Local community project wins 'Countryside & Design Award'

A local community group from the village of Goodworth Clatford in the Test Valley area have been awarded a 2009 'Countryside & Design Award' by the Campaign to Protect Rural England for their 'Riverside conservation project'.

A local group of volunteers were involved in transforming an overgrown and inaccessible woodland-riverside area. Their aim was to maintain the site for the benefit of the local wildlife and to create an area for the whole community to enjoy. Over 60 volunteers were involved in the project, clearing the site and enhancing it for the benefit of visitors; including building a disabled ramp, boardwalk and woodland path which provides access for all. Recently, they have been working with the local school and Environment Agency to produce educational boards for the project.

Richard Ryder, who helps to coordinate the group's activities said:

"With the whole community behind the project over the past years, we have been able to provide a lovely woodland riverside area in the centre of the village for everyone to enjoy."

CPRE Hampshire has also announced seven other award winners from around Hampshire in its categories of schools, voluntary/community, and public sector/business. They include Hampshire Fare for its free-range egg scheme, the Hampshire Food Festival and Wherwell Junior School for their 'Woodland Project'.

CPRE conceived these awards to highlight the amount of environmental work carried out by the local Hampshire community. Becky French from CPRE Hampshire said:

"We feel that it is really important to promote and reward local projects that show good environmental practice. Hopefully this will encourage more projects that will enhance our Hampshire environment. CPRE has been particularly impressed by both the quality and diversity of this year's entries. We have awarded a range of projects, from very different organisations and groups and we feel this really shows the environmental commitment of our Hampshire community. We look forward to receiving applications for the 2009/ 2010 awards."

Inviting entries for 2010

CPRE Hampshire's Countryside and Design Awards scheme is to be run annually and is now open for the next round of entries, with a closing date of 21st March 2010. If you know of a project which you feel may be suitable for an award please visit: www.cprehampshire.org.uk/news/awards.html or contact 01962 843655 for further details.

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CPRE/H/172

Notes to editors

CPRE Hampshire strives to promote the beauty, tranquility and diversity of the countryside of Hampshire by the sustainable use of land and other resources in town and country, and encouraging the biodiversity and well-being of rural communities.

The CPRE Hampshire Countryside & Design Awards were set up to reward people who are working to enhance Hampshire's environment and to highlight the importance of good environmental practice. There are three categories:

• Schools - encouraging the use of landscape as an opportunity for learning, a high level of pupil involvement is one of its criteria.
• Voluntary/community - highlighting environmental conservation or restoration within the rural or urban environment and evidence of strong links to the local community.
• Public sector/ business - involving projects that show tangible progress towards tackling one or more of the core CPRE issues.

For information on CPRE, please contact:
Becky French or Pam Mason, CPRE Hampshire
Tel: 01962 843655
Email:admin@cprehampshire.org.uk

For all media enquiries, please contact:
Keren Burney, media & communications officer, CPRE Hampshire
Tel: 01730 894123   Mobile: 07876 780065
Email: kburney000@aol.com

© Copyright. CPRE Hampshire, 2009. All Rights Reserved.