Important notice: This is an archived version of the Peak District National Park Authority's website. It was last updated on 2 August 2011. The current version can be found at www.peakdistrict.gov.uk. This old version of the website will remain available until all content and functionality has been transferred across to the new website, after which it will be switched off.
Learning About
The Learning and Discovery Team will continue to provide high quality education services after the closure of Losehill. Contact Sarah Wilks on 01433 620373.
- Education Services
Student and teacher resources and our environmental education centres - Guided Walks and Events
Free guided walks suitable for all and other events all year round - Education factsheets
Curriculum-linked factsheets and resources for students and teachers
Interviews
John Foster CBE, former Director and Planning Officer 1953-1968
Working with local people and businesses is an essential part of the role of national parks. It’s about getting into the hearts and minds of people, helping them develop in an appropriate scale and character that is better for their living standards and way of life but good for the place too. It’s important not to lose the national perspective as well as paying attention to local needs. The balance of the two: national interest and local need, is vital to a sustainable future for all national parks
I grew up in the South Yorkshire coalfield near Doncaster and have known the Peak District since I was a boy; for me it is the centre of the earth. I love its high rocky edges, its wild moorland vistas, its dramatic hillsides and hidden valleys. It’s on the doorstep for millions yet you can escape the hordes and make your own adventure. We are indebted to the people who set up national parks in Britain 60 years ago and it’s up to us to celebrate by helping each other look after these special places. We are the guardians of our world; let’s make the most of it
Tom Chapman, Hassop, Hassop Hall hotel and restaurant owner.
I was privileged to know well several of the great pioneers of Britain’s first national park, including Ivor Morten, Lt Col Gerald Haythornthwaite and Norman Gratton; they showed a passion in the way the national park was conceived. The valuable experience of having such a great authority on my doorstep has always been an enormous inspiration to me
Marshall Waller, Wildboarclough, farmer.
We’ve adapted our business to be in harmony with the national park, to be tourism based and educational. If we hadn’t done this we would not have been as successful. It’s up to us to explain the farming messages and being in a national park has given us a platform to do that.
Christine Gregory, Youlgrave, painter, writer and photographer.
It is easy for people to be complacent about the Peak District because it looks beautiful, but like the rest of Britain the National Park has sustained massive losses in traditional grasslands with devastating consequences for wildlife. We must look after the environment on our doorstep. Loss of biodiversity is a threat to all species including u”.
Ann Hall, Baslow, archaeology volunteer.
Archaeology opened up a new level of appreciation of the national park for me. Spending time on-site gives you a different perspective; you’re happily trowelling away in a landscape of layered history, finding traces of the people who once lived in the place. It can feel timeless; the only sign of our modern age is the people working near you.
Wendy Neilson, Sheldon, Peak Horse Power member
It’s a fantastic place to ride - the variety in the landscape is stunning. You can be on top of the moors yet within minutes you can be down in a sheltered dale. It’s a very special place. My only criticism is that I want more! More safe, traffic-free, placyes to ride.”
