So, how do you make the Lake District 'change and diversify' because it is too heavily weighted toward 'white middle-class able-bodied people'?

[Nanny0gg]

Richard Leafe, the Cumbria park's chief executive, said the Unesco World Heritage site must change to merit continued public funding.

I mean, it's mountains and lakes. What can you do?

And isn't that a tad patronising as well?

I live in the next county and I’m with Fiddlesticks It’s honeypot central, and not denying the beauty of the place, but some places are like Blackpool on a bank holiday (to quote my mum). Not because of the demographic of the visitors but the sheer number of them.(which I know is the point of tourist areas) We rarely go.
Northumberland and parts of Durham are just as good, but you wouldn’t like it.😏

Specifically missing the point about attracting a wider range of people from the UK though,,,

Has any actual evidence been provided to support the claim that BAME people feel somehow 'excluded' from the Lake District?

You can make all terrain wheelchairs available for hire. You can run trips from inner cities via schools and family centres and make suitable clothing available to hire / borrow.

These things are already happening...all terrain wheelcahirs that I know of are free to use. There could be more though.

@chomalungma sorry - I missed that part of the story I was just responding to comments on the thread.

It's fucking ridiculous. I'm as left wing as they come but how are we supposed to make the Lake District more accessible? I can support making certain trails /pubs/sites more accessible for wheelchair users but why ruin the landscape so "minorities" (What do they even mean by that?) will be more likely to come (Newsflash, they won't. If they don't want to come now why would they after it's had work done?)

There's no rules over who can and cannot enter. Whenever I've been it's been teaming with tourists from China, America, Australia etc! It's a beautiful landscape and I've had the best times of my life there, anybody who doesn't want to go or isn't interested...well it's their loss.

I feel it is creating problems that aren't there.

I can support making certain trails /pubs/sites more accessible for wheelchair users but why ruin the landscape so "minorities (What do they even mean by that?) will be more likely to come

Why do you think trying to attract a wider range of visitors would lead to the landscape being ruined?

There are all terrain wheelchairs to hire for free but only at a few locations and at certain times of day. We looked at hiring one once but didn't because we needed it earlier in the day than they could be hired.

A few Changing Places toilets and some better bus services are really not going to destroy the landscape.

here's no rules over who can and cannot enter

There aren't any rules for many things - but some people still face barriers in accessing them.

It's a NATIONAL Park - the clue is in the name. Tax Payers help fund it and so there should be ways of encouraging people from a wide range of backgrounds in this nation to help access it - and other national parks.

Just like the national theatre, the national museums, etc

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/about-the-national-theatre/diversity

The Lake District isn’t a wilderness anyway. It’s already massively modified by humans and has been for thousands of years.

chomalungma

I don't. I'm not saying attracting more people would ruin it, I'm saying if we built on it in an attempt to attract more people (a strategy which would probably not even work) we might ruin it. What I don't get is what about the Lake District already is off-putting to minorities? It's mountains and lakes FFS, it's been here millions of years longer than any of us! What can we honestly expect to do? More widespread advertising to attract more visitors, absolutely. But what else can we do other than that? Surely we don't want to be building on it?

I think it's highly fucking patronising to assume that minorities "won't like it". It's making assumptions. White people like walking=Other people don't??? The said article that went viral was written by a middle aged, obviously middle class white man FFS.

some places are like Blackpool on a bank holiday
In fact some places on a Bank Holiday are no less diverse. Blackpool is also quite white.

There aren't any rules for many things - but some people still face barriers in accessing them.

The same could be said for a lot of places though - my elderly Mum (and quite a few other people I know) wouldn't feel comfortable going to London to go to the National Theatre/National Gallery/British Museum because she'd feel intimidated by the size of the city, the crowds of people and would be confused by the public transport. She also pays for these things through her taxes. Should someone do something about that or do we just accept that different people like visiting different types of places?

@53rdway I agree. I never went when I had young kids for those reasons. I also went through a phase where we couldn't afford the upkeep of a car, so of course we didn't go then.

So let's make it more accessible in general, for everyone. I think it's patronising that middle aged white men feel that minorities (I hate that term) need a push to want to be able to visit. If they want to go, they can. I'm sure they will be very welcome. If they don't fancy it, then they don't.

This would make much more sense to be if it was coming from someone who visited the national park and felt uncomfortable/unwelcome there, rather than a white do-gooder making assumptions.

Has any actual evidence been provided to support the claim that BAME people feel somehow 'excluded' from the Lake District

Anecdotal views from high profile commentators here:

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2004/jan/28/raceintheuk.raceequality

I am all for encouraging people from a wide range of backgrounds to be able to access our National Parks.

Access to the countryside is really important. It's a right that's been fought for with landowners and we are lucky in this country to have the National Trust, public footpaths and some areas of open access land. Not as lucky as countries like Norway which have a very relaxed attitude towards the outdoors and where people can walk and pitch a tent, but that's a different thread.

If things can be done to encourage a wider range of people to access National Parks - even those near where people live such as the Peak District, The South Downs, North York Moors etc - then that's got to be a good thing.

I agree that the Lakes can get very busy. I don't think I've ever stayed in Windermere as it's too busy, but I have spent time on quiet mountains and enjoyed the peace up there.

The trouble with the Lakes is it pisses it down quite often, and it is predominately a walking place. Not everyone likes that combination and there isn’t much else to do.

@BlouseAndSkirt

I'm not the poster who enquired about this, but thank you for posting the link anyway. I've said this several times, I do not care what a middle aged white man who works for the BBC has to say about it. He has no idea and is making assumptions, that's why myself and I'm sure others can't take this seriously.

Hearing views of people who have actually experienced such problems when visiting the Lake District and other places actually makes me actually sit down and consider what we are doing wrong and what can be changed.

my elderly Mum (and quite a few other people I know) wouldn't feel comfortable going to London to go to the National Theatre/National Gallery/British Museum because she'd feel intimidated by the size of the city, the crowds of people and would be confused by the public transport

Better public transport. Easier access for older people. Making sure it's cheap. Ensuring the theatre and gallery shows a range of productions and art that appeal to a wider audience. Assistants to help people who are confused by public transport signs.

Lots you can do.

The lakes is incredibly busy and it hasn't been a truly wild landscape for hundreds of years. Improving access for some trails, adding a few toilets and providing better bus services won't ruin it.

It isn't expensive to stay there though - most popular walking areas in the UK have a network of climbing/walking club huts that people can stay in for as little as £10 a night. The facilities are basic but perfectly adequate, and they offer a fantastic way to give groups a very cheap weekend away.

Certain types of places attract certain types of people. It's the same in the Peak District.

We have stayed in the Lake District twice. Camping.

First campsite was the worst designed campsite ever. All the pitches beside the shower and toilet blocks were for the big money rental static caravans - all of which HAD THEIR OWN toilets and showers.

Next closest way the touring caravans and motor homes, many of which had their own toilets and showers (at least toilets).

3 fields away in a flood plain were the tents. We had a 9 year old, a 6 year old and a 3 year old. I used to drive to the loo. I counted one day and the loos were 1800 step round trip.

This site is no longer part of the Camping And Caravan Club network.

2nd time we went we went to a different camping and caravan club site. We asked for pitch close to the toilet block (dd2 has a bowel issue) and we were given a pitch no where near. 1 massive toilet block for a massive site. 3 or 4 small ones would have been brilliant. We also HAD to book at least 4 nights which was more than we wanted. There was a beach straight into the lake - so eyes on the back of our heads, but no-one thought to organise events or tuition using it. Our eldest would have liked, and paid for kayak or paddle board or wild swimming sessions but no-one had thought to buy in an instruction and kit service. You could sail or kayak straight onto the lake but only if you had brought your own things.

It rains a lot. Not very many swimming pools with family sessions.

We loved the pencil museum but then it flooded and was closed for 3 years.

We liked the South Lakes Safari Zoo but I believe that is so controversial that it has either closed or is in limbo and regarded very badly for animal welfare.

Design better campsites for families.
Make them cheaper and designed for families with children rather than lightweight campers who feel a victory with a long walk to the loo/showe
Drop in activities that are easy to access on the day and provide all equipment and tuition. Advertise these a lot and make it obvious you can turn up at 10 am or whenever and do it once rather than booking a block of 8 lessons over a month. Make the activity like Center Parcs - central booking and expect adults or children to come once. Every session is a “come and try”.
Lots and lots of well advertised and easily accessible things to do in the rain.

Speaking of schools accessing the area - our secondary school takes almost all the S2s from Aberdeen to Outward Bound in Ullswater every year. IN JANUARY. My eldest hated it - it was snowing and freezing as well as the element of “compulsory fun with people you don’t like” and the element of “we will drag leadership skills out of you all if it’s the las thing we do”. DD2’s turn is coming soon - she refuses to go and I refuse to spend £250 to send her for 3 days.

We are white middle class Scottish people who camp and we wouldn’t go back to the Lake District.

Better public transport. Easier access for older people. Making sure it's cheap. Ensuring the theatre and gallery shows a range of productions and art that appeal to a wider audience. Assistants to help people who are confused by public transport signs.

But she wouldn't want to go to London in the first place because it's too big and too far away from where she lives in the north of England. The point I'm making is that we all pay for things through taxation which we don't need or want to use and National Parks are no exception. National Parks are essentially planning authorities set up to manage development within protected areas. They can't be held responsible for people's lack of interest in visiting the countryside any more than the National Gallery can be held responsible for my Mum's lack of interest in visiting London!

But she wouldn't want to go to London in the first place because it's too big and too far away from where she lives in the north of England

They can't be held responsible for people's lack of interest in visiting the countryside any more than the National Gallery can be held responsible for my Mum's lack of interest in visiting London

The point is that some of the barriers have been removed if she were to want to go. The infrastructure has been adapted and people would have addressed some of the issues.

Trying to remove barriers and address issues is a good thing, isn't it? In all areas of life.

Design better campsites for families. Make them cheaper and designed for families with children rather than lightweight campers who feel a victory with a long walk to the loo/showe Drop in activities that are easy to access on the day and provide all equipment and tuition

Who would do this though? Campsites are private businesses - the same as hotels and holiday cottages. If they offer facilities people like they'll get customers. If they don't they'll go bust.