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Organised event guidance

The guidance below will help you plan your event and forms part of our code of conduct. When you opt-in to the code of conduct you are agreeing to follow this guidance in planning and managing your event.

When you opt-in to our code of conduct:

  • You can add your event details to our organised event calendar at no cost, with a link to your website
  • The calendar will help event organisers and landowners to prevent clashes at key location and dates
  • We will promote your event to the public through our online events calendar
  • Participants can be reassured that your event has been planned to minimise impacts on the National Park.

Before finalising your date and location, answer the following questions...

Is the event suitable for the National Park?

The Peak District National Park is protected for its landscape, wildlife and cultural heritage; it’s tranquil place for enjoyment. Escape and adventure are also part of this, but the scale of an organised event has the potential to be damaging to places and disturb communities.

Is your desired date suitable?

Avoid planning events at busy times, bank holidays or dates when other events have already been set (see Events Calendar). Please note that events on moorlands are unlikely to be permitted from 31st March to 31st July (bird nesting season) and at some moorland sites from 12th August to mid-October (grouse season).

Who owns the land?

The Peak District National Park covers 555 square miles and is owned by a range of private and public landowners. If your event does require permission you will need to identify and the landowner. If your event crosses over land owned by more than one landowner it is your responsibility to contact all of them. You can use Land Registry on the UK government website to identify who the landowners are; however this can take 1 week and there may be a cost involved. Please be aware the National Park Authority itself only owns or manages approximately 5% of land within the National Park. Due to GDPR regulations, we are not able to, nor do we provide a ‘land search’ service to the public.

Does the chosen location impact any of the following?

  • Designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – check using this online map and visit www.gov.uk for guidance on SSSI’s
  • Archaeological feature use the Historic England map-based search and check Heritage Gateway for other non-designated archaeological sites
  • Sensitive paths, for example poorly eroded and heavily used routes
  • Moorland areas during bird breeding season (31st March to 31st July, even if using public rights of way through)
  • The road network – you will need to contact the county council for that area.

the county council for that area. If the answer is yes, you should consider looking into another location that is less vulnerable. If your event (or any part of it) is to take place on a designated SSSI you will probably require consent from Natural England which can take 4 months to receive. See Natural England’s guidance. You will not be able to submit a consent request without a signature from the landowner.

Does use of this location create access issues?

Try to make public transport a practical option for people attending the event. Use public transport information such as this public transport map for Derbyshire. If people attending are going to be driving, please encourage responsible parking by reminding participants to only park in designated parking areas. As event organisers please plan carefully, you will need to consider the number of people attending as this may exceed the capacity of parking in an area, especially in popular sites.

If you cannot identify a public transport access route and there is no designated parking of sufficient size for your event the location is not suitable.

What about toilets?

You can find out the location of public toilets using this online map.

When should I advertise my event?

We strongly advised that you wait until you have permission (if required) from landowners, Natural England and the local parish council before advertising and distributing tickets to an event.

Planning your event

You will need to:

  • Decide on your maximum participant numbers
  • Create a risk assessment
  • Create a contingency plan (events may need to be cancelled at short notice due to extreme conditions such as fire risk or severe weather and you should have a plan of action should this happen (including the ability to contact participants)
  • Arrange the appropriate insurance for the event
  • Include the local emergency planning services in your plan where appropriate
  • Contact the local authority licensing department if any of your activities require a license. Serving food, alcohol or providing live entertainment all require a license. If you aren’t sure if your activity requires a license it is your responsibility to check with the local authority.

We suggest that you make a donation of £2 per participant to the Peak District National Park Foundation. This will ensure that we can continue to care for the Peak District for everyone to enjoy, forever. Donate online. Contact hello@peakdistrictfoundation.org.uk for other donation methods or more information.

Minimising Impact on residents

With 38 000 residents, the Peak District National Park is a living landscape. When planning the event you should:

  • Consider and respect local communities, their properties and way of life. Where appropriate, liaise with local parish councils who may be able to help, especially around issues such as parking. You can find details of parish councils on our website.
  • Be aware of, and sensitive to, farming and forestry operations
  • Understand the peak season impacts on villages and towns, including increased car movements and parking needs

Minimising the environmental impact from transport

If your event location/starting point is near to a public transport route then you can encourage people to use public transport. Try to time your event to fit with the local bus/train schedule to make it most convenient for people to travel via public transport.

If you can’t alter the location to fit with public transport, can you:

  • Provide a coach/shuttle system from another location accessible by public transport?
  • If you are a ticketed event – offer discounts to people coming without a vehicle?
  • Set up a car-sharing system for participants with similar benefits?

Minimising waste

  • Can your event set an example to others and avoid distributing single-use plastics to participants?
  • Bring means for people to dispose of waste responsibly (separating recyclable materials) so it can be transported off-site.
  • Local bins should not be used to dispose of waste from your event. Collections are often limited in rural areas.

Utilising staff/stewards to minimise the impacts of the event

  • Brief stewards on the guidance so they can manage participants on the day
  • Make sure you have enough people to remove all temporary materials (for example, signage) and any litter at the end of the event, and dispose of off-site, not in public bins.

Keeping the landowner(s) informed

  • Start and finish times of the event
  • Clean-up plan (litter, signage and so on) and who is responsible for it
  • Contact number for someone that can be reached during and after the event with questions/concerns.

Countryside code

Ensure participants are aware of, and observe the Countryside Code.

During your event

It is important that once your event is in full swing that issues are monitored and information is collected for feedback afterwards. It is also important that organisers are observant and can respond to issues proactively and mitigate them if possible.

  • You should keep note of issues that arise e.g. areas where more clean-up effort may be needed or where any damage has been caused and will need correcting.
  • Event stewards/staff should manage participants to limit environmental impacts, for example...
    • Runners are single file where appropriate to reduce erosion
    • Dogs must be kept on short leads and on public rights of way during bird breeding season (31st March – 31st July)
    • No naked flames and no smoking during the dry season (or at all on moorland sites during dry periods)
    • Ensuring participants respect the privacy and needs of residents and landowners
  • The impact on local residents should also be monitored throughout the event.

After your event

Leave no trace

  • Litter, signs etc. should all be removed and taken off-site.

Evaluate

  • How can you improve the event if you plan to run another?
  • Did any issues arise that you didn't foresee? Can they be managed for future events?

Feedback

It is good practice for event organisers to seek and respond to any feedback from involved parties (local parishes, landowners, participants, and staff) to make sure that when planning future events this can be taken into consideration.

Where we receive positive feedback about events we will share good practice that may be useful to other event organisers.

If we do receive negative feedback about events featured on our events calendar we will follow up with the organiser of the event before they are permitted to post further events to the calendar. We will need to find out what feedback has been received, how it is being collated and what actions are being put in place to mitigate the issues for any future events.

Event specific guidance

There is a wealth of useful guidance available tailored to specific events. We advise you to look into the most appropriate guidance to inform planning.

Agree to the guidance?

If you are happy to follow this organised event guidance and to opt-in to our code of conduct you can list your event by completing the event notification form.

Events which agree to the code of conduct will be listed on the Peak District Organised event calendar.

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