Celebrating 100 years of CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire

I’ve lived in Sheffield for over 15 years, and I love everything about this outdoor city. I take a lot of inspiration from my natural surroundings, and can often be found chasing my cocker spaniel, Blair, around the Peak District. So when I spotted that CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire were planning a marketing campaign for their 100th anniversary, I knew I wanted to be part of this special project.

Exploring the Peak District Ethels during Sheffield Walking Festival

Retracting Ethel Haythornthwaite's Footsteps

CPRE PDSY Centenary Celebration, credit CPRE PDSY & Gemma Thorpe

Client: The Peak District and South Yorkshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) – also known as the countryside charity.

Who they are: A local branch of a national charity, which aims to promote, enhance and protect the Peak District and South Yorkshire countryside.

The brief: Celebrate the charity’s 100th anniversary with an impactful campaign that would inspire new audiences, increase digital reach, and secure donations.

In this project we: Launched two books, organised multiple events, secured press coverage, created a bespoke beer, promoted an app, and more!

Skills used: Media relations, event management, content writing, email marketing, social media, spokesperson briefing, and partnership management.

Why did CPRE PDSY work with me?

Right from the start, it was clear that my ways of working complemented the charity’s. CPRE aims to be open, honest, and transparent – all qualities that I value in my own work.

I’ve led several in-house charity marketing teams, so I know how to run cost-effective campaigns that drive results. I brought a fresh perspective, additional headspace, and a varied skill set to the centenary project. This enabled the charity to dedicate greater resources to their core activities: lobbying the government and fighting complex legal battles on behalf of the countryside.

I’m always keen to meet clients out and about, and throughout the campaign we held meetings in Sheffield’s green spaces. This helped us to think creatively and take inspiration directly from the landscapes that the charity protects.

Ethel Haythornthwaite: founder, trailblazer, unsung hero

Photo credit: CPRE PDSY

A key goal of the centenary campaign was to share the story of the charity’s founder - Ethel Haythornthwaite.

Ethel achieved incredible things in her lifetime. Through decades of campaigning, she secured Sheffield’s Green Belt status – England’s first – and helped to create the country’s first national park. Yet even in her home city of Sheffield, Ethel’s story is relatively unknown. To raise awareness of her extraordinary life, the charity commissioned an award-winning author, Helen Mort, to write a modern biography.

To maximise the book’s launch and celebrate the centenary, I secured 14 pieces of coverage in key titles including the Yorkshire Post, Sheffield Star, and BBC Radio Sheffield. I also worked with BBC Countryfile to create an episode on the Peak District, which featured an interview with author Helen. I organised archive footage, gathered user generated content, and briefed Helen ahead of filming.

You won’t spot me in the episode, but I was there on the day (hiding behind dry stone walls with the production team!) supporting Helen as she told Ethel’s story to millions of Countryfile viewers. This piece sparked measurable action; after the episode aired over 3,000 people downloaded the ‘Ethel Ready’ app, which promotes the charity’s Peak District walking challenge.

Project highlights

Ethel, the biography

In Ethel, award-winning author Helen Mort, celebrates the life of this countryside revolutionary.
The Peak District Boundary Walk

The 190-mile walking route, created to celebrate Britain’s first National Park, is almost identical to the original boundary drawn up by Ethel Haythornthwaite.
BBC Countryfile

Behind the scenes with Sammi Kinghorn and Helen Mort at Surprise View.
Press Coverage

Press highlights include the Yorkshire Post, Sheffield Star, and BBC Radio Sheffield.

Centenary events & collaborations

No anniversary is complete without a good party, and it was a privilege to organise the countryside charity’s 100th birthday bash. We held the centenary celebration at Whirlow Brook Hall. This was a very deliberate choice of venue, situated within the Sheffield Green Belt which Ethel fought to establish.
The event, which was attended by volunteers, trustees, and charity partners, served as the official launch of Ethel’s biography. I was involved in every aspect of this event, from creating the invites, to briefing the videographer, to organising the table settings.
Protecting the countryside is a team effort, and we championed that spirit of collaboration throughout the centenary project.
During the campaign, I managed a series of walks for the Sheffield Walking Festival. Together, we organised three charity routes which immersed walkers in Ethel’s world. I delivered a strategic promotional programme of email comms, social media, and news pieces. I also created finishing touches, like a goodie bag for walkers to take home.
The charity and I were joined by over 50 participants, and across three days we covered 39 miles (more than 79,000 steps!) For a small charity this was a significant time investment. But engagement events like this are invaluable: they foster meaningful connections that can’t be replicated through online activity alone. This interactive piece of storytelling brought the charity’s mission to life and helped us to reach an important audience.
After successfully bidding to be one of Sheffield Beer Week’s charity partners, we joined forces with Triple Point Brewing, Indie Beer Feast, and the Festival of the Outdoors. The result? Ethel beer – a delicious pale ale that celebrated the CPRE PDSY’s founder and raised money for the charity with every sale. Through this collaboration, we amplified the charity’s messaging and increased brand recognition in a younger target audience.

Together we also:

Delivered comms to mark the 75th anniversary of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, which secured the right for everyone to access open countryside.
Engaged with 240 local children through a series of school plays and interactive lessons, led by Whitworks Adventure in Theatre, which celebrated Ethel’s life and work.
Supported the launch of a second book, 100 Years that Shaped the Countryside, which chronicles a century of the CPRE PDSY’s work.
Partnered with the National Trust to organise an International Women’s Day event at Longshaw Estate.
Promoted the launch of an app, which provided users with an interactive map of the Peak District’s 190-mile Boundary Walk.
Worked with Nick Hand of the Letterpress Collective, who created a bespoke lino print bookmark of Ethel as part of his 1000-mile printing tour of the UK.
Highlighted the importance of hedgerow restoration at a small woodland on the outskirts of Dore. Activities such as volunteer task days, hedge-laying and dry stone walling have formed part of our wider woodland rejuvenation project at Haythornthwaite Wood, thanks to CPRE Hedgerow Heroes, Dore Village Society and Sheffield City Council.