Written Press on
Diversity in the UK Outdoors
On this page you’ll find written articles on diversity in the UK outdoors - across activities and diversity areas.
First, we have opinion pieces - highlighting the current situation with UK outdoor diversity and why change is important.
Second, we have interviews with organisations, groups and changemakers who are working to create positive change.
Know of something we aren’t featuring? Tell us by filling in this quick form or emailing hello@alltheelements.co
Opinion
2024
21-03-2024 | BMC | Andrew Wang | East and Southeast Asian people go outdoors too
2023
23-11-23 | The Guardian | Jane Dunford | Kendal Mountain Festival 2023 celebrates adventure for all
02-10-23 | The Guardian | Haroon Mota | Minority communities are edged out of the UK’s green spaces. I’m trying to change that
02-10-23 | Stylist | Sophia Akram | “I went hiking with a group of Muslim women – and found connection, community and peace in nature”
12-07-2023 | Stylist | Miranda Larbi | Diversifying the outdoors: meet the leaders of colour busy making hiking, trail running and biking more accessible for all
19-05-23 | BMC | Niall Grimes | New BMC research draws direct correlation between earnings and ability to get outdoors
20-03-23 | Metro | Zesha Saleem | Adidas team up with Muslim hiking group this Ramadan to make the countryside more inclusive
08-03-23 | The Guardian | Phoebe Smith | Wild women: the rise of all-female outdoor activity groups
2022
01-11-22 | The Guardian | Rhiane Fatinikun | The trail blazer: the rewards of setting up a walking group
17-10-22 | John Muir Trust | Mary-Ann Ochota| Comfort Zone - equality in the outdoors
05-10-22 | The Guardian | Damien Gayle | Environment sector has failed to become more inclusive, study suggests
23-08-22 | Runners World | Jenny Bozon | Why (and how) running and other mass-participation sports need to be more diverse
04-06-22 | Adventure Uncovered | Nik Elvy | Food: the invisible cost-of-living barrier to adventuring outdoors
2021
29-09-21 | The House | Francisca Rockey | A year of racial reckoning has not made the Green movement more diverse
27-05-21 | Cycling Weekly | David Bradford | Why is the peloton hiding its true colours?
19-05-21 | Melanin Basecamp | Phil Young | Black, British & Outdoorsy (why the UK situation is different to the US)
03-05-21 | UK Hillwalking | Meet the activists helping to diversify the outdoors: Pammy Johal (requirement for industry change)
16-04-21 | Bex Band | Diversity in the outdoors & why the only barrier is definitely not just yourself (women)
12-04-21 | The University of Edinburgh | Anouska Duffy | The Unconscious Normatives of the ‘OUT’doors: an autoethnography uncovering unconscious biases through gender and sexuality
28-02-21 | Debbie North | Accessibility: A rich man’s game?
21-02-21 | BBC Sport | Phil Young | Ski Sunday: Why are there so few BAME skiers and snowboarders?
31-01-21 | Flock Together | Jolly La Barbera | Why you need green
2020
01-12-20 | Advnture | Mary-Ann Ochota | Diversity in the outdoors: the people making sure the countryside really is for everyone
20-11-20 | The Guardian | Martha Hayes | ‘We want to change the mindset when it comes to the outdoors’: the duo breaking down barriers in the adventure world
15-11-20 | bikeradar | Katherine Moore | Why we need to champion diversity in cycling
29-10-20 | CPRE | Maxwell Ayamba | Why the environment movement needs to value diversity
11-09-20 | Tribune | Emma Latham Phillips | Green Spaces for All
10-09-2020 | Runners World | Freedom of movement - how can we work together to make running more diverse?
19-08-20 | The National Lottery Heritage Fund | Dr Anjana Khatwa | Black and brown faces in green spaces
14-07-20 | bunkered | Michael McEwen | Study finds BAME groups interested in golf but don't feel welcome
11-07-20 | Sky Sports | Ali Stafford | With Tiger Woods as a role model, why are there so few black golfers?
06-07-20 | huck | Phil Young | The relevance of race dissolves in nature’s power
25-06-20 | Classic Boat | Rob Peake | Call for BAME sailing officials
25-06-20 | Matthew Dieumegard-Thornton | BLM & The Outdoor Industry: We Need Change
12-06-20 | The Guardian | Sports organisations 'should have 20% BAME board members' to tackle racism
08-06-20 | Adventure Uncovered | Maxwell Ayamba | Ensuring equal outdoor access for the UK's black and ethnic minority communities
22-04-20 | Mpora | Phil Young | Skin Deep - Why The Outdoors Has A Race Problem And How It Can Be Fixed
06-02-2020 | The Great Outdoors Magazine | Hanna Lindon | Black Girls Hiking: How the outdoors is becoming more diverse
15-01-20 | huck | Dhruva Balram | How can we make the great outdoors more accessible?
2019
15-08-19 | Campaign for National Parks | Maxwell Ayamba | How do we make National Parks adventures inclusive for everyone?
28-04-19 | The Guardian | Tim Adams | Who owns England? by Guy Shrubsole review – why this land isn’t your land
11-04-19 | CIEEM | Mya-Rose Craig | How do we Change a Whole Sector? Colonialism in Conservation Nature is the Cause of Institutionalised Racism
10-10-19 | Ecologist | Beth Collier | Black Absence in Green Spaces
2018
09-09-18 | Adventure Uncovered | Soraya Abdel-Hadi | It’s time to change the face of adventure
29-08-18 | Outward Bound Trust | Kate O’Brien | Diversity in the Outdoors
2015
05-11-15 | UKClimbing | Natalie Berry | Climbing with Pride: An Insight into the LGBT Community
Group & Project Interviews
2024
25-03-24 | Live For The Outdoors | Matt Jones | The plus-size hiking kit problem | Why body shape shouldn’t limit adventure (Every Body Outdoors)
19-01-24 | Live For The Outdoors | Kate Milsom | Sabrina Pace-Humphreys: meet the woman behind Black Trail Runners
2023
04-12-23 | Much Better Adventures | Dani Redd | How Nature Can Help Build Queer Community (Queer Out Here)
29-10-23 | BBC news | Muslim farmer wants more diverse rural visitors (Muhsen Hassanin)
07-08-23 | Gay Times | Solly Warner | Queer Climbers London are creating a safe space for LGBTQ+ adventurers
01-08-23 | ITV News | Lewis Rhys Jones | Yr Wyddfa: 300 Muslim hikers come together to climb Mount Snowdon and reconnect with nature
06-06-23 | Metro | Tanyel Mustafa | ‘It’s not always accessible’: Muslim sisters on overcoming barriers to hiking – and how you can too (Muslim Hikers)
31-03-23 | The Independent | Danielle Desouza | Muslim hiking group founder: Weatherproof prayer mat ‘brilliant’ for community
17-03-23 | ITV News | Oldest and largest LGBTQ+ outdoors group celebrates almost 50 years of inclusion (Gay Outdoor Club)
09-03-23 | The Guardian | Ella Braidwood | ‘It can be transformative’: walking the Pennines with Queer Out Here
2022
19-10-22 | Park Run | Haroon Mota | The birth of ‘Muslim Hikers’
25-09-22 | Gal-dem | Evie Muir | ‘Our existence is a statement’: meet the walking clubs creating safe spaces in the outdoors
08-02-22 | The Guardian | Gemma Bowes | Going places: 10 inspirational female adventurers
14-03-22 | BBC News | Harriet Bradshaw | The Muslim women learning to ride a bike in their 40s
24-02-22 | National Geographic | For Muslim hikers, an empowering community makes all the difference
27-01022 | Cyclist | Emma Cole | Here’s how you make cycling more inclusive and accessible
05-01-22 | The Guardian | Ashish Ghadiali | On the right track: how walking connects me to the land and its people (The Kramblers)
03-01-22 | Countryfile | Boots and Beards interview: Walking for minority communities
02-01-22 | Singletrack | El Jaskowska | Spotlight Interview: Neil Russell – handcycling off the beaten track
2021
05-12-21 | BBC | Angie Brown | Hand cycling has given me my freedom back (Neil Russell)
18-11-21 | Metro | Evie Muir | Meet the walking club only for people of colour: ‘The abuse we receive proves why we need this space’
04-11-21 | The Guardian | Jessica Murray | ‘I am Asian, not what people expect’: Derby woman to trek solo to south pole
28-10-21 | sustrans | Sharing the wonders of walking with women of colour (Bristol Steppin Sistas)
27-10-21 | BABMAG | Justine Luaba | “We Out Here!” The Story of We Go Outside Too
23-10-21 | B24/7 | Kit Million Ross | “A COLLECTIVE AND SAFE SPACE ON THE BRISTOL SKATE SCENE” (Kindred Folks Crew)
21-10-21 | The Outdoor City | Peaks of Colour
21-09-21 | BBC Scotland | The woman on a mission to make mountain biking more diverse
17-09-21 | Financial Times | Grace Cook | The Cause: the birdwatching group that’s taking flight (Flock Together)
20-09-21 | Stylist | Evie Muir | Peaks of Colour: meet the walking club by and for people of colour that’s all about radical self-care
12-08-21 | CPRE | Serayna Solanki | Countryside Dreams in South Asian Communities
13-07-21 | Redbull | Tom Ward | Rotimi Odukoya's upward momentum (Clmbxr)
27-06-21 | Swimming.org | Omie Dale on how ‘vital’ LGBTQ+ organisations are within aquatics
25-06-21 | The Guardian | John Goodbody | Racism has held up ethnic minorities in swimming, says Alice Dearing
27-05-21 | huck | Sam Haddad | The Londoner who had no idea you could climb in his city
10-05-21 | Metro | Ramblers escape city blues as they bring diversity to outdoors (Steppers UK)
30-04-21 | Mpora | Daisy Maddinson | We Go Outside Too | How Grief Catalysed This Group’s Outdoor Solidarity
12-04-21 | VICE | Tristen Kennedy | Lockdown Helped to Create a New Generation of Young, Black Birdwatchers
07-04-21 | Border Telegraph | MissAdventures: Borders girls can join new cycling group
04-04-21 | The Observer | Rob Walker | ‘I was the only black kid in the pool’: why swimming is so white
30-03-21 | huck | Michael Fordham | Black Trail Runners are reclaiming the countryside
19-03-21 | Sky Sports | Royal Yachting Association sets new diversity strategy amid perception of being too white
19-03-21 | Ciele Athletics | Simon Freeman | like the wind feature | black trail runners
11-03-21 | ESPN | Aramide Oladipo | Alice Dearing: Team GB's trailblazing swimmer breaking barriers in and outside the pool
10-03-21 | Cycling News | Kirsten Frattini | Women of Colour Cycling Collective launched in the UK
06-03-21 | The Guardian | Constance Kampfner | New heights: the minority ethnic hiking clubs opening up rural Britain
18-02-21 | CNN Travel | Sara Gill & Streisand Neto | The Black businesswomen bringing diversity to ski slopes
08-01-21 | Adventure Uncovered | Hetty Kay | How the Women's Trad Festival is driving a strong women's climbing community
2020
18-12-20 | huck | Huck HQ | Meet the running community reclaiming the great outdoors
02-12-20 | The Guardian | Nazia Parveen | The BAME women making the outdoors more inclusive
03-11-20 | SW Londoner | Bella Butler | Support group for women of colour in cycling set up in light of BLM protests
22-10-20 | Tracksmith | Andy Waterman | Marathon Marcus (founder of Black Trail Runners)
20-10-20 | Vitality London 10,000 | Q&A with Runderbolts founder Ruden Bhutia
02-10-20 | Mpora | Jack Clayton | Clmbxr | Interview With The London Climbing Group Founder Rotimi Odukoya
01-10-20 | ITV News | Lisa Adlam | 'We have to change that narrative': Sheffield walking group aims to widen access to nature among BAME communities
10-09-20 | Runner’s World | Freedom of movement - how can we work together to make running more diverse?
05-09-20 | ConnectSport | Namrah Shahid | Running Mates: The Story of the Hijabi Runners’ Club
12-08-20 | Adventure Uncovered | Frit Sarita Tam | The Chinese LGBTQ+ filmmaker and photographer diversifying the faces of adventure
06-08-20 | National Parks of Europe | Carmen McIlveen: “Climbing is still too expensive for a lot of BAME households”
23-07-20 | Horse&Hound | All in a day’s work: Campaigner Reece McCook, founder of Ride Out Racism
11-07-20 | euronews | Tianna Johnson | Nature shouldn’t be a ‘White Space’: Why I Started a Black Girls’ Camping Trip
30-07-20 | Women’s Health | Morgan Fargo | These 3 Runners Have Taken a Stand Against a Lack of Diversity in Running
07-07-20 | Adventure Uncovered | Rosie Riley | Blacks Can’t Swim: breaking the taboo
03-07-20 | Cycling UK | Julie Rand | Why we started LGBT+ cycling groups - three people speak to Cycling UK
27-06-20 | Women’s Health | Rhiane Fatinikun | Black Girls Hike is More than a Walking Group: 'Why I'm Challenging Underrepresentation in Hiking'
10-06-20 | Runner’s World | Morgan Fargo | Black Girls Do Run UK: A community that says, 'so what if people look at you?'
06-06-20 | Outdoor Swimmer | Ella Foote | Out to swim: The transgender woman who found her tribe in outdoor swimming
2019
05-11-19 | National Geographic | Simon Ingram | “Growing up I had no role models who looked like me in the media – not a single one.” | An interview with Jini Reddy
18-08-19 | Devon Live | Charlotte Vowles | How a small group of disabled ramblers are making a big change on Dartmoor
10-08-19 | Londonist | Samantha Rea | Kids Are Going Horse Riding In Brixton... And It's Improving Their Lives
09-07-19 | Leicester Mercury | Horse trainer who escaped a life of crime inspiring Leicester's inner-city kids at his equestrian academy
26-06-19 | Women Climb | Roxanna Barry | Pride in Our Climbing Community
20-04-19 | The Voice | Jerome Conway | This South London Cycling Group Is Ready To Make History
29-03-19 | Hackney Post | Ali Matib | Defying odds at dizzying heights: How paraclimbing transformed Anoushé Husain’s life
11-03-19 | The Guardian | Patrick Barkham | Enchanted forests: the women shaking up nature writing
2018
23-01-18 | The Guardian | Bridget Minamore | Black Men Walking: a hilly hike through 500 years of black British history
14-01-18 | The Mirror | Laura Millar | A spine condition left her unable to walk but this hasn't stopped one woman from climbing hills
2017
26-09-17 | Women’s Adventure Expo | Alice Gartland | Outdoor Swimming - A Gateway to Positive Change
2016
10-06-16 | Evening Standard | Liz Connor | VC London: meet the female bikers on a mission to get more women on the open road
2012
05-08-12 | Independent | Ian Burrell | They Fly By Night: How London’s Run Dem Crew is Putting a Spring in the Step of Inner-City Youths
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