26 May 2006
Town halls are being asked for their views on the best way to encourage young people, people with disabilities, and those from inner cities and black and ethnic minority communities to make the most of the English countryside.
Research undertaken by the Countryside Agency as part of the government's diversity review revealed that certain groups were not regular visitors to rural areas because providers often lacked the confidence to engage with them. However, the research also showed that when these groups did visit the countryside, they were keen to return.
Outdoors for all?, a consultation paper published on May 23, is seeking opinions on how best to take forward a draft plan that aims, over the next ten years, to increase the number of people from these groups who enjoy rural recreation.
The plan proposes some new ways of working, both with organisations providing outdoor recreation opportunities and with the under-represented groups themselves.
Among the proposals in the draft plan is extra training for staff to raise awareness about diversity issues, and research to determine more about who is visiting the countryside and which strategies work.
Launching the consultation, rural affairs minister Barry Gardiner said: 'The action plan is all about working in partnership to show what the British countryside has to offer everyone. People are not making the most of even their local urban green spaces, never mind the wider countryside. We need to know why, and what we can do to encourage them.'
The consultation runs until September 30.
PFmay2006
