An award-winning outdoors influencer has been named the new president of Ramblers Scotland.
Chris Lawlor, a 31-year-old content creator from Motherwell, has officially taken on the role starting from today.
Chris is best known for his popular ‘Did you know that in Scotland…?’ videos, which have attracted more than two million followers and earned him the title of Travel Influencer of the Year at the 2024 Scottish Influencer Awards.
He will serve a three-year term with Ramblers Scotland, succeeding outgoing president Zahrah 'The Hillwalking Hijabi' Mahmood, who recently received an MBE from the Princess Royal for her work to increase representation and tackle barriers to walking.
His presidency will be officially announced during the charity's AGM in Edinburgh this afternoon.
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Chris said: "I am honoured and excited to become Ramblers Scotland’s new President, as it offers such a brilliant opportunity to encourage more people to enjoy walking, in a responsible way.
"I love creating content that promotes fun adventures in Scotland, especially ones that let people boost their health and wellbeing by exploring the outdoors and walking in nature.
"Given how many people see my videos, I’m very aware of the importance of promoting responsible tourism, and I always carefully consider the potential social and environmental impacts before I showcase locations.
"I just want everyone – including visitors, businesses and local communities – to benefit from the amazing landscapes and world-class outdoor access rights that we are so lucky to have in Scotland."
Brendan Paddy, director of Ramblers Scotland, expressed his delight at Chris's appointment, describing him as the ideal person to encourage more people, especially beginner walkers, to make the most of Scotland's outdoor access rights.
Brendan said: "Chris has had remarkable success in inspiring more people to step out and explore Scotland, while also being responsible.
"That’s important work, with walking tourism now worth more than a billion pounds to our economy each year.
"We’re really looking forward to working with Chris to celebrate what makes walking so special, and to educate more people about the Scottish Outdoor Access Code."
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Chris originally began creating content as a “side hustle” while working as an app developer.
Now, millions of people view his content every month and he has even written a book and penned articles for national magazines.
His work has also taken him to 10 Downing Street and introduced him to Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney.
Following Chris's appointment, outgoing president Zahrah Mahmod will become one of Ramblers Scotland's Vice Presidents, joining popular walking personalities such as Arran-based international mountain leader Lucy Wallace and countryside ranger Ben Dolphin.
