Since 2004, The Outdoor Partnership has moved beyond project delivery to create lasting systems change in how people access and benefit from outdoor activities. By building strong partnerships across communities, health, education, local government and the outdoor sector, we have developed sustainable pathways that remove barriers and enable long-term participation.
The Outdoor Partnership is a community partnership charitable company. We change lives through outdoor activities and inspire local people to become involved through participation, education, volunteering, and employment to improve health, social and economic well-being.
Over 21 years, we have established a powerful network of organisations, volunteers and community leaders that continues to strengthen local outdoor infrastructure across Wales and beyond. As a result, outdoor activity is increasingly recognised not simply as recreation, but as a tool for improving health, wellbeing, employability, social inclusion and community resilience.
Our Vision
Our vision is to enhance people’s lives through outdoor activity. We will do this by transforming the systems that influence who can access, participate in and benefit from outdoor activities. We believe outdoor recreation can be a powerful tool for improving health and wellbeing, reducing inequalities, strengthening communities and creating economic opportunities, but only when the structures that enable participation are inclusive, connected and sustainable.
Our approach is focused on building long-term capacity rather than short-term provision. Working with communities, volunteers, local authorities, health and education partners, employers and National Governing Bodies, we develop the skills, networks and pathways needed to embed outdoor activity within local systems. This creates sustainable opportunities for participation, volunteering and employment, while enabling communities to drive and sustain change.
Enhancing People’s Lives Through Outdoor Activity
Our story began over two decades ago in Northwest Wales following research undertaken by Bangor University.
The research identified a significant inequality: despite having world-class natural resources and some of the most outstanding outdoor environments in the UK, many local people, particularly those experiencing poverty, disadvantage, discrimination and geographic isolation, were unable to access or benefit from the opportunities on their doorstep.
The barriers were complex and systemic. Outdoor activities were largely absent from the education system, opportunities for local people to gain initial experiences were limited, and unlike traditional sports such as rugby or football, there were no clear pathways into community clubs, volunteering opportunities or long-term participation.
As a result, outdoor activity was not embedded within local communities and there was little local ownership of the sector. These barriers also affected employment and economic opportunity. There was no structured route for local young people to progress from participation into training, qualifications and employment within the outdoor sector. Consequently, the workforce did not reflect the communities it served. At the time of the research, only 4% of full-time instructors and managers in Northwest Wales were fluent Welsh speakers who had completed their secondary education locally, despite the sector being heavily reliant on the area’s natural resources.
10 Year Strategy
The Outdoor Partnership’s strategic approach envisages a ‘Generational Change’ – where engagement with outdoor activities is the ‘norm’ and a regular feature in the lifestyle of the local population.
The Outdoor Partnership’s impact extends far beyond participation numbers. Through a network of community organisations, clubs, volunteers, public services and strategic partners, we have helped build the infrastructure that enables long-term participation in outdoor activity across the UK.
In 2025-26, we supported 147 community clubs and groups, strengthened a volunteer workforce of 838 leaders, engaged 14,789 people from underrepresented communities, and created sustainable pathways into volunteering, qualifications and employment. Independent assessment found that our approach generates £8.42 of social value for every £1 invested, demonstrating how strengthening local systems, capacity and partnerships delivers lasting benefits for individuals, communities and places.
You can see our full Strategy here: The Outdoor Partnership 10 Year Strategy
Systems Change
Our strength lies not only in what we deliver, but in our ability to connect and influence systems. Over two decades, we have built an extensive network of local, regional and national partnerships spanning health, education, local government, environmental bodies, National Governing Bodies, community organisations and policymakers.
This enables us to act as a bridge between sectors, align resources around shared outcomes, and embed outdoor activity within wider systems that tackle inequalities, improve wellbeing, strengthen communities and create lasting social change.
Expanding to New Areas
By 2015, the work of The Outdoor Partnership was recognised as an example of good practise. Our help and expertise was increasingly in demand from other areas in Wales and in 2018 The Outdoor Partnership secured a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund – People and Places, to extend our work to all regions in Wales:
- North Wales
- Mid Wales
- Swansea Bay Region
- Gwent
- Central South Wales
This was followed in 2019 with a grant offer from the The National Lottery Community Fund – UK Portfolio, which allowed us to extended our work to other specific areas in the UK.
England:
- Coastal Cumbria
- North Yorkshire coast
- Plymouth
- Coventry
- Torbay
Scotland:
- Ayrshire
Northern Ireland:
- South east (Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Ards & North Down, Newry, Mourne and Down)
- The Sperrins (ANOB within parts of Causeway Coast & Glens, Derry & Strabane, Fermanagh & Omagh and Mid Ulster)
How Can We Help You?
We have a dedicated Outdoor Activities Development Officer in each region who work on different projects, with local clubs and community groups, schools, individuals, and specialists to increase opportunities for people to achieve their potential through outdoor activities.
We work around six core themes:
