The Peak District is an area of natural beauty at the heart of the nation and surrounded by cities. It is the lungs of Stockport, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, Halifax, Huddersfield, Barnsley, Rotherham, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Birmingham.

Within the Peak District are the joint parishes of Derwent and Hope Woodlands. They are situated at the southern end of the acidic moorland known as the Dark Peak.

Within the parishes are the Ladybower, Derwent and Howden dams and their reservoirs. They characterise an area known as the Upper Derwent Valley. It is a special place, a gateway giving access to the surrounding moorland for walkers, bridle ways for cyclists and horse riders and walks around the reservoirs for those less adventurous.

The parish council’s aims are:

To preserve the character of the joint parishes

To protect the parishes with respect to the conservation of wildlife and the natural environment

To protect existing areas of high quality habitats such SSSIs

To promote biodiversity

To protect the farmland, countryside, moorland and woodland

To engage positively in the protection and improvement of the natural environment within the means of the council.

To work together with the residents in a away that will benefit wildlife, landscapes, people and natural resources for a sustainable future

To promote an understanding of the area to visitors

To encourage use of St Henrys hall as a centre for celebration

To promote ethnic and religious inclusion

To respect the 9 Protected Characteristics as covered by the Equality Act. These are age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity

To safeguard the prosperity of local inns

To reduce the negative impact (volume, speed, safety and parking) of traffic

To encourage more sustainable forms of transport

To consider the welfare of all the residents and community wellbeing

To encourage a community spirit and community participation

To listen to and to value the opinions of the community which the PC serves, thus enabling residents to be involved in decision making and future development plans which will affect their environment or lives.

To engage in open dialogue with all residents to understand their needs and concerns and seek ways of assisting in meeting them.

To be a strong voice to represent residents views

To keep residents informed about the work undertaken by the Parish Council and about local issues.

To be open and transparent in all aspects of its operation

The decisions made by the community today and represented by the parish council will determine the areas future sustainability