Countryside Alliance - love the countryside

Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Simon Hart writes: In a significant boost to the Countryside Alliance’s campaign to improve outdoor learning experiences for all school children, the organisation was called to give evidence to MPs during a session held yesterday by the Children Schools and Families Select Committee.

Following a feature in The Times on 11th February Countryside Alliance Education Officer Charley May has blogged on the issues raised by the demise of Marcus, Lydd Primary School's sheep, and the subsequent resignation of Headmistress Andrea Charman. Charley writes: "At the Countryside Alliance we have been campaigning for outdoor learning to be part of the curriculum, as we believe teaching children about farming and the countryside is an important step in re-connecting them with the realities of where their food comes from and how it is produced." Read Charley's blog here.

On Thursday 10th December, the Daily Telegraph published a review of the rural decade. In "The Noughties: Ten years of a labour government have left the countryside more united than ever" Adrian Tierney-Jones wrote: "Rural communities have survived the decade with renewed resolve". The Alliance's Head of Media Tim Bonner observed that it has been a parlous decade due to wrong priorities: "Foot-and-mouth, Bovine TB, post office closures and, of course, the Hunting Act dominated the political agenda when real rural issues like affordable housing, local services and the rural economy should have been the political priorities."

On Friday 4th December 2009 the Countryside Alliance was a co-signatory on a letter to the Daily Telegraph urging Government not to waste the opportunity to revitalise our Post Office network. The Countryside Alliance is part of a coalition which also includes the Communication Workers Union, Unite, the Federation of Small Businesses and others. This coalition is lobbying for the future of the network. Read on for the letter in full.

Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Simon Hart explains why there are no barriers to outdoor education: Education is an important part of our Rural Manifesto which we will continue to promote to all political parties and candidates prior to the General Election. In particular we are calling for outdoor education to be included in the National Curriculum. This would ensure that children gain access to the countryside as part of their education and experience all the learning, health and personal development benefits that it has to offer.