Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Challenging perceptions of what it means to be a climber
When you hear the word climber what do you think of? A white, shirtless, able-bodied man with a sixpack and a bobble hat? Climbing is often coded as able bodied and male, you wouldn’t necessarily expect a 22-year-old female wheelchair user to identify as a climber.
Well, I can confirm with the correct support and adjustments, this could be physical, emotional, or social then climbing can be accessible to anyone.
I took up climbing to help with my physical and mental health. Three years on from picking up the sport, I finished 4th in the RP1 category at my first international competition and am currently one of the only disabled female instructors in the industry.
In lockdown, I founded Leeds Paraclimbing Club to challenge perceptions on what it means to be a climber and allow more people with disabilities and mental health conditions to access the benefits of the sport.
I noticed there was a lack of disability representation within the climbing industry and wanted to find a way to tackle this problem and make disabled climbers and instructors more visible.
The club has grown incredibly quickly since we launched in June 2021, we now have over 50 members, with several hoping to make the GB Paraclimbing Team over the next few years. The club runs regular climbing sessions for anyone over the age of four and is open to all abilities.
To provide the best opportunities for our members we are continuing to develop our mental health support and are in the planning stages for delivering inclusive yoga sessions available to all our members and their friends and family.
In addition, we will be canoeing the length of Windermere, the longest lake in England in June to raise money for the club. If you are a disabled student at the university and want to make some new friends and try something new, then we would love to see you at our future sessions.
If it wasn’t for everything I have learnt studying a degree in Media, Communication Cultures at Leeds Beckett then I would have struggled setting up the club. My degree has fuelled my drive for giving underrepresented communities a platform and allowed me to learn how to work collaboratively within a team. Setting up a charity can be stressful and time consuming, but I am extremely proud of how far the club has grown in such a short period of time.
We are ran entirely by a group of brilliant volunteers. If you are interested in setting up your own organisation then my number one tip would be to make sure you have a good support network around you and to priorities tasks, it takes a lot longer to write a governing document and appropriate policies then you might expect.
For more information about Leeds Paraclimbing Club check out our Facebook page.
Investigating equity and diversity in climbing and walking activities
Find out more about LBU research by Dr Chris Kay dedicated to understanding and overcoming the barriers to participation in climbing and walking activities.
