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Year in Review: Celebrating 100 Years of Countryside Care
Throughout 2024 we’ve celebrated 100 years of caring for the Peak District and South Yorkshire countryside.
Inspired by our founder Ethel Haythornthwaite, our mission has been unwavering: to create a beautiful, thriving countryside that everyone can enjoy. Over the past century, we’ve strived to protect and enhance the natural landscapes, ensuring that the countryside remains a place of peace, beauty, and joy. Our achievements include:
- The creation of the Sheffield Green Belt, Britain’s first
- The creation of the Peak District National Park, Britain’s first
- The purchase of Longshaw for the National Trust
- Halting a motor racing circuit in the White Peak
- The ongoing fight against a Longdendale motorway
- Quarrying and fracking have been fought off, hand in hand with local communities
Centenary Celebration Highlights:
Throughout 2024, we’ve celebrated one hundred years of countryside care with a series of meaningful events, engaging volunteer activities, and by sharing the rich stories of our heritage. We thank everyone who has joined us and supported our work. Your participation and support have been integral to our success, and together, we look forward to many more years of protecting and safeguarding the Peak District and South Yorkshire countryside.
Centenary Celebration Event
The picturesque setting of Whirlow Brook Hall, nestled within the Green Belt of Sheffield, provided the perfect backdrop to celebrate the Centenary of CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire. Our President, Dame Fiona Reynolds, and Roger Mortlock, Chief Executive Officer of CPRE joined supporters, volunteers, staff, and partner organisations on 7th May – marking exactly one hundred year’s since Ethel Haythornthwaite founded the charity.
Official Launch of Ethel: The Biography
Written by local author Helen Mort, this thought-provoking book explores the life and legacy of Ethel, through a series of letters. The book debuted at the Centenary Celebration with further events at Waterstones in Sheffield, Off the Shelf Festival, Derby Book Festival and Outside in Hathersage. It is available to purchase at Ethel | Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing
Sheffield Walking Festival
We also hosted a series of guided walks celebrating the region’s natural beauty, including trails inspired by Ethel’s work. Over the course of three days, 50 people retraced the footsteps of Ethel Haythornthwaite, exploring routes such as the Peak District Boundary Way, the Hathersage Round Walk to four of the Ethels, and a journey from the blue heritage plaque near Endcliffe Park into the Peak District, through the Green Belt.
100 Years that Shaped the Countryside
Author Bill Bevan chronicles Ethel’s work and all those who have been inspired by her to preserve the natural beauty of the countryside. There are also contributions by others who have worked for the charity or researched some of the campaigns. The book examines the charity’s impact on significant issues such as transport, energy, housing and quarrying highlighting its contributions over the last century.
Woodland Restoration at Haythornthwaite Wood
Ethel Beer Launch
In partnership with a local brewery, the “Ethel Beer” was available to purchase during Sheffield Beer Week giving people an opportunity to toast a century of countryside preservation.
School Production of “Ethel’s Exploits”
Young people at a secondary school in Sheffield have been inspired to perform a play which brings Ethel’s remarkable contributions to safeguard local landscapes to life. https://www.cprepdsy.org.uk/news/the-exploits-of-ethel-performed-by-newfield-students/
Peak District Boundary Walk App Launched
The Peak District Boundary Walk is a 190-mile walking route encircling the National Park and largely follows the original boundary originally drawn up by the Haythornthwaite’s in 1939. The free Boundary Walk mobile app, provides people with information about the different stages, routes, distance and grid references. It follows the success of the Ethel Ready App.
The role of Countryside Planning today
Our planning officer and dedicated volunteers closely monitor applications to assess their impact on the countryside. Their vigilance ensures that developments align with our mission to protect and enhance the natural beauty of the landscape. Notably, our involvement with the Loxley Valley Hepworth Site and the A57 Link Roads has garnered significant attention, and we’ve also been on the ground in Doncaster listening to increasing concerns about the development of potential solar farms.
Alongside our monitoring efforts, we have submitted written responses to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the Peak District Local Plan. These new policies will significantly impact the Green Belt and the countryside, and we are committed to ensuring that our perspectives and concerns are heard to protect these vital areas.
A Legacy Worth Celebrating
As we commemorate this milestone, we reflect on the progress we’ve made and the continued need to preserve these precious landscapes for future generations. Many of the threats to the natural beauty of the countryside, such as road building, transport infrastructure, and housing developments, would be all too familiar to Ethel.
But today, the countryside faces an increasing number of challenges and competing pressures that threaten its sustainability. As we look to the future, the countryside’s role in addressing key challenges like the climate, nature, and housing crises becomes increasingly crucial. It’s essential that we continue our efforts to protect and enhance the countryside, whilst nurturing a future where both people and nature thrive. Together, we can continue Ethel’s vision of a countryside that is accessible, protected, and treasured by all.
Every pound you donate will enable projects like the Centenary Tree Planting Programme, ensuring that Ethel’s legacy continues to thrive for generations to come.
