Corporate report

Outdoors for All: fair access to a good quality natural environment

Published 5 May 2015

Applies to England

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Background

Natural England is committed to making sure everyone has access to the countryside. A report in 2005, called the ‘Diversity Review’, looked at what could be done to support a diverse population to take part in outdoor recreation. The diverse group includes people:

  • with physical disabilities
  • with learning disabilities
  • living with mental health illness
  • from Asian and minority ethnic communities
  • living in deprived areas
  • who are young or elderly

These people were found to be less likely to use the natural environment for recreation, due to mental, cultural or physical barriers.

The Equality Act 2010 also legally protects people from discrimination in the wider society, which includes access to the natural environment.

Outdoors for All: promote the natural environment for everyone to use and enjoy

Natural England’s Outdoors for All programme works to improve opportunities for all people in England to enjoy and benefit from the natural environment.

The Outdoors for All working group brings together users and providers of services for the diverse population that would otherwise not have access to the countryside.

The purpose of the working group is to:

  • commission research and provide evidence to show the benefits of access to the countryside
  • find out the barriers that exist for certain user groups
  • improve existing access
  • create new access opportunities
  • build partnerships to test and assess access models
  • secure funding to implement research and access projects
  • improve impact, reach and quality of access consistently across England
  • share ideas and good practice

The working group is supported by a strategic research group of academics and organisations who are developing a better understanding of research needs and priorities in this field.

Benefits: the evidence

Natural England’s work shows how access to the natural environment benefits all visitors and can be used to provide ideas for improved access for all to your site:

Get involved

Contact Sarah Preston [email protected] for more details on how to get involved with Outdoors for All.

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