£100
funds a child’s first guided trip to the top of a mountain
£500
funds a child’s residential week exploring the rugged outdoors
£6,000
funds a school group of 12 for a residential week in the rugged outdoors
£30,000
funds a school year group for a residential week
ABOUT US
The Mountain Adventure Fund (MAF) is an ongoing initiative dedicated to giving children and young people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds across the United Kingdom the opportunity to spend a week in the mountains. This program inspires them through the unique challenges and experiences that mountain environments offer.
Spearheaded by the Mountain Training Trust, the initiative is centered at the historic Plas y Brenin Centre in Eryri (Snowdonia). As England’s National Outdoor Centre, Plas y Brenin has been the cornerstone for many of the UK’s leading climbers and mountaineers, , with the local area holding particular historical significance as the training site for Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s during preparation for their landmark1953 Everest expedition.
Following the successful pilot program in Autumn 2023 – which welcomed 50 children from two inner-city London schools to participate in a week-long outdoor activity courses – the initiative expanded in 2024 to include 150 children and young people. Participants engaged in both introductory and progression outdoor courses at Plas y Brenin. .
Building on this success, the MAF programme has now officially launched, aiming to provide up to 500 children and young people with opportunities to discover the transformative benefits of adventure in the outdoors.
We invite everyone passionate about the great outdoors to join us in sharing this enthusiasm and passing on the joy of adventure to the next generation. Your support can make a lasting impact.
WHAT WE OFFER
We offer the funding for schools and other participating organisations to take children and young people to a residential multi-adventure week at Plas y Brenin. The weeks range from an introduction to a range of outdoor activities to progression courses that will extend their skills along the established nationally recognised pathways. We also help the schools and participating organisations to give their children the opportunity to continue pursuing these activities throughout the year in their local communities at local climbing walls, paddling and other centres.
The multi-adventure weeks at Plas y Brenin are five-day programmes tailored to the needs and abilities of the group, immersing the participants in diverse outdoor challenges.
A typical example for an introductory week would be:
- Day 1: Arrival at the centre, orientation, and engaging in team-building activities.
- Day 2: Climbing and abseiling under the guidance of qualified instructors.
- Day 3: Mountain walking and navigation skill development.
- Day 4: Gorge walking and paddle sports to build water confidence.
- Day 5: Concluding activities, group reflections, and departure.
We typically fund 75% of the course plus full travel costs, with the remainder provided by the schools or families. We strive to ensure no child misses out due to financial constraints and we can potentially commit to a higher level of funding depending on the specific circumstances.
For 2025, we have raised funds to take up to 500 children and young people from across the country to Plas y Brenin. This includes Year 6 children embarking on their first outdoor adventure, Year 7 returnees from previous programmes continuing to develop their skills and young people from inner-city climbing walls experiencing real rock for the first time.
Looking ahead to 2026, we are striving to build momentum, with plans to extend our programme further and inspire even more young adventurers to discover the transformative benefits of exploring the rugged outdoors.
If you are a school, club, or society interested in getting involved or learning more about the programme, please contact us at info@mountainadventurefund.org.
IMPACT BY GOALS
A report published by Natural England shows that taking part in nature-based activities helps people who are suffering from mental ill-health and can contribute to reduction in levels of anxiety, stress and depression.
ACCESS TO WILD SPACES
- Only 10% of children play in wild places today (vs 40% of adults when young)
- Children in deprived arears are 20% less likely to access nature; barriers even greater for ethnic minority and disabled children (Natural England)
IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH
- 1 in 5 children experience a mental health disorder (NHS 2023)
- Nature-based activities reduce anxiety, stress, and depression, and build resilience
PHYSICAL HEALTH
- 27% of children (ages 2 – 15) are overweight or obese (Health Survey, 2022)
- Early nature activity helps prevent lifelong conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES
- Active students show better grades, attendance, and behaviour
- Improvements in the most disengaged students lift whole-class outcomes (NCES, 2024)
SUPPORT US
Corporate Sponsorship
Companies are fantastic partners for us, supporting us both financially and with their employees acting as volunteers. We can tailor the partnership with you depending on the size of your organization and help you fulfil your ESG ambitions in a very tangible way.
Whether you are involved in the outdoor industry or employ people who are active in the outdoors, please consider supporting us.
Strategic partnerships – We value close relationships with companies and organisations and as well as funding there are many ways you could partner with us; we can tailor this to match your organisation’s interests and priorities.
Chosen charity of the year – If your team or employee base are active in the outdoors then this would be very consistent with your values and interests, make a difference of the lives of the next generation through sharing our passion for the outdoors.
Endorsement and marketing – If you believe in what we are doing then help us spread the word in your business and social communities – endorsing our message and encouraging interest and support; using your social media channels to spread our messages and achievements with your input.
Events – We can provide you with a list of fundraising ideas and events in which you could participate to raise money on our behalf; alternatively, we can create bespoke events, challenges or competitions for you and your teams or for you to compete against peer organisations – all linked to the theme of being challenged by the outdoors.
Employee development – All of what we do in the outdoors could be relevant to your employees; we offer opportunities to get involved as volunteers and for those interested to develop their skills and experience in their chosen outdoor activities – up to elite level.
Please contact us at info@mountainadventurefund.org for more details.
Personal Donations
By donating to us as a one off or as a regular donation you are making a difference to the next generation and giving them the chance to be inspired positively by the outdoors in everything they do.
Please help us make this impact by being as generous as you can: