A Blackburn with Darwen councillor says he is proud to have inspired others to take part in hiking as he completed the coveted ‘Wainwright Challenge’.
Mustafa Desai said he took up the hobby to improve his health and reaching the summit of all 214 peaks listed in Alfred Wainwright's ‘Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells’ was something he had 'always wanted to do'.
The Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books by Wainwright and was written over a period of 13 years from 1952. It is regarded by many walkers as the definitive guide to the Lake District mountains.
Cllr Desai is believed to be the first person of South Asian heritage from Blackburn and one of only a handful nationally to have officially completed the challenge.
He said: “I started walking many years ago to tackle my personal health issues, the walks helped immensely and soon I developed a passion and addiction for the mountains.
“The environment and the solitude provided opportunities for self-reflection, contemplation and self-healing - the physical, mental and spiritual benefits the hikes provided were immeasurable.
“Whilst I was Executive Member for Adult Social Care, one of the challenges that kept coming to the forefront was regarding health, particularly in the South Asian community and this prompted me to start a walking group to promote the wellbeing benefits of the great outdoors and staying active.
“During Covid the group became very popular.”
Alfred Wainwright was born in Blackburn in 1907. He spent much of his early life in the town before moving to the Lake District.
Although Wainwright is most closely associated with the Lake District, his roots are in Blackburn and the town celebrates his links with the town with a number of locations named after him - Wainwright Way, Wainwright Bridge and the Wainwright Memorial at Pleasington.
Cllr Desai said: “Having lived in Blackburn all my life, and recognising Alfred Wainwrights links to my hometown, I felt 'bagging' the Wainwrights was something I had to do.
“Although I had done many of the popular Wainwright summits, I only really started to focus on them a couple of years ago and successfully completed all 214, at the back end of last year.
“I have continued to run my hiking group (recently rebranded it to 'Lakeland Hikes') and continue to promote the great outdoors as a means of improving health and wellbeing.”
In 2021, Cllr Desai was awarded the national Charles Maher Award, Walking Champion 2021 by Living Streets, for his ‘Take A Hike’ programme.
The Take A Hike programme, uses walking to tackle physical and mental health challenges, while promoting inclusion for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women and enabling people to connect with the great outdoors.
The award was presented by Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, at a virtual National Walking Summit.
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