Friday 24 June 2011

Forest consultation showed strength of feeling over access (24/6/11)

When the Government announced its proposals to sell the public forest estate earlier this year, it started a public consultation.  Because of the public furore that ensued, the consultation was abandoned after only three weeks.

Nonetheless, 7,007 responses had already been sent in and until now, we had no idea what they showed.

But now we do.  A fascinating analysis of these 7,007  responses has been published by Forest Research, the research arm of the Forestry Commission.  Its available on its website: http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/fr/pfeanalysis  It gives a snapshot of the public mood towards forests.

The analysis shows that maintaining or increasing access was a major concern of respondents.  Many of the respondents thought the proposals to sell the bulk of the Forestry Commission-owned forests would put at risk peoples ability to access their forests.  Whilst most forests were not created for public access timber was often the key reason access has become one of the major ways forests are used.

When asked about priorities for woodland management, top came “protect access, and second came increase access.  These were followed by protect or expand existing woodland, cultural heritage, social/recreation, commercial/productive/timber, and forest employment.

If all of the upset over forests this year has achieved anything, it has woken people up to how much they love using their forests and much pleasure they get from them, and how their forests add to their quality of life.  Of course, with so many woods and forests still out of bounds, particularly those not in the public forest estate, the question is: how do we get more new and existing forests opened up for public enjoyment?  Theres a massive demand for them.

Picture (Device Independent Bitmap)

Tom Franklin
Chief Executive

Follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/RamblersTom
Follow my blog for Ramblers volunteers at http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/chief+executives+blog



 


The Ramblers’ Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at:

www.ramblers.org.uk
www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland
www.ramblers.org.uk/wales

Thursday 23 June 2011

Hyndburn Ramblers sets standard (23/6/11)

By all accounts Hyndburn Ramblers put on a great publicity event at the recent Accrington Lions Community Carnival recently.

Hyndburn Ramblers is being really proactive and imaginative in membership recruitment. New members say that one of the main reasons they join the Ramblers - and renew - is for the friendship in local groups. I think Hyndburn is setting the standard for this.

Thanks to Gail Bedson, Publicity and Promotion Officer, and the team of volunteers in Hyndburn.

Ramblers - at the heart of walking
Please visit www.ramblers.org.uk to find out more
The Ramblers? Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at:
www.ramblers.org.uk
www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland
www.ramblers.org.uk/wales

Friday 17 June 2011

Ramblers 999 campaign shows the value in reporting incidents (16/6/11)

The Ramblers 999 campaign is calling on all ambulance trusts to have adequate software and training in place to be able to interpret grid references from walkers' distress calls.

This gaping hole in 999 emergency provision came to light because of incident reports from Ramblers groups.

Walking is inherently safe. With more than 30,000 Ramblers led walks each year, incidents are thankfully few and far between. But when incidents do happen, it's important that they are reported using the forms on our website (see below).

Thanks to Ramblers walk leaders reporting incidents and including details of problems with the 999 service - which they might have thought were one-offs - we've been able to spot that it's a widespread problem, and take action.

It's another example of how the Ramblers takes the safety of walkers seriously.

Tuesday 14 June 2011

'Uplifting' - my visit to the Forest of Dean (14/06/2011)

I feel buoyed up by my visit to the Forest of Dean this past Sunday and Monday, as part of the Independent Panel on Forests. 

We met in the region of 200 people involved in the forest and other forests in the south west in one way or another (it was nice to meet Sheila Constable, amongst them, who is the Forest of Dean Ramblers Footpath Officer).  The panel went primarily to listen about what the forest meant to them, their views on the management of their forest, and how they would like to see things improve in the future.  Some of these discussions took place in workshops, but there is nothing like getting out and seeing things first-hand so we also toured parts of the forest to learn about tourism and leisure, life for people living in the forest, the timber industry, and the free miners who have worked the forest for hundreds of years. 

One of the best presentations was from students from local schools, who had campaigned against the governments previous forest proposals (700 young people were inspired to write letters and express their views).  They explained how they use the forest for art, science and geography classes, for cycling and hiking, and simply getting away from it all.  They had a strong appreciation of how lucky they were to grow up surrounded by the forest.  They thought it was the best place to grow up and they wanted their children to have the same opportunity to grow up surrounded by the forest, as they had.

Theres a lot of food for thought from the visit, but these are the messages which came through very strongly for me personally:

-       The forest is in the blood of the people in the Forest of Dean.  It has shaped the history of their families and communities for thousands of years.

-       People loved the freedom to roam which they enjoyed with the forest it was for everyone, for free.

-       Its not just a matter of local history, but national history too.  Whether it be the mass planting of trees after the Napoleonic wars, or the production of timber for trench and pit props in the early twentieth century, the Forest of Dean (indeed, perhaps, many forests) have continually been shaped by human needs and political forces.  This continues today with forests meeting new needs for leisure and well-being, biodiversity protection, and reduction of carbon dioxide.

-       People generally liked the way their forest was run there was room for improvement, of course, but they felt there was respect between the needs of different users of the forest, and a good balance between leisure and well-being, tourism and timber.

-       There was a realism, too, that the forest must continually adapt.  It is a living forest, and new livelihoods and businesses based on the forest must be continually nurtured, as well as support for existing businesses, and sources of income to help pay for forest upkeep were important.  

-       More widely, the fact that so many other forests in the south west are unmanaged and uncared for was a serious concern for some a wasted resource.  People wanted to see more forests brought back into active use.

This was the Panels first visit.  Our next visit is to a very different type of forest Kielder Forest, on 26th July.

Anyone can, of course, submit views to the Panel online: http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/forestry/panel/

In the meantime, thank you to the people involved in hosting the Forest of Dean visit.  I found it inspiring.

Tom Franklin
Chief Executive
Follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/RamblersTom
Follow my blog for Ramblers volunteers at http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/chief+executives+blog



 


The Ramblers’ Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at:

www.ramblers.org.uk
www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland
www.ramblers.org.uk/wales

Tuesday 7 June 2011

Is there a paragraph missing from the Natural Environment White Paper? (7/6/11)

There's a paragraph which seems to me to be conspicuous by its absence from the NE White Paper (published today).

To be clear, I think the Government has taken on board some of the Ramblers concerns about the lack of a 'people' aspect to the discussion paper which preceded this White Paper. That discussion paper was heavy on biodiversity but very light on people's access to nature.

Today's White Paper includes a section on 'Reconnecting People to Nature', which sets out the benefits to people when they connect with nature (in terms of their health and well-being) - and the further benefits to nature from this connection (in that people will care for nature more). That's good.

But what the White Paper doesn't do is to acknowledge the huge importance of the natural environment to people's leisure - and thus their health and well-being, and quality of life. There are six million people in Britain who walk for leisure - predominantly in the natural environment - and many others involved in other outdoor leisure pursuits. They do not get much of a look-in with the commitments in the White Paper. This is disappointing.

Which brings me back to the paragraph which appears to be missing. The White Paper includes a sub-section (page 73) entitled 'Connecting by improving access to coast and countryside'. My eyes honed in on this, hoping for a commitment for the next phase of implementation for the English Coastal Route. But, oddly, the paragraphs which follow make no reference to the coast at all! Indeed, I can find no commitments on the coastal route within the document. Was there meant to be a paragraph on coastal access? You would think so.

With the All-Wales Coastal Route set to open next May, England is in danger of falling behind. I accept it needs to be done in phases. But the Government does need to announce, soon, which stretches of coastline it intends to open up next to public access.

Tom Franklin
Sent from my iPhone

Ramblers - at the heart of walking
Please visit www.ramblers.org.uk to find out more
The Ramblers? Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at:
www.ramblers.org.uk
www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland
www.ramblers.org.uk/wales

Friday 3 June 2011

A Walk in the Woods Week: 2nd-9th October

Ramblers is organising a Walk in the Woods week, from Monday 2nd to Sunday 9th October, to celebrate the special beauty of woods in Autumn Were encouraging Ramblers groups to put on special woodland walks during that week which, as well as being great fun, will draw attention to how much we value our woods and forests for walking and leisure activities.

Yesterdays “UK National Ecosystem Assessment”  report made some interesting comments about the value of forests and woodland.  Whereas, after the war, forest policy was dominated by the desire to increase timber production, in more recent years forests have been seen as more of a mixed economy.  Timber production is still important, but this is matched with species protection, carbon reduction, and leisure pursuits.  Yesterdays report values the social and environmental benefits of woodlands in Great Britain at a huge £1.2 billion each year.  Recreational visits to woodland alone are valued at £484 million each year!

This change to a mixed economy approach for forests is similar to the welcome change that has taken place for the countryside as a whole.  After the war, the countryside was often seen by policy-makers as an outdoor factory, producing goods and food and official policy often discouraged the use of the countryside for peoples leisure and enjoyment (The argument went: You wouldnt allow people to wander around an indoor factory so why let them wander around the countryside? Over time, partly due to pressure from campaigners like the Ramblers, that attitude changed as policy-makers accepted the different roles the countryside can play.  Policy has gradually caught up, and people have been increasingly welcomed into the countryside for example, with the right to roam legislation.  With environmental concerns becoming more acute, there has also been an acceptance that people are more likely to look after the natural environment if they experience it raw and close-up.

If youre a Ramblers walk leader, I hope youll think about putting on a special woodland walk during the week of 2nd-9th October.  And if youre not, I hope youll join in one of your local walks.

Tom Franklin
Chief Executive
Follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/RamblersTom
Follow my blog for Ramblers volunteers at http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/chief+executives+blog



 


The Ramblers’ Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at:

www.ramblers.org.uk
www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland
www.ramblers.org.uk/wales

Thursday 2 June 2011

Isle of Wight Ramblers receive Queens Award for Voluntary Service (2/6/11)

I've just heard that Isle of Wight Ramblers has been awarded this "MBE
for the Voluntary Sector" for its excellence in volunteering.

The citation reads "Campaigning for greater access to the countryside
and encouraging community participation in walking activities"

It'll be awarded later this year in a special ceremony with the Lord
Lieutenant of Isle of Wight.

It is richly deserved. As part of its "Access for All" campaign,
the Isle of Wight Ramblers has now undertaken projects at Freshwater
and Alverstone Nature Reserves to improve footpath access for all
users. Its "Donate a Gate" scheme has created 30 gates replacing
stiles. Some £60,000 has been raised so far to implement these
schemes.

Well done to all the volunteers and members of the Isle of Wight.
Everyone at the Ramblers is very proud of you.

Tom Franklin
Sent from my iPhone

Ramblers - at the heart of walking
Please visit www.ramblers.org.uk to find out more
The Ramblers' Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at:
www.ramblers.org.uk
www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland
www.ramblers.org.uk/wales

Wednesday 1 June 2011

18,000 'thank you's

If I were to say the two simple words thank you face-to-face to every single person of the Ramblers volunteer force, it would take 25 days, non-stop.  18,000 people give their time and expertise to help the Ramblers whether leading walks, checking footpaths, running groups, recruiting members, or the myriad of other jobs involved in running the Ramblers.

Without you, there wouldnt be a Ramblers.  I had a reminder this morning that this is National Volunteers Week, so I thought this was as good a time as ever to say thank you.  You know who you are, you know what you do, and you know the difference you make.

I appreciate that we can help you by finding ways to make volunteering easier and less bureaucratic.  One of the points often made by potential volunteers is that they would like to form a new walking group for example, for short walks, or for people who want to walk dogs, or early morning walks but they dont want to go through the bureaucracy and hurdles of having to set up a fully-fledged group from scratch.  This also stops us increasing the range of walks we can offer which is vital for membership growth.

After consultation with Areas and Groups, were trialling out a new type of Ramblers group, which were calling Easygroups.  The idea is that they are easy to set up and run without needing a committee, a constitution, etc.  Were going to pilot this concept with a small number of existing groups that are finding it hard to fill all of their committee places, and with people who want to set up new walking groups from scratch.  If youd like to know more about this, theres an article on the volunteer website: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/News/easygroupsnews

This is just one of the ways that I hope were making it easier to volunteer with the Ramblers.

Tom Franklin
Chief Executive
Follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/RamblersTom
Follow my blog for Ramblers volunteers at http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/chief+executives+blog



 


The Ramblers’ Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at:

www.ramblers.org.uk
www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland
www.ramblers.org.uk/wales