Marlon Patrice: Nature, grief and setting up We Go Outside Too

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton. In this episode, Liv Bolton goes for a walk on Harborne Walkway in Birmingham with hiker, runner, model and founder of We Go Outside Too Marlon Patrice. We Go Outside Too is a group which aims to make the countryside more accessible for the black community and to increase representation in the outdoors. It was set up in 2020 after the tragic death of his son through knife crime, when Marlon realised how much nature was helping him and that he wanted to engage his community with it too. We Go Outside Too is based in Birmingham and they offer days out in the countryside, walks, tree planting and outdoor poetry workshops. Transport and kit are often provided and they are supported by brands and organisations, including Merrell. They’ve organised more than 30 walks so far and engaged more than 1,000 people with their events. The social enterprise won a Head Outside Award in 2023 at Kendal Mountain Festival - awards which celebrate people or organisations helping people with mental health challenges to get outdoors. Marlon lives in Birmingham and he took Liv for a walk on Harborne Walkway to record their podcast episode. Formerly a railway line, it’s now a green, quiet oasis in a bustling, noisy city. Liv sought to find out why Marlon wanted to engage his community with the outdoors, and what’s been the impact of We Go Outside Too so far? If you enjoy this episode, it would fantastic if you could subscribe. And do tell your family and friends about it - thank you! The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk Episodes in each series are released fortnightly. The next episode will be released on Sunday 13 October. Marlon Patrice is on Instagram @marlonpatrice. We Go Outside Too is on Instagram @wegooutsidetoo You can find photos and videos from our recording on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix The Outdoors Fix book is now available: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc This episode of The Outdoors Fix is kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.