Some of the projects we have funded
Rowsley Post Office Internet Cafe
An SDF grant of £1,494 has helped this small rural Post Office diversify its business for local people and tourists. A three-terminal internet cafe has been created within the existing Post Office and shop. This has helped to attract a new clientele to the business whilst retaining services for their existing customers. It is hoped that this will become a hub in the village.Rowsley Post Office Internet Cafe website
New Mills Hydro Power Project
Water Power Enterprises are working towards installing and operating a hydro-electric scheme at Torr Weir, on the River Goyt in New Mills. This will be capable of producing over 250,000 kWh of electricity per year and will save 4,500 tonnes of carbon emissions over the lifetime of the project (about 40 years). A share of the revenue from the scheme will help regenerate the community and promote the environmental sustainability of the New Mills area. SDF awarded the project a grant of £15,000.Torrs Hydro website
Groundwork "Peaks for People"
SDF awarded Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale a grant of £3,851 towards the Peaks for People project. The main aim of this project was to introduce local communities to the valuable natural resource on their doorstep. Particularly focussing on children, young people and families, participants were taken on a day visit to the Peak District. Here they gained hands on experience in environmental improvements and learned new skills by undertaking physical outdoor work.Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale website
Peak Connections "Ride & Ramble"
SDF gave a grant of £6,642 to help Peak Connections spread the sustainable transport message. The "Ride and Ramble" project has produced a book of 20 linear walks in the Peak District linked to local buses and trains. Each book comes with a free bus timetable to help plan your route and all walks are illustrated by a clearly defined map with reference points. The book is now available from Tourist Information Centres throughout the Peak District.Buy Ride and Ramble
Living Landscape Exhibition
The Living Landscape exhibition brings together professional photographers whose work includes the Peak District. The Living Landscape aims to encourage professional artists, amateur enthusiasts, communities and the general public to be inspired, to be entertained and to ultimately take an active interest in the environment with the aim to effect change and safeguard its future. SDF supported the exhibition at Buxton Tourist Information Centre with a grant of £1,000. The exhibition is now back at the Living Art Gallery in Hathersage.Living Art website
Heritage and Sustainable Building Skills Fair
College of the Peak was awarded a grant of £1,000 to support a two-day Skills Fair that showcased local opportunities in heritage and sustainable building skills training. Crafts included drystone walling, stone carving, pole lathe turning, straw bale construction, lime rendering and hedgelaying. The 2007 event, held at the National Stone Centre, Wirksworth, also had an energy saving focus.College of the Peak website
Balsam Bashing
Our grant of £1000 helped Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale to tackle the problem of Himalayan Balsam in their area. Working with Saddleworth Parish Council, the project sought to raise awareness of the problems associated with this invasive species and how it can be managed. The local community were taught how to recognise the plant at workshops and then participated in Balsam Bashing events. The Balsam has also been mapped so it can be monitored in future.Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale website
Delph Donkey Line Interpretation Project
The Delph Donkey is a former branch railway leading from the Leeds-Manchester mainline at Uppermill to Delph. The 2km route is now a popular and well-used recreational route for cyclists, walkers and horseriders. An SDF grant of £3,000 was used to help interpret the heritage of the route. Three information panels were installed at the original train halts and terminus and were designed to replicate the appearance of traditional railway platform timetable displays.Cycle routes in Oldham leaflet (pdf)
Promoting Black & Minority Ethnic Access to the National Park
The overall aim of this project was to enable BME communities to access and enjoy the Peak District National Park. Working with the National Park ranger service, visiting groups were shown how to get to the Peak District on public transport so that they will be able to visit on their own in future. Trips were made to Castleton and Chatsworth. A grant of £1000 was awarded for this project to Sheffield Black & Ethnic Minority Environmental Network (SHEBEEN).Shebeen website
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust "Waste Away" Project
A grant of £26,700 over two years enabled Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to work closely with schools to develop waste reduction strategies and educational programmes. This also helped the schools work towards 'Eco-School' status. Following a waste audit, children got involved in paper making, composting and growing food as well as reducing, reusing and recycling.Community Biodiversity Action Plan
A grant of £2400 enabled Westwood College, Leek to improve the school grounds. A Victorian well, pond and rockery have been restored, an avenue of lime trees has been planted and two acres have been set aside as wildflower meadows. This has also attracted wildlife and birds not previously seen at Westwood, bramblings, redwings and fieldfares are regular visitors. The school grounds are now an important educational resource, allowing both students and visitors to understand and enjoy the site.Bradwell Junior School Grounds Project
A grant of £1,000 enabled the school to use their grounds as a teaching and educational resource. The school has started an organic vegetable and herb garden, has improved their pond and extended the wildlife garden."21st Century Village" Conference
SDF awarded a grant of £4,850 to Derbyshire Rural Community Council (on behalf of the Peak District Sustainable Energy Group) for this event, which was held on 29 September 2007 at Lady Manners School, Bakewell. The conference showcased existing and planned instances of local energy generation and demonstrated the range of possibilities open to communities, individuals and companies. A number of local and sustainable energy companies exhibited at the event and delegates participated in a variety of workshops. Guest speakers included Penney Poyzer from BBC2's "No Waste Like Home".Derbyshire Rural Community Council website
Farm Plastics Washing Plant
The Green Business Network have investigated washing farm plastics to render them clean enough to be reprocessed. However, existing washing plants are very complex and expensive. The grant of £10,000 is to part-fund a washing plant that is simpler to construct, operate and maintain whilst still being very robust. This will allow mixed contaminated farm plastics to be collected and then washed to the standard required by the industry and will allow waste to be reprocessed close to its source. The plastic will then recycled and made into other products.Green business network website
Bakewell Garden Allotments Feasibility Study
At present there is a very long waiting list for a plot at the only allotment site in Bakewell. A grant of £966 allowed a feasibility study to be carried out to assess demand for allotments in Bakewell, identify possible new allotment sites and explore the current and potential future involvement of local government bodies and Bakewell community groups.Bakewell garden allotments website
Staffordshire Moorlands Climate Change Project
This project helps to raise awareness of climate change amongst local businesses, communities and householders. The grant of £6,000 will be used in three areas of this huge project: a public awareness programme including TV, radio, press and internet; “Ilam Community Climate Change Project” which aims to reduce carbon emissions in the village through the use of low energy light bulbs, loft insulation, and where possible domestic wind turbines and solar heating panels; “ProjectCarbon.org”, an innovative “CO2 offset” not-for-profit organisation helping the Staffordshire Moorlands to achieve a reduction in carbon emissions.Sustainable Youlgrave
£1,000 grant to create, maintain and develop a website for Sustainable Youlgrave as part of the ongoing development of the innovative, community-led project. The site will be part of the promotion and dissemination of information, good practice and shared learning that was a condition of the original SDF grant for the feasibility studies.Sustainable Youlgrave website
Adventure Challenge
A grant of £12,827 to the Adventure Network for a project to involve urban and rural young people in outdoor activities. A not-for-profit organisation, Adventure Network aimed to give low waged and disadvantaged young people the opportunity to try something different, teach them new skills and allow them to understand the environmental issues associated with outdoor pursuits in the National Park.Adventure Network website
Aspire Adventure Activities
The overall aim of this project is to promote sustainable use of the Peak District for outdoor activity groups. This will involve developing a website to promote sustainable outdoor activity courses in the Peak District National Park and also developing a teaching pack for school children about sustainable use of the national park. The project will help to develop a network in the southern region of the national park that supports the aims of the Young People's Strategy. The project received a grant of £2,606.Aspire Adventure Activites website
Bridgend Centre, Bollington
SDF has awarded two separate grants to this community cooperative. £14,000 was granted to research and produce a resource pack for primary schools, encouraging schools to use the "Nostalgia Trails" around Bollington. Not only does this increase the children's knowledge and enjoyment of the countryside, it also helps to focus on environmental issues via cross-curricular activities. The pack also helps nearby inner-city schools to access the countryside. Another grant of £11,246 was awarded to create two more Nostalgia Trails around Bollington, bringing the total to eight. These trails bring to life times gone by and encourage people of all ages to celebrate their heritage, explore and respect the countryside whilst improving their health through exercise.Bridgend Website
Mini National Parks Visitor Centre, Birmingham
SDF awarded ARDIC (The Action Resource Development and Information Centre) a grant of £6,500 to help develop a community-led mini National Park Visitor Centre for the communities around Handsworth in Birmingham. The Centre will help develop learning and understanding of the National Park through activities and events that reflect the character of the Peak District. It will also help improve local residents access to sustainable development issues, training and events.Sun Pipes at Hollowford Centre, Castleton
The Hollowford Centre, run by Lindley Educational Trust, aims to be a centre of excellence for the development of young people using outdoor learning. The Trust already had funding to replace their old and out-of-date Centre with a new, energy efficient and disabled friendly building but were looking to raise money for energy saving add-on's not included in the basic plans. SDF provided a grant of £5,196 for eight energy-free reflective sun pipes, allowing energy to be saved in corridors and upstairs rooms.Hollowford Centre website
Village Aid "Over the Hills and Far Away" Project
An SDF grant of £10,900 allowed Derbyshire young people to take part in an exciting and dynamic week of drama based activities whilst looking at challenging issues. Through social drama and role play the summer-school participants learned about the lives of African children today and during the slave trade, whilst making links with young mill workers in the Derbyshire textile industry in the 18th and 19th centuries. Three short films examining slavery and child exploitation in both historical and contemporary times were made.Village Aid website
TARA Community Cohesion Project
SDF awarded £2,507 to the Tameside African Refugee Association (TARA). Their project sought to bring together people from local communities (Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, African and English) living in Tameside with the aim of building community relationships, promoting diversity and cohesion. The project had a second purpose which was to promote and raise environmental awareness through helping people to access and enjoy green outdoor spaces. This was done through a visit to the Peak District where participants enjoyed a range of cultural and recreational experiences.Bakewell Old House Museum
An SDF grant of £15,000 has helped to ensure the sustainability of the oldest house in Bakewell. Part of the project includes improved interpretation and preservation of the museum's collection as well as better facilities for visitors and staff. This is in addition to environmental measures including conservation heating, to economically control humidity, improved insulation of ceilings and windows and low energy LED lighting.Old House Museum website
