The Lake District National Park Authority is forging links with ehtnic minority communities.
The Ben Fogle-backed YHA and National Parks
Mosaic campaign to
open up England's national parks to ethnic minorities is moving forward
with the recent meeting of
ten
potential 'champions' in the Lake District recently.
Why?
Around ten per-cent of the population is from an ethnic minority, but
only one per-cent of visitors to national parks, an imbalance which the
government-supported campaign is seeking to
redress.
Mosaic is
targeting 20 cities nationally and looking to build links with the
country's nine national parks 'to encourage wider access to the land’s
best countryside'.
As part of that process, the Lake District National Park is developing
contacts with Lancaster, Blackburn, Preston and Manchester and aiming
to forge enduring bonds with local ethnic communities in those cites.
Over the weekend, interested individuals gathered in Ambleside.
Steering the project for LDNP, Lucy McQuillan, said: “We are delighted
to welcome such enthusiastic and willing people, who are already
committed to our national park and will make convincing role models in
their communities.
“National parks were initially created to make sure people in Britain
knew what they had to offer and provide equal opportunities to enjoy
them. We are keen to do what we can to follow those early aims.”
Local Champions
Mosaic aims to train influential leaders from ehtnic minority
communities to become 'Community Champions' promoting the National
Parks and the YHA in their communities with a focus on 16-25 year olds.
It also aims to help National Park Authorities and the YHA make changes
to help them reach ethnic minority audiences.
One of the potential champions is keen walker, Preston businessman
Ahmed Nakhuda. He's been visiting the Lakes since boyhood and has
always tried to persuade friends and family to try the great outdoors.
Mosaic takes that a step further and he says:
“Mosaic gives us all an added incentive to work together. It’s a
fantastic idea and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunities it
is going to bring.”
Ultimately the aim is to sign up 200 champions across England, ensure
an additional 4,000 ethnic minority visitors have direct experience of
national parks and reach some 40,000 people ethnic minority communities
with positive messages about trying the outdoors.
More about the Mosaic project at
www.mosaicnationalparks.org
