Prince Charles heralds future opportunities for the Lake District

Prince Charles lifts a herdwick wool blanket to reveal the official installation at Crow Park, Keswick
Prince Charles lifts a herdwick wool blanket to reveal the official installation at Crow Park, Keswick

Prince Charles visited the Lake District to herald future opportunities for the national park and hill sheep farming, which has helped shape the landscape for generations.

The Prince of Wales unveiled a special installation to mark the National Park’s World Heritage inscription.

It was announced that the Lake District would become a World Heritage Site, joining iconic locations such as the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef and Grand Canyon, last year.

Greeted by cheering crowds, Prince Charles said he hoped UNESCO’s recognition would help local businesses, including farmers, and draw more investment to the region.

He said it seemed entirely appropriate that the Lake District’s inscription was in the Cultural Landscape category describing how the ‘incomparable beauty’ was a consequence of more than one thousand years of human activity.

He explained: "To me, it is something of a triumph that this traditional land use continues to this day, even in the face of severe social, economic and environmental pressures.

“As we stand looking out over Derwent Water towards Borrowdale, the importance of the link between human activity and landscape could not be clearer."

Special role

Farming plays a special role in the Lake District, its identity and cultural heritage.

90 percent of the designated Less Favoured Areas of Cumbria are in the Lake District. This means farming is characterised by sheep and beef production.

Indeed, the Lake District and National Trust sought to recruit new 'Farming Officers' to work with farmers and farming communities across the area.

The roles help develop and deliver practical projects with farmers, and strengthen relationships with the farming community.

Special guests at the ceremony included Defra Secretary Michael Gove, Minister for Tourism Michael Ellis and Chair for UNESCO UK, Beth Taylor.

The plaque cites the English Lake District as officially being inscribed on the World Heritage List and declares that: ‘Inscription on this List confirms the Outstanding Universal Value of a cultural landscape which deserves protection for the benefit of all humanity.’