Drive to get more diverse communities out walking

People described as walking leaders will be trained to support people

One hundred new leaders are being trained as part of a drive to encourage more people from diverse communities to explore the great outdoors.

The project, called the Walk Together Pathway, brings together eight walking groups to help boost representation among non-white ethnic groups.

People from those ethnic groups accounted for only 1% of National Park visitors in 2019, according to the National Trust which is funding the scheme.

Bristol Steppin Sistas founder Sophie Brown told the BBC she hoped the project would push "people out of their bubble" and "break barriers".

The support is aimed at popular walking groups which are oversubscribed to relieve the pressure on their volunteers.

Ms Brown said she was the only person that walked 30 people at a time and the group had a waiting list of more than 75 people.

Bristol Steppin Sistas founder Sophie Brown currently leads a group of 30 by herself

The National Trust said fear of discrimination was one the reasons for the low level of participation, as well as high cost of outdoor equipment and geography.

Cultural differences also exist, the National Trust said, as there was a lack of emphasis of any outdoor traditions in some communities.

'Nature is our natural habitat'

Ms Brown, from Whitchurch in Bristol, set up Steppin Sistas in April 2021 to help improve the wellbeing of women of colour and encourage them to explore rural spaces.

They walk in and around Bristol, travel to some of the South West's coasts and even go abroad.

"People can have a bigger chance of going on our walks because of this," she said.

"It will encourage more people to go to unknown places and be out of their bubble."

Ms Brown said the group sometimes walked to villages in order to raise their profile and show black communities walking, to help "break barriers down".

She said: "Walking means a lot to me. It's about being in nature.

"Nature is our natural habitat. Instead of going to the same place, we are pushing people to get out there, it's about staying grounded."

The groups walk in and around Bristol as well as across the South West's coasts

To date, 24 aspiring walking leaders have begun training since April and the plan is to train 100 leaders in the next three years.

It is hoped introducing more leaders will enable the group to offer more walks, which in turn will support more people to get outdoors.

Participants of the scheme will become fully qualified in their chosen area.

If successful, they hope the scheme can be expanded, with the eventual aim of encouraging 10,000 more people to enjoy the countryside.

Some cultures have a lack of emphasis of any outdoor traditions, the National Trust said

A spokesman for the Walk Together Pathway said: “[It] will go some way to make sure our eight groups can support as many people as we can from the communities we represent to explore our wonderful natural landscapes and be inspired to take action to care for them.”

The groups will be able to expand to more terrains, and focus on specific areas such as the Duke of Edinburgh, care leavers and mental health.

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