Email: info@outdoormobility.org
Phone: 07843 754239
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9am-5pm
History
“Anyone with limited mobility should have access to the outdoors.”
The charity began through the vision of our founder and first Charity Development Manager, Julia Walker.
Julia was moved by the plight of family and friends, and by her own experiences of coping with chronic pain, to see that little was being done to combat the isolation and exclusion experienced by people with limited mobility. She carried out research into what was being done to tackle this in other areas of the UK, and settled on a membership-based operation which would allow people with limited mobility to access Cumbria’s wild places through hiring all-terrain mobility scooters.
In late 2016 three Trustees came together - Ruth Kurkal, Anna Scamans and Adrian Jones – and 'Lake District Mobility' was born. The formation of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) soon followed, achieving registered charity status in April 2017, and Lake District Mobility hired out its first ‘Tramper’, at Whinlatter Forest, in May 2018.
Since then we have gone from strength to strength, and have :
Jan 2018
Employed our Charity Development Manager after receiving a grant from an anonymous charitable trust.
Feb 2018
Received further grant funding from Allerdale Borough Council, Kings Church Cockermouth and the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA).
March 2018
Purchased our first two Trampers (retaining one for auditing trails and as backup).
April 2018
Recruited Chris Macleod to become Lake District Mobility's fourth Trustee.
May 2018
Launched our first Tramper at Whinlatter Forest, with the support of the Forestry Commission.
November 2018
Helped form a group of key organisations dedicated to improving accessibility called Accessible Cumbria.
December 2018
Employed our Charity Administrator.
December 2018
Started a partnership with the North York Moors National Park Authority, delivering multiple Tramper hire sites in that area.
January 2019
Received further funding from the anonymous charitable trust to secure our revenue costs for the next three years.
March 2019
Launched our second Tramper at the Langdale Estates.
March 2019
Received an Award from the High Sheriff of Cumbria for “great and valuable service to the community.”
April 2019
Employed our Fundraising and Policy Officer
Sept 2019
Begun working with LDNPA to make Orrest Head accessible for all. The National Park and Windermere Town Council aim to place an LDM Tramper when path work is completed.
Dec 2019
Developed and ran the “Tourism for Everyone” conference, championing accessible tourism with leading tourism organisations in the Lake District.
During 2020-2021
The scheme was on temporary hold due to the Covid pandemic.
July 2021
Provided a second Tramper to meet high demand at Whinlatter Forest, sponsored by Galloping Horse pub.
August 2021
Launched Grizedale Forest, our third Tramper site in the Lake District and fifth in the north of England.
April 2023
The charity takes on the new name to 'Outdoor Mobility'.
We continue to work with our current and new partners to increase the provision of Trampers across the north of England.