The Outdoor Partnership

The Outdoor Partnership is a community partnership charitable company, changing lives through outdoor activities and inspiring local people to become involved in outdoor activities through participation, education, volunteering, and employment to improve health, social and economic well-being. Formed in 2004 to address a disconnect in the north west Wales where there were limited opportunities for local people to take part in outdoor activities.

Since then, we have worked on numerous programmes and projects that aim to overcome the barriers that exist to local people in north west Wales accessing local outdoor activity provision.
The Outdoor Partnership work to support the people of Wales and other UK areas to take up outdoor activities as a life-long pursuit. Its new strategy has defined its VISION for the next ten years.

‘Enhancing people’s lives through outdoor activity’.

The Outdoor Partnership was established in 2004 bringing public, private and third sector organisations together to work effectively in the outdoor sector with a common vision. The rationale for the Outdoor Partnership was underpinned by research in 2003 undertaken by Bangor University which showed;

  • Poor levels of engagement in the sector amongst local people
  • Leading to low levels of local employment in the outdoor industry
  • And reduced levels of engagement in local communities
  • Resulting in low levels of outdoor participation and very few local clubs

Our vision means ENHANCING people’s physical & mental health and wellbeing, economic return (including employment), the social value through OUTDOOR ACTIVITY such as grassroots participation in activities such as Walking, Cycling, Adventure Sports (such as climbing, canoeing, paddleboarding, sailing, mountain biking, etc).

Our approach is to focus predominantly on grassroots participation. However, we do work in close partnership with National Governing Bodies to provide an effective development continuum for participants and to support the work of the NGBs.

The Outdoor Partnership’s strategic approach envisages a ‘generational change’ where engagement with outdoor activities is the ‘norm’ – an accepted feature of the regular lifestyles of the local population. As a result of its work to date the Outdoor Partnership and its partners has achieved a number of key outcomes including the establishment of over 100 new community clubs and over 13,000 participants (with further detail illustrated in our strategy)


Expanding to new areas

By 2015 the work of The Outdoor Partnership was recognised as an example of good practice. Our help and expertise was increasingly in demand from other areas in Wales and in 2018 The Outdoor Partnership secured a grant from The Big Lottery 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 National Lottery Community Fund (UK Portfolio) which allowed us to extended our work to other areas in the UK.

England:

  • Coastal Cumbria
  • North Yorkshire coast
  • Plymouth
  • Coventry

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 will work with local outdoor activity community clubs and groups, schools, individuals, and specialists to increase opportunities for people to achieve their potential through outdoor activities, active participation, volunteering, training, and education. We work around six core themes: