20 years ago, crowds gathered for the unveiling of Swansea's first, and only, roped climbing centre. Sorry, wrong picture. That was actually the unveiling of the horse trough (pre Netflix). But 20 years ago saw the realisation of a dream when Dynamic Rock first opened its doors to the public. "The journey of Dynamic Rock began as a humble idea within the university climbing club, with the initial vision of transforming an old squash court into an indoor bouldering wall. Although the university wasn't on board, that setback only fuelled our determination. We developed a business plan, raised £350,000 and embarked on the quest for the perfect location. After many challenges, we found our home in the heart of Clydach. We were having tea at a friend's cottage over the river and she said 'What about the old public hall?'. We took the keys in early 2005 and opened our doors in Feb 2006, What truly set Dynamic Rock apart was its focus on fostering a vibrant, inclusive climbing community. From the very beginning, we aimed to bring together climbers from all walks of life, leveraging connections across the UK and beyond. Over the years, Dynamic Rock evolved into a social enterprise, welcoming everyone from elite climbers to individuals with disabilities and the elderly, opening up climbing to those who never imagined it was for them. Today, Dynamic Rock stands as a testament to the power of community, nurturing young talent and making a positive impact on so many lives. It's been an incredible journey and it's heartening to see how far it's come!" Adam Shore, co-founder of Dynamic Rock  "Easter holidays 2006 and, as usual, I was looking for activities for my 10 yr old, Rhiannon, so signed her and her cousins up for a climbing session at the new place that had just opened in Clydach. She loved it and so began our involvement with Dynamic Rock as she started NICAS and was then invited to join the newly formed Squad. This led to trips across Wales and the UK for the YCS. Steffan spent a lot of his early years with me in the Dynamic Rock cafe, before he too joined in with the climbing, working his way through NICAS and then the instructor and coach pathways. It wasn't until 2019 that I, bored with marking coursework and books in the cafe, did a belay course and also became part of the centre's new Voluntary Advisory Panel. Meanwhile, I had started bringing regular groups from school to climb, seeing the many benefits to young people of an activity that not only developed physical skills but promoted teamwork, communication, problem solving, wellbeing and resilience which became particularly important during the disruption of Covid in schools. Then, in early 2023, I popped into Dynamic Rock one evening on my way to my yoga class to see an anxious pupil of mine who was climbing for the first time as part of his DofE award. Matt was also there and approached me to ask if I fancied running a climbing centre with him ... and the rest is history! I feel so lucky to be able to work at Dynamic Rock and be part of its story. It's really important to me to build on what we have here, to keep promoting the message that climbing is for EVERYONE and continue the vision of putting 'climbing at the heart of the community'." Helen Jacob, Managing Director  "Dynamic Rock opened just after I graduated from university and gave me a great excuse to put off getting a real job for a while. I started working there just before it opened and was a regular instructor for the first few years before moving to instructing outdoor climbing and other activities. I set up my own business, Outdoor Matters, delivering climbing and walking courses which grew into a full time passion. It has become a leading provider of climbing skills courses and walking leadership qualifications in South Wales, as well as providing technical advice to clients like the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, local councils, the National Trust, outdoor activity providers and other indoor climbing centres. One day I was asked to perform a safety audit for Dynamic Rock to ensure its paperwork and processes were all in line, which led on to discussions around a transfer of ownership. I knew I wanted the centre I loved to keep providing climbing opportunities for the community, so I roped in an awesome business partner and took the plunge. There's nothing quite like being busy, so on top of being the Technical Director of Dynamic Rock and running Outdoor Matters, I’m also a dad, cave rescue and BMC volunteer and written 4 guidebooks to climbing in South Wales. So here I am, 20 years after the centre opened, still pretending to put off getting a real job and just doing what I love, when actually I think that being a grown up might have snuck up on me while I was out climbing and going on adventures." Matt Woodfield, Technical Director   From the beginning, we knew that we wanted Dynamic Rock to be dog friendly, partly so that we could bring our own dogs to work!
From left to right: Bo, Matt's Welsh sheepdog, possibly both the friendliest and longest-legged dog ever! Barney, one of Helen's King Charles Cavalier spaniels, cute and fluffy but thinks he's the boss! Bailey, Helen's other dog, old and wise with a huge amount of patience for his younger brother! |
Archives
February 2026
Categories |
RSS Feed