UNESCO Global Geopark designation retained for four more years

Every four years, the North Pennines, along with all other UNESCO Global Geoparks, has its Geopark status reviewed.

In summer 2022 the North Pennines was assessed and was successful – a ‘Green Card’ was awarded confirming the area’s designation for a further four years.

The North Pennines has been a European Geopark since 2003 and a UNESCO Global Geopark since the creation of the UNESCO Geoparks and Geosciences Programme in 2015. Over that time there has been a lot of great work delivered by the team and our partners to make the most of our geoheritage and supporting sustainable development, mainly through education- and tourism-focused activity. Over this period we have developed geotrails to explore the landscape, worked with every school in the AONB, worked with artists to develop and display landscape-themed artworks, trained volunteers to guide walks, run numerous public events, developed interpretation and information for geosites, run children’s clubs and much more.

The Geopark designation can be lost if there is not continual improvement and expansion of the work in each place. The reassessment process every four years can have the following outcomes: ‘green card’ (carry on for four more years); a ‘yellow card (reassessment after two years) or a ‘red card’ (loss of the designation). The North Pennines team secured a green card in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018, and has now done so again in 2022.

This time the reassessment mission was carried out on behalf of UNESCO by representatives from Geoparks in Hungary and Italy. Their three-day programme included looking at interpretation work in Teesdale and visiting Bowlees, Low Force and High Force, sites in the Fellfoot Forward programme area (including looking at work at Long Meg), mining heritage conservation and interpretation in the Allen Valleys, a visit to Killhope Lead Mining Museum, and looking at geotrails and historic building consolidation in Blanchland. The assessors also received presentations and studied the pre-assessment report provided by the team.

In their report the assessors said:

“We visited a ‘mature’ Geopark that has been able to maintain and even significantly increase its level of activity over the last 19 years. This is far from being demonstrated only by the spectacular increase in staff numbers, but also by the number and diversity of projects […], which cover the conservation and interpretation of all areas of our natural, cultural and intangible heritage.

This AONB built up a strong Geopark identity and the organisation is a worthy custodian of the area’s impressive geological and mining heritage. The [team] is doing excellent work in both interpretation of the area’s assets, in practical actions to combat climate change and in sustainable, responsible geotourism.

Operational management and management tools for monitoring actions are extremely positive. In addition, we have to emphasize the strategic 360° vision of the territory.”

The reports usually make several recommendations, and the results of these are assessed at the next revalidation. Those given to the North Pennines team were:

• there should be a core-funded, full-time geology officer post, instead of the present project-funded one;
• in order to effectively manage the work of volunteers, the team should create a volunteer coordinator post; and
• the team should replace all the old UNESCO logos with the new one across all digital communication channels (website, Facebook, Twitter, email signatures, letter headers, etc.) by the end of 2023.

Particular thanks go to Geology Projects Officer, Naomi Foster, for the result of the revalidation, and also to the many partners who support our ongoing work and who contributed to the successful reassessment mission.

If you’d like more information on the work of the team and partners in support of the UNESCO Global Geopark, visit https://northpennines.org.uk/unesco-global-geopark/  or contact naomi@northpenninesaonb.org.uk