Since becoming a wheelchair user Debbie has campaigned tirelessly to break down barriers in all aspects of promoting accessibility for all.
Debbie lives on a sheep farm in Cumbria, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. She is a member of the Local Access Forum for the YDNP and chair of the Access For All group. She is a volunteer for the National Park with the responsibility of auditing the ‘Miles Without Stile’ routes.
For the past 6 years Debbie has been the expert in inclusion and diversity for The Outdoor Guide, a free online resource dedicated to enjoying the outdoors. Co-founded and fronted by television personality Julia Bradbury.
Debbie is a Get Outside Champion with Ordnance Survey. In 2020 she was nominated for 'Outdoor Personality of the Year' by TGO magazine readers.
Debbie is a presenter, motivational speaker, writer and consultant and is able to deliver tailor made training and presentations. She is a regular contributor for the BBC Countryfile Magazine
Although Debbie specialises in walks for wheelchair users, she is able to create multi- sensory walks for people with visual and hearing impairment.
Her motto is “Making the inaccessible accessible”
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Show notes
Living on a sheep farm in Cumbria
Being a wheelchair user since 2011
De-stressing from school life
Spending time in the hills
Starting to look at ways she could get back outside
Struggling to access the countryside
Working with Terrain Hopper
Losing her husband Andy to cancer
Setting up the charity “Access the Dales”
Spending time in the open and growing up in Sheffield
Meeting Andy while teaching at the same school
Doing the coast to coast walk not really knowing each other…
Deciding to make some changes
Putting pen to paper
Getting back outside again and going on her first walk in a wheelchair
Facing challenges out in nature
Why accessibility should be the starting point of any new project
Magical moments of spending time in the outdoors
Getting a new dog
Having her first Scottish solo holiday
Batteries on wheelchairs
Going downhill
New books
Launching the charity and the book in April 2022
Final words of advice
Why we all have our own Everest
Social Media
Website: www.debbienorth.org
Instagram: @debbienorth29n
Facebook: @debbieNorth
Twitter: @debbienorth29
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