Oban Kids Thrive, Oban (2026)

29/10/2026

🌲🎯 WE DID IT! OUR FIRST NERF FOREST MISSION TASTER SESSION!

Well, we finally did it! Our very first woodland Nerf mission taster session at Castle Wood! 💙🧡

Firstly, apologies for the late update. It's been quite a few weeks behind the scenes!

After our first session, we had back-to-back medical appointments for several family members. We'd also been dealing with some rather unpleasant gut issues following contaminated water right around the time we were preparing to launch.

I also finally attended my first neurology appointment after three years of fighting for answers. The neurologist strongly suspects Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), although further tests are needed before anything is confirmed.

So there's been rather a lot going on! 😂

But we were determined to get that first session running, and WE DID IT! 🙌

🎟️ 12 TICKETS BOOKED... BUT ONLY 3 CHILDREN ATTENDED

Our 12 available tickets were snapped up quickly, which was wonderful to see!

Unfortunately, only three children attended on the day. One family kindly emailed to cancel, but we didn't hear from the others.

That was disappointing, especially as we had other families messaging who wanted to attend but couldn't get tickets because the session was fully booked.

We had sent out emails with all the information parents needed, including directions, travel information and a poster to help everyone find us.

As we're currently running these sessions voluntarily, giving our own time, resources and sometimes our own money, we do ask that families let us know if they can no longer attend.

We completely understand that plans change, children get unwell and life happens! 💙

But a quick message means another child can have that opportunity instead.

And as we introduce team-based missions, attendance will become even more important so that the teams can be organised fairly.

🌟 BUT WHAT DID THE CHILDREN THINK?

The three children who came along told us they loved it!

Their only disappointment?

They wished more children had turned up to play with them! 😂

And that's exactly why these first sessions are so important. We're learning what works, what needs adjusting and how to make the experience even better.

🎯 A FEW THINGS WE LEARNED!

1. We're changing our foam darts!

Paul noticed that the plastic tips on our current foam darts were a little harder than we'd like.

So we'll be purchasing new, softer-tipped darts for future missions.

2. We need LOTS more darts! 😂

Even with just three children, we were constantly collecting darts from the woodland and handing them back out so the fun could continue.

We definitely underestimated how quickly we'd get through them!

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPARE FOAM DARTS?

If you've got unused Nerf-compatible foam darts sitting around at home, we'd be very grateful for donations! We'll check donated darts for suitability before using them in sessions.

3. We're improving our booking system.

We'll be adding an extra confirmation step to help make sure booked places are actually being used.

We're also arranging a dedicated Oban Kids Thrive phone number and planning a WhatsApp group so parents can receive updates and important information more easily.

4. TEAM MISSIONS ARE COMING!

Our next sessions will introduce more structured team missions, giving children the opportunity to work together, plan strategies and enjoy some friendly competition.

🌲 AND THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!

We're also looking forward to collaborating more with Castle Wood Croft to bring other types of outdoor activities and experiences to local children.

Elspeth has already suggested another lovely idea, which we'll share in a separate post to hear what families think! 👀🌿

For now, a massive thank you to the children who came along, the families who supported our first session, and everyone helping us build this little woodland adventure into something much bigger.

We've learned a lot already, and we're looking forward to the next one!

Built by volunteers. Built for our community. And we're only just getting started. 💙🧡

If you would like to be kept updated of new sessions and be involved with future ideas sign up to our email list where session launches will be shared there first.
https://www.obankidsthrive.com/get-connected/

🌲 Oban Kids Thrive CIC

09/10/2026

LAUNCHING FIRST TASTER SESSIONS

We feel best to give yet again another shout out to Elspeth (Mouse) at Castle Wood Croft in Benderloch.

This woman inspires me to no end, she built the communal seating area from trees in the forest and by her and Stevies own two hands.

Then she is also with Paul digging out more of the trench, shifting mud using a wheelbarrow, shifting grave; and woodchip bark, running back and forth. NO ONE HARDLY SEES THIS BIT.

The dirty work that goes on behind the scenes to get things ready so that we can all support each other in community.

She not only gets her hand dirty, working from sun up to down, she is also a woman full of wisdom and knowledge. It is a privilege to be able to learn from her, then adding to that her own natural ability to get children involved and learning with nature and outdoors.

Im personally looking forward to her afterschool club for my own children she will be hosting.

Please pop on to Castle Wood Croft and give their page a follow, comment and like on some posts to keep updated on everything she will be hosting.

WE APPRECIATE THIS WOMAN VERY MUCH SO, and give many thanks to her offering the space to be able to run the sessions for children in Argyll.

TO BE UPDATE ON NEXT AVAILABLE SESSIONS PLEASE SEE COMMENT SECTIONS BELOW TO SIGN UP.

07/10/2026

🌲 APPARENTLY WE’RE CIVIL ENGINEERS NOW… 😂

Nobody mentioned when we started Oban Kids Thrive that at some point we'd be waist deep in mud digging drainage trenches with our bare hands.

Yet here we are. 😂

While getting Castle Wood ready, Paul discovered a particularly boggy patch in the most scientific way possible...

His foot disappeared into it. 🤣

So what started as “we should probably sort that wee bit” somehow turned into digging a trench to help the water drain away, followed by digging, shovelling and carting gravel through the woods — which is a workout before you've even emptied the bloody wheelbarrow.

But underneath the mud and the laughs, there's something I genuinely want to say.

Paul deserves a massive amount of credit for what is happening behind the scenes at Oban Kids Thrive. 💙

We put a call out for volunteers to help us prepare the woodland, but unfortunately nobody was able to come along.

So Paul just got stuck in.

Digging. Hauling. Clearing. Problem solving. Getting absolutely covered in mud. Then carrying on.

There are lots of exciting things we want to build through Oban Kids Thrive, but those things don't magically appear because somebody had a good idea.

Someone has to do the unglamorous bits too.

And the truth is, without Paul putting the work in beside me, none of this would be happening.

So while the children coming along probably won't ever know why that particular bit of woodland isn't swallowing their trainers...
we'll know. 😂🌲

One muddy trench, one wheelbarrow and one completely knackered volunteer at a time.

This is how Oban Kids Thrive is being built. 💙🧡
And Paul...
we bloody appreciate you. 👏🌲

01/10/2026

🌲 SO… HOW IS OBAN KIDS THRIVE ACTUALLY FUNDED?

Something we haven't really talked about much yet is what happens behind the scenes — and how we're building Oban Kids Thrive.
👉 Right now, we're volunteers.

We aren't employees of Oban Kids Thrive and we didn't set this up to create paid jobs for ourselves.

We're giving our time to build something we genuinely want to exist for our own families and for other children and families across our community.

That has meant volunteering hours behind the scenes, learning new skills, completing training, planning activities, doing risk assessments, sorting equipment and paperwork — and, at times, putting some of our own money into getting things moving.

When we started this, we actually knew very little about the grants and funding available to community organisations.

We've been incredibly grateful to receive some start-up support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which helped us purchase some of the things needed to get started. 💛

As we grow, we'll absolutely explore other grants and funding opportunities. We'll also build different ways for Oban Kids Thrive to generate its own income, so that the project can become sustainable while keeping activities as accessible as possible for local families.

But this was never created simply as a way of employing ourselves.
We started it because we wanted it to exist.

We're building it alongside family life, caring responsibilities and the usual challenges that life throws at families — because our own children are part of the reason we know something like this is needed.

And the woodland missions you're beginning to see?
They're only the start. 🌱

Our vision for Oban Kids Thrive is much bigger.
💎More outdoor adventures.
💎More opportunities to play and create.
💎More ways for children to connect with nature.
💎More experiences that local families can actually access.

And, over time, we'd love to take some of those opportunities further across Oban, Argyll and the surrounding rural and island communities.

We're starting with what we have, learning as we go, and building it piece by piece.
Not because someone's paying us to do it.
Because we believe it's worth building. 💙🧡

🌲 Oban Kids Thrive CIC
Local children. Real adventures. Stronger together.
If you ever feel like you can offer a helping hand, please message us or email via [email protected]

30/09/2026

🌲 WE WERE OUT DOING THE RISK ASSESSMENT BEFORE OUR TRIAL SESSIONS.....and we spotted a few little things we'd like to get sorted before we welcome the children into the woods.

Nothing major — but we'd rather take the extra time to get the area prepared properly and make it as safe as we reasonably can.

So, we’re moving our first trial sessions to Saturday 10th October. 🎯🌲

This week we’ll be calling on a few volunteers to help us:
🪵 Clear a few areas
🎯 Mark out the different play zones
🌿 Prepare the woodland ready for the missions
🦺 Finish those final safety checks

Of course, this is natural woodland rather than a clean indoor hall, so roots, uneven ground, mud and all the wonderfully wild bits of being outdoors will always be part of the experience!

We just want to make sure we've done everything we reasonably can before we begin.
And then…

WE'RE READY FOR OUR VERY FIRST TRIAL MISSIONS! 🙌
📅 Saturday 10th October
📍 Castle Wood, Benderloch
LINK BELOW TO BOOK 💙🧡

30/09/2026

🌲 NERF-STYLE WOODLAND MISSIONS - BENDERLOCH! 🎯
Hey everyone! 👋

Before Oban Kids Thrive launches our full woodland mission sessions, we’re planning a few small, informal trial sessions and would love some local children to come along and help us test everything out SATURDAY 10TH OF OCTOBER (possible Sunday depending on numbers)

I am Bryannas son Paul, Lead Volunteer and My younger brother goes to Lochnell Primary and will be inviting some of his friends, but we thought we’d open it up here too and see if any other local children would like to join us.

We were very kindly donated a big bundle of Nerf-style blasters, and we’ve since bought new safety equipment, darts, targets and other bits for the missions.

Due to some ill health in the family and increased caring responsibilities, we haven't managed to properly test all of the equipment yet — so we thought…

Why should the adults get all the fun of testing it? 😂
We’d much rather get some kids involved!

These first sessions will be relaxed tester sessions where we can:
🎯 Test the different blasters and equipment
🌲 Try out some of our woodland mission ideas
🦺 Check how everything works in practice
💡 Get feedback from the children about what they enjoyed
🛠️ Spot anything we might want to change before the full sessions begin

Oban Kids Thrive is being built with the community, and our team is currently volunteering their time and also funds to get everything up and running. Having local children involved at this stage will genuinely help us make the future sessions even better.

If your child would enjoy helping us test our first woodland missions in Benderloch, comment below or send us a message. 👇
And yes… the adults may have to test a few blasters too. Strictly for quality-control purposes, obviously. 😂

ALL HELPING HAVE HAD PVG CHECKS DONE AND CLEARED.
PLEASE MESSAGE OR COMMENT OR GO TO THIS LINK TO BOOK A SPACE THIS WEEKEND. If you want other times let us know as we could accommodate.

21/06/2026

A small personal update.

Over the last few months my health has taken a significant turn, and after private testing I have now received confirmation of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (an autoimmune condition affecting the thyroid).

The combination of existing health conditions and a recent medication reaction, plus extreme chronic stress from personal experiences this year, this led to a complete physical and emotional crash, resulting in me needing to step away and focus on recovery and rest, I’ve been told to treat myself like I’ve come out of serious surgery.

I actually began building Oban Kids Thrive while already managing significant health challenges. I did so because creating opportunities, adventures and community for children is something I deeply wanted not only for local families, but for my own children too.

Throughout my life I have continued to create, build and support others despite health difficulties, and Oban Kids Thrive is no different. This was never a passing idea or something created on a whim. It is something we are continuing to move forward with, while also learning new ways of working, building partnerships, collaborating with others and creating strong foundations for the future.

Progress may sometimes look slower than I would like while I focus on rebuilding my health, but the mission remains very much alive AND WE ARE PULLING IN EXTRA SUPPORT!

Right now my priorities are recovery, family, and continuing to develop Oban Kids Thrive in a sustainable way that serves children, young people and families across our community.

Thank you to everyone who has supported, encouraged and believed in what we are creating. Your kindness, patience and encouragement mean more than you know.

Bryanna Black

Founder
Oban Kids Thrive

25/05/2026

🎉 Birthday Parties Idea

We’ve had an idea… and we’d love your thoughts 👇

As part of looking at simple ways to generate income so we can continue to grow what we’re building, this is one idea that’s come through…

Would this be something you’d be interested in for your child’s birthday?

• Hiring the equipment to run your own party
• Or you come to us to host for a donation

We’re looking at keeping things flexible — including donation-based options where possible.

It’s still early stages, but we’d love to know if this is something families in Oban and Argyll would use.

Let us know below 👇

22/05/2026

💛 THANK YOU FOR IGNITING OBAN KIDS THRIVE 💛

We’d like to say a special thank you to Highlands and Islands Enterprise for supporting us with a grant towards our start-up costs.

This support has helped us take real steps in bringing Oban Kids Thrive into the community.

Without it, getting started would have been much more challenging.

We’re incredibly grateful for the role HIE has played in helping this vision begin to take shape.

💛 Please join us in saying thank you — on behalf of all the children who will benefit from this.

You can find out more about their work here:
https://www.hie.co.uk/

20/05/2026

🧰 First Aid Kit Arrived

Safety is a big part of what we’re building.

First aid kit ✔

Alongside trained support, we’re making sure everything is in place so sessions are not just fun — but safe too.

Make sure to sign up for first choice in ticket launches, and updates right here to your inbox. : https://www.obankidsthrive.com/get-connected/

Oban Kids Thrive

29/10/2026

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