A Peak District project is in the running to win cash from the National Lottery.

One of the research projects on the Peak moorlands

Moors for the Future has reached the semi-finals of the National Lottery Awards – one of ten battling for the chance to appear on television and pick up a grant in the environment section. The winner will be the one which gains most votes from the public.

The winning entry will be given £2,000 to spend – not much in our view, considering the amount of effort it must take to put an entry together. Probably more useful is the fact that the project will gain valuable prime-time exposure on BBC1.

Moors for the Future was set up in 2002 to restore the fragile peatlands of the Peak District, which have become damaged by 200 years of erosion and pollution. They have now been acknowledged as a substantial store of CO₂, a major greenhouse gas which scientists say contributes to climate change.

The project also promotes responsible use of the uplands, awareness of the environment and is engaged in research into the protection of the moors. Involved in Moors for the Future are the Peak District National Park Authority, the National Trust, Natural England, United Utilities, Severn Trent Water, Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency, Derbyshire County Council and moorland owners.

The Peak District moors store more CO₂ than all the forests in UK and France combined, and soak up torrential rainfall, helping to combat floods which devastated nearby cities last summer.

Chris Dean, Moors for the Future manager, said: “A vote for us recognises the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today: climate change, and what we can do about it. We really hope people will vote for the future benefit of the whole country.”

Voting is either by telephone or via the Internet. Details are on the National Lottery website.  Public voting is now open and ends at midday on Friday 4 July.

There are seven categories in the awards. Rival projects to the Moors for the Future bid in the environment section include an Outdoor Education Centre in Ilkley, Wetlands for Wales and a derelict sewage works in Rotherham which has been turned into a sensory garden.