Trustee Reflections for Welsh Charities Week
Written by Tir Coed / Monday 09 February 2026
As a Tir Coed trustee, I am incredibly proud to celebrate Wales Charities Week by shining a light on the transformative work happening every day in our woodlands across mid and west Wales.
What Tir Coed does
Tir Coed connects people with land and woods by offering outdoor training, learning and wellbeing programmes across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys. Our sessions combine practical woodland skills and conservation with time in nature, building confidence, connections and a deeper appreciation of the environment.
Over the past year, 484 people have taken part in learning, wellbeing and volunteering activities with Tir Coed, collectively spending 11,047 hours improving and enjoying Welsh woodlands. Together, participants have improved 13 sites across west Wales, planted 1,000 trees and helped manage woodland spaces that are richer for wildlife and more welcoming for local communities.
Impact on wellbeing and futures
For many participants, joining a Tir Coed course is a turning point: people arrive feeling uncertain or low in confidence and leave with new skills, new friends and a renewed sense of possibility. One trainee told us that taking part “really boosted my mental health and confidence in myself,” while another shared that they had gained “a new found appreciation for all things nature” and now enjoy better sleep and improved wellbeing.
This past year, 72% of trainees achieved accreditation, gaining practical, recognised skills that support progression into employment, volunteering or further training. We have also mentored 100 people, walking alongside them as they take their next steps, whether that’s into green jobs, social forestry roles or community volunteering.
Supporting nature and climate
Every session in the woods is a small but powerful act of climate action: from planting trees to improving access and biodiversity on our woodland and garden sites. Across our projects, participants are helping to unlock the potential of woodlands as spaces that support nature recovery, community resilience and sustainable rural futures.
The work our volunteers, trainees and mentors do on the ground directly improves habitats, paths and infrastructure, ensuring that these green spaces can be enjoyed by more people, now and for generations to come.