Diversity and Inclusion Award supported by Sport Ireland Outdoors: Outsider Awards 2023

We believe that the outdoors is for everyone! We put the call out for you, our readers, to let us know about the most inclusive and diversity-focused companies and initiatives on the Irish outdoor and adventure scene in 2023! And we were wowed by all the incredible nominations you sent us! One winner will be picked from this list by our panel of judges and will win the Diversity and Inclusion Award 2023 at The Outsider Awards 2023 on 21 Feb 2024 in the Sugar Club.

If you’re a nominee, consider yourself cordially invited to our annual awards ceremony on the evening of Wednesday 21 February 2024 in the Sugar Club, Dublin. We are thrilled skinny to announce that our fab sponsors are on board to help us celebrate all that is great and good about the Irish adventure scene, so it’s guaranteed to be a good party.

Our hugely generous title sponsor for the Outsider Awards 2023 is Sport Ireland Outdoors, our other supporting sponsors are Craghoppers, Leave No Trace, Salewa, Vagabond Tours, Sustainable Travel Ireland and Nuasan.

For everyone else, a limited number of tickets are on sale through the link below. Subscribe to our email newsletter on our homepage to hear more about the Outsider Awards 2023.

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We were bowled over by both the quality and quantity of the stories you sent us. So sit down, make yourself comfortable and read the spine-tingling and inspirational stories of these extraordinary people who are now officially on the long list of nominees for the #OutsiderAwards.

Cycling without Age

“Getting older or losing one’s independence should not mean the end of fun,” according to Clara Clark, the individual responsible for introducing Cycling Without Age (CWA) to Ireland. This initiative that takes people who cannot walk or cycle for themselves out for free slow-cycling spins on specially designed trishaw cycles, piloted by trained volunteer pilots.

Cycling Without Age Ireland began in June 2017 with one trishaw. It has now grown to 65 trishaws all around Ireland. Clara says that initiatives such as these are important because they “bring together free, fun, active outdoor experiences to give people the sense of freedom and community that they may be missing due to infirmity, either mentally or physically. It builds new connections and relationships between the passengers and the pilots and it demonstrates that people of all ages and abilities can engage and participate, with the right support.”

One amazing impact the initiative has resulted in is the setting up of the Bike Hub in Dun Laoghaire. This social enterprise, part funded by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, now manages a fleet of accessible bikes and trikes, while also repairing and upcycling donated bikes, and training people to repair their own bikes.

The organisation is even being consulted for input to planning and engineering processes by the Dept. of Transport, the National Transport Authority, and by other local authorities. Clara’s dream is to see CWA available in every town and “to be part of a new regime of social prescribing by medics for people to connect with nature and the outdoors rather than being prescribed drugs”.

Urban Outdoor Initiative

The Urban Outdoor Adventure Initiative is on a mission to increase outdoor recreation opportunities for people with disabilities and youth groups in Cork City. Its current focus is on bádoireacht, cycling, kayaking, yoga, angling and orienteering.

It also wants to empower and enable staff in disability services and youth settings. In pursuit of this, they have several training and education opportunities on offer, including Walk Leader Training, Sports Inclusion and Disability Awareness, Autism In Sport, Get Autism Active, Ready To Go Orienteering and Leave No Trace.

The project is funded through Sport Ireland Dormant Accounts Fund, guided by the Sport Ireland Sport & Physical Activity in the Outdoors Policy and coordinated by Cork Sports Partnership in association with Cork Education and Training Board, Cork City Council, Cork Healthy Cities, IWA Sport, COPE Foundation, Foroige and Youth Work Ireland.

Irish Sailing Inclusion Games

Watersports Inclusion Games Irish Sailing — Image: Annraoi Blaney

Irish Sailing strives to be an organisation that is both inclusive and diverse and who welcome ‘everyone, irrespective of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, race, or minority community and/or disability.’ That is why The Watersports Inclusion Games was born.

The Inclusion Games is a free annual weekend event offering a variety of watersports for people of all abilities/disabilities from the physical, sensory, intellectual and learning spectrums and those experiencing barriers accessing mainstream watersports.

It’s not just sailing on offer over the course of the weekend but kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, powerboating, motorboating, rowing, waterskiing, snorkelling and dragon boating. Coming into its sixth year, the initiative continues to grow from strength to strength and is always a highlight on the Irish Sailing calendar.

This year’s event was run by volunteers at Wexford Harbour Boat and Tennis Club and saw a whopping 1,100 trips take place on the water over the weekend of 24 & 25 June. More than 400 people of all abilities and disabilities, from the physical, intellectual, sensory and learning spectrums took part, as well as those who traditionally find it hard to access sport. The activities involved ranged from SUPing to water skiing and dragon boating to dinghy sailing. Approximately 125 volunteers gave up their time to make the event a raging success.

The RISE Project

The RISE Project provides adventure therapy from qualified social care workers for teens aged 12 to 17 from north Wexford. This community-based project, run by Gorey Youth Needs Group offers a wide range of activities including bushcraft, hiking, biking, water activities and more. Each programme is personalised for participants, based on their needs and abilities. The organisation “has the ability to be responsive to emergency situations and provide outcome-focused work for as long as the issues persist,” says John Fortune, The RISE Project Coordinator.

In 2023, the group took the lead on the Discovery project, a local multi-agency project working with groups of ‘at-risk’ young people on community safety, whilst also getting involved in the foundation of the Outdoor Therapeutic Activity Providers (OTAP) Network.

They’ve had many success stories over the years. One that springs to John’s mind is that of a young man who they started working with in 2020. “He has autism and was having difficulties with social interactions at home, in school and with making friends. This was compounded by parental divorce and separation and Covid-19 restrictions on travel. The RISE Project gave him a physical outlet for his energy and supported him with anger management as he worked with psychotherapists on other issues. Three years later, he has left us as he prepares to finish his LCA as a much more confident and capable young man.”

Meitheal Mara

Meitheal Mara is a community boatyard in the heart of Cork City. The name of the charity could not be more fitting, translating to “community of the sea”. From the very beginning, when it was founded way back in 1993, the ethos of Meitheal Mara was to get people on the water, especially those who would not otherwise have the chance to do so.

“Our central focus is not on speed or performance but instead is on inclusion. Young people that wish to race and compete are given the opportunity to do so but it is not at the core of what we do. Bádóireacht has worked to reduce the barriers to participation in our activities. This means that you don’t need specialist equipment, you don’t need to train for hours and you don’t even need to be particularly fit. Young people can engage to a greater or lesser extent depending on their own needs,” says Clare Hayden, Youth Programme Manager & Trainer of the Bádóireacht Programme

They are all about giving back to the community, from their Bádoireacht programme which teaches young people to row, sail or paddle, to their Back to Education Initiative which provides an alternative route to basic numeracy, communications and literacy using boat building skills as the vehicle. The programme is specifically targeted at early school leavers and homeless youth (ages 15+). BTEI also runs canoe and coracle building courses for people with physical challenges and mental health difficulties.

On top of this, they run a Community Employment Scheme which works with long-term unemployed people to help build confidence and skills. And finally, their Community Services Programme which provides places for people with disabilities or who are in recovery to work and learn in a safe and supportive environment.

Noel Joyce from Project Mjolnir

Project Mjolnir is an Open Source Adaptive Mountain Bike Initiative that strives to enable more people with disabilities, especially wheelchair users, to participate in mountain biking and to build their own adaptive bike.

Founded by Noel Joyce, who, in spite of a life-changing mountain biking crash that took away his ability to walk and ended his military career, refused to let go of his passion: riding bikes. “Adaptive mountain biking has been transformative for my life. It’s not just about physical well-being but also mental well-being. When I’m on the bike facing a difficult trail, all life’s problems fade away, and I enter a state of hyper-focus called the flow state. This sense of being fully alive and present on the trail has positively influenced other areas of my life,” he says.

One of the challenges adaptive mountain bikers face is access and cost of the equipment. These are issues that Project Mjolnir is actively addressing. Additionally, the way in which trails are designed poses challenges. “We need to ensure the trails are accessible to adaptive mountain bikers without compromising the trail for others,” says Noel. “By sharing my experiences and recording my rides on various trails, I hope to showcase what’s possible in adaptive mountain biking. Designing more affordable adaptive bikes and making them available at trail centres worldwide will also create opportunities for more individuals with disabilities to join the sport.”

Blessington Tidy Towns

Blessington Tidy Towns (BTT) has an active volunteer cohort of 40-50 people that continues to grow as the group opens its arms and extends a warm welcome to everyone who now calls the picturesque lakeside town home. Not only does the group participate in well-known initiatives such as Tidy Towns Competition, the #2MinuteStreetClean and the #BigBeachClean, but they go the extra mile to foster community engagement.

BTT collaborated closely with Blessington Community College to establish a Youth Environmental Council and officially became a Gaisce “Challenge Partner”. The group extended its outreach to newer community members, including those who recently relocated, individuals displaced from Ukraine, and those under International Protection.

In December 2022, a heartwarming collection of toys and vouchers was initiated within the local community with the proceeds benefiting residents of a local Protection Centre and families facing economic challenges. They also worked alongside Co Wicklow Partnership’s SICAP Coordinator to initiate an informal English Chat to foster connections with individuals from diverse backgrounds, with a particular focus on supporting Ukrainians and newly Irish. On their weekly litter picks, they will have a minimum of five or six different nationalities involved.

IMRA HER Outdoor Run

Organised by the Irish Mountain Running Association as part of HER Outdoors Week 2023, women flocked to Sligo for a women-only trail run. The light women’s training session took place on the off-road section of the Warriors Run on Knocknarea Mountain. The women were equipped with the knowledge to safely take on the rough terrain that is found on the trails all over the country. There was a particular focus on improving the participants’ downhill running skills. It was a fantastic opportunity for women who may have been too nervous about trail running before to try the sport in a welcoming environment.

The event catered to both trail running novices and experienced runners, featuring a relaxed 5km jog with plenty of stops for valuable tips on running techniques, footwork, and friendly chats. Participants even had the chance to try on trail shoes and gain footwear insights courtesy of Run Pod Sligo. The evening concluded on a high note with delicious pizza and more conversations, offering valuable information on women’s participation in trail running, insights into IMRA, and a glimpse into the vibrant trail running scene in Sligo and the North West.

The camaraderie and shared experiences made the event more than just a run – it was a memorable gathering that brought together passion, knowledge, and a strong sense of community.