Cumbria Crack columnist Fell Foodie has been shortlisted for one of the biggest awards in the outdoor industry.
Harrison Ward is a mental health advocate and fell walker, well known for cooking delicious meals high up in the Cumbrian hills has been shortlisted as the Outdoor Personality Of The Year for The Great Outdoors Awards 2022.
The Great Outdoors Awards, launched 11 years ago, are the UK’s democratic celebration of the best of outdoor culture.
Previous winners of the Outdoor Personality of The Year include Chris Packham, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Keswick’s own Max and Paddy and their human companion Kerry Irving.
Harrison said the nomination was unexpected and an honour.
He added: “Thank you to those who have put me forward for this nomination anonymously, its genuinely taken me a back being part of this list with some super inspirational individuals.
“There are others up for this award who’ve completed amazing explorations and challenges, individuals who have enabled large groups of people to discover the outdoors and then there’s me.
“I’m just a Cumbrian bloke who shares his personal struggles and attempts to cook ridiculous dishes in the outdoors. I’ve not got huge expectations for this award, it’s just brilliant to be on the list.”
Harrison dealt with depression since his teens, turning to drink to try suppressing his feelings.
However, in 2016 he began to turn things around by taking up fell walking, moving back to his home county of Cumbria and indulging his love of cooking in the open air high in the fells.
He then began sharing his culinary adventures on social media in 2017 and soon captured people’s imaginations, using a stove and simple ingredient to create hearty meals.
After being sober for two years in 2018, Harrison shared the full background to his story with his followers, including how he had lived with mental health issues and struggled with alcohol.
“The outpouring of support I received was huge and I found it really empowering and I uncovered lots of other stories of people who have found the outdoors to try and recover,” he said.
Harrison’s profile on social media has continued to blossom and he’s worked with national treasure Mary Berry on a BBC One show as well as working on many live events with major brands. He now has thousands of followers and continues to share his experience of mental health and open-air cooking online and via the media, as well as to corporate clients and schools.
Voting for the awards closes on December 9, you can vote for Harrison at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/TGvote22/
