Go behind the scenes to hear about the working life of retired Peak District National Park ranger Gordon Miller, who was the Area Ranger in Edale for well over 30 years. Listen to this interview to find out what inspired him to dedicate his working life to the Park and ranger services, how he’s seen Kinder Scout change over time, and why he decided to live in Edale. Atinterviewing-retired-peak-park-ranger-gordon-miller the end he describes what makes him wild about Kinder Scout.
"I can guarantee to take you on to Kinder tomorrow and I’ll find you a place you can sit down for an hour and you won’t see a soul."
*Gordon Miller is a retired Peak District National Park ranger, who was brought up in Stockport and first visited Kinder Scout on a camping trip in 1953. Brought up in urban Stockport, he decided in 1953 on a camping trip at the age of 12 that he wanted to work in the newly-formed Peak District National Park, and tagged along with wardens (as they were then called) until he could officially become a volunteer at 18.
He became a full-time warden in 1969, and when the job-title changed to ranger in the 1970s he began to develop professionalism and begin international co-operation. Gordon pioneered many ranger training courses, working with experts at Losehill Hall, the Peak District National Park’s learning and conference centre, to develop professionalism in nature protection. He is a former chairman of the Association of Countryside Rangers and instigated exchange visits and seminars to help rangers in Europe to learn from each other. He went on to be a founder and president of The International Ranger Federation, founded on 31 July 1992 in the UK, which represents rangers in 50 countries. In 2009 he received the highest accolade awarded by the European Federation of National Parks for his outstanding role in strengthening ranger services worldwide.
Gordon retired as a full-time Peak District ranger in 2002, after 33 years mostly responsible for the Kinder area around Edale in the heart of the national park, where he made his home in the 1960s.
*Biography details have been taken from sections of an archived press release on the Peak District National Park website.
Listen to the interview
Click the play button below, find the episode in your preferred app, or download it here.
Recording date
This interview was recorded outside in Edale on 12th August 2021.
Host & Production
Host - Sarah Lister, About The Adventure
Lead editor - Gabby Wolstenholme
Producer, coediter and art designer - Alec Boyd
Supported by Peak District National Park
This episode is supported by the Peak District National Park Communities Small Grants Scheme.
Biography resources/references:
Feature in Reflections magazine (P56-P59)
Interview references:
Contact the host
You can email sarah@sarahventurer.com to send in your comments and suggestions.
Get involved with the conversation
Share this episode and your thoughts by tagging @about.the.adventure and @peakdistrictnationalpark on Instagram, @ABTheAdventure and @peakdistrict on Twitter, with the hashtag #WildAboutKinder.
コメント