WE'RE HERE FOR THE TRAILS.
We're proud to put on the first annual State of Our Trails Summit, hosted in partnership with Bosch eBike Systems, Trek UK, The North Face & Bangor University. Thanks so much for joining us in what will be a project that will inform and enable their mission to reduce single-use pollution on the UK’s trails and wild places and (re)connect people with nature by 2025.
The day centres around the release of our 'State of Our Trails Report - Baseline Study’, in association with Bosch eBike Systems & Bangor University. Utilising over 300 data sets provided by cycling citizen scientists across the world, this baseline study of the prevalence and impacts of single-use pollution (fka; litter!) on terrestrial ecosystems provides the foundations for a groundbreaking 5-year research project.
Whether you're joining us on day or following along remotely, we'd love you to join the conversation @trashfreetrails and #stateofourtrailsreport
SPEAKING AT THE SUMMIT.
Dom Ferris
Dom is the founder and company director of Trash Free Trails. For Dom, the driving of the issues surrounding the mission is a sense of disconnection which is leading to the degradation of our trails, wild places and ecosystems. Along with building positive connections with nature through community action Dom's MRes project at Bangor will set a baseline understanding of the impacts of single-use pollution to help shape a way forward to tackle the causes.
Rebecca Kaye
Becky works under the moniker Ploterre to create designs and artwork using environmental data. With a background in mathematics and visual communications and a passion for the natural world, she combines these skills and interests to create a link between nature to numbers and data to design.
Tom Hill
@24tom
Tom is a freelance outdoors writer and Trash Free Trails“Wordsmith-in-Chief”. He’s happiest when outdoors, whether that’s riding, running, climbing, wandering or simply enjoying the view. Tom is passionate about telling the stories of his own and others adventures. He is a firm believer in the power of storytelling to inspire, entertain and mobilise. His work has been published in Sidetracked Magazine, Cranked magazine, The Guardian and elsewhere.
Dr Martyn Kurr
FHEA
Dr Martyn Kurr is a lecturer in marine biology and ecology at Bangor University. He completed his PhD at the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor in 2015, and his research and teaching specialties include coastal ecology, non-native species, macroalgal physiology and ecology, microplastic pollution, whole organism biology, and experimental design. Martyn is Dom Ferris' masters' supervisor and Principle Investigator of the academic part of this project.
Rich
Breeden
An avid roamer and super keen rider, Richard holds an MSc in Psychology of Mental Health with a speciality in nature connection and a background in hospitality and event management.
His passion for the improvement of wellbeing in individuals through nature connection, environmental stewardship and physical exercise has led to the development of exciting new interventions in the Trash Free Trails project roster that extend through 2021 and beyond.
Jo Shwe
Chairlady of Yorkshire Trail Collective advocacy group, and Nurture Lead within a pupil referral unit, Jo shares a passion for empowering and engaging young people to become better versions of themselves, and understanding how their outside world can support their social, emotional and mental health. Her experience of working alongside some of the hardest to reach students, and dedication to offer them engaging purposeful adventures led her to Trash Free Trails and the pioneering of the Trash Mob Academy programme.
Harry Wood
Harry is from The Right Track Outdoors, a social enterprise providing positive and enriching adventurous activities in Yorkshire. As a British Cycling coach, he is passionate about using cycling to encourage young people to stay active and grow in confidence and is one of the pioneers of the Trash Mob Academy.
Cornell
Hanxomphou
Cornell Hanxomphou has a passion for the outdoors and all things natural. He has worked in the climate change and environmental sector as a scientist, communicator, policy developer, and community organizer. He currently works as the Climate Change representative at CEMVO Scotland, and coordinator of the Ethnic Minority Environmental Network, championing climate action and justice. Cornell spends his downtime clinging to rocks and immersing himself in the mountains.
Aneela McKenna
Aneela McKenna is the founder of Mòr Diversity, a diversity, inclusion and wellbeing consultancy business. She launched Mòr Diversity in 2020, after identifying a need in the cycling and outdoors sector to adapt to new ways of thinking and to reap the rewards from having a fully inclusive approach to business She also works as a mountain bike coach, guide, mentor and cycling entrepreneur co-partnering award-winning cycle tour operator Go-Where Scotland, established 2008.
Aneela has over ten years experience working in the cycling sector and over 20 years as diversity, inclusion and wellbeing professional. Combining this skillset, Aneela’s uniquely placed to provide a diverse range of professional services to businesses within cycling and the outdoors.
KEYNOTE SESSION (13:45) - OUTDOOR INTERSECTIONS
Mor Diversity website
Blog - The Borders mountain biker blazing for diversity in the sport
Article - Aneela McKenna: tireless trailblazer for diversity and inclusion
Article - Time to reflect as Black History Month comes to a close
SPEAKER LINKS AND RESOURCES.