Caring for

Illustration showing that the Lake District is for everyone

Outcome 4: A Lake District for everyone

National Parks contain the most beautiful, spectacular and dramatic areas of countryside in England. The Landscapes Review (Glover Review) rightly highlights these places are national assets supported in part through state funding and therefore are available for everyone to enjoy and support the nation’s health and wellbeing.

However, the Review highlighted that visitors are not always representative of the full spectrum of British society. As part of COVID-19 recovery the time is right to begin addressing the disconnect of some groups, and help the nation’s recovery from the global pandemic by supporting people’s health and wellbeing through access to the outdoors.

What are we trying to achieve?

We will increase our awareness of the needs and requirements of a diverse audience of people and seek to deliver their priorities over the next five years.
We will increase support to help underserved groups and people to access the outdoors and promote the health and wellbeing benefits of the outdoors.
We will improve representation of voices developing strategies and corporate processes.
We will improve visitors' understanding of how to care for the Lake District and its communities.

These intentions outline our long term aspirations to build on our Vision for a world class visitor experience. The actions detailed below provide a starting point from which to build – they are part of the journey rather than the final destination to ensure the Lake District serves the whole of British society.

There is a separate multi-agency response to environmental, visitor and community safety issues (see ‘vibrant communities and prosperous economy’ Outcome).

Key transformative actions to achieve our ambitions

LDFE.act.1

Identify priority activity and seek investment to ensure the Lake District is a place for everyone and where all are welcome, with particular focus on the identified key audiences of: black, brown and racially minoritized people; people with disabilities, and people from underserved/deprived areas of Cumbria, all with a particular focus on young people. This will be through projects including:

a. Seeking resource, delivering and sharing learning from the Journeys Project to understand different people’s experience of accessing the Lake District.

b. Supporting the Black Nature in Residence residency.

c. Developing joint ways of working to support the Accessible Cumbria Partnership.

d. Delivering Collaboration Hub projects to support the Lake District for Everyone Key Outcome.

LDfE.act.2

Consider whether Lake District for Everyone should be a cross-cutting theme for the Partnership and the next Partnership Plan.

A number of additional actions we aim to deliver are identified in the list showing how we will deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.

Background information is available for this key challenge.

Our measures of success include:

At least 25% of people undertaking new volunteering packages are from a combination of low socio-economic groups, Visibly Minority Ethnic, and young people.
25% increase in use of monitored active travel routes on 2019 baseline. Increasing number of people who feel health and wellbeing benefits.