6 minute read
FEATURES
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.
Surging 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
Clockwise from top: Edale fire aftermath in May with burned remnant of disposable BBQ packaging; Extreme litter picking between huge rocks in July; Our teams busy carrying out conservation work throughout the summer; The Stay At Home message in March.
national park. Many of these were attributed to careless use of disposable barbecues, dropped cigarette ends or litter, such as glass bottles.
Moorland landowners were quick to help in reducing fire risks, voluntarily agreeing not to carry out moorland burning this year. And, in June, the National Park Authority called for retailers across the region to voluntarily remove disposable barbecues from retail sale, which was quickly backed by a number of businesses and MPs.
Momentum grew as blazes at Bamford Edge, Dovestone and Swineshaw – all within a week – were believed to have started from discarded or unattended barbecues. Fire and rescue services were joined by national park rangers, the Peak District Moorland Group, farmers, gamekeepers, water companies and conservation charities in tackling fires.
It led to major landowners, including the National Park Authority, joining forces to make clear that barbecues and open fires are not permitted anywhere in open countryside throughout the Peak District. Meanwhile, the Peak District National Park Foundation launched its Fire Fund to support fire prevention messages, volunteer costs and restoration work with moorland partners.
The return of visitors post-lockdown led to a huge increase in demand for car parking across the National Park. As disruptive parking began to create challenges for local and emergency access, we joined a number of other national parks in developing an online ‘car park alert status’ which, by the end of summer, had been viewed over 80,000 times.
Another month, another challenge... litter! July saw national park rangers engage in extreme litter picking – targeting hotspots in some of the Peak District’s most challenging terrain – leading to media interest around the region.
Full-time and volunteer rangers set to work clearing litter – such as broken bottles, food packaging, camping equipment, cans and dirty nappies – from some of the hardest to reach areas, including rock formations, caves and upland streams.
Throughout the summer, our rangers engaged with thousands of visitors, including first-time visitors and others returning to the Peak District after many years.
With such a range of new and diverse communities, face-to-face surveys gave us a unique opportunity to understand more about our visitors. We were heartened to learn that nine out of 10 visitors were aware of the Peak District’s status as a National Park, while challenges remain in other areas, such as land ownership.
One summer visitor brought a sense
Clockwise from top: Rap artist KMT shoots his video in the national park in August; Bike hire and visitor centres reopened in the summer with Covid sanitising in place; Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers joined rangers for a socially distanced litter pick in August; Record numbers visit our trails throughout the summer months.
of joy and wonder to nature lovers, who flocked to the Peak District for a glimpse of one of Europe’s most rare and magnificent birds.
The bearded vulture, a bird of prey generally found in the Alps or Pyrenees and larger than anything previously witnessed in the Peak District, made itself very much at home in our national park. It stayed throughout the summer – dazzling observers for weeks as it soared above the A628. It eventually flew eastwards and is now believed to have returned to France.
Our traffic-free Monsal, Tissington and High Peak trails witnessed record-breaking increases in the numbers of people using them. On some of their busiest days, these accessible, family-friendly routes for walking, cycling and horse riding saw twice as many visitors, compared to 2019.
Our bike hire and visitor centres reopened, providing Covid-secure settings for people to enjoy – and learn more about – the Peak District National Park.
We also launched a brand new online shop, with new ranges celebrating iconic locations like Stanage Edge proving an instant hit.
And, throughout the spring and summer, our rangers and Countryside Maintenance and Project Team were busy looking after the national park, carrying out repair and conservation projects.
We returned to the theme of litter – in a more fun way – when we teamed up, in August, with rap artist KMT and other partners to shoot a video in key locations around the national park. KMT reflected our messages by adapting his existing L.I.T.T.E.R rap – https://bit.ly/PDNP-Litter – urging us all to ‘pick it up, pick it up, pick it up’ and to be #PeakDistrictProud.
Also in August, Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers joined rangers for a socially distanced litter pick – followed by a picnic– as part of a new TV series to be screened early next year.
The bearded vulture brought a sense of joy to nature lovers this summer.
Thank you
With uncertainty over Covid-19 remaining as we head into autumn and winter, we’d like to say a huge thank you to our key workers, rangers, visitor services teams, partners and everyone who has done their bit to care for and help protect our national park during this incredible and unprecedented year.
The continued demands placed on both the National Park Authority and our partners in caring for the landscape has highlighted the immeasurable value in working with others, especially across the 555 square miles of the Peak District.
