Agenda item

Chair's Announcements

Minutes:

The Chair of the Authority provided a verbal update to Members on the following:

 

           “One Team Celebration Day” is being held at Aldern House on the 8th September for all Officers, Members, Casuals and Volunteers to come together to demonstrate and showcase the work that we do to others.  As part of the event, there will be exhibits and Information Stalls.

 

           There have been a number of fires in the Peak District National Park this week due to the extreme weather conditions, a number of which were possibly started by camping stoves and disposable bbqs.  The Chair thanked the Ranger Service, Field Services and Volunteers for supporting the Fire Service to reach some of the fire sites, due to the inaccessibility of some of the locations, and in helping to put out the fires. Hopefully the change in the weather conditions will help, but it was a reminder to all just how fragile the Peak District National Park was at the moment.

 

           The Peak District National Park Authority has won a highly commended award from the RTPI East Midlands for an affordable housing project in Bakewell for 30 100% affordable homes on the edge of grounds at Lady Manners School.  Thanks to the Planning Department, colleagues and partners who were instrumental in delivering the project and in particular to the case officer Senior Planner Andrea Needham,

 

           Groups based in the Peak District had won 2 of the 3 Protector Awards presented by the Campaign for National Parks (CNP). These are annual awards given by the CNP to celebrate the contribution of individuals and groups to National Parks. 

 

The Volunteer of the Year Award was given to Chris Maloney (aka Keeper of the Peak) who has developed an online community for mountain bikers to promote responsible riding as well as practical work on the ground.  

 

The New Prospectives Award was presented to a group called the Health, Wealth and Oneness Group, who bring groups out from the urban areas of  Nottingham to the Peak District so opening the National Park up to new audiences.

 

The final award was awarded to “Fix the Fells”, which is a Lake District based project which the National Park and National Trust are leading on to look at footpath restoration.

 

Congratulations to all groups.