Our Programmes

The Climbing Out 5 Day Programmes

Climbing Out provides 5 day mental resilience programmes using outdoor activities and personal development coaching, to empower people to take control of their own mindset, actions and behaviours.

We offer a wide range of activities including climbing, kayaking, hill walking, abseiling, caving and cold water swimming. All the activities are adapted to meet the needs and capabilities of individual participants. It doesn't matter if outdoor activities are not your thing - we use them as a vehicle for mental resilience work.

Our instructors are highly trained in mental resilience and personal development coaching as well as outdoor activities. Personal development sessions are run throughout the week to give participants the tools to accept the past, move forwards in life and deal with challenges they may face in the future.

The social element of the programmes has also proved to be incredibly important, providing the participants with the chance to socialise and build a long-term network of friendship and support.

Apply For a Place

“When you think you aren’t good enough, Climbing Out has taught me that it’s a lie.

I am good enough

I am not a burden

I am special

I am inspirational

I CAN! AND I WILL!

No one can stop me and having kidney disease and diabetes certainly won’t!”

-Vicky

How They Work

Climbing Out works with our team of instructors to provide a full week of challenging but achievable activities, personal development coaching and evening social events. The aim is to have fun, stretch boundaries, make friends and to enable participants to see a new way forward in life.

We offer a range of programmes in North Wales, the Peak District, Shropshire and the Lake District with varying levels of physical challenges, so everyone is challenged at an appropriate level.

The programmes combine all the benefits of outdoor activities - fun, camaraderie, friendship, teamwork, challenge, physical activity, fresh air - along with personal development, life coaching and mental resilience tools.

The results can be life changing!

“I am leaving a changed person. The programme has given me a toolbox for life that I will keep by my side forever and will revisit to remain the stronger and braver person Climbing Out has made me. Thanks to Climbing Out my entire perspective of myself and my way of life has changed for the better.”
-Hannah

See Programme Dates

The Magic of Climbing Out!

A Climbing Out 5 day programme summed up in 5 minutes

The programmes are fully funded and available to individuals aged 18 or over who are struggling to move forward following a mental or physical trauma.

Who falls within the charity’s objectives?

Anyone aged 18 or over who has had their life derailed by a life-changing injury, illness or trauma and wants to learn tools and techniques to strengthen their mental resilience, helping them take ownership of their life, to move forward in a new direction.

Who does not fall within the Charity’s Objectives?

We try to be as inclusive as possible, but there are some individuals for whom the way we work is not appropriate. These include:

Under 18s
Those with conditions from birth
Those with mental illness not caused by a traumatic event
Those with ‘active’ and addictive drug or alcohol use

Participants must be independently mobile, self-reliant and self-medicating. Each application is treated on an individual basis so please get in touch to find out more.

The people we support include:

Members of the Police, Fire and Ambulance services

Individuals going through abuse or bullying

People with acquired disabilities

Members of the Armed Forces, including veterans

Survivors of terrorism or crime

Members of the NHS

People with PTSD

Cancer Survivors

Those facing acquired vision or hearing impairments

Individuals who have suffered renal failure or other life changing illnesses including Meningitis and Sepsis

“I have complex PTSD. I felt lost, without a future and couldn’t imagine how I could be happy again. I’d given up and couldn’t see a way out.

This course gave me not only hope, but confidence, motivation and inspiration.

If someone gave me all the time and a dictionary, I couldn’t convey how life changing this programme is.”

G

Partner Organisations

If you feel Climbing Out isn't the right fit for you, there are lots of other organisations out there that could be. Head to our partner organisations page for a list of some that we would recommend.

How is it funded?

All places are fully funded by the charity, all we ask is that participants can get themselves to the venue at the start of a programme and home again at the end. We do a pick up from the local station for anyone coming by train.

"This programme has helped me reopen and re-heal wounds that had healed entirely wrong. As a result, I can feel my life changing"
-Phoebe

See How to Apply

Programme Dates

These are provisional dates and may be subject to change. Please contact Kelda via the contact form for more details.

2024 Programme Dates

Programme	Dates	Description
Programme 1:	11th - 15th March	Lake District
Programme 2:	13th - 17th May	Lake District
Programme 3:	3rd - 7th June	Anglesey
Programme 4:	6th-13th July	Alps Expedition (for selected participants who have already completed a core programme)
Programme 5:	5th - 9th August	Peak District (for those facing higher levels of physical limitation)
Programme 6:	2nd - 6th September	Lake District
Programme 7:	22nd - 28th September	Level 2 Scotland Canoeing (for selected participants who have already completed a core programme)
Programme 8:	18th - 22nd November	Lake District

How To Apply

If you are interested in finding out more about a programme for yourself or to refer someone else, please complete one of the following online forms:

Climbing Out Self Referral Form - click here

Climbing Out Programme Referral Form - click here

Once you have submitted a referral form, Kelda Wood will send you an email regarding whether Climbing Out is the right support for you and if so, what level of support we can offer you. She may then arrange a time for a phone call to chat things through in more detail. There may be a delay in Kelda contacting you due to the high level of referrals we’re receiving.

Different programmes have different levels of physical challenge, so we try and facilitate the right place on the right programme for as many people as possible, so everyone can step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves at the right level.

Tracy's Story

Tracy has encountered lots of different types of trauma throughout her life – from the death of her mother to incidents in her role in the police force. Here's Tracy explaining how Climbing Out was the turning point to realising her full potential.

Testimonials

My trip with Climbing Out was absolutely brilliant. We were all pushed out of our comfort zones and achieved things we never thought we could. I gained confidence in myself that I didn't know I had, confidence to keep going and not give up. Seeing everyone come out of their shells and grow bolder as the week went on gave me such a good feeling, and I went home happy, exhausted, and desperately proud of everyone I was with.

Emilie

I always used to do a lot of hill walking, but since having cancer I thought my body had gone to waste – what I’ve realised this week is that my body is still the same as it was before the cancer and I can still do the things I used to do.

Nathan

This week has changed my life, it has made me realise that I can do so much more than I thought I could.....from now on I’m going to start saying yes to life and I’m going to pursuit my dreams and enjoy life.

Will

Before coming I was socially awkward and struggled making good friends. Since meeting the Climbing Out crew, I've met great new people who understand what we're all going through. I'm now more confident in myself and believe I can do more

Jonny

When I heard about Climbing Out and was offered a place on the programme I was really interested in having a go at the outdoor activities but what I got out of it was so much more, it changed my life. Climbing Out showed me that some of the toughest obstacles people can face are just that, obstacles to be overcome and left behind.

Adam

I am a 29 year old man who received a traumatic brain injury and was finding it hard to meet people with similar characteristics that would understand how I feel. Going to Climbing Out has opened my eyes to the fact that I am not alone in feeling like this and that I am able to do activities that I didn’t think I could.

Climbing Out opens people’s minds and shows them that they are not alone...

Mark White

Before Climbing Out I spent most of my time indoors, I had low confidence, and next to no motivation.
I decided to come on this trip to rekindle my love for outdoor sports. Having been here for a few days, I realise I have gained so much more than a new appreciation for the outdoors!
I have met some amazing people, who, having been through the same experiences as me, will be life long friends. I have also built up my confidence and I'm more willing to try new things and push my limits.
I can now leave here with a new way of thinking and a new approach to life

Lucy Harris

I just want to say thank you again for climbing out, I feel like a gazillion times better than I have for almost a year now! I didn't imagine I'd feel this well for a while and it's really helped just being surrounded by people that understand. Since coming back I've been running, I've taken some surfing lessons I've got a paddle boarding lesson today and kayaking tomorrow. This is all stuff I wouldn't have even thought to do before! So thanks for taking me with you, it's made a phenomenal difference in my life, I'm really shocked

Kelly

By the end of the week I felt like the person I wanted to be. I’m now ready to go home and face whatever life has to throw at me.

Katie Oakes