5 Minutes With… Phil Young, Co-founder of The Summit

Each year, The Summit brings together outdoor community leaders from across the UK for a weekend of connection, conversation, and shared purpose.  

Hosted by Soraya Abdel-Hadi, founder of All the Elements, and Phil Young, co-founder of The Summit and The Outsiders Project, this year’s event took place at Nether Grange, HF Holidays’ seafront country house in Alnmouth, Northumberland.  

We caught up with Phil to hear more about how this powerful initiative is changing the face of the outdoors, one conversation at a time. 

“The ambition of The Summit is to bring people together from diverse ethnic communities and into the outdoors. We want them to experience parts of the country they may never have been to before and to learn and share with one another.” 

With support from HF Holidays and Patagonia, The Summit offers a shared experience for leaders, athletes, creatives, and community organisers. “We give them a weekend they’ll never forget – in the hope they’ll take it back home and create positive change. From British champions and nature activists to up-and-coming leaders, journalists and creatives, each person brings their own perspective on the outdoors. A trail runner, a birdwatcher, a mountain biker – each will look at and interact with the same landscape differently. That’s where conversations begin.” 

“97% of people of colour live in cities, almost 20% of whom have no experience in the outdoors. For many, coming to Northumberland is like landing on Mars. When you’re used to tower blocks, concrete, tarmac, and glass, the outdoors can feel alien.”  

Phil is honest about the barriers many face: “Not knowing what clothes to wear, what to pack, or even if you’re allowed to be in certain spaces – that’s intimidating. We’re here to show them: this space is as much yours as anyone else’s. 

“I love the outdoors so much. But that's because I know what I'm doing in that space,” says Phil. “When I was growing up, there was no one in the outdoors that looked like me that I was aware of. No one that I could put up a poster on my bedroom wall of, so I had no heroes. I think that's so important, especially for young people. You need to be able to look up and say: “That could be me”. 

Now an experienced outdoor leader, Phil has travelled the world – scaling mountains, crossing tundra, and trekking through deserts. But for him, it’s not about ticking off personal milestones. “I’ve been lucky. Now I’d like to try and create routes for other people to see and experience some of the things that I have.” 

Over the years, The Summit has sparked dozens of success stories proving that it’s a powerful means of connecting and inspiring like-minded people.  

• Andrew Wang left The Summit and immediately launched a Southeast Asian trail running group. He’s now a leading voice in his community.  

• Adya Misra, a canoeist, connected with a representative of a national sports organisation and now works closely with the UK’s governing body.   

• Aneela McKenna launched Colour Collective, a mountain bike community that connects and supports people of colour throughout the UK. 

This year, The Summit was held at Nether Grange, our HF Country House in Northumberland overlooking Alnmouth Bay. Phil believes it’s a trip many attendees will never forget. 

“If you're 25 years old and you’ve never left London before, then going out on a boat off the coast of rural Northumberland to the Farne Islands, suddenly you’re seeing massive open spaces and wildlife such as seals, puffins, and guillemots. It was an incredible, life-changing experience for all of us.”  

“One standout moment this year was a 5K run to Bamburgh Castle followed by a water workshop with a-Peigh, co-founder of Swim Dem  – an organisation that aims to get more people swimming by making it more social and less solitary. They help young people to start swimming and older people, who've never learned to swim, have the confidence to begin. 

As our speaker started, dolphins suddenly appeared offshore. Everyone jumped into the sea. For many, it was their first time seeing dolphins – let alone swimming near them!” 

HF Holidays has proudly hosted The Summit for the past five years running and it seems we’re the perfect fit. 

“Every HF house we’ve visited has been outstanding,” Phil says. “But Nether Grange? It’s special. The walks from the door, the beach, the wildlife. None of our attendees could believe how beautiful Northumberland is. Everyone was blown away and wants to come back. 

The location of HF’s houses for hosting The Summit each year work really well. There's a certain peace that you get that you rarely experience if you live in the city. You sit in the garden, and it feels like you’ve really escaped. People leave changed – in a good way.” 

“Everyone who attends The Summit is at a different point in their journey. But they all leave with the same thing: hope. They realise they’re not alone – there’s a whole community working alongside them.” 

From inclusive swimming initiatives to trail running groups, the energy sparked over a single weekend continues long after the final walk ends. 

“By showing people that they belong outdoors, they start to care about protecting it, too. You don’t want to save what you don’t love. And you can’t love what you’ve never experienced.” 

Join us in making the outdoors more inclusive 

At HF Holidays, we’re proud to support initiatives like The Summit that open up the outdoors to everyone. Whether you're a walk leader, guest, or outdoor enthusiast, you can help make nature more welcoming and accessible.  

We’d love to hear from you, tell us how the outdoors has impacted you by emailing magazine@hfholidays.co.uk 

You can also read Phil’s account of last year’s event here