Walk Together Pathway: The new group making sure Yorkshire's stunning outdoors is enjoyed by all

Now a group of campaigners is aiming to put that right.

The Walk Together Pathway brings together eight walking groups representing people from the “global majority” – that is, people of African, Asian or Latin American descent.

A new project that aims to improve representation in the outdoors by supporting those people to become qualified walk leaders has seen 24 participants complete their first stage of training.

A spokesperson for the eight walking groups in the Walk Together Pathway said: “The outdoors is open to everyone.

"You don’t need a qualification to go out walking or running, or enjoy it in other ways. But we know that some people need extra support to take that step into the outdoors."

The groups are Black Girls Hike, Black2Nature, Peak District Mosaic, Sheffield Environmental Movement, Bristol Steppin Sistas, Mosaic Outdoors, Muslim Hikers and NYCE (Nature, Youth, Connection, and Education).

Despite representing 15 per cent of the population in England and Wales, people from the global majority are widely under-represented in the outdoors, accounting for only one per cent of National Park visitors in 2019.

Cost and access are believed to be key barriers encountered by people regardless of their ethnicity, but for people from the global majority, these challenges are coupled with a lack of representation in the outdoors, which leads to the feeling that they might not be welcome, as well as fear of discrimination and cultural differences.

The Pathway aspires to address the lack of representation and feeling of belonging that prevents people from the global majority from enjoying the outdoors by training 100 new walk leaders over the next three years, building skills, knowledge, and confidence.

As a result of training more walk leaders, it is estimated that 10,000 people will benefit from the increased capacity these walking groups will have.

One of the participants was identified as Maxine from Sheffield Environmental Movement. She said: "I want to mentor and coach other individuals from African and Asian minoritised backgrounds.

"The more people have access to the outdoors and can enjoy this wonderful natural environment that we have on our doorstep, the more people will care about it.

“If we don't consider ourselves custodians of this beautiful world, then we are losing a very rich and diverse environment that we're all part of.”

The project is funded through a Gift in Will left to the National Trust, and co-ordinated by the Trust. It is supported by Beyond The Edge, Mountain Training, Ordnance Survey, Plas Y Brenin, The Ramblers, Sport England and the Youth Hostel Association.

This coalition of organisations is providing mentoring, accommodation, and equipment such as maps, and running the courses, including the main qualifications and additional courses such as First Aid.