Peak District National Park protests Skoda advertising partnership

The Peak District National Park has entered a commercial deal with car maker Skoda, renaming welcome signs to promote the brand’s new Peaq model. The temporary signage, which replaces the park’s name with "Peaq District" and displays the Skoda logo, is scheduled to remain until Sunday.

Local residents and campaigners gathered at Surprise View near Hathersage to protest the partnership, arguing that it compromises the park’s environmental purpose and highlights chronic under‑funding. Peak District chief executive Phil Mulligan said the brand fee provides a "reasonable amount" that helps the authority deliver key work amid a 40% real‑terms cut to national‑park budgets over the past decade. Campaigner Tom Laws warned that selling the park’s name sets a dangerous precedent for future commercial exploitation of protected landscapes.

Skoda UK framed the collaboration as a way to encourage more people to visit the park responsibly, linking it to active‑travel initiatives and free bike hire at a local cycle centre. Critics, however, pointed to the company’s reliance on fossil‑fuel transport and called for greater government funding for national parks.