Getting Ready for the Otter, Giving Back Along the Way

With September underway and preparations for the Otter Trail Run in full swing, EasyEquities is shining a spotlight on this month’s Donate for Good featured organisation: Friends of Table Mountain Association.

The Otter is an event EasyEquities is incredibly proud to support, and its focus on the outdoors, conservation and surrounding communities closely aligns with the work of Friends of Table Mountain.

To help bring this connection to life, Blake Dyason, a CN&CO shareholder, keen conservationist, and founder of Love Our Trails, shares why the partnership feels like a natural fit. Blake has a strong connection to trails and conservation, making his perspective particularly relevant to the initiative."September felt like the perfect time for EasyEquities to partner with Friends of Table Mountain. It’s the month of the Otter Trail Run, an event we’re incredibly proud to support, and one that reflects many of the values we care about at EasyEquities. The Otter isn’t just about running a beautiful trail, it’s about respecting the environment, supporting the people and communities around it, and leaving the trail better than we found it.”

Caring for Table Mountain’s Trails

Established in 2015, Friends of Table Mountain Association is a public, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the efficient, effective, and accountable management of Table Mountain National Park.

The organisation works closely with the Park authority and stakeholders across national, provincial and municipal levels, representing the interests of the Park’s user community. Its work supports a balanced approach to conservation, recreation and responsible commercial use of this iconic natural asset.

A key part of this work is maintaining the trails that people use to explore the mountain. The Association’s Trail Apostle Team has covered an impressive amount of ground over the years, carrying out extensive trail building and maintenance across the Park.

Putting Giving Back to Work

Funds raised by Friends of Table Mountain go directly back into the mountain, helping to fix trails, clean up litter, improve trail safety, install signage and keep paths well maintained.

Importantly, the funding also supports the people behind the work, including the Trail Apostles and Innocent, whose efforts help keep the trails clean, safe and accessible. The connection between the Otter and Friends of Table Mountain is also important to EasyEquities because both operate on SANParks land and contribute to trails, conservation and surrounding communities.

As Blake explains: “Both the Otter and Friends of Table Mountain operate on SANParks land and contribute to trails, conservation and communities in meaningful ways.”

Investing in Our Natural Spaces

Beyond trail maintenance, Friends of Table Mountain is involved in projects that support the mountain’s ecological health and community engagement. The organisation partners with the Sugarbird Project to clear alien vegetation and restore the natural fynbos that defines the mountain’s biodiversity. It also runs volunteer programmes, giving the public an opportunity to get involved in cleaning and repairing trails.

Shaun Keeling, Partnership Lead at EasyEquities, says: “For EasyEquities, this partnership is a natural extension of what investing means  putting something in today that can create value tomorrow, whether that’s your financial future, your community or the natural spaces we all enjoy. This September, we’re inviting our community to invest in something a little different: our trails, our national parks and the people who help protect them.”