read more here.

September and October

As the leaves changed and autumn settled in, we donated a total of 20 sets of DD Charity Hammocks and Tarps to grassroots male mental health organization Mandem Meetup and 5 sets to registered Adventure Therapy, a registered charity who bring the joys of nature to those of all ages with unique health conditions.

Mandem Meetup facilitator Frazer Humphreys reveals the plans for their own sets of gear for the coming months and years:

“The plan for the DD Hammocks & Tarps is to get the men outside camping in nature and experiencing life outside of the concrete jungles that we face every day. Not only for the men but to also get families outside in nature as well.”

Amy Weekes of Adventure therapy tells us;

“The kit will allow us to create comfortable and accessible outdoor spaces for our participants, regardless of their physical or cognitive needs. For people with complex conditions, being in nature can offer a unique therapeutic environment, and these hammocks and tarps will help us make the outdoors more inviting and accessible.”

Read more here.

November and December

For our final donation of 2024 we came together with Bush Adventures CIC, a not for profit community interest company based in Suffolk that specializes in working with challenging behaviour and SEN children who have been removed from education – primarily through the use of various outdoor activities.

With our donation of 12 sets of DD Charity Hammocks and Tarps, the patrons of Bush Adventures CIC can continue to learn even more about bushcraft and themselves. 

Dan, an Instructor with Bush Adventures CIC is happy to report:

"DD hammocks and Tarps are a fantastic way to teach proper shelter design along with a plethora of different skills...hammocks are used within bush adventures as a safe space for young people to go when they need and relax, possibly to regulate or to practice other relaxation methods like meditation."

Read more here.

As we start a brand new year full of adventures, we want to continue the good work into 2025!

If you know a charity, group or cause with a focus on the outdoors and a passion for helping those less fortunate that would benefit from some free outdoor equipment, plus a spot on the DD Charity Blog to showcase their work, we would love to hear from you!

Help us support even more people, and get involved by getting in touch with us via our DD Charity contact form.