The two bodies are stepping up the Westminster campaign for hillwalking

Outdoor industry and mountaineering bosses met Westminster politicians to push for greater recognition of the benefits of hillwalking.

British Mountaineering Council chief executive Dave Turnbull and his Outdoor Industries Association counterpart Andrew Denton held a meeting with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mountaineering at Westminster.

The group has representatives from both the House of Commons and the Lords and includes parliamentarians with an interest in climbing and hillwalking.

Following the meeting, Macclesfield Conservative MP David Rutley asked sports minister Hugh Robertson for his support in encouraging the public to get into the great outdoors.

And Mr Rutley revealed the OIA and BMC would be launching a Britain on Foot campaign in the coming months to ‘promote outdoor activities and to get people outdoors and keep them fit and healthy’.

The Tory minister said Sport England has awarded £1.3m to the British Mountaineering Council between 2009 and 2013 to grow and sustain participation in mountaineering, hillwalking and climbing.

He continued: “One of the key opportunities for mountaineering and hillwalking lies in the tourism initiative launched by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State [Jeremy Hunt] and guided by the tourism minister, my honourable friend John Penrose.

“Many people will want the chance not only to take part in the activity of hillwalking but to see some of our fabulous countryside.”

A spokesperson for the OIA said: “It was a small but significant step in developing a closer working relationship between the OIA and Government stakeholders in tourism, health and sport, with the aim of promoting increased outdoor participation among the UK population.

“Andrew [Denton] will be presenting the early ideas behind this project at the OIA conference in March, by which time the discussions with the relevant people in Westminster will have progressed further.”

The OIA represents retailers, outdoor brands, activity providers and representative bodies within the outdoor industry. The British Mountaineering Council is the representative body for climbers, hillwalkers and mountaineers in England and Wales.

• grough is a member of the OIA.