Looking after

How we work to look after the National Park, conservation, ranger services, biodiversity and policies.

Suzanne Leckie

Suzanne Leckie

I am the member representative for understanding the national park.

Contact me

If you want to contact me about the work of the Peak District National Park Authority you can do so in the following ways:

Telephone: 01298 872909

Email: suzanne.leckie@peakdistrict.gov.uk

Address: Sunnybank, Manchester Road, Tideswell, Derbyshire, SK17 8LN

About Me

I grew up in Sunderland during the 1960s and 70s, but even in such an urban and industrialised landscape there were special places where a child, especially one with a bike and a sense of adventure, could have contact with the natural world.

Also, luckily for me, my parents were prepared to stride out and visit the beautiful countryside and coast of the North East.  I'm sure these formative experiences shaped my desire to go to University to study environmental science and nature conservation, and later to seek a career where I could contribute to conserving wildlife, landscape and cultural heritage, and enable people to be inspired by them as I had been.

My first job after finishing my studies in Sheffield was with the Peak District National Park, at their Environmental Education and Training Centre, Losehill Hall in Castleton. 

After nine years delivering environmental courses to school groups, running professional training courses and managing the Education Service, I moved to Sheffield Hallam University to work as a lecturer, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students about various aspects of protected area management, which I still do today, 18 years on.

In addition, I manage a programme of MSc courses for the Department of Architecture and Planning, and my job also entails research and consultancy work for environmental organisations and for international projects, such as establishing environmental education curricula in Bulgaria.

I was a Trustee of Whirlow Hall Farm Trust in Sheffield (for 15 years until 2009), where I learned something of farming, working with volunteers, and chaired the Education Committee.

I have lived in the National Park for 27 years. I regularly get out and about, sometimes to do something very energetic, sometimes to sit quietly and watch wildlife or marvel at the stars.  I live in Tideswell and its complex network of activities and community relationships impresses me and reveals something of what makes a community tick.

What the national park means to me

My professional experience has taught me that areas like National Parks mean different things to different people.

Understanding these varied perspectives and searching for outcomes which balance them fairly, within the over-riding context of the National Parks' statutory duties, is something I strive to achieve.  

I think this is as important a contribution as bringing my subject knowledge of environmental education, interpretation, visitor management, tourism and recreation, landscape history, biodiversity and so on to the table.    

The development of my own commitment to the concept of National Parks has made me realise how important it is for the National Park to connect and engage with people at all levels - physical, intellectual, and emotional - if everyone is to appreciate the relevance and need for National Parks.

So, it's great to see visitors and locals accessing and enjoying our natural and cultural heritage, especially young people and families; it's great to see people who live both inside and outside the boundaries understand and acknowledge the benefits we all derive from the National Park whether it be food, clean water, habitats for our wildlife, opportunities to revitalise ourselves or to connect with our past; and it's great to see people care enough to act and behave in ways that secure these benefits for future generations. 

We need more of this if we are to make the transition to a more sustainable future, and the National Park has an important role to play here. 

Membership of outside bodies

I represent the authority on the following bodies:

Peak District Interpretation Partnership