Outdoor Recreation NI (formerly CAAN) is an organisation which brings together groups and bodies, which have an interest in, or involvement with outdoor recreation in Northern Ireland. The organisation was established in 1999 in response to the publication of Northern Ireland's first Countryside Recreation Strategy in 1998. It is charged with the strategic development, management and promotion of outdoor recreation across Northern Ireland. The organisation is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status.
For more information see www.outdoorrecreationni.com
In 2009, Outdoor Recreation NI secured funding from the Big Lottery and Ulster Garden Villages to deliver a three year project, ‘Venture Outdoors – Creating Healthy Communities’ which evolved from the ‘Barriers to Participation’ research (CAAN, 2008).
For more information see: http://www.outdoorrecreationni.com/downloads/Barriers%20to%20Participati...
The research showed that if people with disabilities, including people with limited mobility, learning disabilities, hearing and visual impairments; people from minority ethnic communities and people living within areas of disadvantage or high social need, were to use the outdoors, they need support to identify what is available and possible for them to use in their local area. The Venture Outdoors project strives to support community groups to participate in outdoors activites through training opportunities.
