Campaign to Protect Rural England facts for kids

CPRE, the countryside charity, was once known as the Campaign to Protect Rural England. It is a charity in England with over 40,000 members and supporters.

Sir Patrick Abercrombie started CPRE in 1926. Its main goal was to stop urban sprawl. This is when towns and cities spread out too much into the countryside. CPRE also wanted to stop ribbon development, which is when buildings are built in long lines along roads. CPRE says it is one of the oldest environmental groups.

CPRE works for a "sustainable future" for the English countryside. They believe the countryside is a very important part of England. It helps the environment, the economy, and society. They want to show the problems facing the countryside and find good solutions. They do this by doing their own research and talking to people and the government.

Some people say CPRE's focus on protecting land can make housing more expensive. They say it can make it harder to build new homes where they are needed. Others have said CPRE sometimes resists new technologies or changes in how land is used.

Protecting England's Countryside: CPRE's Achievements

CPRE has helped shape rules about planning towns and the countryside in England.

Creating National Parks and Green Belts

CPRE played a big part in creating National Parks and AONBs in 1949. These are special areas protected for their beauty and wildlife. They also helped create green belts in 1955. Green belts are areas of open land around cities. They stop cities from growing too big and protect the countryside.

Fighting Pollution and Protecting Tranquillity

CPRE has also worked to reduce noise and light pollution. Light pollution is when too much artificial light at night makes it hard to see stars. Now, CPRE is focusing on "tranquillity." This means protecting the quiet and peaceful parts of the countryside. They want this to be a key part of England's planning rules.

Reducing Carbon Footprint

In 2010, CPRE joined a project to lower their carbon footprint. This means reducing the amount of greenhouse gases they produce. By 2011, they had cut their carbon emissions by 12%.

How CPRE is Organized

CPRE's main office is in London. They also have offices in eight other regions of England.

There are CPRE groups in almost all of England's counties. There are also over 200 local groups. Most of these groups are independent charities. Only CPRE Durham and CPRE Northumberland are part of the national CPRE charity.

CPRE's Important Campaigns

CPRE works on many different campaigns to protect the countryside.

Influencing Development and Protecting Land

• They work to influence plans for new buildings and developments. This happens at local, regional, and national levels.
• They want to reduce "clutter" like too many road signs and billboards in the countryside. They also work to protect quiet rural roads.
• CPRE created a tool to map peaceful areas in the countryside. They want planners to use this tool to protect these quiet spots.
• They work to protect hedgerows, which are important for wildlife and the look of the countryside.
• CPRE wants to change the Common Agricultural Policy. This is a set of rules about farming in Europe. They want farmers to be recognized for protecting the countryside.
• They push for new buildings to be built on Brownfield land. This is land that has been built on before. They prefer this over Greenfield land, which is untouched countryside. They especially fight to protect green belts.

Reducing Litter and Supporting Local Food

• CPRE works to reduce litter in rural areas. They do this through local events and by talking to the government.
• They support campaigns against opencast mining. This is a type of mining that digs up large areas of land.
• CPRE suggested ways for the government to support local food businesses. This helps them offer fair prices. They did a five-year study called 'Mapping Local Food Webs'.
• In 2018, CPRE's 10-year campaign helped the government decide to start a deposit return scheme. This means you pay a small deposit when you buy a drink in a plastic, glass, or metal container. You get the money back when you return the empty container for recycling. This helps reduce litter and increase recycling.

Fighting Light Pollution and Protecting Dark Skies

• CPRE launched "Star Count" in 2013. This campaign asks people to count stars to map light pollution across the UK. It helps raise awareness about how light pollution affects our view of the night sky.
• They also work to reduce light pollution to save energy and money.
• In 2016, CPRE launched a photography competition to celebrate the beauty of Dorset's countryside.

Other Key Campaigns

• They support campaigns for farming funding. This helps prevent the loss of smaller farms and the variety they provide.
• CPRE campaigns against large-scale fracking in the UK. Fracking is a way of getting gas from deep underground. CPRE believes it can harm the countryside.

CPRE's History and Key Moments

CPRE was formed after Sir Patrick Abercrombie published a book called "The Preservation of Rural England" in 1926. He became the charity's first Honorary Secretary. The first meeting was held in London in December 1926. Neville Chamberlain, who later became prime minister, spoke at this meeting.

Early Campaigns and Successes

CPRE's first campaign was against ribbon developments. They saw these as cutting up the countryside. They also started arguing for protecting England's most beautiful areas. They pushed for green belts to protect towns and give people easy access to nature.

Their campaigns helped lead to important laws:

• The Town and Country Planning Act 1947.
• The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.

Protecting Against Motorways

When England's first motorway, the M1, was planned in 1957, CPRE successfully campaigned to make sure it avoided the heart of Charnwood Forest. The road was built in a cutting instead. Similarly, in 1963, when the M4 was built, CPRE fought to protect the Berkshire Downs. At this time, they also started asking for stricter rules on advertising signs along roads.

Influencing Agricultural Policies

In 1985, CPRE campaigned to change agricultural rules in Europe. They helped stop funding for farming activities that harmed the environment. They also helped get the first "green" farm payments. In 1988, they helped convince the government to stop tax breaks for planting conifer trees in beautiful areas.

Protecting Hedgerows and Mapping Tranquillity

In 1990, the government agreed that hedgerows needed protection. This was 20 years after CPRE first started campaigning for it. Laws to protect hedgerows finally came into force in 1997.

In 1995, CPRE published "tranquillity" maps. These maps showed areas of the countryside that were not disturbed by human-made noise, ugly sights, or light pollution. They updated these maps in 2006 using new methods. CPRE also published maps focusing only on light pollution in 2003.

In 1996, a famous English composer, John Rutter, wrote a song called "Look at the World." He wrote it to celebrate CPRE's 70th anniversary.

Recent Work

In 2007, CPRE published "intrusion maps." These maps showed areas disturbed by noise and sights from motorways, cities, and airports. The maps showed how much intrusion had increased since the 1960s.

CPRE promotes many rural properties in its annual Members' Guide. The 2012 guide was supported by the National Farmers Union.

In 2015, CPRE published a report called 'Warm and Green'. This report looked at energy problems and solutions. In the same year, CPRE helped collect gifts for homeless and elderly people during Christmas.

People Involved with CPRE

CPRE has many important people who help lead the charity.

• Patron: Queen Elizabeth II
• President: Emma Bridgewater CBE (since 2016)
• Chair: Simon Murray
• Chief Executive: Crispin Truman

Past Leaders and Supporters

Many other well-known people have been involved with CPRE over the years:

• Neville Chamberlain – a life member who spoke at CPRE's launch.
• Sir Guy Dawber – CPRE's first President.
• Bill Bryson – a famous writer who was President from 2007 to 2012.
• Jonathan Dimbleby – a well-known broadcaster who was President from 1992 to 1997.
• Prunella Scales – a famous actress who was President from 1997 to 2002.

CPRE's Regional and Local Groups

CPRE has groups across England to help protect the countryside locally.

East of England

• Local Branches: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk & Suffolk

North East

• Local Branches: Durham & Northumberland

North West

• Local Branches: Cheshire, Cumbria & Lancashire

South East

• Local Branches: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, London, Oxfordshire, Surrey & Sussex

South West

• Local Branches: Avonside, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset & Wiltshire

West Midlands

• Local Branches: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire & Worcestershire

East Midlands

• Local Branches: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Peak District & Rutland

Yorkshire and the Humber

• Local Branches: East Riding, North Yorkshire, Northern Lincolnshire, Peak District, South Yorkshire & West Yorkshire