Environment Awards 2025 and survey results
We have two announcements to share about the WFRA’s climate and environmental initiatives:
- The Environment Awards 2025 are now open
- Results from the climate change and environment survey 2024
WFRA Environment Awards 2025
We are pleased to announce that the Environment Awards 2025 are now open for entries!
The Awards celebrate the work of our community across Wales and the Borders in addressing climate change, sustainability and environmental issues and encourage further progress. We have two categories of awards available, with a winner for each:
- Race Organiser
- Individual
Tell us who inspires you! We want to know who inspires you and which of your peers are doing great work in this area, therefore you cannot nominate yourself – we would like you to nominate others. Submit your nomination and find out more about the Awards here. The deadline for submissions is TBC.
Missed the Environment Awards last year? Read about the previous winners.
The previous winners also featured in the summer 2024 edition (#139) of The Fellrunner magazine, the quarterly magazine published by the Fell Runners Association (FRA).
The article, Climate Change and Environmental Action in Fell Running was an ‘in conversation piece’ with Briony Latter (WFRA Environmental Officer) and Kathryn Miller (FRA Access and Environment Officer). It featured case studies and examples from England, Scotland and Wales about steps we can take to collectively reduce our climate and environmental impact in fell running.
Survey results
Last year we ran a survey about climate change and environmental issues in relation to fell running. It was aimed at WFRA members, Race Organisers, and people who take part in fell running in Wales and the Borders. We received a high number of responses - thank you to everyone who took the time to complete this and left encouraging comments about the WFRA discussing these topics.
Who completed the survey?
- 245 people
- 88% WRFA members, 12% non-WFRA members
- 23% Race Organisers (most of whom register and ensure their race through the WFRA), 76% non-Race Organisers
Engagement with existing guidance and current action
Part of the survey asked about the Climate change and environment guidance document that is available on the WFRA website. The guidance provides recommendations, details and practical examples of actions to address climate change and environmental issues in fell running.
Many people responded to say they had taken actions after reading the recommendations in this document:
- This overwhelmingly related to travel (travel is probably our biggest impact as fell runners)
- Other actions related to reducing items (plastic use and reducing use of other items e.g. running kit, single-use items, race numbers)
Here are just a few of the actions you shared:
Race Organisers | Fell runners (non-Race Organisers) |
“Sustainable prizes (homemade bread), re-use race numbers. Encourage sustainable travel” “I ask entrants to lift share as much as possible. I have also offered to pick entrants up from the train station” “Entry discount for car sharing to be introduced” “Focus on facilitating alternative means of transport. Reached out to Cadw to understand impact of race on local area. Read suggested book by Damian Hall.” “Info exhibited on the local environment, countryside code etc” | “Car share where possible to get to events. I try to combine a fell race with a longer stay in the area to make good use of the journey as I live far away” “Always ensure my kit is clean to comply with bio security and car share where possible” “Have taken on some of the ideas into my other sport of orienteering” “Read some of the suggested follow up reading” “I preferentially choose races that I can easily access via public transport and/or bicycle. I attempt to car share for more remote races. I encourage others to use public transport or bicycles” |
Raising awareness and action
We also asked you to share thoughts about what would help to raise awareness and action about climate change and environmental issues in the fell running community in Wales and the Borders. This could relate to the Climate change and environment guidance or other ways of engaging with people.
There were lots of suggestions, including:
- “Make WFRA's guidance more prominent to participants”
- “More engagement - social media? Email?”
- “Some practical tips when registering on fabian4”
- “Perhaps at races there ought to be information about how someone could contribute positively to climate change”
- “Organised volunteering sessions (e.g. litter picking, outreach)”
- “A regular newsletter or similar, the FRA has a magazine […] that covers a wide range of subjects, including environmental issues”
- “Races publishing what they are doing to reduce environmental impact and encouraging runners with incentives”
Thank you again to everyone who completed the survey and to those already taking climate and environmental actions. There were a lot of fantastic ideas (that we haven’t been able to include in this news article due to lack of space!) and useful results.
The survey was available in Welsh and English and was open from 28th July – 27th August 2024. The results were shared at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in November 2024 and we are working through them to see how we can take some of the ideas forward.
If you have questions about the Environment Awards or the survey, you can get in touch with Briony Latter (WFRA Environmental Officer) via the Committee page.