PAST, present and future use of the land around Ingleborough is explored in a four day film and art festival as it visits Ribblehead, Ingleton, Clapham and Settle this month.

Over the past six months, the ‘Our Ingleborough’ project has been documenting memories of the past, connections to the land and visions for the future of the landscape .

It has also involved the visitors who come to the area to walk and to enjoy the area of the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

The project has included work from artists, residents, visitors, and also school children.

Wild Ingleborough is an ambitious, landscape-scale project working with the community to bring about nature’s recovery across North Yorkshire.

As part of this nature recovery project, people who live, work, and visit the Ingleborough area star in a short film and podcast series, while others took part in a number of workshops to gather a variety of creative responses to share their perspective on this area of the Dales.

For four days, the results of this work will be shown in community spaces, alongside the work of local artists and children.

Artist, filmmaker and ‘Our Ingleborough’ lead, Matthew Somerville, said: “Land use is a huge issue for our future.

“Considering changing ecosystems, additional pressures on food production and increased tourism, the way in which we manage the environment feels more important than ever. “

He added: “Through working on this project, I witnessed a common theme among people who sometimes disagree; the most important thing is that we begin to work together on securing a healthy relationship with the natural world.”

Our Ingleborough comprised a series of creative workshops with Settle and Ingleton primary schools, commissioning five students to produce artwork about the future of Ingleborough and hosting a series of intergenerational conversations between students and their grandparents.

In addition, a short film, podcast series with oral historian Anna Greenwood in collaboration with Voices from the Dales and a 360/ Virtual Reality video installation enable people to hear from a diverse range of voices, including a cave rescue volunteer, fell runner, farmers, and hiking groups.

The project has engaged more than 200 people in the Ingleborough community. Funded art projects featured by five primary school children, printmaker Hester Cox fine artist Pip Seymour and painter Susan Parker.

Wild Ingleborough lead, Jono Leadley, said: “As part of nature’s recovery, it’s vital that we listen to the voices of local people and their visions for future.

“This programme of work highlights the importance of Ingleborough for people, nature and livelihoods and the complex demands placed on our natural environment.”

The film includes a variety of comments from visitors to, and residents, of the Ingleborough area.

Dwayne Martindale, of Wild Ingleborough, said: “The landscape is starting to have more of a value now, and not just in terms of production, but also a biological value.”

Printmaker, Hester Cox said: “Even though it is very much an agricultural area, there’s a sense of wilderness too.”

Hiker, Amira Patel, photographed with friends, said: “I didn’t see anyone else hiking that looked like me.”

Linzi Allen, manager of The Station Inn, at Ribblehead, which will host the travelling festival on one of its days, said: “If it wasn’t for the tourists, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Farmer, John Kelsall, said: “When people tell you they want sheep removing off the hills, it puts you on the back foot rather.”

Fellow farmer, Roger Cowgill, said:” My hope for Ingleborough is that they can take forward this nature recovery while still the commoners grazing rights being a central part of that.”

Sean Whittle, cave rescue volunteer, said: “As long as they don’t completely blanket forest the whole of Ingleborough and preserve some of what we have got now.”

Hiker, Mustafa Desai, said: “You can’t beat it, the outdoor, fresh air for mental health benefits, it uplifts you as well.”

Land manager, Jamie McEwan, said: “There is a climate emergency in the UK and natural solutions to that are important.”

The Our Ingleborough festival, supported by the Clapham based Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust is free to attend.

People can watch the film, experience the VR video installation and artwork on Thursday, June 16 from 6pm to 8pm at The Station Inn, Ribblehead; Ingleton Community Centre on Friday, June 17 from 3.30pm to 5pm, and also from 6.30pm to 8.30pm; at Clapham Village Hall on Saturday, June 18 from 5pm to 8pm, and at Victoria Hall, Settle, on Sunday, June 19 from 5pm to 8pm.

To find out more about the work of the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, visit: https://www.ydmt.org/