Leisure and culture

Welsh Assembly Government

01/06/2008

Building on the platform provided by Climbing Higher, the mission of the partnership is 'to achieve an active, healthy, and inclusive Wales, where outdoor recreation provides a common platform for participation, fun, achievement and employment, which binds local communities, creates a sustainable use and understanding of the environment of Wales.'

The mission will be delivered through the partnership developing, promoting and delivering outdoor activity programmes, working with local community groups, schools, youth services and other local groups to meet local demands. The partnership was formed in 2004 with funding from the Assembly Government and the Sports Council. It includes three local authorities working together as a regional partnership - Anglesey, Conwy and Gwynedd. It also includes the Assembly Government, Sports Council, University of Wales Bangor, CCW, the Urdd and a number of outdoor activity and education organisations from the voluntary and private sectors. There are a number of reasons for these three local authority areas working in partnership:

• a shared wealth of natural resources appropriate for use in terms of outdoor recreation;
• well-developed outdoor sectors, catering mainly for tourists and educational visitors from outside the region;
• common cultural and linguistic characteristics; and
• a significant number of rural communities which are currently facing severe economic and social challenges and which could benefit considerably from the outdoor sector if access was widened.

The work of the partnership involves identifying current provision of outdoor activities, particularly in clubs and schools, an audit of opportunities to develop skills in leadership and performance, the employment of local people, mainstreaming the use of the Welsh language, identification of funding and the development of a website and newsletter.