Award celebrates people who help keep national parks safe

THE unsung heroes who help maintain the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors are to be celebrated with a new award scheme honouring those who safeguard the nation’s national parks.

To celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2011, the Campaign for National Parks (CNP) unveiled the Park Protector Award that aims to showcase the efforts of those who work tirelessly on behalf of all 13 national parks of England and Wales.

Nominations are sought for restoration projects for buildings and countryside, campaigns to protect a particular area, and conservation schemes that boost biodiversity.

A shortlist of projects will be drawn up by a panel of experts led by CNP and an overall winner will be announced early next year.

As well as receiving the Park Protector Award the winning project or individual will receive a bursary of 2,000 to help sustain their work. Judge and patron explorer and TV broadcaster Nick Crane said: “National Parks are a fantastic asset that must never be taken for granted. The Park Protector Award is a wonderful idea.”

The award is sponsored by walking and leisure holiday company HF Holidays – a founding member of the CNP.

Communications manager for CNP Joanna Hall said: “We can acknowledge and support the unsung heroes of the Yorkshire Dales. Many of them volunteer their time for free and work tirelessly on the ground to restore habitats, conserve traditional ways of life and protect this beautiful landscape.”

Nominations for the first award can be made until New Year’s Eve via www.cnp.org.uk/features/ park-protector or contact Liz Wall on 020 7924 4077 ext 223.