Mosaic Community Champion Andy Lai from the Southampton Chinese Association took a group of 16 people to visit Bolderwood and Brockenhurst in the New Forest earlier this year

Community champions from the Mosaic project have been out and about in Britain’s national parks this week encouraging wider use of the country’s best landscapes.

The scheme, run by the Campaign for National Parks, works with community leaders from ethnic minorities to get individuals and groups who would not normally visit the parks to explore the countryside.

National Parks week, which ends tomorrow, saw a number of extra Mosaic activities, ranging from schoolchildren’s visits to the Yorkshire Dales to taster trips to the New Forest for Asian elders.

Mosaic has been running for 10 years and has leaders in 20 cities across the UK, working with national park authorities. More than 130 new community champions have helped an extra 1,000 visits in the last 18 months.

Community champion Nurjahan Ali Arobi won the 2010 Ken Willson Award for her work encouraging more people from black and minority ethnic groups to visit the Yorkshire Dales.  A spokesperson for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority said: “Nurjahan has an infectious enthusiasm for the Yorkshire Dales.

“Everyone who hears her speak praises her warmth and ability to put forward her message about the Dales and their links with neighbouring communities. In organising visits and advising staff on communicating with BME groups, Nurjahan is invaluable to the outreach work of both the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Yorkshire Dales Society.”

National Parks Week events ranged from walks in Dartmoor to the National Eisteddfod of Wales in the Brecon Beacons and drystone walling demonstrations in the Yorkshire Dales.