14 July 2009

A Taste of Dartmoor – New experiences for new audiences

20 young people from Plymouth Environmental Action (PEA) have given the Bellever Youth Hostel Wildlife Area a timely makeover ready for the summer season. Armed with fencing pliers, hammers and slashers the young people tackled the task with relish.

The Hostel provided the ideal venue for a ‘Dartmoor taster’ where young people, many of whom were new to Plymouth and have had little opportunity to explore the moor, could see at first hand what the National Park had to offer.

The event was organised by Mosaic in conjunction with Dartmoor National Park Authority. Mosaic is a three year programme of work building links between ethnic communities and National Parks. The project is led by the Campaign for National Parks and supported by Natural England through Access to Nature as part of The Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme. Similar opportunities are being planned for young people from Exeter, Barnstaple and Bristol on Dartmoor and Exmoor.

Garry Hayman (Bellever Hostel Manager) was full of praise for how the young people had gone about the task. ‘It was a pleasure to meet and work with a group of enthusiastic young people from such a wide variety of backgrounds. I sincerely hope that the volunteering work they carried out in our wildlife area was as rewarding for them as it was for us. Thanks to their hard and dedicated work visitors to the YHA will continue to have a greater knowledge and understanding of Dartmoor National Park. The event was a great success for all.’

The young people also encountered Dartmoor ponies at first hand thanks to Dartmoor National Park Authority Guide Tony Burgess and Dru Butterfield of the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust.

The event was a great success and seemed to go down well with all concerned. Michael Gomes who had travelled up from Plymouth captured the feelings of many of the young people. ‘It is wonderful to be out on Dartmoor. On a day like today the views are amazing.’

For further information

For more information on Mosaic’s work with young people please contact David Rolls 0793509946 and for Mosaic‘s work with the Black and Minority Ethnic Community (all ages) please contact Clare Taylor 07805 323 713.

Notes to editors

Mosaic has worked successfully for over 10 years building links between Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities, the National Parks and the Youth Hostels Association (YHA). Based on the success of the work to date the Mosaic team would like to assess if the ‘Mosaic model’ could be extended to another priority group: young people. This has been initiated in the south west of England through a one year action research pilot that started in May 2009.

The Campaign for National Parks (CNP) is the national charity that campaigns to protect and promote National Parks for the benefit and quiet enjoyment of all.

Mosaic is a partnership between the Campaign for National Parks (external link, opens new window), the Youth Hostels Association (external link, opens new window) and the 9 organisations that run the National Parks in England: the Broads Authority, Dartmoor National Park Authority (NPA), Exmoor NPA, Lake District NPA, New Forest NPA, North York Moors NPA, Northumberland NPA, Peak District NPA and the Yorkshire Dales NPA.

Funding for Mosaic was awarded by Natural England through Access to Nature as a part of the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme, with match funding provided by Nationwide Building Society and the partners themselves. Access to Nature aims to encourage people to appreciate England’s countryside, particularly those who face social exclusion or people who currently have little or no contact with the natural environment. Opportunities are available to people of all ages.

The Youth Hostels Association runs 222 accommodation sites across England and Wales, 87 of which are in a National Park, and provides over 2 million overnight stays for members and guests each year.

Return to Dartmoor National Park Authority Partnership Project News Releases

Page updated 13 July 2009