Peak District authorities are offering urban leaders the chance to get their townie youngsters into the countryside.

The national park is putting on a taster day aimed at community leaders and teachers in the surrounding conurbations, to show them how to introduce young people to countryside skills.

Youth Rangers help restore moorland at Black Hill, near Holmfirth

The Peak District National Park Authority is particularly keen to got teenagers from disadvantaged areas and those from ethnic minorities into the countryside. Skills such as navigation, conservation, survival skills and bushcraft will be demonstrated to leaders who sign up for the event.

The taster is an introduction to the Youth Ranger scheme, which teaches practical outdoor skills and enables youngsters to gain qualifications and lead walks. Youth Rangers also act as advocates for the national park.

Youth Rangers organiser Sally Kempson said: “We’d really like to show teachers, minority ethnic group leaders and community champions how much their young people could get out of the scheme.

“Teenagers can learn how to navigate the countryside, survive in the wild, interpret the landscape using audio equipment, recognise and protect wildlife, and [learn] conservation skills such as dry stone walling and woodland management.

“They can try it out on taster days or sign up for the full Youth Ranger Programme which leads to credits towards a GCSE qualification and other certificates. And apart from that, it’s fun, healthy activity out in the fresh air in beautiful countryside – something many youngsters would otherwise miss out on.”

The programme is aimed at 13- to 15-year-olds.

The free taster day takes place at Losehill Hall Environmental Learning Centre, Castleton, from noon to 5pm on Saturday, 15 March. Anyone interested in the event should contact Losehill Hall on 01433 620373, or e-mail youthranger.admin@peakdistrict.gov.uk. Details of the scheme can be found on the Youth Ranger website.