AN ADVENTURER has been selected as an outdoor champion to to help make Britain a more “outdoorsy” nation.

Scott Mcalister, from Darlington. is one of 30 people across the country selected by Ordnance Survey for its new project, GetOutside.

Scott and his fellow OS GetOutside champions were unveiled at an event in the New Forest where they were joined by TV presenter and adventurer Ben Fogle and endurance adventurer Sean Conway.

The champions, chosen for their ability to communicate their love for being outside, include journalists, bloggers and authors who all write about their adventures in Britain.

Blogger Mr Mcalister, who this year plans to complete the national three peaks challenge, among others, said: “We all have a different idea of what outdoor adventure is. Some feel it means you have to run a marathon, swim the channel, or to climb the highest mountain. Yes those are adventures, but they are extreme adventures.

“An outdoor adventure can be as simple as walking to the local park to feed the ducks, a cycle ride with the children on a Sunday afternoon instead of that movie on TV. Yes there is a place for relaxing and doing that but as a nation we do need to become more active. I lead a quite active lifestyle and visit the Lake District as often as I can.

“Although my passion is to climb high and test myself, I get as much pleasure from seeing families, couples, or groups walking around the lakeside or admiring the local wildlife. They are outside, they are smiling, they are active. I hope I can play my part and inspire people to Get Outside.”

Get Outside campaign manager, Liz Beverley, says: “The benefits of exercising and getting regular fresh air are already well documented, but more needs to be done to get that message across.

“By sharing the passion they feel and the fun they have being outdoors Scott and the other champions will help people reconnect with spending quality time outdoors.”

Mr McAlister gets access to OS products before anyone else and will even be taking part in product trials.

As well as hiking, he is a keen photographer and shares images across his social media accounts and his blog.

His favourite place to visit is the Lake District and he regularly leads a walking group, The Lake Buddies.

Ben Fogle said: “I urge people to spend more time outside. Whether that’s walking to work, even jumping off the bus a few stops before you’d normally do so, or using your holidays to trek through the Highlands, do it. It’s the one place that’s repeatedly proven to be good for both body and mind.”