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19
Oct 2024
The Harrogate charity bringing the countryside to people's homes
It certainly hasn’t been the best start to autumn, but when those rare dry days in the district do occur, it’s a great opportunity to the enjoy fresh air and autumnal scenes of the Yorkshire countryside.
However, the turn of the season can present challenges to most people when it comes to getting outdoors; darker mornings and evenings, poor visibility and colder weather to name but a few.
While many of us will take for granted that we have the luxury of choice, there are many residents in the district and beyond who – whatever the weather – cannot get out into nature.
Harrogate-based charity Open Country is striving to make the countryside accessible to all, through a series of audio guides which follow some of the region’s best known walking routes.
People can explore locations such as Brimham Rocks, Fountains Abbey, The Valley of Desolation all from the comfort of their own home.
The charity is also currently working on a brand new series of walks as part of the charity’s partnership with Nidderdale National Landscape.
'The ultimate escapism'
When Open Country was first formed in 1990, it was supposed to be a temporary project.
Over three decades later, it has enabled hundreds of people with disabilities to enjoy the countryside, leading activities and offering training and advice to other organisations.
Brimham Rocks is one of the locations featured in Open Country's audio walks (Image: supplied)
As with so many organisations, the Covid-19 pandemic prompted the charity to have to rethink how it operated, while still offering the same service to its members.
Tom Marsh, countryside activities officer for Open Country explained:
During the pandemic, we wanted to be able to keep our members connected, whilst also allowing them to stay connected to the great outdoors.
The idea for audio guided walks was born and immediately warmly received, not only by current members, but also by a whole new – and unexpected – demographic.
Posted to Youtube and on the Open Country website, each episode spread much further afield than the Harrogate district, much to the charity's surprise.
Tom said:
With over 50 walks now recorded, we’ve attracted a wider audience of nature lovers who, for whatever reason, can’t get 'out there' in person.
We’ve even heard from folk now living overseas who tell us how special it is to be transported to a Yorkshire landscape.
I think people enjoy listening to the walks so much because you’re connecting with the moment and appreciating the small details.
Tom has lent his dulcet tones and nearly-decade’s worth of experience at Open Country to the guided walks, gently talking listeners along the whole route.
He tries to create an immersive experience, describing what he is seeing and hearing, with some history sprinkled in, to establish a vivid ‘sense of place’.
He added:
It can be challenging sometimes to keep it different, for example to think of new ways to describe, say, a woodland.
Audio walks provide a gentle, almost mindful experience, allowing listeners to escape into new landscapes – or even to revisit familiar ones, from a totally different perspective. It’s the ultimate escapism.
'We walked these trails as children'
While Open Country offers its services to individuals with many different classifications of disability, a large portion of its members are visually impaired.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) estimates there are 320,000 people in the UK that are registered as blind or partially sighted.
From this number, not all are born with a visual impairment – data shows that one in five people will live with sight loss in their lifetime, with as many as one in 250 people per day starting to lose their sight.
According to the charity, that’s why the level of detail provided in the audio guided walks is so important; it can help listeners recall how an object or landscape looked or give those who have never had sight enough information to be able to conjure an image in their mind.
Adeel, a member of Open Country with a visual impairment, is a regular listener to the walks.
He said:
I enjoy the audio walks especially the history about the area. I like the descriptions; for example, how a foxglove looks and pointing out bird sounds.
I do like being reminded of how plants, animals, trees etc. generally look, so the visual descriptions are great. The audio walks are clear and entertaining.
Members of Open Country enjoying a walk at Jervaulx Abbey (Image: Open Country)
Another avid listener is Nick, who may very well be the furthest-flung fan; originally from Harrogate, he now lives in Australia and is part of the charity’s surprising demographic.
He expressed his delight at being able to unlock childhood memories by virtually revisiting some of his old haunts.
He commented:
Thank you, for these walks - evocative, informative and serene. We walked these trails as children, with Harrogate as our home, happy days indeed.
Open Country's upcoming new series of new walks around Nidderdale will be released over the next few months, and Tom has already laced up his boots and set out to record the first episodes.
So if you're enjoying the local countryside and come across a man seemingly talking to himself, don't worry - it may very well be Tom, fulfilling his promise to deliver nature directly to people's homes.
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