A landscape partnership programme worth £3.5m will give the 'Westmorland Dales' area a kick start and raise its profile significantly.

The move to revitalise the area, which became part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park in 2016, was highlighted by the YDNP director of conservation and community Gary Smith at an event which saw the publication of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Management Plan 2019-2024.

Mr Smith was speaking at the NPMP second annual forum which took place at Settle's Victoria Hall and was attended by a total of 57 people from a range of organisations working in the National Park.

The forum was told the plan will form an "ambitious 20 year vision" of the future of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, though more specifically it sets out a five-year work programme to enhance the environment and support the local economy.

“The Management Plan is the single most important document for the National Park," steering group chairman Carl Lis told the forum.

"It contains an ambitious 20 year vision for the area, backed up by 49 specific objectives that will be delivered by a partnership of more than a 100 local organisations over the next five years."

Mr Lis identified some of the biggest challenges, including the condition of barns and walls, the condition of nationally designated wildlife sites and the decline in the number of young people working and living in the National Park.

He concluded by saying it had been “genuinely inspiring” to see the plan taking shape during the past two years but warned: "This is the point at which the real work begins. The success of this plan will depend on all of the people who care about the Park working together to deliver on the commitments they have made.”