Nidderdale used to educate youngsters

Game keeper Dan Place talk with 9-year-old Eddie Harrison of Hackforth and Hornby School at the 'Let's Learn Moor' event near Grinton on the Yorkshire Moors.

The event, run by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and Countryside Learning, is the UK’s largest upland classroom.

Running from July 5-9 across nine venues, including Nidderdale this year’s event will see more than 2,000 primary school children visit their local moor to learn from those who work to preserve our precious uplands.

Other venues include moors in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, North York Moors National Park, the Peak District National Park, Bradford and the North Pennines.

Land managers from local grouse moor estates were on hand to explain how moorland managed for grouse plays a key role in preserving and enhancing the beautiful countryside.

They explained the fragility of heather moorland, why it is rarer than the rainforest and how the UK possesses 75 per cent of what is left of this globally recognised expanse.

Pupils also learnt how careful land management through the skill and dedication of gamekeepers has seen significant gains for some of the country’s most endangered ground-nesting birds.

Grouse moors are vital to the breeding success of a third of the world’s curlew population found in the UK.

Gareth Dockerty, Let’s Learn Moor coordinator and BASC upland officer, said: “With the Covid-pandemic impacting a generation of children’s education, this year’s event has been essential for rebuilding what has been lost.

“Time and time again we hear stories of children from the area never having been to visit the uplands.

“To give them the full experience in one day is amazing.”

Let’s Learn Moor is made possible as a result of over 50 partner organisations working together to ensure our uplands continue to thrive, including gamekeepers, farmers, conservations groups, mountain rescue, fire crews, the police and regional moorland groups.