Our co-founder Julian Glover writes:

“All sorts of pressures are changing the countryside fast and radically.  These will affect the lives of everyone in Britain, urban as well as rural: determining the future of what we eat, whether our natural environment is healthy; whether our landscapes are beautiful; our water supplies clean; how we create energy; whether rural communities are strong; whether traditions survive, and whether people, wherever they live, have access to green places to stay fit and happy.   

These are big issues core to national success.  There is huge public backing for a rural landscape that is better for all the people of Britain and better for nature too.  In an election year, in particular, rural policy should count.  In 2023, Future Countryside’s inaugural event proved the need for a new approach to the countryside.  It was a place for all sorts of voices to be heard linked by the fact they care about the state of rural Britain and its future.  A report of last year’s event can be found here and a reflections paper authored by Defra’s Lead Non-Executive Director here.  ”