The Alpkit Foundation is delighted to support Sheffield City Council. They would like to run a pilot for the ESCAPE (Every Sheffield Child a Peak Experience) project. The concept is for every child, during their school years, to access a Peak District experience. The project has three phases; a local half day adventure, a one day Peak visit, and a Peak residential. They plan to use public transport where possible, to provide a mixture of adventure, discovery and environmental connection. The John Muir Award will also be included.
Emma, from Sheffield City Council, explains why the project is so important. “This is a health, safety and wellbeing project – to engage young people with their local environment. 30% of Sheffield is within the National Park, and we want Sheffield children to know how easy it is to get out into the Peak on public transport. At the moment many pupils in Sheffield are aware that they can get the bus to Meadowhall and walk around the shops for free. We want the children to have the same awareness about the Peak District, and by getting the bus in the opposite direction they can go on free adventures. The aim is to support those who would not otherwise access these opportunities, and to do it in a way that helps them to repeat the experiences themselves.
“Our goal is for this to eventually become a Sheffield entitlement for all children. Our target audience will be hard to reach and vulnerable young people – although we will help others who can self-fund to complete the same programme.”
Help is needed from the Alpkit Foundation, to ensure the pilot project is a success. Funding is required to cover some direct costs such as transport and campsite fees. Friends of Thornbridge Outdoors have also pledged their support to the project.