LEAF Tir Coed

Project Description:

The LEAF project spans Mid and West Wales and will create opportunities for disadvantaged people to access well-being woodland activities, woodland skills training courses, week long intensive training in sector specific activities, mentoring, work placements and support for fledgling enterprises.

Project Outcomes:

Tir Coed does not currently operate in Pembrokeshire, therefore a pilot will help Tir Coed train staff and continue to build relationships with stakeholders of the project before the full project is launched in December 2017.  It will also give Tir Coed a chance to learn from the different partnership approaches being taken in each county (Ceredigion, Powys and Pembrokeshire) and identify how best to evaluate and share learning across the counties.

The LEAF project is designed to enable deep rooted change in each participant’s life, offering bespoke progression that works with the skills and aspirations of the individual.

"I really enjoyed it and it helped me a lot and I made new friends as well.”

“Made me more skilled with woodwork.  Given me confidence to build a fence at home.”

Lessons Learned:

Travel costs escalated as the project progressed due to the location of delivery.  It would have been better to have allowed a larger budget for this.

Staff turnover has hindered project delivery; a project officer should have been recruited with less haste to ensure the correct person was in place from the outset rather than having temporary measures in place to start with. 

Paperwork from each activity, as this activity took place, should have been collected and collated at the main office to speed up evaluation of outcomes.