Chance to own part of Peak park

Parts of a national park are up for sale and people can make their own offers when it comes to pricing.

The Peak District National Park Authority is asking for people to take over the maintenance of 10 of its woods in Derbyshire.

The small sites up for grabs are between Bakewell and Buxton.

The authority owns 150 woodlands throughout the park and is looking for other people to buy - and look after - some sites.

The idea is to off-load some of the areas which need only small amounts of maintenance. The sale will give it the money and time to devote staff to other areas that need more work.

Some 28 coppices have already been sold. Tree preservation orders will stop people clearing the sites for development.

'Difficult to value'

The National Park's Steve Tompkins said: "There are woodlands scattered everywhere, and I am pretty well stretched looking after 150 so I am open to all the help I can get."

He said there are no set fees and the only requirement people need is a passion to help upkeep the area.

Mr Tompkins is looking for offers for the areas, some of which are surrounded by walls. He said their value was "somewhere between nothing and priceless".

He said: "The main thing is that you like woodlands and you want to help us look after the countryside.

"It is very difficult to value these things. In one way, they are worth nothing. It is an expense to look after them - there is going to be no real timber income and you have the liability of looking after the walls.

"But in another way, there is the view, and the feeling you are looking after something important and that is priceless."