12:00 AM 3rd July 2026
Former Young Carer Returns As Filmmaker To Tell Story Of Yorkshire Dales Youth Project
Willow filming in Aysgarth
Willow Driscoll-Duke, 23, first came to Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) as a 12-year-old through Barnardo’s Young Carers and Green Futures - its long-running youth programme which helps young people access the Yorkshire Dales, build confidence outdoors and develop environmental skills.
More than a decade later, she has written, filmed and edited a new documentary following members of the Green Futures youth forum as they explore nature, mental wellbeing and what it means to care for wild places.
The film will premiere at Settle Victoria Hall on 8 July at an event organised by YDMT and supported by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund, which helped co-fund the project.
“When I first joined, I was a very quiet kid who just needed a reason to get out of the house and meet people,” said Willow, who is from Leeds.
“Being part of Green Futures gave me freedom, friends and a completely new way of looking at the environment. Those values have stayed with me, and now I want other young people to hear that from us, not just from adults.”
Growing up, Willow travelled regularly from Leeds to take part in Green Futures activities, from tree planting and habitat surveys to walks in the Dales, youth summits and nature-based craft sessions.
Over time, she moved from participant to youth forum member and workshop leader, helping to run sessions for newer members.
Yorkshire Dales
“It also gave me space away from my responsibilities at home, and from my phone. That freedom meant everything to me.”
After studying Film Studies and Production at Bangor University in North Wales, Willow returned to Yorkshire determined to capture the story of Green Futures on screen.
She spent much of last year embedded with the group, filming monthly sessions and recording in-depth interviews with young people from across Yorkshire and Cumbria.
The resulting documentary, which runs at just under an hour, is a youth-to-youth conversation about nature, belonging, mental wellbeing and the importance of accessible outdoor spaces.
“So much advice for young people comes from adults. We can be stubborn and tune that out.
“I wanted this film to feel like friends talking to friends. It’s honest, funny in places, and real; about why groups like this matter when it can be so hard to step away from devices.”
Anthea Hanson is the Youth and Sustainability Officer at the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT), where she leads the Youth Environment Forum, said: “Willow’s fantastic journey and story shows what can happen when young people are given time, trust and regular access to nature.
“Willow shot hundreds of hours of footage for this project and spent many more hours in the studio editing the film. The end-product is an honest, authentic account of how young people are coping with generational anxiety about the state of the environment and how they are taking positive action to pave the way for a brighter future,” she said.
“Ultimately, it’s an inspiring, uplifting film that offers hope that the future of the beautiful but fragile landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales is in good hands.”
The documentary has been funded by Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund, which supports projects that help care for, understand and celebrate the Yorkshire Dales.
Andrea Burden, sustainable development officer at Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: “The main objective of this project was to explore and raise awareness of what the sustainable future might be for young people living and working in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
“The project has contributed towards National Park purposes as it raises awareness of the special qualities of the area as well as highlighting the importance of the landscape, wildlife, people and current environmental issues.”
8 July - 6pm at Settle Victoria Hall, Settle, North Yorkshire