Farming and nature talks programme

25 September 2024

This winter a partnership of two northern protected landscape teams is holding a series of evening talks exploring the links between farming and nature.

Through the Tees-Swale: naturally connected programme, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the North Pennines National Landscape and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority teams are working together to support nature and farming in Teesdale and Swaledale.

The farming and nature talks will take place at The Moorcock Inn, Eggleston and members of the public as well as farmers and landowners are welcome to attend. For each of the three talks there is a guest speaker with the opportunity for discussion afterwards.

The first talk of the season will be followed by the presentation of the High Nature Value Farming Awards, by Professor Sir John Lawton, Chair of the Tees-Swale board. These awards recognise and reward examples of the nature-friendly upland farming practices which have sustained the largest expanse of semi-natural habitats in England.

The award nominations were judged by a panel, led by Professor Sir John Lawton, with Cat Kilner of the North Pennines National Landscape team, and Neil Heseltine from Hill Top Farm, Malham.

Patrick Oulton, Tees-Swale Programme Manager with the North Pennines team, said: “The farming and nature talks explore the important work that farmers do, conserving and promoting the diversity of habitats across the region. There are a range of speakers from across the Tees-Swale: naturally connected programme, discussing topics relevant to the farming community, whilst being accessible to members of the public. The High Nature Value Farming Awards recognise the excellent work done by farmers in Teesdale and Swaledale. We would like to thank National Lottery players, who support all of this vital work for nature and farming across two protected landscapes.”

Sir John Lawton said: “Farming gets a lot of bad press because of its environmental impacts. Some of these criticisms are valid, but they all too often ignore the very positive actions taken by farmers that never make the headlines. The Tees-Swale High Nature Value Farming Awards are a celebration of good environmental practice across the Northern Pennines, where, despite, living in in worryingly uncertain times, individual farmers have taken steps to maintain and make more space for nature on their farms, and to share that work with the wider public. I personally found their efforts (both the winners and all those nominated) truly inspirational and feel privileged to have been able to recognise their efforts through the generosity of The National Lottery Heritage Fund.”

Programme

Wednesday 16 October, 7.30pm to 9pm
Neil Heseltine: Can farming ever be truly nature-friendly?

Our talk series begins with an overview of Neil Heseltine’s experiences of nature-friendly farming in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, managing the land for wildlife and biodiversity. Neil is a farmer from Hill Top farm near Malham and the previous Chair of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. He works closely with The Pasture-Fed Livestock Association and The Nature Friendly Farming Network.

Wednesday 6 November, 7.30pm to 9pm
Pete Leeson: Trees in the farmed landscape

Pete Leeson discusses how trees help us with farming, water management, biodiversity and adaptation to climate change.
Pete has been at the Woodland Trust for over 30 years. He has worked as a surveyor on land and woodland acquisition, building the trust’s estate, and now works with farmers and land managers on areas like regenerative agriculture and wood pastures, and working towards more trees in the landscapes across northern England. Pete also has a podcast ‘Tree Amble’: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/tree-amble/id1693567978

Wednesday 27 November, 7.30pm to 9pm
Dr Margaret Bradshaw: Hefted to the floristic fells

Our final speaker, Dr Margaret Bradshaw will share her knowledge of the floral treasures of Upper Teesdale and how important farmers are to keep these botanical hotspots conserved into the future.

Dr Margaret Bradshaw is a well-known, 98 year-old botanist who has campaigned tirelessly to raise the profile of Upper Teesdale’s species-rich flora, and the importance of managing these areas through sensitive grazing. She has helped to set-up the Teesdale Special Flora Trust: https://www.teesdalespecialflora.uk/

Everyone is welcome to attend these talks and the High Nature Value Farming Awards. To book your place, visit https://bit.ly/FarmingNature. If you farm within the Tees-Swale project area you can come to these talks for free, please email Ruth Starr-Keddle (ruth@northpennines.org.uk) or Patrick Oulton (patrick@northpennines.org.uk).

Notes for editors

Contact the North Pennines National Landscape communications team for further information, interviews with the winners and Sir John Lawton. A visit to one of the winning farms with Sir John Lawton can be arranged – communications@northpennines.org.uk, phone: Sarah 01388 528801 / 07768123247.

Images of 2023 High Nature Value Farming award winners, Jemma and John Clark of Bowlees Farm with Sir John Lawton, Charlie and Gina Parker of Hill Gill Farm with Sir John Lawton, and Ray and Sue Ridley of Kexwith Farm with Sir John Lawton ©North Pennines National Landscape are attached. For alternative images please contact the communications team, email: communications@northpennines.org.uk or call Sarah 07768123247.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.

Over the next ten years, the Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.

The Heritage Fund helps protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.

The Heritage Fund is passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund  www.heritagefund.org.uk. 

The North Pennines National Landscape is one of England’s most special places – a peaceful, unspoilt landscape with a rich history and vibrant natural beauty. It was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1988. The purpose of this nationally recognised designation is the conservation and enhancement of the natural beauty of the area.

At almost 2,000 sq. kilometres the North Pennines is the second largest of the 46 National Landscapes (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and is one of the most peaceful and unspoilt places in England. Visit www.landscapesforlife.org.uk for information about the National Landscapes family.

The North Pennines lies between the National Parks of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and Northumberland with the urban centres of County Durham away to the east. Parts of the National Landscape are within the boundaries of four local authorities; Cumberland Council, Durham County Council, Northumberland County Council, and Westmorland & Furness Council.

The North Pennines National Landscape Partnership is an alliance of public, statutory and voluntary sector bodies with an interest in the future of the North Pennines. The work of the Partnership is carried out by the National Landscape team which takes action to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area, to raise awareness of its special qualities and to improve the quality of life for local people.

UNESCO Global Geopark – As well as being a National Landscape, the North Pennines is a UNESCO Global Geopark. This puts the area’s Geopark status in the same UNESCO family as World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves. UNESCO Global Geoparks are places with outstanding geology where special effort is made to make the most of geological heritage to support community and economy. Locally this includes producing geo-trails, developing projects with school and community groups, producing displays for visitor attractions and holding geology festivals and events.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is one of 15 National Parks in the UK. It is administered by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, which has two main purposes: “to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage” and “to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the National Park”. In carrying out these purposes, the Authority has a duty “to seek to foster the economic and social well-being of local communities”. The National Park Authority comprises 25 members, made up of county and district councillors and members appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment to represent parishes or in recognition of their specialist skills or knowledge.

Tees-Swale: Naturally Connected – The North Pennines National Landscape team and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority are working with partner organisations to deliver a major natural heritage programme that focuses on the landscape and communities of Upper Teesdale and Swaledale. Tees-Swale: naturally connected covers 829 square kilometres of Teesdale in the North Pennines National Landscape and Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Inspired by the report ‘Making Space for Nature’, the programme aims to restore, expand, and connect habitats across the uplands of Teesdale and Swaledale, showcasing how public funds can enhance wildlife and deliver multiple public benefits. The ethos of the programme is to work closely and in partnership with farmers, landowners and conservation agencies from the outset. In so doing, we will build the relationships and establish the skills required to sustain our High Nature Value farming systems.

High Nature Value farming is a term used to describe low intensity farming systems that are particularly valuable for wildlife, the environment, and people. The concept of knowledge exchange will be a core principle of the programme, with farmers encouraged to share their land management skills and experience, in order to target habitat improvement and restoration, in a way that allows the whole farm to work as a system.

The Tees-Swale programme area contains many areas of nationally important habitats such as Upland Hay Meadows and rush pastures supporting upland breeding wader populations. The maintenance of these habitats is often underpinned by ongoing sensitive management as part of a High Nature Value farming system. Valuing this way of managing habitats is an important part of ensuring continued positive management into the future. Without a continuation and expansion of High Nature Value farming there is likely to be degradation and loss of important habitats and species. The awards are to promote High Nature Value farming systems and recognise good practice within upland farming, showcasing farms and farmers within the project area who are delivering excellent environmental outcomes and public goods as part of their farming enterprise.

Through an innovative programme of interpretation, activities, and rights of way improvements, we will enable people to discover, explore and enjoy the stunning landscape of Teesdale and Swaledale. At the heart of this will be a drive to reveal to visitors how this landscape is managed and why this is relevant to them. Opportunities will include on-farm activities and community-led environmental art. A comprehensive learning programme will see skills developed through traineeships, knowledge-exchange schemes, and volunteering with the aim of building resilience within farming communities and empowering a future rural workforce.