We Are England S2022E97 - Family My Walking Family

Haroon is the founder of the largest online community in the world for Muslim outdoor enthusiasts. They meet up for monthly walks around national parks, hills and mountains. The marathon runner and mountaineer set up the group after discovering the lack of diversity in the English countryside. He became inspired to make a change by encouraging people from ethnic minorities to embrace the great outdoors.

Born and raised in Coventry to a large Muslim family, exploring the countryside was never something that Haroon got to do as a child. So it wasn't until his teenage years, when he went on a hike with his father, that he discovered he had a passion for nature. Following his father's tragic death some years later, Haroon devoted all his time to charity fundraising, marathon running, and encouraging his family and community to get out into greenspaces for mental wellbeing. As well as encouraging the countryside to have more representation from ethnic minorities. Haroon then set up a social media page which quickly grew in popularity, leading him to leave his full-time job to devote himself to running the online group, organising monthly events and creating content to inspire his community.

We meet Haroon, his mother and matriarch of the family, Saheda, and his sisters, Tayyibah and Husnaa, who take us on a journey of their family life and traditions and how they are trying to break down some of the barriers they face when trying to get outdoors. Tayyibah and Husnaa actively try to inspire other Muslim women to exercise through their own social media activity. We also meet Haroon's long-time friend, comedian Guz Khan - a mentor to Haroon - who offers friendly advice and a great deal of humour as Haroon and his family prepare for their latest hike. We then follow the group as they embark on the challenge of hiking to the summit of Scafell Pike - England's highest mountain peak - as they battle the elements to reach the top.