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?

And what do you propose to do about that then, @chomalu

I'm quite upset about "upper class" privilege, as I see them on their yachts and I want one too.

To whom may I bring my complaint?

It is a steaming pile of crud dreamed up by this Leafe person as a way of getting on in his career.

If you read the thread you will see lots of ideas as well as people from a range of backgrounds talking about the issues they have faced. You have read the full thread before commenting, haven't you?

@paulinespeaksmanylanguages

There are some pretty basic things that can be done, at no or little extra cost.

The big one for me (but it would be a big cost) is sorting out Northern Fail.

He'll soon be calling The Old Man of Coniston-The Genderless One- as he suddenly realises that trans is really the thing to grab the headlines.

Oh yes, he'll announce, this will make all those gender fluid people feel as if they have a stake in the Lakes!

@paulinespeaksmanylanguages

As Chomalungma says, read the thread for some ideas.

Yes, @Cholmalunga. I've read lots of woke crap on this thread but when I look at the voting page and see that 80% disagree with it, then I'm happy!

Have you seen the state of Loch Lomond?

Loch Lomond is just too damn accessible.

As for Mr Leafe, I imagine he's required, as part of his job, to make noises about diversity, but like too many manages to spout offensive nonsense. I can see why poor old Trevor Philips gets fed up.

For one thing the term BAME does not mean non-white skinned people. The ME includes white ethnic minority groups, including some of the most disadvantaged in the UK.

He then manages to lump all black people together as if they don't represent and wide variety of ethnicities, cultures, religions and experiences. Does he really think a black lad born and raised in inner city Birmingham, a recently arrived Somalian refugee, and the black woman, born in Kenya to a well off family who moved here as a baby I went to school with are the same? That they face the same barriers to use of the Lake District? That they all need the same support?

I'm sure he means well, but like many cannot seem to see anything beyond skin colour when ethnicity, and the barriers particular groups face, or don't, is much more nuanced.

I am sure that he is aware that BAME people are not a homogeneous mass. Just as women are not a homogeneous mass. Yet people have no problem when there are attempts to tackle issues women face but seem to have an issue when people discus BAME issues. For some reason

He'll soon be calling The Old Man of Coniston-The Genderless One- as he suddenly realises that trans is really the thing to grab the headlines.

The Old Non-binary Person of Coniston

The Old Non-binary Person of Coniston

That's ageist!

They could make a start by decreasing the costs of the car parks inc Brockhole. Some of them are extortionate........I guess they say they want to encourage people to use public transport instead. But then that costs a fortune and the service is patchy.

Devereux1

It is difficult for me to determine the specific barriers between BAME people and how they differ between white working class people since I am in neither demographic but one thing that is significant is people underestimate the effect of local culture and peer pressure.

If there is no history within your family and friends in going out just to walk and enjoy nature then it is going to be harder to start it yourself, particularly if you are a child and you only do this as a school activity with no support from home. Certainly, I did grow up in a working class area and did do scouts for a while. I was surprised about how uncomfortable some of my peers where being in the local country - easily reachable on foot. I think they never did explore simply because their families didn't.

After all, it was a few millenia since being bushwacked by a brown bear or a pack of wolfs was a worry.

When I see someone on a difficult peak wearing inappropriate gear, I do judge, to be honest. Especially as conditions can change. I do worry what could happen to them

I do too, the number of times I've seen tourists out in jandals going out as if they are on a Sunday stroll to the park rather than on a track. There needs to be a lot of education of people before they go out into the rural areas. I've seen it in the UK and overseas - in Wales people going up Snowdon in shorts and flimsy shoes, ditto in Norway and NZ.

@theCumbrian, yes I agree with your post.

Much of the lakes is more accessible than people would think, but it is not obvious. You have to research before you go, and many people might not think to do this.

I think two issues are being confused here, ethnic diversity and accessibility. Accessibility should be focused on, using small tweaks to what already exists such as adding changing places,removing stiles, improving trains, shuttle golf buggies on certain routes etc.

Increasing the ethnic diversity of visitors is much tougher, and as mentioned upthread by some, I have always seen a wide variety of tourists in the lakes.

Plus I don't get what the national trust is doing that's so bad?

I think two issues are being confused here, ethnic diversity and accessibility. Accessibility should be focused on, using small tweaks to what already exists such as adding changing places,removing stiles, improving trains, shuttle golf buggies on certain routes etc

I think accessibility can also mean making it more accessible to people who wouldn't normally go there - or who feel nervous about undertaking some of the outdoor pursuits there.

Basically - opening it up to a wider 'audience' and understanding some of the issues that stop people wanting to go and trying to address those - whilst also not losing the magic of the Lakes - or any other National Park.

You can't stop the rain. You can't make it cheaper. But there are ways you can encourage people who don't normally go there to go there. And to make their visit there a success so they want to go back.

They could make a start by decreasing the costs of the car parks inc Brockhole. Some of them are extortionate........I guess they say they want to encourage people to use public transport instead. But then that costs a fortune and the service is patchy.

That would be counter-productive. On busy days, you can't park anywhere near the popular places anyway. If you can't park at all, it doesn't matter how much it is.

As for "encouraging" public transport use - you can't "encourage" something that doesn't exist. The bus service is very restrictive and only really covers the most "tourist-y" bits. The train service is a joke - expensive and infrequent and one of the first to be cancelled when Northern Rail are short of drivers/trains.

As for "encouraging" public transport use - you can't "encourage" something that doesn't exist

Maybe Boris with all his focus on the North could look at developing public transport in this part of the UK as well?

IT would be useful if accessibility would dovetail into the major issues that face local people in these rural sites - lack of transport being a significant factor.

You lose the ability to drive or run a car you are screwed, and no matter how pretty the scenery you cannot eat it!

It's worse in places that aren't national parks - bits of Northampton are pretty much sylvan prisons if you don't have a car. Without a cultural or industrial base what's there to keep the young people who can travel?

They need to leave nature alone really.

Also with regards to getting gear, relevant hiking/outdoorsy wear - decathlon is pretty damn affordable.

I live smack bang in the middle of a national park. Literally every view I have is of mountains.
I've walked all these mountains in the past, I cant now because my heath is so much worse than it was.
What would they do here? Turn it into another llandudno? Ruin the landscape and environment? Not everything can be accessible to those with disabilities I'm afraid. I can accept that so why cant others.

Only read the first page, but the comments about Butlins and ice cream stands are fucking vile. MN is an awful place sometimes.

the comments about Butlins and ice cream stands are fucking vile. MN is an awful place sometimes.

To be fair this might have the advantage of diversifying Butlins, which is too weighed towards working-class people.

Alicia it gets worse. One poster said she would welcome racism if it puts people off visiting remote places because she values her solitude.

Yay but that’s ok because apparently there is no racism there anyway blouse (even though many people have told her they’ve experienced it....)

One of my favourite quotes is from Australia

"just because it is, doesn’t mean it should be"

Some people seem to think that because things are the way they are, then that's the way it should be. They lack imagination.