Authentic Scottish experiences without barriers
"It can be extremely daunting starting out in the mountains without a guiding hand... The Access Fund is more than just financial support, it recognises the barriers women face to being in the mountains and tells us that we belong here too" - attendee 2024
Inclusive Tourism with Girls on Hills. Credit Beth Chalmers
With the spring/summer season coming to a close, we're looking ahead to a busy winter but also reflecting on the much appreciated recognition we have received this year for our advocacy services and inclusive tourism practices. So what is 'Inclusive Tourism'?
Inclusive tourism aims to remove barriers to access and provide equal opportunities for everyone to enjoy experiences on offer, such as travel or outdoor recreation. In our case we strive to empower women with the skills and confidence to become independent in the mountain environment, while showcasing Scotland’s stunning highland landscapes. We challenge barriers to access and seek to reduce the gender gap in participation that exists within mountain sports - a core tourism industry in the Scottish Highlands.
Girls on Hills strive for equity in the outdoor tourism industry. Credit Keri Wallace
Earlier this year, Girls on Hills was awarded a prestigious The Great Outdoors Reader Award in the Open Outdoors category. These awards are recognised as the UK’s biggest democratic celebration of the people, places and businesses that ‘make our outdoor lives better’. In a bumper year, the 2024 awards saw 44,000 votes! The Open Outdoors award celebrates ‘individuals or groups who have inspired people to head into the outdoors, widened participation, improved outdoor education or encouraged diversity’. To this end, Girls on Hills were also nominated as a Finalist in the National 2024 Outdoor Expo Awards (Outdoor Education & Training Award). This month we were delighted to become a Winner in the Highland & Islands Thistle Awards in the Inclusive Tourism Category. This award celebrates 'a business, who has developed an outstanding welcome for all customers, who provides accessible facilities which can enjoyed by all customers'.
We were recognised for our commitment to equality, providing services designed for a specific customer group, offering opportunities for low-income or disadvantaged women to participate in outdoor tourism. As a Scottish Thistle Award Regional Winner, Girls on Hills will now progress to the Scottish Thistle Awards National Final delivered by Visit Scotland, as a National Finalist in the same category.
'For thirty years, these awards have shone a spotlight on the best of the tourism industry' - Visit Scotland. Award photo credit HITA.
It’s undoubtedly an exciting time for women's sport, which is undergoing a remarkable transformation worldwide, capturing unprecedented support and recognition. In outdoor sport and tourism sectors however, we still see a significant gender gap in participation across trail/mountain running and mountaineering, which likely stems from subtle cultural ‘barriers’ that women still face in our society. These include issues such as career/pay inequalities and financial independence, affordable childcare provision/time availability and healthcare inequalities. There are also inequalities that specifically relate to running/racing, which are beginning to be addressed by race directors (e.g. equal prize money, sponsorship, media coverage and fair pregnancy deferral policies etc). As ambassadors to She Races, we're delighted to be a part of this positive change and to see Inclusive Tourism being valued so highly across Scotland and the UK.
So what are we doing about it?
Last year, Girls on Hills delivered 98 events across the UK, with both in-person and online courses on the programme. These included a number of ‘representation’ projects with grass roots/community groups, including the Black Trail Runners, Wanderlust Women, Equalinks, Bonnie Boots and the Jaguar Landrover REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) Network.
As a business, we seek to be socially conscious and encourage women from all backgrounds, abilities, ages and ethnic minorities to join group courses. Our events provide a ‘safe space’ where women can have authentic adventures while enjoying the many physical, mental health and wellbeing benefits that come with exercising in Scotland’s great outdoors.
This year Girls on Hills was awarded grant funding from the Scottish Mountaineering Trust (SMT) and launched a Crowdfunder appeal (raising over £4.5k in total) for a new Access Fund. This fund was created to finance places on skills events for women facing ‘additional barriers’ to access. Additional barriers were taken to include financial difficulties, mental health issues, disability, lack of representation (minority ethnic group, colour or faith), sexual or gender minority, victim of abuse, sole parenting/caring responsibilities and social isolation.
But that's not all - Girls on Hills are ambassadors for Highland Tourism and as such, we also strive put conscious travel and responsible tourism practices at the heart of what we do. We encourage ‘plogging’, teach 'Leave No Trace' practices and promote responsible use of highland landscapes, to include best-practice wild camping and proper use of Scottish bothies. Girls on Hills is also an ambassador for the It's Up to Us campaign which is fundraising to maintain and repair Scotland's mountain paths. We encourage lift-sharing and use of public transport, and support the local economy by connecting runners with local/small accommodation providers and cafes/restaurants in the surrounding villages.
Inclusive Tourism with Girls on Hills. Credit Beth Chalmers
Why have an Access Fund?
The health and well-being benefits of exercising in groups, in nature and in open spaces are well-documented. For thios reason, campaigns like ours are seeing success worldwide, from school and community level, right up to national scale programs in countries with pronounced gender inequality. Benefits are known to include improvements in self-esteem, ambition and body image, as well as challenging gender stereotypes. Building confidence, developing leadership and mastering a new skill-set feeds an empowered mindset that translates into daily life. Despite its apparent simplicity however, recreation in the mountains can be expensive. This might be due to travel, equipment or the cost of skills courses and races (not to mention child-care/caring support). Compared to the majority of women, some groups face additional barriers and are poorly represented across our sport.
Inclusive Tourism with Girls on Hills. Credit Hannah Shaw, REACH Network, Jaguar Landrover
Access Fund Progress Update
So far in 2024, the Access Fund has fully-financed 86 places on events open to women facing additional barriers to access. This has included a number of direct applications to skills courses, as well as the delivery of 6 new 'not-for-profit' events across Scotland, N Wales and the Lake District (these events were Hill Start, Hit the Trail and Running High, which covered hillwalking, trail running and mountain running respectively). These events were created exclusivley for women who were eligible for Access Fund support.
"It can be extremely daunting starting out in the mountains without a guiding hand. For me as a survivor of gender based violence I struggle with confidence in my own abilities but this weekend has shown me that I’m capable of getting out running in the mountains. Sometimes we need a nudge in the right direction to show us what we’re capable of and Girls on Hills do that in just the right way. The access fund is more than just financial support, it recognises the barriers women face to being in the mountains and tells us that we belong here too" - attendee 2024
A big thank YOU!
Girls on Hills would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have supported, donated, nominated, voted and attended our events this year! We see a high amount of repeat business and are very grateful for the encouragement and loyalty of our customers, followers and wider community. We'd also like to thank our amazing team of guides, without whom our events would not be possible. It's motivating and rewarding to work together as a team, pulling in the same direction with a shared ethos - striving to 'be the change'!
Find out more about Girls on Hills Advocacy Services here.
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