“The Outdoors Is for Everyone, But It Doesn’t Feel That Way Yet”

The UK’s National Parks and green spaces are often described as “open to all.” But for many individuals and communities, particularly those from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds, the outdoors can feel distant, unwelcoming, or even unsafe.

As someone who grew up navigating these tensions, I now work at the intersection of equity, psychology, creativity, and access.  From personal lived-experience, conversations and research, I observed several recurring patterns that regarding culturally and ethnically diverse communities accessing and enjoying outdoor spaces.

Understanding the Barriers to Access

Culturally and ethnically diverse communities face numerous barriers to outdoor access. These include:

• Structural inequalities: Limited access to transport, affordable equipment, and appropriate facilities such as prayer spaces or culturally sensitive signage.
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• Cultural and historical exclusion: Perceptions that outdoor spaces are not “for us,” often reinforced by a lack of representation in staff, leadership, and media.
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• Safety and racism: Real and anticipated experiences of racialised exclusion in rural settings, often layered with gendered or class-based vulnerabilities.
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• Time poverty: Juggling multiple jobs, caregiving roles, and community responsibilities often pushes leisure and nature-based wellbeing far down the list of priorities.
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For many first-generation migrants, nature was not really part of the cultural norm due to language barriers, unfamiliarity with local systems, or negative experiences of exclusion. This absence often trickles down to the next generations, creating intergenerational disconnection from the outdoors.

Employment Gaps Within the Sector

These patterns of exclusion aren’t just visible in who visits green spaces. They are mirrored in who is employed in the outdoor and environmental sector.  The outdoor space sector is one of the least diverse areas of the UK workforce. Key challenges include:

• Hiring processes that privilege prior sector experience and formal qualifications over lived experience.
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• Poor rural support structures for people of colour who relocate for outdoor roles.
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• A lack of mentorship, progression, and intersectional support for staff from marginalised backgrounds.
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Unless the workforce reflects the diversity of the communities it hopes to serve, the cycle of exclusion continues.

What We Can Do Differently

Inclusion is not just about inviting people into existing systems. It’s about reimagining those systems from the ground up, with community voices at the centre.

•     Co creation and lived experiences: Those closest to the barriers must help define the solutions. This includes valuing lived experience as expertise in hiring, programme design, and leadership.

• Trust-based relationships: Relationships, not just representation, are the heart of culture shift. This is especially true in White-led institutions working with communities that have historic reasons for mistrust. Embed equity into strategy and practice
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• Long-term infrastructure: One-off projects or token hires are not enough. What we need is enduring, cross-sector commitment that weaves equity into every layer of an organisation’s DNA.
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• Build intergenerational trust and participation.
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• Develop inclusive creative and psychological approaches to community engagement. As well as trauma informed and culturally relevant programmes.
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Why This Work Matters Now

When people are able to engage with green spaces safely, joyfully, and on their own terms, the impact is profound. We see improvements in mental health, community cohesion, and a sense of stewardship and belonging that crosses generations.

But this won’t happen unless we shift the questions we’re asking. We must stop asking, “Why don’t they come?” and start asking:

“What have we built, or failed to build, that makes people feel excluded?”

Final Reflections

The outdoors can be a space of joy, connection, healing, and discovery. But only if we acknowledge the histories and structures that have kept so many locked out. I remain hopeful, not just because of what I’ve experienced in my own life, but because I’ve seen what becomes possible when marginalised voices are trusted to lead.

This work is not about outreach, it’s about transformation.
It’s not about assimilation, it’s about co-creation.

                                                                                                                                              Rehneesa Inez – Linkedin