Gini Mitchell Appointed as Disability and Access Ambassador for the Countryside

We are excited and proud to share that Cross-Channel Geopark Ambassador Gini Mitchell, founder of Wild With Wheels, has been appointed as a Disability and Access Ambassador for the Countryside on behalf of the Government’s Disability Unit at the UK Cabinet Office.

This appointment recognises Gini’s outstanding contribution to improving access to the outdoors and her ongoing work across the Cross-Channel Geopark, where she plays an important role in helping to shape more inclusive and accessible landscapes for all.

Through her work with Wild With Wheels, Gini has been central to the Putting Down Routes project, delivering inclusive nature experiences across the Kent Downs National Landscape and the North Downs Way National Trail. As a Cross-Channel Geopark Ambassador, she has led a wide programme of guided walks and outdoor activities designed for people with a range of access needs, including wheelchair users, neurodiverse participants, and those with sensory needs.

These experiences are designed to support meaningful connection with nature through sensory engagement and shared exploration, helping to open up landscapes that are often inaccessible to many people.

Gini’s work across the Cross-Channel Geopark also focuses on widening participation and strengthening inclusion. By working with diverse groups and communities, she helps ensure that access needs are understood and considered across the wider Geopark area, supporting its ambition to make natural and cultural heritage more open and welcoming.

A key part of her contribution is her use of lived experience as a mobility aid user. Through engagement sessions with planners and decision-makers, she provides direct insight into the barriers faced on trails and in outdoor spaces, helping to ensure accessibility improvements are based on real experiences rather than assumptions.

She has also supported on-the-ground route audits across key parts of the Geopark landscape, identifying barriers such as uneven terrain, steps, and restricted access points. This work has helped inform practical improvements and long-term planning to create more inclusive routes across the network.

Overall, Gini’s work bridges delivery and strategy within the Cross-Channel Geopark. She continues to play a vital role in not only enabling more people to access and enjoy these landscapes today, but also shaping a more inclusive future for the Geopark as a whole.

Nick Johannsen FLI. Director, Kent Downs National Landscape, UK Lead Cross Channel Geopark and Chair of the North Downs Way National Trail Partnership:

Gini’s appointment is thoroughly deserved and reflects the impact she has made in improving access for everyone to nature and heritage across our landscapes. Through her work as a Cross-Channel Geopark and North Downs Way National Trail Ambassador, she has helped us better understand the barriers many people face when accessing the countryside and, importantly, how we can remove them. We are delighted to see her expertise recognised at a national level and look forward to continuing our work together to make the Cross-Channel Geopark, Kent Downs and North Downs Way more inclusive and welcoming for everyone.

Gini Mitchell, Wild With Wheels CIC Founder and Director:

I am grateful for all the ongoing support from Kent Downs National Landscape and North Downs Way National Trails, who have helped to transform areas of the Kent Countryside into accessible routes.

The improvements and removal of barriers mean that many more people with disabilities can now independently visit green and blue spaces, which benefits health and wellbeing, whilst connecting with nature and exploring areas of heritage and biogeological interest.