[Oliver_W]

Outrage as National Park boss ignites PC row after claiming the Lake District must 'change and diversify' because it is too heavily weighted toward 'white middle-class able-bodied people'
* Boss Richard Leafe said the site must change to merit continued public funding
* He said if parks are seen as exclusive to one group, they 'start to lose relevance'
* A report has said national parks are not doing enough to make people welcome
* Lake District National Park Authority reportedly facing High Court judicial review
* This is over its refusal to ban four-wheel drive vehicles from some of its fell trails
Full Story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...es-people.html

FFS leave it alone! Absolutely anyone can go to the Lake District, it's not like they have melanin barriers, how on earth can it be "weighted toward white people" ?

Able bodiedness I can kind of see, but going on leisurely hikes is more of an able bodied activity.

[arista]

How crazy
leave the place alone

[Scarlett.]

I mean, they're not wrong

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

going on leisurely hikes is more of an able bodied activity.

[bots]

visitor figures don't lie.

We could have said trains, shops, toilets etc were for able bodied people only in the past, it doesn't make it right.

If the lake district is not attracting a diverse group of visitors then it should be looked at. Why isn't it. As a tourist destination, the more diverse it's visitors, the more visitors it attracts and therefore the more money it generates. Seems like a no brainer to me.

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

visitor figures don't lie.

We could have said trains, shops, toilets etc were for able bodied people only in the past, it doesn't make it right.

If the lake district is not attracting a diverse group of visitors then it should be looked at. Why isn't it. As a tourist destination, the more diverse it's visitors, the more visitors it attracts and therefore the more money it generates. Seems like a no brainer to me.

Like I said, there's absolutely nothing stopping BAME people from taking a holiday there, so it's not something that needs to be "looked at".

As for accessibility, it's hilly countryside, not much can be done about that. Should they have miles of handrails?

[bots]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

Like I said, there's absolutely nothing stopping BAME people from taking a holiday there, so it's not something that needs to be "looked at".

As for accessibility, it's hilly countryside, not much can be done about that. Should they have miles of handrails?

This is just such a wrong attitude. If people arent made to feel welcome, they wont come and as a public park that must be looked at and improved.

For a long, long time, I took no interest in whether things in life were accessible, then in my own field of business, I discovered how trivially easy it was to make things easy for those who faced challenges and the instant enormous benefit it brought to them. I believe we have a duty to put that right, and am now an active voice for it. I will tell you something else for nothing, I don't think anything I have done has been more rewarding either.

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

This is just such a wrong attitude. If people arent made to feel welcome, they wont come and as a public park that must be looked at and improved.

For a long, long time, I took no interest in whether things in life were accessible, then in my own field of business, I discovered how trivially easy it was to make things easy for those who faced challenges and the instant enormous benefit it brought to them. I believe we have a duty to put that right, and am now an active voice for it. I will tell you something else for nothing, I don't think anything I have done has been more rewarding either.

How are people not being made to feel welcome?

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

Like I said, there's absolutely nothing stopping BAME people from taking a holiday there

There's no nuance with you is there?

Why am I picturing a gang of hooded kids with hammers and knives waiting outside for the poor lad being bullied telling him "we're not stopping you leaving the house. You can leave anytime!!".

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

There's no nuance with you is there?

Why am I picturing a gang of hooded kids with hammers and knives waiting outside for the poor lad being bullied telling him "we're not stopping you leaving the house. You can leave anytime!!".

That's a ridiculous comparison as the residents and business owners in the Lake District aren't hostile toward visitors.

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

visitor figures don't lie.

We could have said trains, shops, toilets etc were for able bodied people only in the past, it doesn't make it right.

If the lake district is not attracting a diverse group of visitors then it should be looked at. Why isn't it. As a tourist destination, the more diverse it's visitors, the more visitors it attracts and therefore the more money it generates. Seems like a no brainer to me.

Pretty much. There's no point leaving money on the table and if a business isn't willing to change with the times, it'll be doomed to be left in the past. Lake District's core demographic is a very finite audience because it relies on older generations and when those older generations come to an end, the businesses of Lake District are gonna find themselves in the hardest of times if they can't adapt.

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

Pretty much. There's no point leaving money on the table and if a business isn't willing to change with the times, it'll be doomed to be left in the past. Lake District's core demographic is a very finite audience because it relies on older generations and when those older generations come to an end, the businesses of Lake District are gonna find themselves in the hardest of times if they can't adapt.

Either that, or people will start to go as they gold older. We're not gonna run out of people whp enjoy walking in beautiful scenery any time soon.

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

Either that, or people will start to go as they gold older. We're not gonna run out of people whp enjoy walking in beautiful scenery any time soon.

You've got to consider the fact that younger generations won't find value in the same things as older generations, plus you have to acknowledge the fact that holidays abroad are more accessible than ever. Why go to Lake District when you can go abroad and experience different cultures and a wider variety of things to do.

[smudgie]

Quaint villages, old fashioned shops, beautiful views.
Leave it well alone, it is what it’s popular for.
If you have an interest in a place you will visit, if not you go elsewhere.

[Oliver_W]

Id understand more if their entire point was that disabled people can't enjoy it as much as others, but why mention something as irrelevant as ethnicity? Maybe it's just a case of different people enjoying different things.

[arista]

[Crimson Dynamo]

what ever will people think of next to justify a job

[user104658]

What people are overlooking in their outrage over this, is that the Lakes receive public funding. Its not a private entity that operates on its own funds being "forced" to act a certain way "or get shut down".

People saying "no leave it alone!"... Well... Yes, that's exactly what's being said. They need to cater better to the needs of the overall public, or they will be "left alone" to do as they please. On their own dime with no public funding.

There's absolutely nothing unfair about this situation. It's actually pretty ridiculous to suggest that they should be able to ignore these issues and then say "BUT we still want funded as a national park obvz".

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

What people are overlooking in their outrage over this, is that the Lakes receive public funding. Its not a private entity that operates on its own funds being "forced" to act a certain way "or get shut down".

People saying "no leave it alone!"... Well... Yes, that's exactly what's being said. They need to cater better to the needs of the overall public, or they will be "left alone" to do as they please. On their own dime with no public funding.

There's absolutely nothing unfair about this situation. It's actually pretty ridiculous to suggest that they should be able to ignore these issues and then say "BUT we still want funded as a national park obvz".

Good point

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

What people are overlooking in their outrage over this, is that the Lakes receive public funding. Its not a private entity that operates on its own funds being "forced" to act a certain way "or get shut down".

People saying "no leave it alone!"... Well... Yes, that's exactly what's being said. They need to cater better to the needs of the overall public, or they will be "left alone" to do as they please. On their own dime with no public funding.

There's absolutely nothing unfair about this situation. It's actually pretty ridiculous to suggest that they should be able to ignore these issues and then say "BUT we still want funded as a national park obvz".

Outdoors activities are ethnically neutral, so I'm not really sure what they're expected to do to make it "more" appealing...

[Crimson Dynamo]

Its a poor man's Scotland and absolutely chokka with Mountain Warehouse ramblers

give it a miss and drive another 150 miles North where you can have better scenery and not a soul in sight

[Beso]

I can't imagine many old folk haring about on the quads or managing the mountain biking. ..what a load of ageist wank some people come out with these days...Ive accepted not one of them have been in thier lives; and certainly don't have much of a clue about all the activities that can be enjoyed for all ages.

[Crimson Dynamo]

good luck getting the Malia crew there or wheelchair users up the peaks

what the chap needs to do is find out all the things that will get him funding and then just do the bare minimum to trigger the cash - i am sure a few clever heads can get around all the silly PC red tape

[Redway]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

good luck getting the Malia crew there or wheelchair users up the peaks

what the chap needs to do is find out all the things that will get him funding and then just do the bare minimum to trigger the cash - i am sure a few clever heads can get around all the silly PC red tape

Malia?

[Redway]

You still haven’t explained what a Malia crew is LT.