4th March 2022
Hi everyone,
This email could have been an ultra-marathon catch-up with news from the last few months - instead I'm back with a small mix of exciting projects, big news stories and unique initiatives. Plus, a little bit from our panel.
I hope you find something to take your fancy!
- Fran
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🎧 In case you missed it:
THIIIRD Waves shared some of our first ever episode on their Soho Radio show. The hosts Rhona, Tryb and Daniela share their own experiences with swimming, and their thoughts on the topics of the episode. It's great to hear the conversation continue well beyond our own chat, and if you listen back on Mixcloud, you get to hear the music mix from Tryb!
Who does nature belong too? That's the question Oge addresses in her TedX talk. Part of the Low Carbon Leaders group of talks, this is really worth watching to get you thinking, and get to know Oge a bit more too.
"People think I'm exotic - I'm from Hampshire". Soraya spoke some truths about language, privilege and the gift of code-switching in the Mixed Messages newsletter last week.
All The Elements announce their first Disability Campaigner's Social
All The Elements have announced the first Online Disability Campaigners’ Social on the 15th March @ 7pm. It will be a chance for individuals and organisations to meet other disability campaigners working in the outdoor space. It is the first event of its kind, and will be run by Ani Patas of Outside: Our Way (and On the Outside!). I'll be heading down under the banner of my other work with Seize Your Adventure, and epilepsy stigma.
Organisations are petitioning the Secretary of State for a 'legal right to nature'
Over 60 organisations - including Natural England, the Ramblers and the BMC - have launched a petition to demand a ‘legal right to nature’ as part of the 'levelling up' reforms. The cross-sector campaign says that Government levelling up plans will fail unless they include levelling up access to nature. New research finds 85% of people in nature-deprived areas say more natural spaces would improve their quality of life. and 83% of Brits want greater protections to stop nature loss to development. The petition will be sent to Secretary of State Michael Gove. You can read more and sign:
Patagonia have launched 'Run To Source', their first UK-based film
Run To Source follows Martin 'MJ' Johnson as he embarks on his most challenging run, whilst exploring the connection between Black British history and the River Thames. Importantly, this is the first film from the UK that Patagonia has produced and funded - given Patagonia's status in the global outdoor community, the film they chose is an important statement.
Access the Dales
To celebrate the launch of Access the Dales, there will be a week of events that are happening around the Yorkshire Dales National Park, including the first ever Accessibility Conference to be held in the Yorkshire Dales on the 5th April 2022. Other events include a Ceilidh Dance, forest School, signed singing, the opportunity for you to test drive a TerrainHopper, canoeing on Semer Water, plenty of stile free walks, and a chance to have a go at playing the Paralympic sport of Bocca.
A new initiative is fighting for inclusive clothing and gear
Every Body Outdoors is a new initiative fighting for clothing, gear and representation for larger/plus-size bodies in the outdoors movement in the UK. Founder Steph Wetherall aims to build the movement and work with brands to create inlcusive sizes. She says "There are lots of larger/plus size bodied people who are keen hikers, cyclists, climbers, paddle boarders, swimmers and more, but it can be a huge struggle. This is partly because we're unable to get appropriate clothing to keep us safe on the hills/lakes as most technical clothing stops at a size 16."
Read more >>
And in other news:
Black Girls Hike are hiring! They are looking for Social Media & Comms Support, a Membership Coordinator and a Events & Training Coordinator. There is also an RSPB traineeship programme for people 18-25years old. Read more >>
Mountain biker Aneela McKenna's film ‘After the Storm’ will premiere this month at ‘Beyond Bikes’, a film screening event hosted by Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland (DMBinS), Mòr Diversity and Treeline. It aims to bring important conversations into the cinema, challenging thinking about ‘normal living’ and gives voice to the opportunities that emerge when you grab life by the handlebars. Read more >>
Dan Raven-Ellison tweeted about great walking and wheeling initiatives after he noticed that Active Travel England, a Government run scheme, was only following cycling schemes. Read more >>
GB Snowsports Chief Executive, Vicky Gosling, has been appointed as the new Chairwomen of GB Surfing. The appointment is very controversial - check our Wave Wahines and Looking Sideways' posts on Instagram for more.
Time for another TedX question - how do you define adventure? It's something I have tried to do many times, and another podcaster I work with talks about The Life Changing Power Of Everyday Adventures. Watch here >>
International news:
In a new segment of the newsletter, I wanted to share a few stories that I felt were of international importance.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is constantly developing, but I wanted to highlight a couple of relevant aspects that call back to our first episode:
- Russia invade Ukraine during the Olympic Truce, a period during the Games when all involved traditionally agree to not invade or initiate war. This is not the first time Russian have broken the truce. Read more >>
- Russia and Belarus athletes have been banned from the Games over invasion and boycott threats from other competing countries. The International Paralympic Committee initially said athletes from both nations could compete under neutral flags but have performed a rapid U-turn after significant backlash. Read more >>
- Some outdoors brands have shown their support for refugees and people displaced due to the conflict, including Ellis Brigham, and Keen and Read more >>
- I would recommend checking out Shannon Galpin's account, which we spoke about in Episode 3, for some comparisons with the Afghanistan refugee situation. Read more >>
China has found a lithium deposit near Mount Everest (Chomolungma). Lithium is rare and essential for electric vehicles. The deposit is the 3rd largest in China, and it brings into question the impact this might have on the mountain and surrounding peaks. Read more >>
A special thank you goes to our Support Crew sponsors, Wild For Scotland and Charlie's Supply Company. Your early sponsorship has given us enough money to pay for the RSS Feed to launch the show!! Do click through the links to check out the incredible work they are doing.
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