Date: 23/07/2009
Countryside guardians visited High Peak on Tuesday 14 July to find out about a Walks for Health programme designed to involve people with disabilities.
The officials from Natural England and Peak District National Park Authority were guests of the Borough Council, which organised a four-mile circular walk from Hayfield Information Centre.
Council representatives gave information that Natural England will use to bid for Government funding to introduce a similar healthy walks scheme nationally.
The 12 visitors from Natural England and the national park authority were accompanied on the walk by Sheila Wright, health promotion officer for Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, with which High Peak has a strategic alliance. Earlier, the visitors were greeted by Andrew Bingham, Executive Councillor for Social and Community Development; and head of cultural services Andy Brown.
Before the stroll, national park authority chairwoman Narendra Bajaria and Natural England regional board member Christopher Pennell made speeches praising the Walks for Health initiative. They also considered it appropriate that such a scheme was flourishing in the year that marked the 60th anniversary of the Peak Park's creation. The visit ended with a trip to the Hayfield well dressings.
Said Andrew Bingham: "I'm delighted that Natural England and the national park authority considered our Walks for Health programme to be best practice and that they were impressed by the way in which we'd designed the walks to cater for people with disabilities".