Read Adam’s inspirational story of how getting involved in National Parks changed his life

National Parks are truly beautiful places which inspire people in millions of different ways. For Adam, becoming more involved in National Parks completely changed his life.

Adam was 20 years old and unemployed, living in Whitehaven near Cumbria. He’d left school at 16 and didn’t really have any aspirations of ideas about what to do with his life. He’d never been to a National Park even though he lived 5 miles from the Lake District. It was then that he got referred to Campaign for National Parks.

Adam’s story is one of the reasons that the legendary author Bill Bryson is asking people to support Campaign for National Parks in a BBC Radio 4 Appeal – listen now

“I was invited to go to Derwentwater Regatta in the Lake District National Park to fire a cannon, it totally got me hooked! After that explosive start I’ve been volunteering, taken people walking in the Lake District, become a member of the National Park Authority Volunteer Leadership team and spoken at national events. But the highlight has been getting into uni – something I never dreamed of.

I didn’t really like education at school, but Clare, the project officer from Campaign for National Parks noticed I was naturally leading people and introduced me to an Aspiring Leaders degree at Cumbria University – I’m now hoping to set up an environmental project creating jobs for young people in the Lake District.  

National Parks are such creative places – especially when the world is getting so much faster with internet and emails. They are somewhere you can press pause, relax and just turn yourself off from the world. I want everyone to be able to visit a National Park.”

Image – Adam on the right with other volunteers