High Peak & Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership (CRP) has supported the production of a youth theatre performance celebrating the life of significant local figure Ethel Haythornthwaite.
Ethel Haythornthwaite was an activist and environmentalist whose campaigning helped lead to the creation of the Peak District National Park. In December 1962, she wrote of ‘the road and rail crisis’, concerned about the effects of proposed railway closures in what we now call the Peak District. She described the proposed closures as ‘one of the worst threats to scenic beauty’, and it is thanks to Ethel that the Hope Valley Line remains in operation today.
When High Peak & Hope Valley CRP learnt that the Council for the Protection of Rural England, Peak District and South Yorkshire (CPRE PDSY) would be working with young people in the local area to bring her inspirational story to life, the CRP knew they had to get involved.
Playwright Paul Whitfield and director Gertie Whitfield wanted to introduce more people to Ethel, bringing the story of this countryside pioneer to life and celebrating her revolutionary work.
The project kicked off with a series of workshops led by Whitworks Adventures in Theatre, where 240 Year 7 students from Newfield School examined letters, photos and maps to explore how Ethel’s work protected the land around Sheffield.
Then, in October, the all-female cast took to the stage over three nights to perform ‘The Exploits of Ethel’. The CRP and Northern jointly funded the train tickets, allowing free travel for those attending the event.
Additional support for the project came from East Midlands Railway, Sheffield Church Burgesses Trust, the British Agricultural History Society and Northern.
Vicky Frost, marketing and communications coordinator for High Peak & Hope Valley CRP, said: “The debut performance in Edale on 19 October felt particularly special for us as it saw cast, crew and audience members travel on the train via the Hope Valley Line, which Ethel fought so hard to protect.”
Alexa Stott, community manager at East Midlands Railway, said: “What an amazing performance from a very talented group. I was moved to tears by the story that was told and its importance and relevance to the world around us today, with the risks our beautiful countryside still faces.
“I hope the rest of the audience enjoy the performance as much as I did. It was a privilege to support this project, and I hope we can find ways of helping it reach a wider audience in the coming months.”
Keep up to date with future news, projects and events from High Peak & Hope Valley CRP via their website.
