Nothing Ventured (William Warwick Novels, 1)

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This does not let those who organiseand provide adventure activities off thehook. Previous tragedies have shownthat lives have sometimes been lostneedlessly because actions anddecisions fell well below the standardsany reasonable person would expect. Young people of all ages benefit fromreal life ‘hands on’ experiences; whenthey can see, hear, touch and explorethe world around them and haveopportunities to experience challengeand adventure. Some myths have emerged that act as areal barrier to a balanced approach torisk. These myths, summarised in thebox below, are explored in more detailthroughout this publication. The method set out in Managing Risk inPlay Provision Implementation Guidedoes not involve any scoring orarithmetic, since such procedures canbe confusing and difficult to applyconsistently in play and learningcontexts, and moreover can struggle tocope with the subtleties and dilemmasthrown up by real-life situations. Instead,it puts forward a narrative approach thatsimply encourages those carrying outthe assessment to state the factors theyhave considered and the judgementsthey have reached.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained is a proverb that means if one does not take risks, one cannot achieve anything. The sentiment is that one must be willing to risk something dear to him or risk failure if one wants to reap a reward. The expression nothing ventured, nothing gained appears in John Heywood’s 1546 work, A dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the prouerbes in the englishe tongue: “Nothing ventured, nothing had – if you don’t speak, you don’t advance.” However, the phrase is found in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, in The Reeve’s Tale: “I will arise and take a chance, too, by my faith! Nothing ventured, nothing gained, or so men say.” Some believe the proverb nothing ventured, nothing gained is a translation of the French proverb, from the 1300s: “Qui onques rien n’enprist riens n’achieva,” or “He who never undertook anything never achieved anything.” As with many proverbs, only the first part of the phrase, nothing ventured, is used sometimes with the assumption that the listener will understand the rest of the sentiment. While William follows the trail of the missing masterpiece, he comes up against suave art collector Miles Faulkner and his brilliant lawyer, Booth Watson QC, who are willing to bend the law to breaking point to stay one step ahead of William. Meanwhile, Miles Faulkner’s wife, Christina, befriends William, but whose side is she really on? Of course, the key question is ‘what isreasonable’? The answer, notsurprisingly, depends largely upon thecircumstances. But two important recentlegal cases, explored in Myth 5 below,show that the law provides a sensibleframework. They bring out two cruciallegal points. The first is that the courtstake the view that risks and benefitsneed to be balanced, and any proposedpreventative measures need to take thisbalancing act into account, and also tobe proportionate in cost terms. Thesecond is that where risks in an activityare inherent and obvious, and peoplechoose to take part, the law takes acommon-sense position about the dutyof care. Such materials should be helpful andsupportive. However, guidance can onlygo so far, and can never deal fully withall the possible circumstances andsituations that may arise on a visit orduring an activity. Indeed too muchguidance, at too great a level of detail,can be counterproductive, because itcan reinforce a distorted approach torisk management that focuses ontechnical compliance rather than criticalthinking and proactive problem solving.According to Marcus Bailie, Head ofInspection at the Adventure ActivitiesLicensing Service, when things gowrong, the primary questions posed inany resulting inquiry, whether conductedinternally or by the courts or regulators,are ‘what happened on the day?’ and‘was it reasonable?’.An holistic view of the riskmanagement of a given activity needsto be informed by the benefits to begained from participating in the activity,not just the hazards and risks. It istherefore a good starting point for anyrisk assessment to identify the targetedbenefits as early as possible in theprocess… Young people encounteringrisk sensibly managed are presentedwith an unrivalled learning opportunityand exposure to well managed riskhelps children learn important life skills,including how to manage risks forthemselves. Responding to this needmay well be one of the fundamentalaims of many areas of LearningOutside the Classroom. It follows thatsuch aims should be encouraged,rather than avoided. When looking at what might go wrong, itis the risks to children and young peoplethat should be our primary focus. Yet inmany cases, agencies can becomefocused not on the risks to children, buton the risk to their own resources,reputation and good name. They fear aso-called ‘blame culture’ by which anyadverse outcome, even if it is relativelyminor, can become the focus foraccusations, recriminations andlitigation. Nothing Ventured... Balancing risks andbenefits in the outdoors aims toencourage readers to take a reasonableand proportionate approach to safety inoutdoor and adventurous settings, andto reassure them that managing risksshould not be a disincentive toorganising activities. It is not a ‘how toguide’. Rather, at a time when manywonder whether society has gone too farin trying to keep children safe from allpossible harm, Nothing Ventured... addsits voice to the call for a more balancedapproach: an approach that accepts thata degree of risk – properly managed – isnot only inevitable, but positivelydesirable.

One of the key benefits is theopportunity for children and youngpeople to learn about risks forthemselves, to experience a degree offreedom and to take more responsibilityfor their own safety and well-being asthey grow up. Many adults have vividchildhood memories of everydayfreedom, playing out of doors for hoursat a time in places that were excitingand adventurous, often well beyond theanxious gaze of parents or other adults.Children and young people growing uptoday do not have the sameopportunities for everyday adventure.Over the last twenty or thirty years ormore, their movements have becomemore restricted, their free time morecurtailed, and their behaviour moreclosely monitored by adults. Forexample, the ‘home territory’ of theaverage eight year old child – the areathat child is allowed to travel around ontheir own – has shrunk by 90 per cent ina single generation. Today, manychildren of this age are not even allowedoutside their front doors alone. It will take skill and tenacity for William to solve the crime, and along the way he will encounter many who will change his life, from Miles Faulkner, a crooked art collector, and his influential lawyer - who bends the law to the point of breaking - to research assistant Beth Rainsford, a woman with secrets who he falls hopelessly in love with . . . Why doesadventure matter?Few would disagree with the view that parents, teachersand others who look after children need to take a morebalanced approach to risk. Adventurous activities are a keyresponse to this plea to redress the balance around risk.They are amongst the most engaging, enjoyable andrewarding learning activities that children and young peoplecan do, inside or outside the classroom. They can buildconfidence, offer new experiences, provide insights intocharacter and even transform lives. They have the power todo this precisely because they are up-front in their goal oftaking children beyond their existing competences: theymake explicit demands on those who take part. What are the risks?Teachers can be forgiven for believing that childrenregularly come to serious harm on outings and activities.The media can sometimes appear to give that impression.Yet the reality is that visits and activities are by any measurecomparatively safe. Minor accidents and upsets are notuncommon – and should not be ignored – but again, there isnothing to suggest these are any more frequent than ineveryday life.

No pain, no gain.

It will take skill and tenacity for William to solve the crime, and along the way he will encounter many who will change his life, from Miles Faulkner, a crooked art collector, and his influential lawyer – who bends the law to the point of breaking – to research assistant Beth Rainsford, a woman with secrets who he falls hopelessly in love with . . . Countryside Alliance (2009) research onschool visits – see www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/oct/02/school-trips-teachers-legal-action Nothing ventured, nothing gained is a proverb that is over 500 years old. We will examine the meaning of the expression nothing ventured, nothing gained, where it came from, and some examples of its use in sentences. ConclusionsEducation in its broadest sense is not just about delivering acurriculum. It is about giving children the chance to extendtheir life skills. It is about developing their confidence. It isabout fostering their resilience and sense of responsibility.And – let us not forget – it is about the enjoyment,engagement and excitement of venturing out into the realworld, with all its capacity for uncertainty, surprise,stimulation and delight.