A new organisation set up to help protect the beautiful Three Peaks has reached its first milestone – its 100th member.
The Friends of the Three Peaks was set up by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) to support and raise money towards the maintenance of the footpath network around Whernside, Pen-y-ghent and Ingleborough.
It was launched last August by Calendar Girl Angela Baker who became its first member.
Since then there has been a steady stream of new recruits with 70-year-old Kevin Macbeth being allotted membership number 100 – with his wife Barbara coming in at 101.
Mr Macbeth, who lives in Rodley, near Leeds, was pleased as punch to hit the centenary.
“We have done the Yorkshire Three Peaks in 12 hours – although it was in 1998 – and we thoroughly enjoyed it,” he said.
“The reason we joined the Friends of the Three Peaks is that we are both members of the Yorkshire Dales Society and it was featured in the magazine.
“We would like to see the footpaths maintained so the younger generations in the future will be able to do the route.
“I think the Three Peaks Project is great – the paths have to be maintained and this encourages people to help look after them.”
Malcolm Petyt, the YDNPA’s Member Champion for Recreation Management, said: “The footpath network covering the Three Peaks receives about 250,000 visitors a year and needs constant attention to keep it good condition.
“For example, so far this year, 19 organisations have let us know they will be using some or all of the Three Peaks to raise money in coming months.
“The Friends are a vital way of raising money that will be ring-fenced just for path maintenance in this iconic area of our beautiful National Park.
Steve Hastie, the Authority’s Three Peaks Project Manager, said: “The Friends are steadily growing in numbers in terms of individuals, businesses and organisations and, hopefully, numbers will rise as our staff and Dales Volunteers get out and about during the summer and our corporate members spread the word.”
Background
In 1986 the Institute for Terrestrial Ecology carried out a study of the condition of the path network in the Three Peaks area and concluded that the region had the sad distinction of possessing the most severely eroded network in the UK.
The following year, the first Three Peaks Project was established by the YDNPA with a staff of 13. Its remit included trialling new path-engineering and re-vegetating techniques to provide sustainable routes and to allow damaged surrounding land to recover. The mid-90s and early 2000s saw a number of externally-funded projects completed, each with one or two extra staff appointed.
However, since 2004, the management and maintenance of the Three Peaks network has reverted back to the YDNPA’s Rangers – a team of just two officers covering the whole of the wider Ribblesdale area.
The latest project aims to create a sustainable source of both practical and financial support that will help protect and enhance the area and the rights of way network into the future. Since its launch, many of the charities that regularly use the Three Peaks for sponsored events have volunteered to donate money towards the upkeep of the area.
And the YDNPA has produced merchandise to celebrate walking one, two or all of the peaks and has launched the Friends of the Three Peaks, a group being set up to help support the Authority’s work in the area. Anyone can join by making a suggested minimum annual donation of £10. The Authority aims this year to have an events programme members can take part in, with activities like Area Ranger-guided walks and chances to do practical things like path maintenance.
And they will also be kept up to date with developments in the project through a newsletter.
Anyone wanting to become a Friend can log on to the YDNPA website at www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/threepeaks and follow the pages to join online. Or, print off a form, complete and return it to Friends of the Three Peaks c/o Josie Simpson, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Colvend, Hebden Road, Grassington, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 5LB along with a cheque made payable to ‘Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’ and marked on the reverse ‘Friends of the Three Peaks’.
Alternatively, visit a National Park Centre and hand the completed form and membership fee in cash or cheque to an Information Advisor.
If you have any questions about the Three Peaks Project or about the Friends of the Three Peaks, please contact Steve on 01729 825242 or on his mobile 07818 048767 or email him at threepeaksproject@yorkshiredales.org.uk.
