How Open Country’s audio walks are bringing the great outdoors into people’s homes during lockdown 2

Open Country has produced a series of free audio walks around Leeds, Wakefield and North Yorkshire, which people can listen to in the comfort of their own homes or on the move.

The Harrogate based charity, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, is taking people on spoken-word journeys around the likes of Hawksworth Moor, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Nidderdale.

David Shaftoe, Open Country’s chief officer, said: “We have been producing a whole suite of audio walks where staff members and volunteers narrate their favourite walks. They have actually gone down a storm.”

He added: “The audio walks are something we really want to embrace because we have had really good feedback from our members.”

The charity official said the terrible lockdown has meant charities have had to come up with new ideas for a changed working environment. In March it was faced with the first lockdown, but Open Country is well used to adapting to changes as it had to cope with lack of access to the countryside during the Foot and Mouth outbreak of 2001.

Mr Shaftoe said: “While it was much less calamitous for people, it did present us with a similar scenario of not being able to access the countryside. Our response this time has been to develop a suite of Zoom activities, covering things like fitness, so people kept fit while they were not able to get out, latterly we have been doing nature study, making things like bird feeders and listening to bird calls and improving our identification skills. Just keeping in touch with people. Just having a chat, a cup of tea and a biscuit. It might sound innocuous but it’s really important when we might be the only face that people see.”

Open Country, which runs activities with the help of volunteers in Harrogate, Ripon, Wetherby, York, Leeds and the Wild About Wakefield project, has also been busy updating its publications. It has a series of “Break Free” packs where people can download easy access routes around the Harrogate District, Nidderdale AONB and Wharfedale. And by late spring it aims to have new wheelchair walking packs out for Wakefield, Leeds and Harrogate.

Although Open Country believes it could have continued some face-to-face group walks with up to 15 people this lockdown - because of different rules for support groups - it has decided not to.

Mr Shaftoe said: “It’s not always a matter of what you could do, it’s a matter of what you should do. Our view is Covid is rampant in our area. We have been touched by it, by people that we know. We don’t feel it is in the interests of our members in the short term to put them at risk. So we are very happy to abide by this one-month lockdown and feel it is the right thing to do.”

But it has lots of weekly video sessions to keep people entertained, including nature studies, virtual spinning and even combat classes with an instructor. Mr Shaftoe believes those who live on their own are at risk of being the most socially excluded. He added: “I suspect that it will take months and years to work out the full social cost of coronavirus. But we are just trying to work with everyone we can in the short term.”

To listen to the audio walks and to download the current Break Free packs go to www.opencountry.org.uk and click on the ‘Access Info’ tab.

CASE STUDY:
Open Country’s Wild About Wakefield project began in early 2018.

Normally, it helps around 80 people with disabilities and other conditions to get into the countryside to do various activities.

The first lockdown in March was particularly hard for members. Ella Dixon, who runs the Wakefield scheme, said: “Many are very isolated and were shielding for health reasons and therefore could not enjoy the same level of countryside access as before restrictions started. This of course had a detrimental effect on their mental wellbeing and for some, their physical health too.”

The group supported members remotely during this time. It resumed face-to-face group sessions in August but has now paused them again. But Ella stressed the importance of still getting outside, adding: “The countryside can also be a great healer, particularly in these stressful times. It can be important to find a way of calming your mind and, for a lot of people, that involves being outside immersed in nature. Unfortunately, some of our disabled members are not able to venture outside at the moment, and others simply do not want to, but for those that can do safely, a trip outdoors is always beneficial, even if it is just standing in the yard outside your house listening to birds singing.”

People can help support Open Country’s work via its page on uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/ .