A pickleball-playing druid who has recently been crowned Welsh champion has spoken of his deep pride and growing connection to his adopted homeland.

For Ben Stuchbury, that connection began the moment he arrived in west Wales. The 24-year-old moved to Rhydlewis in Ceredigion with his parents in 2024 and quickly felt something shift - a sense of belonging rooted in landscape, culture and myth that has only strengthened with time.

That feeling reached a new level earlier this month when Ben was crowned Men’s 15+ 4.0+ champion at the Welsh National Pickleball Championships in Wrexham - a moment he says carried significance far beyond sport.

“Whilst I was playing the final at the nationals, I felt inspired by the Welsh flag,” he said. “Seeing the red dragon staring back at me inspired me to connect to that wild man of Albion that I feel that I am and the wild Welshman I’m becoming.

“It feels so special to see a dragon, this mythical beast on a flag.

“As a practicing druid myself I really connected the myth and the stories of the land and the culture of Cymru. It feels really special to call this place my home.”

Ben’s journey to that moment began many miles away in Rugby, Warwickshire, where he first picked up a tennis racket as a young boy. He progressed steadily through the junior ranks and went on to represent Warwickshire at county level, combining natural talent with a strong competitive drive.

It was during this time that he was introduced to pickleball by Sam Basford, a leading figure in Pickleball England. The sport - a fast-growing paddle game blending elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis - immediately struck a chord.

“As soon as I played it, it was such a refreshing game,” Ben explained. “It felt like a mini game almost to me because I was so used to playing tennis and very, very driven to be the best I could with quite a serious attitude.

“When pickleball came along it felt like real breath of fresh air for me to play and be playful.”

While the two sports share similarities, Ben sees them as complementary rather than competing disciplines.

“They both go hand-in hand really for me, one supports the other,” he said.

“You’re a lot closer to your opponent on the court in pickleball, which I really love but then in tennis you have more freedom to move, freedom to hit into more space.

“But there’s definitely crossovers in the mindset, being switched on when the game’s on and being in that centred space.”

It is that balance - between focus and freedom - that also underpins what Ben believes is driving pickleball’s rapid rise in popularity. Accessibility, he says, is key.

“I’ve spoke to so many people that have picked up pickleball and it’s been their first racquet sport,” he said. “They’ve come from running, hockey, cycling or even having not played sport maybe since school.

“And also you get quite a lot of influx of people who have played racquet sports like me.

The beauty of pickleball is that because the ball moves a little bit slower and it’s quite easy to pick up the ball and the rules that the gap of ability is softened by the nature of the game.

“It’s so much easier to see the difference in abilities in tennis. When I first played pickleball I played with a 70-year-old lady and it was such a brilliant game and it just showed me that inter-generational connection and inter-cultural connection is so broad.”

Following his move to Ceredigion, Ben has since relocated to Pembrokeshire, where he is now building a life rooted in both sport and community. He currently lives in a caravan with his partner Louise and her two sons, Aedon and Khenan, while they prepare to welcome another child and plan their move into a small cottage.

That sense of connection and creativity has carried over into Intertwine, the community-focused venture Ben co-founded with Louise while studying at Nottingham Trent University three years ago.

The project blends sport, wellbeing and creative expression, with one key aspect focusing on a holistic approach to coaching in tennis and pickleball.

“It’s about looking at the whole self whilst we’re dancing on the court,” Ben explained. “Not to get overly critical with whether we’re playing well or whether it’s a good shot.

“What does that mean, to be playing well or to hit a good shot? I feel that every shot, every time we are on the court is an opportunity to grow and to learn and to love ourselves more deeply.”

Central to that philosophy is a belief in balance - something reflected in Intertwine’s use of natural elements as guiding principles.

“It’s a part of the framework of the business. We focus on the elements of earth, air, fire and water as anchors of integrity,” he said.

“These original forces of life that intertwined the dawn of creation, they inspire us by the way they interact with each other, how they intertwine is inspiration for us to look within ourselves and within our community to see how we can play from a more balanced, harmonious space and also communicate with each other and ourselves in a more beautiful way.

“I feel like that’s such a massive point in sport, there can be so much critical talk to ourselves and we want to encourage people to be kind and to treat themselves the spaciousness we need to organically learn.”

Intertwine itself grew from Ben’s desire to bridge what he saw as a gap between different worlds.

“The initial intention was to bridge the communities of science and spirituality,” he said.

“I was seeing these polarities in my life. I was a member of the Nottingham Buddhist Centre and a member of the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and I could see so much overlap between the intentions and beliefs of both communities and I really wanted to create an event that would bring those two together.

“I didn’t actually manage to manifest the actual event but I had the conversations and ideas started blossoming.”

He added: “I did a few event while at Nottingham, doing collaborative artwork and poetry, group meditation and clowning.”

Those roots continue to shape Intertwine’s work today. The group hosts a range of community events, including its recent Earth Ceremony at Maenclochog Village Hall, where participants gathered to share cacao and reflect on their connection to each other and the environment.

As the project evolves, Ben says there are three main strands to its work: ceremonies, holistic sports coaching, and a creative fashion arm known as Plumage.

“We’re still finding our rhythm in terms of what we’re offering,” he said.

“But there are three core offering at the moment which are the ceremonies, the sport coaching, tennis and pickleball in a holistic manner.

“There’s also a branch of Intertwine called Plumage which is a fashion projet where we want to use organic materials such at cotton, bamboo and hemp printed and embroideried with art from our family and from artists that align with the values of Intertwine.”

Ben started work as a youth support worker with Area 43 Cardigan when he moved to Wales but now Interwine occupies most of his time with coaching sessions in Cardigan Parks Tennis Courts “really lifting off.”

To hear more about Intertwine and their offerings, you can checkout their Instagram @love.all.intertwine or email them at [email protected]

Ben also has music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/48BtwTalS5lCxC11FO3HfW?si=7xXzZfECQ-21tD9fJto9eg