Exploring and Protecting Our National Parks
By Emily Barrett
The Sustainable Stories project, created by Emily Barrett, aimed to explore how creative workshops can spark curiosity about nature, climate, and sustainability through storytelling, while connecting new audiences with our National Parks and the campaigning work that protects them. The project set out to develop two key outputs: a collection of participant stories (Sustainable Stories, inspired by Dartmoor National Parks) and a practical Sustainable Stories Workshop Guide with a template and tips to help others run similar sessions.
The pilot workshop focused on Dartmoor National Park, where children and families were invited to imagine the future of our National Parks through stories, poems, or drawings. The session combined short, engaging talks from guest speakers with hands-on creative activities, encouraging participants to link local experiences on Dartmoor with wider global issues such as climate change.
By hearing from experts and celebrating imagination and storytelling, the pilot workshop created stories that integrated key themes such as climate change, and showed the potential of storytelling to engage the next generation with the future of our National Parks.
Thanks to Lottery Players
Image credit: Chloe Nunn
Explore a collection of stories written by children and families who attended Emily’s workshop in August 2025.
Emily Barrett is a freelance facilitator and consultant, designing and delivering workshops and events across a range of sectors. She specialises in creating inclusive, dynamic spaces where participants feel inspired to collaborate, share knowledge, and explore new perspectives. Emily is also a climber, hiker, and lover of the outdoors, bringing her curiosity and energy to every project. She loves designing and running workshops for all kinds of audiences, from national conferences to hands-on creative sessions, combining her facilitation expertise with a passion for engaging people with ideas and the natural world when she can.
“The inspiration came from being invited by a friend to run a similar storytelling workshop on oceans. In developing the format for that workshop, and then seeing the opportunity through the New Perspectives project, I thought – wouldn’t it be great to adapt this idea for National Parks and create a format that others could run too?
I was also struck by how many children miss out on the natural spaces around them. For example, in Plymouth in 2019, 17% of children had never been to the beach. It made me wonder: if that’s the case, how many haven’t been to Dartmoor National Park, which is also right on our doorstep? The project was inspired by the question of how we can bring the Park to them through creativity, sparking curiosity, inspiring visits, and helping young people feel a sense of care and connection for these landscapes in the future. And more broadly: how do we inspire the campaigners, changemakers, and storytellers of the future?”
“To me, National Parks mean escape, freedom, and the space to connect with nature. As a climber and outdoor lover, they are places where I can explore, recharge, and experience a sense of adventure, while also appreciating the importance of protecting these landscapes for others to enjoy in the future.”
Right now we have a once in a generation opportunity to change how National Parks operate. It’s essential that future generations are part of it.
Will you help us shape the future of National Parks?
Our National Parks New Perspectives project aims to give young people from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to influence and connect with decision makers to change the narratives on who National Parks are for and who has a say in their future.
As part of our New Perspectives project we have offered grants to young people to share their stories of National Parks.
Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund we provided storytelling grants, Future Leader Courses and opportunities for young people to join us as Ambassadors
