West Midlands communities invited to compete for best UK Landscape Award
24 May 2010
Community groups, charities and local authorities are just some of the organisations eligible to compete for the UK Landscape Award, designed to demonstrate the ways in which our landscapes can transform our communities.
Whether rural or urban, new or renewed, the idea is to encourage greater understanding of the value and importance of our landscapes.
Any type of project is eligible; in farmland, open countryside, coast or inner city, so long as it shows how the community involvement has brought new life to the landscape or maybe vice versa.
The UK Landscape Award is an important part of the European Landscape Convention (ELC), the first international treaty devoted exclusively to the management, protection and planning of all landscapes in Europe.
Natural England is one of the organisations leading on the implementation of the ELC in England on behalf of the government.
Regional heats will take place across the UK and the overall UK winner will be announced at the European Landscape Convention Conference in Liverpool in November. The winner will represent the UK in the ‘Landscape Award of the Council of Europe’, which will be decided in March 2011.
Andrew Hearle for Natural England in the West Midlands, who are supporting the project said:
“Landscapes and our communities are inextricably linked. Our environment affects our health, our wellbeing, our economy and, of course, our communities. Some really wonderful work is going on in this area and we hope that it will be showcased through this competition”.
The competition is open now, and entries close on 27 August. To enter the UK Landscape Awards 2010 visit www.uklandscapeaward.org
For further information contact: Judie Kellie on 01299 896 555/ 07973 744161 judie@jkpr.co.uk or Dean.G.Gallen@naturalengland.org.uk
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Notes to Editors:
The UK Landscape Award is an important part of the European Landscape Convention (ELC) which is the first international treaty devoted exclusively to the management, protection and planning of all landscapes in Europe. Natural England is one of the organisations leading on the implementation of the ELC in England on behalf of the government. The European Landscape Convention is championed by DEFRA, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Scottish Government, the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland and their agencies.
The Award is being managed in the UK by the Landscape Institute.
About Natural England
Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.
- We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
- We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.
- We run Environmental Stewardship and other green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
- We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for
- We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.
For further information go to:www.naturalengland.org.uk
