Latest news with #OutdoorLads
BBC News
18 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
How outdoor group has been life-changing for LGBT community
When Mark Granger broke up with his partner after an 18-year relationship, it was a struggle dealing with the other losses that came with decided to move from Oxfordshire back to his hometown of Wellington, Somerset. But he found himself "cut off" as lots of his schools friends had moved and other people he met "already had made their friendship groups".Luckily, he found a lifeline in a new group which organises outdoor events for the LGBT community, called said: "Loneliness does affect people in the LGBT community. When you're out for a walk, it's amazing how much you open up and share your experience and realise you're not alone." OutdoorLads is a national group of volunteers who organise events for others. The organisations aims to provide a positive setting to make new friends and exercise at the same was especially important for Mr Granger, who found it difficult to meet people working from home. "Especially post-Covid, I'm in the office a few times a month, and when it comes to weekends, you do want to get out and about."I love the outdoors and love a good hike, and being a part of the group has opened a new chapter."OutdoorLads was a lifeline," he said. Other members joined after recently coming to terms with their Pettit, from Bristol, said he had "48 years of living in denial, which took its toll"."I'm 52 now, and when I grew up it wasn't acceptable to be gay. I lived through the AIDS crisis and remember the adverts with the tombstone, and the persecution of homosexuality."I felt quite aggressive towards the gay community because I was hiding from it myself, and that cause its own problems," he said. Mr Pettit said he also had experienced loneliness growing up."I couldn't work out what was going wrong or why, but I was beating my chest trying to prove some kind of red blooded heterosexuality," he spending 15 years as a lorry driver, Mr Pettit said he had become "quite unfit," and has welcomed the opportunity to get more exercise."Becoming a member of the group has been life-changing."Tomorrow holds so much more promise for me now," he said.
BBC News
15-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Foraging pigs helping to restore Hardknott Forest
Pigs are helping to reintroduce native trees to a have been taking part in a restoration project at Hardknott Forest, in the Lake District, to replace non-native trees with a biodiverse of that includes using "conservation pigs", which help to break up compacted soil and reduce invasive of the outdoor and LGBT charity OutdoorLads helped Forestry England and the University of Leeds with the initiative and said the animals were "unexpected but brilliant". Hardknott Forest is a 600 hectare (1,482 acre) conifer plantation which was planted in the 1930s, despite local consultation, Forestry England decided to restore the area to native habitats of oak and birch woodland, bogs and open naturally churn up the ground and remove invasive species while foraging, making the area more suitable for planting trees. Bryan Cosgrove, from OutdoorLads, said it was "incredibly rewarding to be part of such an important project in the heart of Cumbria"."Seeing so many volunteers come together to help restore this landscape was fantastic," he said."The conservation pigs were an unexpected part of the process - they play a key role in preparing the ground for rewilding by naturally clearing invasive plants." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.
