People and communities are at the heart of Wild Ingleborough. Through our Access and Engagement work, we are breaking down the barriers which prevent people  from accessing everything our beautiful landscape has to offer, and connecting more people from the local community and wider region with the Ingleborough area. In this blog, Wild Ingleborough Community Engagement Officer Ellie reflects on the different aspects of the engagement programme to date, and how Wild Ingleborough is making a difference in people’s lives.

Although Wild Ingleborough is set within one of the more remote parts of upland England, it is a living, breathing landscape which has a special place in many people’s hearts. For those who live within sight of its windswept limestone slopes, Ingleborough conveys a strong sense of identity and belonging; it is a place where families have lived on and farmed the land for several generations. It is a key destination for recreation for many more who visit from nearby towns and cities, with the hugely popular Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge cutting right through the Ingleborough National Nature Reserve. With so many different communities of people invested in the landscape, it is vital the Wild Ingleborough creates opportunities for everyone to connect with and benefit from our work.

In 2025/2026 we were grateful to receive generous grants from the Michael Uren Foundation and Inntravel, enabling us to continue and expand two successful engagement programmes:

The Access to Nature Fund, which offers grants of up to £1500 to grassroots groups supporting communities underrepresented in the Dales. This year we awarded 16 grants to youth and community groups supporting people from a wide range of backgrounds, all needing support to visit the area. We work closely with group leaders to ensure their participants get the most out of their trip, and are now developing ways we can build on these initial visits with further opportunities to build skills and confidence in the outdoors.

Nature Connection Days, which takes place on a local traditional sheep farm. They are offered free of charge to primary schools, plus travel bursary, so that children aged 3-11 can spend an immersive, creative day learning about biodiversity, the unique limestone landscape and nature-friendly farming. Initially offered to primary schools in the local area, these days help children develop a sense of identity and belonging which is deeply connected to their locality. This year we also offered sessions to schools from the wider region, and were delighted to host 50 children from a school in Keighley town centre. These days are overwhelmingly popular with children (over 200 of whom visited this year), who go away brimming with new knowledge and a desire to care for the wildlife on their doorstep. We often receive feedback from parents that, following a Nature Connection Day with Wild Ingleborough, their child has taken them on a walk through Lower Winskill Farm on public footpaths and shown them the things they’ve learnt about with us.

In further collaborations with schools, we run an annual project with Settle Primary School’s Year 6 class, discovering the wildlife and habitats of Ingleborough together. Children have used stop-motion animation to bring the landscape to life and share important messages with their community – you can see their work here. We’ve also developed an ongoing partnership with Dixon’s Sixth Form Academy in Bradford, regularly hosting young people at Ingleborough to plant trees, learn dry stone walling or practise essential skills for the Duke of Edinburgh award.

The ongoing support of our funders has made it possible for us to build strong relationships with our communities, and help many people across the region to develop a meaningful and long-lasting connection to this special wild place.