National Parks Week 2010
26 July to 1 August 2010
National Parks Week: Inspiring Places – Inspiring people
Issued: 24 May 2010
The wild open spaces of UK’s National Parks have long inspired artists, musicians and writers and this year’s National Parks Week (26 July to 1 August 2010 ) will celebrate some of these cultural heroes with an array of fun filled events.
UK National Parks have been a source of inspiration for people both past and present, from early feminist and social reformer Josephine Butler in Northumberland to modern day ex-Catatonia lead singer Cerys Matthews in Pembrokeshire Coast. Other heroes include Scottish pioneering thinker and planner Sir Patrick Geddes, glasswear artists in the North York Moors, a snake catcher in the New Forest, puppeteers, a garden designer for the rich and stately, world explorer Captain Cook and many more.
Inspiring - Our National Park heroes
Cultural events being held during National Parks Week include ‘Hands on Heritage’ in Dartmoor National Park – with activities, quizzes, dig boxes and demonstrations; a poetic journey in Snowdonia National Park; Medieval Fayre in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and a tour of some of the places that inspired Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem ‘The Lady of the Lake’ in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
National Park Week events
Notes to editors:
- There are 15 members of the National Parks family. These are the Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, South Downs, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdonia, Yorkshire Dales, Loch Lomond & the Trossachs and the Cairngorms. The Broads is a member of the National Parks ‘family’.
- National Parks have the highest landscape protection for their outstanding beauty and special qualities. They are an important part of the nation’s cultural heritage.
- Land area covered by National Parks: 9.3% of England, 19.9% of Wales and 7.2% of Scotland.
- National Parks are there for everyone to enjoy, free of charge, 24/7, 365 days of the year.
- National Parks Week aims to raise the profile of National Parks and to encourage more people to enjoy them – particularly children and families.
- More than 125 million visitor days are spent in National Parks per year. These special areas are an important part of the nation’s heritage and are here for everyone to enjoy.
