Board Member Spotlight: Edel Trainor
15th September 2023Edel joined the board in 2023 but was no stranger to the world or Outdoor Recreation NI, having worked with us on several projects prior to this. Edel has studied Environmental Science (BSc), Environmental Engineering (PGDip) and Town and Country Planning (MA). She worked as a Town and Country Planner in…
New GreenspaceNI Map to help realise the benefits of accessing the outdoors
20th June 2023The new digital map will identify which areas of Northern Ireland have the greatest need for accessible quality greenspace. The first ever interactive digital map designed to be an analytical and planning tool for all publicly accessible greenspace and trails across Northern Ireland has been launched today by Outdoor Recreation…
Sustainable tourism in Slovenia: a learning journey
9th May 2023Slovenia is recognised as a leader in sustainable tourism. In April, the Strategic Project’s team travelled to the central European country, famous for its mountains and lakes, to discover the secret of its success. Our learning journey took us to three destinations, each at a different stage of sustainable tourism…
Board Member Spotlight: Fiona Kane
5th May 2023Fiona joined the Outdoor Recreation NI Board just before the start of 2023 and you can see below why she is a perfect fit for the organisation. Fiona is a native of Belfast, educated at Queen’s University where she first completed a BA Honours in English Language and Literature and…
Board Member Spotlight: David Hughes
28th March 2023Outdoor Recreation NI has a wealth of support from our board members. They help to shape the business and guide it through its development as we move from strength to strength. Unfortunately, we can’t hold on to members forever and we have had some old faces leave and four new…
One Year at Outdoor Recreation NI
13th March 2023The team at Outdoor Recreation NI is always expanding and growing, adding more strings of expertise and enthusiasm for the sector to our bow. In the past 4 years alone we have employed nine new staff members and now have a super team of 24 members pin total. We spoke…
ORNI Conference 2023: Creating Healthy People, Communities and the Environment
1st March 2023The ORNI Conference 2023 was a huge success! The event attracted a wide range of organisations within the outdoor industry including local authorities, environmental organisations, government departments, governing bodies of sport and charities. We want to thank the Greenhill YMCA National Outdoor Centre for hosting us, Graham Little for being…
ORNI Conference: Expert Panel – Local Communities
9th February 2023The ORNI conference will consist of three sessions, looking at what’s next for health and outdoor recreation, local communities and outdoor recreation, and the environment and outdoor recreation. This week’s ezine focuses on the panel who will share their expertise and insights on what is next for local communities and…
ORNI Conference: Expert Panel – Environment
7th February 2023The ORNI Conference is now three weeks away and we are excited to announce our second expert panel joining us on the 23rd February 2023. It will be the first in-person event since the pandemic and we look forward to seeing you there. Haven't booked? Don't miss out - BOOK…
ORNI Conference: Expert Panel – Health
30th January 2023The ORNI Conference 2023 will be our first in-person conference since the pandemic and there will be lots of opportunities to be inspired, share information, and network with others. The Greenhill YMCA National Outdoor Centre in Newcastle (County Down) is located on the stunning slopes of Slieve Donard mountain, and…
World Mental Health Day
10th October 2022It’s World Mental Health Day. A great opportunity to shine a light on the importance of mental health, how we can look after it and how important it is to talk about things and seek help if you are struggling. In the People in the Outdoors Monitor Northern Ireland (POMNI)…
Changing Places Toilets in the Outdoors
3rd May 2022People with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well as other disabilities that severely limit mobility, cannot typically use standard accessible toilets. Changing Places Toilets are becoming widely recognised for their role as a critical component to providing inclusive experiences, whether visiting a place of education, work, the shops, or…
Managing Visitors with Dogs post COVID
7th February 2022The Outdoor Recreation NI Training team hosted the 'Managing Visitors with Dogs post COVID' webinar in October 2021 with guest speaker Stephen Jenkinson. The premise of this webinar was that with dog ownership up 47% during the pandemic, it would provide a good foundation for knowing how best to manage…
Social Return on Investment Toolkit for Trails and Greenspace
11th November 2021The importance of trails and greenspace, particularly for people’s health and wellbeing, has never been so apparent. To ensure that trails and greenspace remain high on the agenda and receive the invested warranted, the outdoor recreation sector must be able to measure the impact and quantify the value of trails…
Erne Angling Study Survey
10th August 2021Please find detailed below a link to an online survey which is being undertaken by Outdoor Recreation NI on behalf of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, DAERA Inland Fisheries and Waterways Ireland to review the angling product on the Erne System. The survey results will help shape a draft, prioritised…
ORNI Webinar: Measuring the Value & Impact of Greenspace
10th August 2021ORNI was delighted to host its next webinar of the 2021/22 season on August 10th, exploring Measuring the Value and Impact of Greenspace. The importance of trails and greenspace, particularly for people’s health and wellbeing, has never been so apparent. To ensure that trails and greenspace remain high on the…
Reducing the need to travel for the simple pleasure of a walk
2nd June 2021ORNI’s Claire McLernon outlines the importance of doorstep outdoor recreation opportunities to the Green Recovery.
ORNI Webinar: Managing Visitor Pressure
1st June 2021ORNI was delighted to host it's first webinar of the 2021/22 season on June 1st, exploring Managing Visitor Pressure. As seen over the last year, the number of visitors to the outdoors has increased enormously and consequently many of our sites are experiencing unprecedented visitor pressures and some associated…
Outdoor Recreation – People, Nature & Health – What next?
2nd March 2021New research has highlighted the health benefits of the outdoors are not being enjoyed equally across society with recent lockdown exacerbating long standing issues. Filling the research gap Although the benefits of outdoor recreation are widely evidenced, until now there was no systematic population-wide research on how people in Northern…
Happy and Healthy Communities: The Impact and Value of Being Active Outdoors
26th February 2021The 2021 ORNI Conference and Strategy Launch was a huge success. Thank you to all who attended on the day and to all of the speakers who delivered presentations and research to the conference. We were delighted to have 5 Stormont ministers contribute on the day too with…
The Provision of Access for Outdoor Recreation in Northern Ireland
28th January 2021The provision of access for outdoor recreation in Northern Ireland Key Stakeholder Consultation 27th January – 29th March 2021 DAERA has launched a key stakeholder consultation to seek their views of key stakeholders on the current provision members of the public have to Northern Irelands natural environment for outdoor…
ORNI Webinar: Access Legislation in Northern Ireland
28th January 2021This webinar provided an overview of current Access Legislation in Northern Ireland and showcased a number practical examples in which the various mechanisms have been utilised to provide access for recreation. In addition, the National Outdoor Recreation Forum (NORF) has outlined thoughts as to how access legislation could potentially…
How a Walking Strategy Can Deliver on Wellbeing and Green Recovery
4th January 2021The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to live and work differently, to understand better the importance of health and wellbeing, behave more sustainably, and to envisage a better, greener future. Going forward, improving people’s engagement with the outdoors will be crucial to wellbeing and a green recovery – and…
ORN Webinar – Maximising Opportunities for Outdoor Learning
19th October 2020In our role as Secretariat, ORNI facilitated an Outdoor Recreation Network Webinar entitled ‘Maximising Opportunities for Outdoor Learning’ This webinar explored how COVID-19 has been a catalyst for dramatic change in many aspects of our lives, including learning. With children having returned to school across the UK and Ireland,…
ORN Webinar – Looking ahead: What the public are telling us and how do we react?
2nd September 2020In our role as Secretariat, ORNI facilitated an Outdoor Recreation Network Webinar entitled ‘Looking ahead: What the public are telling us and how do we react?’ The webinar provided a series of case studies exploring research from around the UK and Ireland on how people engaged with the outdoors…
ORN Webinar – Returning Volunteers Safely
10th July 2020This webinar provided a series of case studies highlighting good practice approaches to returning volunteers to their roles following COVID-19 lockdown.
VSG COVID-19 Recovery Planning Webinar
5th June 2020In our role as Secretariat, ORNI facilitated a Visitor Safety Group Webinar entitled ‘COVID-19 Recovery Planning' The webinar provided an overview of VSG COVID-19 Recovery Guidance which outlines the key areas all landowners and countryside managers will need to consider and assess when re-opening and managing outdoor public access…
ORN Member Webinar – COVID-19 approaches to re-opening the outdoors
28th May 2020National perspectives and practical case studies from across the UK an Ireland
Engaging with the Outdoors during COVID-19 Lockdown in Northern Ireland
20th May 2020A new survey highlights the importance of accessing outdoors safely during COVID 19.
Power of Walking Conference
10th March 2020ORNI recently hosted the ‘Power of Walking’ Conference with the Public Health Agency and Sport NI. The objective was to demonstrate how achieving a stronger culture of walking has the power to offer enormous benefits for the local population in Northern Ireland. The conference was opened by the Chief…
Managing Informal (Natural) Mountain Bike Trails – Key Learnings
20th January 2020Chris Scott shares his learnings from the Visitor Safety Group Workshop – Managing Informal Mountain Bike Trails
Active Clubs Walking Programme- Highlight Reel
19th December 2018A video showcase of the fantastic achievements of the Active Clubs programme over the last four years.
Sharing Best Practice – Connswater Community Greenway
28th September 2018Diane Crookes shares her leanings from a recent Outdoor Recreation Group learning journey to the Connswater Community Greenway
Event Management: Making the most out of sports tourism
2nd March 2016A recent report has identified that excellent event management of mass participation sports tourism events can bring strong economic benefits to a host destination.
The future of outdoor sport funding in Northern Ireland
10th December 20155 key learnings from the recent Sport NI Outdoor Sport Funding Workshop
The ‘Magic Pill’ of outdoor recreation
14th October 2015Dawson Stelfox MBE, ORNI Chairperson and 1st Irish Man to Summit Everest discusses the ‘magic pill’ of outdoor recreation.