News articles

Following the publishing of the Government's Agricultural Transition Plan in November 2020, farming is set to undergo significant change over the next few years.  The Forest of Bowland National Landscape (National Landscape) has joined with The Farmer Network to offer local farmers the chance to find out more about some of these changes and to ask what support and advice they might need during this transition period.

The online webinar will be held via Zoom and there are a choice of two dates:  Wednesday 17th February from 7.30pm – 9pm or Friday 19th February from 12.30pm – 2pm.

Places on the webinar are free, but interested farmers need to book in advance for their chosen date by ringing the Farmer Network on 01768 868615 or by emailing admin@thefarmernetwork.co.uk

Speakers will include Adam Day and Veronica Waller of The Farmer Network and Sarah Robinson Farming and Wildlife Officer from the Forest of Bowland National Landscape.

Anyone unfamiliar with using Zoom can call The Farmer Network beforehand and will be given advice on how to join in.

The Forest of Bowland National Landscape have also commissioned The Farmer Network to conduct a survey with local farmers to determine what support might be needed going forward and how this should be supplied locally.

Ruth Kendal from the Farmer Network will be conducting the survey via telephone interviews and any farmers wishing to take part should ring Ruth on 07397985324 or email her on ruth@thefarmernetwork.co.uk 

We have some great events planned for our Festival Bowland programme this year and we can't wait to get started.

We'll be keeping things virtual until Easter this year then, from mid-April, we're hoping to re-introduce some small-scale walks and face to face events.  These will need to follow any Covid-19 restrictions and guidelines which might still be in place at the time and we may need to postpone or cancel some sessions at short notice. 

We'll do our very best to keep our listings up to date but it will be even more important this year to contact the event organiser and "check before you travel".

Don't worry though – we'll be rolling our online events out for the rest of the year and beyond, so there'll always be a way to explore and enjoy this very special part of Lancashire and North Yorkshire.

For full event details and booking information go to https://www.forestofbowland.com/Festival-Bowland-Events.  And don't forget to keep checking back to see what's new!

National Lockdown: Stay at Home

The Prime Minister has announced a new national lockdown with emergency measures to control the rapid spread of coronavirus, during a televised address on Monday 4th January 2020, the prime minister announced the tougher restrictions would come into force from midnight on that day.

Read the full guidance here.

The latest Government guidance means that everyone is required to stay at home. Although we can go out for exercise this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area. People must not travel from other areas into the Forest of Bowland National Landscape and must not travel distances within the National Landscape for walks or other exercise.

Our 2021 online Festival Bowland programme begins on the 20th January with the RSPB's Big Garden Bird Watch and we've a fanastic week-long Dark Skies Festival running from 13th to 19th February, with online events for all the family.  We also still have our 'At Home in Bowland' online resources available or you can re-visit some of our online Festival Bowland events which have taken place during 2020. 

In these unprecedented times, please ensure you stay up to date with the latest guidance from the Government and continue to follow the general guidance of ‘Hands. Face. Space.’

• hands – wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds
• face – wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet
• space – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings)

In all circumstances, you should follow the guidance on meeting others safely.

COVID-19 Update 31.12.2020

The majority of the National Landscape which covers Lancashire is now under Tier 4 restrictions, with North Yorkshire, Craven district area in Tier 3. Our over-riding priority is for both visitors and the residents of the Forest of Bowland to remain safe; and to ensure we don’t place undue pressure on public highways, emergency services or key workers.

If you live in Tier 4 you must not leave or be outside of your home or garden except where you have a ‘reasonable excuse’. You should not travel into a Tier 4 area from another part of the UK, other than for a specific reason - please read all the latest Tier 4 guidance here.

Please do exercise locally if you can; for those who are not able to get out, have a look at our 'At Home in Bowland' online resources or re-visit some of our online Festival Bowland events which have taken place during 2020.

Please continue to follow the general guidance:

• HANDS - Wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds.
• FACE - Wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
• SPACE - Stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings or increasing ventilation indoors)

Stay home if you have any of the symptoms and get a test as soon as possible.

Forest of Bowland National Landscape receives grant of 233,900 from the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund

• 68 projects have been awarded grants between £62k and £3.8 million have been awarded by Defra to kick-start a pipeline of nature-based projects while creating and retaining jobs
• First funding round sees £40 million pot allocated, second round of funding to open in early 2021

The Forest of Bowland National Landscape Partnership and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Holme House Fell Peatland Restoration project is one of the first environmental projects awarded a grant from the Government’s £80 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund.

This landscape-scale project will restore peatland habitat at Holme House Fell, a 127 hectare site at the centre of the Bowland Fells SSSI; part of the largest expanse of blanket bog and heather moorland in Lancashire.  The scheme will include work to reduce surface water flow; decrease carbon loss caused by peat erosion; improve water quality and increase the potential of the habitat to act as a carbon sink.

Restoration work will be carried out by an experienced moorland contractor, helping to support the local economy; whilst providing initial training in peatland restoration skills for a further local contractor looking to specialise in this type of work.

 "We're absolutely delighted to have been awarded this grant to help restore a significant area of internationally important blanket bog habitat in the Bowland Fells.  The project will be jointly delivered with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and will also help support the recovery of the wider rural economy, benefitting local contractors and suppliers." 

The Green Recovery Challenge Fund is a key part of Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan to kick-start nature recovery and tackle climate change.  The fund is being delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.

Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, said:

“These projects will drive forward work across England to restore and transform our landscapes, boost nature and create green jobs, and will be a vital part of helping us to build back greener from coronavirus.

“I look forward to working with environmental organisations as these projects help address the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change, while creating and retaining jobs as part of the green recovery.”

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive, National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

“Supporting our natural environment is one of the most valuable things we can do right now. All these projects are of huge benefit to our beautiful countryside and wildlife, but will also support jobs, health and wellbeing, which are vitally important as we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis.”

Now more than ever is the time to support our local food, arts & crafts producers and shops. Despite the current restrictions many local businesses have adapted to offer home delivery and online payment and collection services to make local shopping accessible to all.

This Christmas why not look towards our fantastic local farm shops, markets, butchers, bakers and greengrocers as well as seeking out specialist, artisan producers.  There are many reasons why supporting local makes sense, but quality and personalised experiences feature high on that list – by supporting independent businesses you'll be dealing with people that care and who are passionate about going the extra mile.  You'll also be buying lovingly crafted products unique to the area, often supporting generations of entrepreneurs who are driven to provide quality and authenticity.  What's not to love?   Here's a spotlight on just a few of our local food producers, all members of the Forest of Bowland Sustainable Tourism Network, or for further inspiration visit: www.forestofbowland.com/food-producers

Support several local food and drink producers under one roof at the Bowland Food Hall, for Christmas you’ll find everything you need to create a tasty and stylish Christmas feast!  Shop online and have the produce delivered to your door the next day or click and collect from store.  Visit: https://bowlandfoodhall.com/

For gift ideas visit our directory of local arts and crafts producers https://www.forestofbowland.com/art-crafts-producers or why not discover something unique with a gift voucher for your loved ones to enjoy a break or experience in the beautiful Forest of Bowland during 2021, visit www.discoverbowland.org for ideas!

There are many fantastic initiatives to help you shop locally from the comfort of your home, including:

• An online shop local directory on Visit Lancashire: https://www.visitlancashire.com/shop
• Hope and Glorious online Christmas market place offers an amazing array of specially selected handmade products, visit: https://hopefulandglorious.co.uk/
• There are also many community-based initiatives which you can connect to via social media. Here are just a few examples: 'Yes on the High Street' and a Ribble Valley Online Christmas Market.

Enjoy the experience of supporting local and a Happy Christmas to you all!

Mark, who heads Clitheroe-based Salar Media Services, grew up in the Ribble Valley and is deeply committed to the Forest of Bowland and its communities.

He brings a wealth of media experience to Champion Bowland which is currently developing plans to expand support for projects that benefit the environment, local communities and visitors in the National Landscape.

Mark’s media career began as a journalist in East Lancashire newspapers including the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times and Burnley Express, and took him around the UK before he returned to his roots five years ago.

Over the last five years, he has provided regular communications support to the National Landscape team and when he isn’t at work, Mark spends much of his spare time walking or cycling in the Forest of Bowland.

He said: “It’s an honour to be asked to join the Champion Bowland team at such a pivotal moment. Farming, food, recreation and the environment are rapidly moving up everyone’s agenda and I’m looking forward to playing an active role in communicating the value of the Forest of Bowland’s wealth of natural assets to a wider audience.”

Champion Bowland chair Mike Pugh said: “We are delighted Mark has agreed to become a Trustee. He is joining at a time of change, not only within the charity as it seeks to develop a higher profile to support more projects, but also at a challenging time socially and economically across the country.”

We can now announce our winning photographs to receive the prizes are:

• Mark Harder – 'Damselfly on Grindleton Fell'

Thanks also to the businesses who donated prizes:

Shireburn Arms - Dinner, bed and breakfast break

Bowland Food Hall - Local Produce Hamper

Cobden View Holiday Cottage - Milking Parlour cheese, butter & biscuit hamper

Look out for all the shortlisted images in our 2021 Discover Bowland Guide!

As we head into new national restrictions from 5th November, our over-riding priority is for both visitors and the residents of the Forest of Bowland to remain safe; and to ensure we don’t place undue pressure on public highways, emergency services or key workers.

If possible, please do exercise from home; for those who are not able to get out, have a look at our 'At Home in Bowland' online resources or re-visit some of our online Festival Bowland events which have taken place during 2020.

If you are making a special journey into the Forest of Bowland, please carefully consider your own wellbeing and that of the National Landscape's small communities: home to many vulnerable people and a working environment for farmers and land managers. Please consider the following:

• Know the Countryside Code. Plan ahead, take a map and exercise within your limitations to keep pressure off local resources
• As daylight hours are shorter and weather conditions are more severe be prepared and follow our latest 'Walking Safely' guidance: https://www.forestofbowland.com/walking-information#walkingsafely
• Avoid hotspots and busy spots – if you arrive at a site or car park that is already busy, please find an alternative
• Leave no trace. Take all your litter home
• All eateries, venues, attractions, accommodation, non-essential retail, museums and galleries will be closed until at least 2nd December. Some eateries will be operating a takeaway service, but please check with individual providers before visiting them.
• Be kind and respect one another.

Full details of national restrictions can be found HERE and please continue to follow the general guidance:

• HANDS - Wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds.
• FACE - Wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
• SPACE - Stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings or increasing ventilation indoors)

Stay home if you have any of the symptoms and get a test as soon as possible.