FOCUS
A year we’ll never
FORGET
From barbecue bans to extreme litter picking, virtual adventures to a visiting vulture, Fiona Stubbs looks at the challenges – and opportunities – the Peak District National Park Authority has faced so far during this unprecedented year.
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Bringing the Peak District to your home with the #StayHomeStayWild campaign.
urging coronavirus cases in March forced the UK into lockdown, with everyone told to Stay Home, Protect the NHS and Save Lives. For the Peak District and other national parks, it meant having to share the sort of message we could never have previously imagined – asking people to stay away and to exercise instead close to home. Easter arrived in a wave of warm April sunshine and, after three weeks of lockdown, we again urged people not to be tempted to break government measures. Instead, we asked everyone to use a bit of imagination and bring the Peak District into their homes through our #StayHomeStayWild campaign. The
challenge to virtually tackle the step counts of some of our most iconic locations – from the back yard to the stairs – was a huge hit with our tens of thousands of followers on social media. As the UK’s sunniest spring on record continued, so did lockdown... with a further three-week extension announced. We ‘celebrated’ our 69th birthday in April by asking people to share with us ‘a quiet one at home’. Restrictions eased in May and visitors naturally began to return to the Peak District to enjoy the outdoors again. There were new challenges as a combination of hot, dry, sunny weather and an increase in visitor numbers led to a spate of fires in the www.peakdistrict.gov.uk
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