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New initiative aims to improve access to nature for people living with disability

To lead on this work, the company created Berghaus Adapts

Berghaus is launching an initiative to adapt kit and make the outdoors accessible to more people who are living with physical disabilities. Through Berghaus Adapts, members of the public will be able to request bespoke changes to clothing and equipment that will help them get into nature. The brand’s product team in North East England will work with a cohort of applicants and develop kit that allows them to get active in the outdoors in a way that they have so far been prevented from doing. Berghaus Adapts 2025 goes live today.

There are 16 million people in the UK living with a disability and lack of access to suitable kit is a barrier that prevents many of them from spending time in nature. For the last five years, Berghaus has used its resources to adapt kit for adventurers who have specific accessibility needs. The brand has worked closely with Ed Jackson, a recovering quadriplegic committed to overcoming adversity surrounding disability, and Mick Fowler, one of the world’s most respected mountaineers, who now climbs with a colostomy bag after treatment for cancer. Through Ed, Berghaus has also developed a connection with beneficiaries of the charity Millimetres 2 Mountains (M2M), which helps those who have suffered physical or mental trauma to reconnect with the outdoors.

To lead on this work, the company created Berghaus Adapts. Together, the in-house product team and designer and campaigner Alice Sainsbury, have created bespoke kit that has enabled Ed, Mick and others to embark on major expeditions and achieve world firsts. In 2023, Ed Jackson teamed up with two other men with spinal cord injuries – Darren Edwards and Dr Niall McCann – to complete an unsupported 138km traverse of Iceland’s Vatnajökull ice cap, becoming the first all-disabled team to make the crossing. In September 2024, Mick Fowler and Victor Saunders made the first ever ascent of Yawash Sar, a remote 6,000m Himalayan mountain. Neither trip would have been possible without kit adaptations made by Berghaus.

The company has also helped several beneficiaries of M2M to get outdoors as adaptive adventurers. These include Charlotte Florene, Tom Carus and Caroline Pakenaite, each of whom has different and distinct kit requirements due to their disabilities.

Now, Berghaus Adapts is stepping up a level and inviting members of the public to take part in the programme. Applications open today and aspiring adventurers with bespoke product needs are being invited to request support that will help them take on the challenges that prevent them spending time being active outdoors. Berghaus has increased the project’s dedicated resource, based at its state-of-the-art facilities in Sunderland. The company has added to a team that includes product designers and technologists, all with proactive marketing communications support. Working out of the Berghaus sample room, they will consult Ed Jackson as they work on kit, initially with the aim of meeting a variety of needs for a small group of applicants.

Accessibility and innovation are core values at Berghaus. The company is committed to breaking down boundaries that prevent people from getting outdoors. In recent years, examples of this work in action have included the launch of the Berghaus Performance Hijab and Berghaus Maternity and Beyond collections. In addition, the company is active in campaigning on issues of diversity and inclusion, through initiatives like its Ascension Series of short films, and support of organisations such as The It’s Great Out There Coalition and The Outward Bound Trust. Berghaus Adapts is a key element of this wider work.

Designer and Berghaus Adapts consultant Alice Sainsbury comments: “This is such an exciting and meaningful move by Berghaus. Thanks to the work we’ve already done, we have proof of concept, supported by powerful testimonies from those who have benefited from product adaptations. This collective lived experience is central to our progress and the authenticity of this work. We’re now ready to thoughtfully expand the scope of Berghaus Adapts, including even more people with diverse needs. While the initial number of new beneficiaries will be small, by opening Berghaus Adapts to the public, we aim to change the narrative and break down the barriers that prevent so many people from accessing the outdoors. Ultimately, we hope this initiative will create an inclusive, welcoming space for all.”

Ed Jackson adds: “Quite simply, I couldn’t have achieved what I have done outdoors without the kit adaptations that Berghaus has made, for me, and for some of my fellow adventurers. The journey that I have been on since my accident offers living, breathing testimony of the positive power of the outdoors, and what is possible, individually and with the right support. Berghaus Adapts has been a crucial partner every step of the way, and I am so pleased that more people are now going to have the opportunity to benefit from what the project offers.”

“I hope that the Berghaus Adapts initiative will encourage and support acceleration across the industry in becoming more accessible as a whole, as ultimately the outdoors should be for everyone.”

Applications for Berghaus Adapts 2025 open at 10:00am today at www.berghaus.com/adapts.list. Applications will close on Sunday 16 February. Follow the Berghaus feed on major social media platforms for the latest updates from the brand.

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