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Wicked Weather Watch brings climate change to life for children by drawing on the personal experiences of Arctic explorers and scientists who have witnessed the effects of climate change first-hand. Through their inspirational school visits, ‘Arctic Extravaganza’ workshops, and CPD for teachers, young children learn how to mitigate the impact of climate change in their own lives. Most of Wicked Weather Watch’s programmes are free, and at least half of their work is targeted at schools in the most disadvantaged areas. Founded by explorer and adventurer Sir David Hempleman-Adams, Wicked Weather Watch has already worked with more than 100 schools and reached over 9,000 children since it’s current programmes began in 2016.

Wicked Weather Watch is a new organisation, and recently had a new intake of trustees. It wanted to run a strategy day, to serve as an induction for the new trustees and to get them involved in setting the direction of the organisation. Key questions to answer revolved around the organisation’s long-term goals, focus, and messaging.

They came to The Fore seeking a facilitator for the strategy day. A member of The Fore’s network introduced Wicked Weather Watch to Hillary McGowan, a freelance strategist and an expert in the UK charity, local government and heritage sectors. She has worked with the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and is on the board of the Bletchley Park Museum.

Hillary helped Wicked Weather Watch do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, helped them identify their USP, guided them to hone-in on mission and vision statements, and helped them plot their long-term plan.

The day has helped Wicked Weather Watch formulate its plan and understand its role in the sector. The last few months have been tumultuous yet exciting for organisations fighting climate change, and having a clear strategy has really helped. Moreover, the day proved valuable preparation for taking up the Measuring The Good impact measurement course, also funded by The Fore.