THE JOURNAL
Mr Nadeem Perera, a football coach and an avid birdwatcher from London, was first introduced to Mr Ollie Olanipekun, a creative director, over Instagram. Although he’d enjoyed twitching for 15 years at that point, Perera still hadn’t found a community of people like himself. Until he saw Olanipekun birdwatching on social media.
“I see these birds on his Instagram stories and I’m like, that’s a bit left field for someone who I had this set of ideas about already,” Perera says. The two came up with the idea for a birdwatching club – and Flock Together was born in the summer of 2020. Perera had expert insights, while Olanipekun harnessed his creative skills to promote the project, which aimed to combat the underrepresentation of people of colour in outdoor spaces through birdwatching walks.
Four years later, Flock Together has evolved into an institution in its own right. They host regular walks and programming throughout the year, published a book, Outsiders, have an immersive audio series, Sounds Of Nature, and started their own movement of bird watchers and nature lovers. The group has six key pillars as their foundation: building community, challenging perceptions, showing the benefits of nature, championing ecological protection, offering mental health support and providing creative mentorship for the next generation.
Mr Chris Amfo, one of the members of the growing Flock Together community, was living in Spain when the group first started hosting their walks. “It just looked fun and I had massive Fomo, already not being that happy living abroad where I was,” he says.
One of the many appeals of Flock Together beyond being out in nature with like-minded people, was “doing something that isn’t a club night”. When Amfo returned to London, one of the first things he did was join their walks, which were initially in and around London. “I’ve never really experienced that, a group where everyone is so welcoming and friendly,” he says. “Everyone was just super open.”
The pandemic showed a glaring disparity between those who were out in nature and those still gatekept from it. A 2020 report by the Office of National Statistics found that Black people were nearly four times as likely as white people to have no access to outdoor space at home. Simultaneously, “everyone was facing up to their mental health,” Olanipekun says.
In that particular time, the links between green spaces and mental health benefits were becoming increasingly apparent. “What was really important for us from the beginning was that we didn’t purport ourselves to be experts in the space of mental health,” Perera says. But the founders could still tangibly see the benefits of Flock Together for their mental health and their community and welcomed them.
For Olanipekun, who has ADHD, “bird watching was that space that helped my brain settle,” he says. It became a “safe space”, positively impacting all the other aspects of his life, too. And for Perera, who struggled with traditional education growing up, even though he was very academically capable, “it was the one space I could be still, focus and think and strategise”.
“An act as simple as stepping out into a green space and being who I am is a political statement”
Some of the many barriers facing marginalised groups from accessing nature in Britain are feelings of isolation, concerns for safety and rural racism. It’s something that Flock Together are helping to combat through the solidarity built into their walks. “Flock Together is a space for you to understand you’re going to be protected,” Olanipekun says, emphasising the safety in numbers and comfort of community. Fifteen people came to the first Flock Together walk. Since then, they have had walks with up to 200 attendees.
One of the largest demographics to attend the walks is women. “We can only imagine as young men what it’s like to be a woman, let alone a woman of colour, in the Western world,” Perera says. “And the fact that they turn around and say to us, ‘Guys, thanks so much for putting this on because we would never take this route, we would never go off the path because it’s simply not safe but now we can’ [is so rewarding].”
The word “community” has become an overused buzzword and marketing tool in some spaces. But for Olanipekun, the roots of community are built on those who came before him. For older generations of Black and Brown people first moving to the UK and establishing their lives, “community was about survival,” he says. “If you didn’t have a community back then, you couldn’t survive in this place. I think that’s been inherent to all of us at Flock Together.”
For many people, cities are the closest, safest and most convenient entry point to enjoying nature and the great outdoors. Many of Flock Together’s walks take place in and around London, too. Since its establishment, the collective have been working to dispel myths that cities can’t be sites for birdwatching and exploring nature. Yet, being a minority in outdoor spaces, even in London, can feel othering. It’s a “nonquantifiable feeling of people looking at you like you shouldn’t be there,” Perera says. But he feels empowered by this. “I’m changing the landscape here. An act as simple as stepping out into a green space and being who I am is actually a political statement at this point in this political climate.”
“Bird watching was the one space I could be still, focus and think and strategise”
Mixing personal style and having the right functional gear has always been important to the Flock Together community. “One thing to note is that everyone looks great,” Amfo laughs. And he’s right – it’s a stylish community, but one where performance is more important than passing trends. That said, over the past few years, Gorpcore has grown in popularity alongside the rise in outdoor activities, blending streetwear and outdoor wear, with technical brands such as The North Face and Salomon gaining more momentum than ever before.
“It’s almost the amphibian style, ready to do a bit of both,” Perera says. “I’m ready to bop the city, kick a football, but I’ve also got my GORE-TEX Gear to whip out of my bag.”
From its inception, the GORE-TEX Brand has pioneered cutting-edge waterproof and water-resistant product technologies, such as PACLITE® and WINDSTOPPER® by GORE-TEX LABS, turning functional outdoor gear designed by some of the world’s best brands into weatherproof kit. And thanks to the fabric developer’s shared commitment to “supporting the passions that keep people moving”, its water- and wind-proof membranes have been a go-to for the birdwatching club from the get-go.
But Flock Together isn’t just about birds. The group hopes to continue its mission to bring people outdoors. Its first phase was all about challenging misconceptions around people of marginalised ethnicities in nature, something Olanipekun and Perera think they have successfully achieved. Its next phase will be looking toward expansion, through more walks, programming and partnerships showcasing creativity in nature. Next year will mark their fifth anniversary.
“Do you want that warm embrace of nature and your community with no questions asked?” Perera says. “Then come to Flock Together.”
50% of the profits* from our Go Out campaign products from 12.00am GMT on 7 October 2024 until 11.59pm GMT on 13 October 2024 will be donated to the MR PORTER Health In Mind Fund powered by Movember to support men's mental and physical health initiatives. This is expected to raise £6,200.