[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.

[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.

[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]

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?

[bitontheslide]

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?

[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]

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

How are people not being made to feel welcome?

Maybe it is hotbed of racism? all those old white people....

I dont know, just throwing it out there for debate

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

Maybe it is hotbed of racism? all those old white people....

I dont know, just throwing it out there for debate

Have you ever been?

[Cherie]

You are white and old to a ten year old, are you racist?

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

Maybe it is hotbed of racism? all those old white people....

I dont know, just throwing it out there for debate

Interesting theory, but I'd err on the side of "no". It's not a random little hamlet in the middle of bumblefuk nowhere. It's a popular tourist area,and people who live and work in places like that protect its reputation.

Maybe it's just something to do with all the open bodies of water

[Cherie]

In answer to the question they probably could put in more accessible trails, not sure how you can encourage more young people or ethnicities as it’s personal choice what you do in your leisure time and some people just don’t like the countryside, or walking or fresh air, i guess they could do more in the way of advertising, never seen very much, but any time we have been it’s generally rammed especially Windermere

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Cherie

You are white and old to a ten year old, are you racist?

The old people of today are the middle-aged of the nineties, to still perpetuate the myth of the "racist old people" is a bit disengenous.

[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.

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by Cherie

You are white and old to a ten year old, are you racist?

Trust you to attack the poster not the post

The thread is about lake district not me. Follow the rules

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

The old people of today are the middle-aged of the nineties, to still perpetuate the myth of the "racist old people" is a bit disengenous.

Thatchers youth... aging yuppies.
No they won't be racist at all

There's an issue with gentrification in the lakes I remember that being seen as an issue on my last visit, lots of places stood empty as they were 2nd homes in the country.
It would be impossible to say how to make the lakes more attractive or appealing, it is in essence natural reletively unspoiled beauty.
Where possible accessibility should be a priority and funding could be made available for this.

The issue of vehicles needs addressing again, huge 4x4 s are not suitable for those roads and are a danger.

[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.

[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!!".

[LeatherTrumpet]

what ever will people think of next to justify a job

[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.

[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".