70th Anniversary quotes from our members

PDNPA member quotes to use for the 70th anniversary celebrations

Andrew McCloy, chair of the Authority

"As our National Park movement was forged out of the crisis and upheaval of the Second World War, so the global pandemic has given us the opportunity to use the healing power of landscape and the natural world to rebuild a greener and healthier society. National Parks can lead and inspire our response to climate change and nature recovery, energising people at a local and national level, and embracing that pioneer spirit that we showed in the Peak District seventy years ago.

"National Parks like the Peak District play a vital role on a local level, as a home for people and nature, but also for wider society. We were set up to both protect our finest landscapes and also to educate and enrich peoples' lives, and now more than ever we need our National Parks to help us understand how to live sustainably and at one with the natural world."

James Berresford, deputy chair of the Authority

"It is a huge privilege to be Deputy Chair of the Peak District National Park Authority at the time of our 70th-anniversary celebration. I spent much of my childhood in the Peak District before the call of a career took me eventually to London as the CEO of Visit England, the national tourist board. I recently returned as a resident of the Park, which, when combined with my Secretary of State appointed role as a champion for recreation, has provided me with a unique insight into the Peak District National Park's true value to the nation.

"National Parks and the Peak District, in particular, are living, breathing landscapes that protect, preserve and promote unique yet fragile natural assets for the benefit of locals and visitors alike. Let's celebrate that, and let's garner a new determination to ensure that the vital importance of National Parks continues to be recognised for generations to come."

Robert Helliwell, chair of planning committee

"As a farmer and in my role as chair of the planning committee, I am keen to help people understand that looking after the environment and protecting the landscape is in everyone’s best interests to help build resilient and sustainable rural communities.

"Seventy years ago when the National Park was set up, farming in the Peak District was doing its best to meet the demand for home produced food following WWII. The need for production was driving change and development and was actively promoted by government. Seven decades on, and farmers are still adapting to change. Farming is a dynamic industry and farmers have always responded to changes in policy and adapted accordingly. There is now a greater dependence upon diversification, and the challenges of increased access. Sustainable production has to be the way forward enabling farmers to produce quality local produce which respects the landscape, environment and wildlife while offering a historic link to changing local communities."

Ken Smith, vice-chair of planning committee

"As someone who is 3 months older than the National Park and who has spent 38 years of their life (to date) working for the Authority (and the Board before it) in one guise or another, I still have my breath taken away by the range of different landscapes that make up the Park. The physical landscape is but one element; the physical remains of past and present human endeavour, from field boundaries to lead mine remains, isolated field barns and farmsteads, historic buildings and settlements, prehistoric burial mounds and hillforts, remind me of how we have shaped the landscape and how that shaping has created the habitats for the flora and fauna that we also cherish.

"The landscape, and all it contains, reminds me how we work in partnership with so many landowners and managers, to conserve this rich and irreplaceable resource, fulfilling our responsibilities and meeting our obligations to protect the Peak District National Park for the benefit of current and future generations - residents and visitors alike - so that everyone has the opportunity to derive enjoyment from it."

Zahid Hamid, chair of programme and resources committee

"I was not prepared for the wonder and beauty that awaited me as an 11-year-old when my geography class came to Grindsbrook and Edale and I am still awed and humbled by the Peak District on each and every visit, including in inclement weather! My personal journey of introducing family, friends and others to this glorious place and seeing the impact on urban based lives and mindsets has led me to my present position and role in ensuring that we all cherish what is so special about our National Parks and to appreciate that they are also fragile places.

"I am proud and privileged as the current Chair of Programmes and Resources Committee, as we mark the 70th anniversary, to assist everyone to protect, care and enjoy this jewel in the centre of our country that is the Peak District National Park."

Janet Haddock-Fraser, vice-chair of programme and resources committee

"My passion for the Peak District was piqued (when the Park was a mere 27 years old) on Axe Edge Moor during a geography field trip exploring the peaty, mossy terrain beneath my feet whilst looking across the gritstone moor. This forged the bedrock for my career in geography and sustainability. Decades on, I feel enormously privileged to bring that knowledge and drive directly to the Park, in my Committee role and as Member Champion for climate change.

"My hope is that the Park’s multi-faceted living landscapes can be appreciated and celebrated as a legacy, cherished in the present and thrive in the future - despite the degrading impacts of humankind. Societal knowledge about climate change is better than when I first stood on Axe Edge Moor. But the challenge to protect, adapt and mitigate what is special about the Peak District is greater than ever. We must ensure it doesn’t get swept away through lack of urgent action or care - mammoth task for all of us in the next 70 years!"