A survey reveals young people do not appreciate the Dales

Celebrations in 2004 will come under the theme Reaching Out - A National Park for All.

The year-long festivities will introduce a new range of people to the park, especially individuals experiencing physical or mental impairment, people from ethnic minorities, the inner cities and young people.

Events and activities will also celebrate the sense of local pride among the communities of the Yorkshire Dales.

A '50 years' branding will be introduced for the year to assist in the marketing of the Yorkshire Dales to visitors and others with an interest in the national park throughout England and abroad.

Outstanding beauty

Steve Macar�, chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: "The Yorkshire Dales National Park is one of the most outstanding areas of countryside in England.

"Its landscape and wildlife provides many people with a source of enjoyment as well as a respite from the pressures of everyday modern life - it is only right that fifty years on we celebrate its creation.

"However, recent statistics show the Yorkshire Dales National Park is becoming less and less relevant to younger people, who just don't know what it has to offer them.

The Yorkshire Dales was designated as a national park in 1954 because of the range of wildlife, habitats, beautiful scenery and local history.