Y Bartneriaeth Awyr Agored/The Outdoor Partnership, a charity based in Eryri, uses the outdoors as a vehicle for personal and community development. It recently received a £500,000 People and Places grant towards its ‘Opening doors to the outdoors Wales’ project.

We spoke to Tracey Evans, who has led the charity as Chief Executive Officer from its inception in 2005. She told us more about the project:

“Each year, this project will support 10,000 new people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to take up outdoor activities as a lifelong pursuit across Wales. This will support communities, improving mental and physical health, social cohesion and economic opportunities.

“One thousand new volunteers will also be upskilled and trained to ensure that community-based clubs and groups become more inclusive, accessible and sustainable.

“Our vision is to enhance people’s lives through outdoor activity, and we are delighted to receive this support from The National Lottery Community Fund to enable us to continue developing our work here in Wales, where it all started.”

Outdoor activities enhancing people’s lives

Paul Argent from Montgomeryshire is just one person whose life has been enhanced by taking part in outdoor activities through The Outdoor Partnership’s social prescribing project.

Paul was always the person in his family and group of friends who loved the outdoors. He would climb local mountains every weekend and had started running in the hills with his son, Mackenzie. They relocated as a family to mid Wales so he could be close to the mountains, and to take up a dream job nearby.

However, in January 2022, Paul was diagnosed with a late-stage glioblastoma brain tumour. He had surgery to debulk the tumour but unfortunately suffered a stroke during surgery, leaving the left side of his body paralysed and was unable to walk. He moved to a rehabilitation hospital and had to learn to walk again at the age of 50.

Paul was able to return home in March 2022, and kept up his ability to walk by walking laps of his garden. Even though he was lucky to have a couple of acres on a hill to walk, he missed the mountains greatly, and was struggling mentally with being constrained to his house after being in a hospital bed for months.

After deciding to reach out to his GP and physiotherapist, they helped him get in touch with Bethan Logan, who works as a Development Officer for The Outdoor Partnership in mid Wales and introduced him to a one-to-one social prescribing project they offered.

Paul never realised that this kind of service was available:

“All of a sudden, I was being offered a lifeline, a way of getting into the hills I loved. I was contacted by Andy Cummings of Manzoku Climbing and Mountaineering and he came to pick me up. (The DVLA had confiscated my licence so I had been dependent on my wife to ferry me around. She works full time and cares for me since the illness.) I already felt I was a burden and felt guilty I had ruined our lives, although she is always quick to say it’s not my fault.

“Andy offered to assess my abilities on a walk in the Berwyn Mountains I knew well, which was made possible by The Outdoor Partnership. I cannot explain how much it meant for me to be back in the hills. I had dreamt of this moment so many times when in hospital, not knowing if it would be possible. My brain tumour had been diagnosed as terminal. I was determined not only to survive, but that I would be able to walk in the mountains again.”

Andy once again helped Paul to climb Mynydd Llangors in the Brecon Beacons:

“It was a wonderful day; I couldn’t take the smile from my face,” Paul said. “Andy had also noticed significant improvement in my mobility, which was encouraging.”

Paul suggested to Andy that he would love to raise money by climbing Snowdon, one of his favourite hills prior to the illness, so he helped with this objective. In September 2023, Paul managed to get to Snowdon, accompanied by his son, who he says has been a driving force in his determination to get better. They had previously climbed Snowdon together three times so this meant the world to him.  

“The Outdoor Partnership has contributed massively to my success in battling my illness,” Paul told us. “It has enabled me to stay positive and determined mentally. My doctors have attributed my positivity and determination to my recovery. They have been amazed at my recovery.

“The last scan showed the tumour has been reduced in size significantly, but I’m still on trial treatment involving chemotherapy, so continuing my walks in the beautiful outdoors of Wales is vital to my wellbeing, both mentally and physically.

“I am so hugely grateful to both Bethan and Andy for their hard work helping people like me experience the healing benefits of our outdoors.” 

As well as supporting people and communities at home in Wales, The Outdoor Partnership expanded in 2019 to recreate its work in areas of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, following a £2,920,462 award from The National Lottery Community Fund. You can read more about the charity on the following link: https://outdoorpartnership.co.uk/

(Photos © Paul Argent + Y Bartneriaeth Awyr Agored/The Outdoor Partnership)