THE woman responsible for extreme sports in Denbighshire left the country last week to start afresh in pastures new. Caroline Barrow has spent the last six months with Mentro Allan as Sports and Active Lifestyles Officer. But last week, colleagues threw a farewell party for Caroline as she will be working as Principal Sports Development Officer with Salford Council. Mentro Allan, which is supported by Big Lottery funding, targets specific groups that are less active than the wider population and uses the natural outdoor environment to get people healthy. In the role, Caroline has been responsible for areas as diverse as rock climbing, canoeing, sand yachting, kite sports and watersports at Rhyl’s Marine Lake. "I’ve made quite a big difference," she said. "We’ve got 10 members and instructors working in cycling, climbing and watersports. "We’ve been trying to employ local people as well. Either to get them back into work or to give them more opportunities. "I’ve even put people into college as instructors in watersports and climbing." Despite Caroline leaving the post last week, a replacement has not yet been appointed and is unlikely to be appointed for some time. "Denbighshire County Council will re- appoint somebody eventually, but there are likely to be changes in the job description," said Caroline. "There’s currently an embargo on appointing people, but in the interim we have other officers who will take over. "They are all capable staff I’m leaving behind to run the programmes and I’ve tried to do as much as I can before I leave. So that people know what they are going to be doing." Despite being responsible for a whole range of outdoor facilities, Caroline has not taken the full advantage of the opportunities available to her. "I’ve done a bit of watersports on a team building day once, but I don’t really get to go out. I haven’t got the time." | 
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