About us

The North Pennines National Landscape partnership is an alliance of statutory agencies, local authorities and voluntary or community organisations which care about, and for, the area.

The partnership is the body responsible for co-ordinating efforts to conserve and enhance the North Pennines, and its work is carried out through the staff team employed through its accountable body, Durham County Council. The partnership meets twice a year, to consider important issues related to conserving and enhancing natural beauty in the North Pennines National Landscape and UNESCO Global Geopark. An Executive Group meets three times a year to provide support to the staff team on operational matters. The Partnership also holds an Annual Forum (see below).

Management plan

The work of the National Landscape team is guided by the North Pennines Management Plan. This statutory plan is produced by the partnership on behalf of the area’s local authorities – whose duty it is to jointly prepare.

Contact

Contact Chris Woodley-Stewart (Director of the North Pennines National Landscape team) on 01388 528801 or chris@northpennines.org.uk for further information on the National Landscape and the team’s work.

Working groups

We have four Working Groups: Access and Recreation; Tourism; Historic Environment; and the Geopark Advisory Group. These groups meet three or four times a year. Their purpose is to support project development and the implementation of the Management Plan. They all have ‘Terms of Reference’ and are an important part of the the organisation’s structure.

Annual Forum

The North Pennines National Landscape Annual Forum is one of the ways we communicate with the wider community. The forum looks at issues important to our role of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the North Pennines. It is an opportunity to share information about the work of the team. It helps us to receive feedback, guidance and advice from the wider community. We invite a range of organisations and individuals, such as Parish Councils, members of the partnership and our four working groups, community groups, individuals, partner agencies, Local Authorities, and MPs.

Members

The Chair of the National Landscape partnership is Jan Simmonds (open seat member), and the vice-chair is Stephen Trotter (Cumbria Wildlife Trust). The partnership includes representatives from the following organisations:

• Cumberland Council
• Durham County Council
• Westmorland and Furness Council
• Northumberland County Council
• Natural England
• Environment Agency
• Forestry Commission
• Moorland Association / Country Land and Business Association
• National Farmers’ Union
• RSPB
• Visit County Durham
• Visit Northumberland
• Durham Wildlife Trust
• Northumberland Wildlife Trust
• Cumbria Wildlife Trust
• Cumbria Tourism
• Nenthead Mines Conservation Society
• Four Open Seats (Jan Simmonds, Richard Friend, Judith Mashiter and Neville Gill)
• Chair of Access & Recreation Working Group
• Chair of Historic Environment Working Group
• Chair of Geopark Advisory Group
• Chair of Tourism Working Group