Reimagining a Wilder, Fairer Future for National Parks at Wild Summit

Our CEO, Dr Maxwell A. Ayamba BEM, who is also Council Member of the Campaign for National Parks (CNP) on Wednesday September 9th 2026 was panelist at the CNP’s “Reimagining a Wilder, Fairer Future for National Parks” Wild Summit, which took place at The Beacon, Bristol.

The Summit, organised by Wildlife & Countryside Link was attended by over 300 delegates from environmental organisations, NGOs, Business organisations, Funders, DEFRA and many other statutory bodies. The Leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanski opened the conference.

Please click to read more about the Summit

The podcast will start with Sheffield Environmental Movement, exploring what the
organisation does, the communities it works alongside and what that work looks
like day to day.

Our conversation will then broaden into the meaning of “access to nature”. We’ll
explore whether being able to visit the countryside is the same as feeling visible
and that you genuinely belong there. We’ll also consider whose stories about the
British countryside have been overlooked and whether describing communities
as “hard to reach” prevents us from asking who actually needs to do the
Reaching.

Podcast host: Julia Baker, Mott MacDonald Global Submarket Lead for Nature
With over twenty years’ experience, Julia has a wealth of expertise in
biodiversity net gain, ecosystem services and ecological mitigation. She is also a visiting
researcher at Oxford University, chair of the British Standards Group
on Biodiversity.

Clapham Nature Trail & Ingleborough Cave Tour by SADACCA Women’s Group.

Sheffield Environmental Movement (SEM), working in partnership with Access the Dales took 23 women from the Sheffield & District African Caribbean Community Association (SADACCA) on a field trip along Clapham Nature Trail and the Ingleborough Cave, one of the largest caves in the UK featuring thousands of years impressive limestones, stalactites, stalagmites and underground passages stretching hours of miles.

The Clapham Nature Trail is a well known walking route in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The trail follows landscaped woodland and riverside pool paths through the Clapham Estate, leading visitors towards Ingleborough Cave. Along the route are attractive waterfalls, mature woodland, wildlife habitats and views towards Ingleborough, one of Yorkshire’s famous Three Peaks. Ingleborough Cave is one of Britain’s finest caves and has welcomed visitors since 1837.

The cave contains formations created thousands of years. The guided tour provided the women an insight into the geology, history and natural environment of the cave system.

According to SEM’s CEO Dr Maxwell Ayamba BEM, who accompanied the women, “the trip was a life-time experience as this was a rare opportunity to see nature’s wonders”. He noted that although the women, some elderly, and with mobility problems still managed to tour the cave as they said this was a spectacular experience that they dare not miss out.

Dr Ayamba said Access the Dales has been a wonderful partner working with SEM to take elderly people but also those with mobility problems to visit special sites and places that would have been impossible. The women he said, have never heard of Clapham Nature Trail and the spectacular Ingleborough Cave. These outdoor learning experiences according to Dr Ayamba are quite rare in minoritised communities, when it comes to the elderly and the disabled, who appear to lose out in benefiting from the greater outdoor experience.

As all the women said after the tour, “We had such a lovely time visiting Ingleborough Cave with the women’s group. It was our first time experiencing anything like this, and we really enjoyed exploring and seeing the cave and its history and nature features which are quite spectacular, it was so interesting! A big thank you to Maxwell and Debbie for organising such a wonderful trip”.

SEM field trip to The Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate.

As part of efforts to raise awareness about rural farming and animal husbandry, SEM with the support of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), arranged a field trip on July 16th, 2026, to this year’s Great Yorkshire Show at Harrogate for a group of elderly Pakistani men and young people from the Jamia Masjid Ghausia (JMG) in Sheffield.

The Great Yorkshire Show is one of the biggest attractions in the country, and this was the 167th attracting thousands of people showcasing all kind of breeds of livestock and with other agricultural items and equipment on display.

The Chair of SEM, Mr Mahmood Hussain, described the visit as intergenerational as included participants many of who were born in the rural countryside back in Pakistan and who have lived in Sheffield for over 50 years, yet this was their first visit to the Great Yorkshire Show.

Mr Hussain who was born and grew up in Pakistan described the trip as bringing together the older and younger members of the community, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the many attractions the Show offered. He noted growing up in rural Pakistani many of the men had farms, reared livestock before relocating to England. The young people on the other hand, did not have this kind of rural upbringing. The visit therefore afforded the opportunity for the older generation to reconnect with their rural roots and to re-live childhood memories but also share their lived experience of farming and livestock rearing with the younger participants.

They watched impressive cattle and horse displays and explored the wide variety of sheep, cows, goats and other farm animals on display. For many of the older participants, the visit brought back fond memories of their farming backgrounds. They shared their experiences and stories with the younger generation, creating meaningful conversations and strengthening the bond between the generations.

They also explored the many stalls showcasing leather and sheepskin products, items that many people use in everyday life. One of the highlights of the day was watching a traditional sheep shearing competition. It was fascinating to see the skill and speed involved, with competitors aiming to remove the entire fleece in a single piece without causing harm to the sheep.

The visit was both educational and enjoyable, giving everyone greater appreciation of farming, rural life and the importance of preserving these traditions while bringing generations together.

JMG express its thanks to Dr Maxwell Ayamba BEM from SEM and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS) for their valued partnership and generous support in making this visit possible. Their continued commitment to bringing communities together through educational and environmental initiatives is appreciated.

Dr Maxwell Ayamba BEM, CEO of SEM who accompanied the group noted that strong partnership working with YAS has been fundamental in helping SEM take people from minoritised communities to attend the yearly Great Yorkshire Show which is one of the greatest attractions in the country. He noted that creating these opportunities raises awareness about the importance of farming such as food growing and animal husbandry which is fundamental to the UK economy. People from minoritised communities consume lots of diary products and it is important for them to understand the importance of sustainable farming and the challenges faced by farmers in these times of increasing climate change and nature decline. Dr Ayamba noted farming is still not a profession among minoritised communities in the UK although having spoken to many people the data show that they are interested in farming.

Below is a video clip of about the feedback from some of the men