Tir Coed, the outdoor and wellbeing organisation supporting people in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys, has been award Level 1 Trusted Charity status.

The award recognises Tir Coed’s outstanding work in the charity sector, and comes after a rigorous assessment process.

The accolade means Aberystwyth-based Tir Coed meets a wide variety of legal obligations and has systems and structures in place to protect the rights of users and employees.

Tir Coed provides land and woodland-based training and outdoor activities across the four counties, focusing primarily on disadvantaged individuals and groups.

The charity was assessed against the 11 quality areas of The Trusted Charity Standard; governance, planning, leadership and management, user-centred service, managing people, learning & development, managing money, managing resources, external communications, working with others, and assessing outcomes and impact.

“We are absolutely delighted to have achieved Trusted Charity status,” said Tir Coed acting CO Teresa Walters.

“Achieving Trusted Charity status is a landmark for Tir Coed, and illustrates the lengths to which we go in order to support and safeguard our trainees and participants as well as our staff.

“Ensuring that we met all the criteria during the long-running assessment process involved a huge amount of work, but gaining Trusted Charity status means it was all worthwhile.

“Trusted Charity status means our staff, participants and the referral organisations with whom we work can rest assured that we operate to the very highest standards in everything we do.”

The Trusted Charity Standard is the only UK quality standard designed to help third sector organisations operate more effectively and efficiently.