About us
Our mission
We believe the benefits of climbing outdoors should be accessible to everyone who wants to try it, so we’re committed to providing free and subsidised climbing sessions as well as working in a way which caters for a diverse range of needs.
What we do
Anything from a few hours of climbing tuition to long term therapeutic courses, based in Bristol and the surrounding areas, but sometimes further afield!
Who do we support?
Our main focus is on providing outdoor climbing for young people and adults who would not otherwise have the chance to try it. Sessions create the opportunity to improve mental health, develop skills, and link in with the wider climbing community.
Sessions for adults and young people can be subsidised or free. All of our courses are tailored to each person. As a non-profit organisation, paying clients are contributing to expanding the climbing community and supporting those with less financial privilege!
We are run by two white cis gender women so we work closely with people who represent minority groups to ensure we offer the best service possible.
Meet the team!
Meg Donaldson
Crux Climbing Director - Rock Climbing Development Instructor - Social Worker - Tree Climber - Lover of all things outside!
“I LOVE climbing! It has been a therapeutic tool for managing my mental and physical health, a magical way of connecting with others and has taken me to beautiful places I might not otherwise have explored! I love sharing the things climbing has taught me with anyone who is keen to get involved!
As a white cis gender woman, I experience privilege in relation to climbing and access to the outdoors, but I want to see more diversity in the climbing community. Climbing mirrors the inequality we see on an institutional scale within our society and this needs to change!
As a social worker I used to go climbing with some of the young people I was working with and saw that they experienced benefits from it as I did. I started Crux Climbing to create more space for young people to try and if they want to, continue climbing by breaking down some of the social and financial barriers to climbing and the outdoors!
I could talk about the benefits of climbing all day, but click here for more info!
She/Her
Freya Wallis
Rock Climbing Instructor - Social Worker - Tree Climber - Lover of all things outside!
“For me, climbing started as a way to cope with a busy and stressful period in my life. On a climbing wall, my relentless thoughts and daily anxieties melted away and I became completely focused on the movements that my body was making.
Climbing also offered me a community of people where I felt like I belonged and was supported, however, I have also experienced how climbing can be excluding and intimidating. I am passionate about making the benefits of climbing more widely accessible and to share my experience with others.
I believe that through climbing we can learn about how we relate to ourselves as well as how we relate to others.”
She/Her
Tom Antebi
Crux Climbing Director - Youth Worker - Rock Climber - Men’s Mental Health Specialist
“Climbing holds a special place in my life. It gives me focus, helps me detress and through climbing I've made some amazing new friends. It's also been a foothold during some really hard periods (pun definitely intended).
My background is in Youth and Community Work, and I've seen the transformative potential of this special sport when running projects for marginalised young people. I'm also a Public Health Practitioner, which means I run projects aimed at certain communites or groups, and focus on reducing barriers to good health and wellbeing. Climbing has an almost unique ability to offer almost everthing you could want from taking part in physical activity - resilience building, mindfulness, connection, access to outdoors, physical exersion.
I'm passionate about offering as many people as possible the chance to see the benefits that I've been lucky enough to benefit from, and aim to put anti-oppressive practice into everything I do.”
He/Him