ESEA Outdoors UK is a grassroots community celebrating East & Southeast Asian representation and belonging in the UK outdoors and fighting racism.

Introduction

This report evidences the impact brought by the work of community organisers, our partners and the generosity of the funding we received. Our impact manifests in many ways: from local impact, to how we scale impact and make it sustainable.

Testimonials

Numbers alone don’t capture our impact. Below we describe this impact and evidence it using selected feedback from members.

Above: top words from all feedbacks that members gave in 2025

Local impact

Many locations have very few existing ESEA networks. The safer space that our organisers create gives their first sense of belonging and fights isolation, even if the event has a small attendance on paper. Each participant is a member directly changing and challenging the face of the outdoors.

It’s empowering going - I know that, because when we walk into a public space together as a group of ESEA people, a rare sight outdoors unfortunately in Scotland, I don’t have this feeling like I’m the “odd one out”.

I felt really connected and at peace: it was extremely beneficial for my mental health.

I felt totally empowered. That shared experience and love for things is just pure gold. I felt validated, welcomed and accepted.

This was my first ESEA Outdoors event and I was very glad that I signed up. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming - it didn’t feel like I was imposing onto an already established group.

It feels empowering and a safe space. I like how our group of ESEA faces show in public spaces together.

It does feel safer and more comfortable. I have been to other outdoor clubs/social groups, it does make me feel more self-conscious when they happen to be more white-dominant spaces.

Feeling collective strength and joy in an all-ESEA community in the countryside.

Scaling impact

When we fill the whole room, climbing gym or countryside bus with ESEA people, ESEA representation no longer looks out of place, and an outdoors without racism feels in reach. Our network builds between sub-communities, increasing resilience without needing hierarchy. Additionally, with belonging comes connection to nature and members engage to benefit the environment.

Being among so many people of a similar background did feel comfortable - it’s uncommon to have such large gatherings!

There’s a shared innate understanding of being ESEA in a predominantly white outdoor space. I think this sense of belonging is why it is so important for community groups like this to exist. I am grateful to be a member of such a friendly community.

I really enjoyed having the whole upstairs space in the climbing gym for warmup and storage. I felt welcomed by the venue as well.

I learnt how to coppice trees and why it’s important in preserving the ancient woodland. It gave me a chance to connect with the outdoors whilst being in London.

Sustainable impact

By joining events, and by seeing our representation on social media, members gain confidence and inspiration to go outdoors by themselves. Furthermore, members embody our values and naturally go on to become ambassadors and start organising events themselves - as did 5 members that became organisers in 2025.

I’m glad to have signed up for the hike as it would’ve been unlikely for me to have done it on my own accord. I met a bunch of lovely people who I am looking forward to seeing again.

It’s always nice to be outdoors and great to do a walk I haven’t experienced before. It reinvigorated me to start preparing my walks for the year.

ESEA Outdoors 2025 in numbers

60 events delivered all around the UK, including local hiking socials, indoor climbing socials, multi-day trips in protected landscapes and community gatherings at external events and festivals.

Above: community meetups on the ESEA Outdoors map

267 active members across locations including Glasgow, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Sheffield and more.

Above: community members on the ESEA Outdoors map

535 participants in total across all events. Half of our members haven’t yet joined an event, and many members have joined 2 or more!

Above: frequency of number of events attended per member.

16 brilliant community organisers who dedicated their time and effort to bring our community together.

Donate to ESEA Outdoors

There is so much more we can do to increase access to the outdoors for those who face intersecting barriers, such as cost of transport, equipment, or care. Our grants fund specific high-profile projects, but don’t support the local impact work described above which look less impressive on paper to funders. Finally, we have inevitable recurring core costs such as insurance.

Donate to ESEA Outdoors UK

Here’s what our members had to say:

The funding available increases accessibility to the outdoors.

I don’t often go out into the National Park: money and time is often a barrier as well as the concerns of going out alone in a predominantly white region.

Sadly we did have some dropouts last minute, and some members cited the financial barrier of getting to the hostel.

Donate to ESEA Outdoors UK

Partners and funders

Thanks to our visionary partners for funding access to the outdoors:

• YHA Outdoor Citizens, YHA Festival of Walking and the Pilgrim Trust for fully-funding 2 weekend trips to the Peak District and Northumberland NPs;
• Alpkit Foundation for funding 4 climbing socials throughout the year;
• Love Trails Festival for funding 5 free places for us to lead a community hike and speak on stage;
• Peak Divide for funding 2 places to their annual ultramarathon shuffle;
• Kent Downs National Landscape for providing transport bursaries to take our community to the North Downs Way National Trail;

Thanks to our partners who supported our community in diverse ways:

• Climbing gyms around the UK for hosting our community, providing discounts and supporting us on social media: Depot Climbing (Manchester, Big Manchester, Birmingham), Yonder (London), Rise Climbing (London), TCA (Glasgow, Bristol), TCH (Bristol, Liverpool), Flashpoint (Bristol), Brushworks (Glasgow);
• Epping Forest Heritage Trust for delivering a free hands-on conservation workshop and walk for our community;
• ClimbOut Festival for giving us a platform to speak about intersecting ESEA and LGBTQI+ identities on stage;
• The Great Outdoors magazine and BMC Summit magazine for giving us 6 pages to spread awareness in writing;
• Wanderers of Colour, Asian Climbing Crew, T-Climbing and Queer Climbers London for organising our joint Climb for Palestine, Send for Sudan fundraiser socials;
• ESA.NE (Northeast) for bringing our communities together for YHA Festival of Walking;
• Four Winds Mahjong for bringing our communities together for our end of year party;
• Tenzing for providing free drinks on demand 🚀
• All The Elements and Patagonia for supporting core work.

Want to partner with us?

Could your organisation support us in improving diversity in the outdoors and providing more opportunities for the ESEA community? Inspired by the above? Get in touch via email or DM!