The quiet period between Christmas and new year is always a risky time for anyone making a media appearance, as the chief executive of the Lake District National Park Authority recently discovered.

Speaking to Sky News last weekend about the need to make the Lake District as welcoming as possible to all sections of British society, Richard Leafe quickly found himself accused of bringing identity politics into nature. His suggestion that the national park must adapt in small ways to attract a greater diversity of visitors was regarded in some quarters as political correctness gone mad.

For the most part, the rage that greeted him was concocted. The national parks are, as a matter of principle, for everyone to enjoy: yet there is no doubt that visitors are disproportionately white, middle-class, able-bodied and old. It should hardly be controversial to suggest that particular efforts might usefully be made to explain the Lake Districts merits to people from other backgrounds, and to encourage them to experience the areas wonders.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

Read more from the original source:

Will Gore Has the Lake District gone wet in its search for more visitor diversity? - The Independent