DTA Wales’s Wrap-Around Support
Through DTA Wales’ wrap-around support, community groups, social enterprises and businesses across Wales are supported to build resilience and thrive. Drawing on a Wales-wide network of experienced mentors and practitioners, our programmes (in this case stydu, Egin and Social Business Wales) provide practical, real-world guidance—helping organisations turn ideas into action and strengthen their long-term sustainability.
Tir Coed is one such example, demonstrating how this joined-up support can help organisations strengthen both their environmental impact and long-term sustainability.
Starting their Egin Journey
Tir Coed connects people with land and woodlands through outdoor training, learning, and wellbeing programmes across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and Powys. For 27 years, they’ve been building a deep understanding of how time spent in nature can help people grow in confidence, develop practical skills, and feel better in themselves.
Working with disadvantaged individuals in rural Wales, Tir Coed creates opportunities to access education, improve wellbeing, and move towards employment. Their work is grounded in a simple vision—thriving, sustainable rural communities that are closely connected to the natural environment, where people and place support one another.
In January 2025, Tir Coed began their journey with Egin, working with their regional facilitator, Angela, to explore what a more environmentally sustainable future could look like for the organisation—and how to get there in a practical, meaningful way.
Attendees on one of Tir Coed’s woodland courses – Green Woodworking
Getting a cleared picture and capturing environmental impact
Tir Coed’s first mentoring support came from Louise Cartwright and Sarah Partington, who worked with the team to unpack carbon accounting and build a clearer picture of their overall environmental impact.
This wasn’t just about numbers—it was about understanding the full environmental story of their work. With Louise’s and Sarah’s support, the team began to measure and communicate both their carbon emissions and the positive environmental impact of their land-based activities.
Together, they explored:
- Tools to estimate carbon sequestration and emissions across Tir Coed’s woodland and land-based sites
Practical approaches to organisational carbon accounting, including suitable tools and data requirements - Ways to involve staff, volunteers, and participants—building climate awareness while contributing to real data collectionHow to use this information meaningfully, turning data into insight and evidence
- Local connections with groups looking at working collaboratively in the local area on carbon literacy for their staff and volunteers.
The team also spent a day with Louise, taking a hands-on approach to carbon accounting across their gardens and woodland sites. This helped bring the theory to life—connecting day-to-day activities on the land with a clearer understanding of environmental impact.
Their 2025 impact report embedded these tools and techniques learnt during their Egin journey.
Building Financial Sustainability
Alongside their Egin journey, Tir Coed accessed support from the Social Business Wales programme through DTA Wales, to look at their long-term financial sustainability.
Like many organisations, much of their work was funded through grants. While this enabled important delivery, it also highlighted the need to build a more resilient model for the future—one that could generate more unrestricted income and reduce reliance on short-term funding. Through this support, they were matched with business strategist Jeremy Bowen-Rees, who helped the team step back and look at the bigger picture. Together, they explored new possibilities and worked through practical options for generating income.
Using a visual strategy canvas, they mapped out different routes forward—laying everything on the table before narrowing down to a set of realistic, high-potential ideas. From there, they began shaping a plan to put these into action, grounded in their existing strengths and expertise.
“The business support we received was invaluable. It helped us to focus our thinking.” – Nancy Cole, Head of Development
Turning ideas into action, Tir Coed began trialling paid-for weekend courses. These pilots offered a chance to test new income streams while staying true to their core mission.
“As a result, we trialled weekend ‘paid for’ courses, with varying degrees of success – we took a lot of learning from them.” – Nancy
Importantly, these courses also showed how income generation and environmental impact can go hand in hand. Through their new carbon accounting approaches, the team were able to capture and better understand the positive environmental outcomes linked to this work.
As with any shift in direction, there were challenges—particularly balancing day-to-day delivery with longer-term planning. But the process has brought clarity and renewed focus around their goals.
“We’ve always talked about this stuff – it’s a conversation that’s been rolling on for a long time, and the Egin work helped to focus it.” – Nancy
Looking Ahead for Tir Coed
Building on this momentum, Tir Coed successfully applied for an Egin Sustainable Steps grant. While still in the early stages, it is already helping shape their next steps. The focus is on improving the environmental impact of their woodland garden site, while
encouraging small, practical actions within their wider community—recognising that meaningful change often starts with simple steps. The grant funding is now enabling Tir Coed to trial some of the tools shared with them by the Egin mentors, with the view to
embed them into their long-term monitoring and evaluation systems. Nancy told us:
“What we hope to achieve is improving the environmental impacts at our woodland gardens site, and with our community, instil small actions that can contribute to wider changes – and give people a bit of hope.”
Learn more about the incredible work that Tir Coed is doing by visiting their website.
Interested in receiving support from Egin or Social Business Wales? Send us an enquiry!
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