SPWFHS Lectures Calendar

Adrian Thornton was in the probation service in Oxfordshire in his 20s and 30s. Then he qualified as a solicitor, and practised mainly family law with a firm in Oxford in his 40s and mainly child protection law with the then Hereford & Worcester County Council in his 50s. It was only after retiring that he became an active Volunteer with the Council for National Parks, initially just as a Speaker in Oxfordshire, but more recently over a wider area and in other ways. The Council for National Parks, a campaigning charity entirely independent of government, is an umbrella organisation that co-ordinates and promotes the National Park interests of a wide range of other conservation and recreational charities, national and local. His involvement in environmental matters is and always has been entirely amateur, having begun with occasional conservation weeks with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers in his 40s and 50s.

Adrian will show what 'National Park' means in England & Wales, take us on a brief illustrated tour of the present twelve National Parks, explain briefly what National Park Authorities are and do and what are the relative roles in the Parks of those Authorities and of the National Trust, and briefly discuss some of the threats and problems that the National Parks constantly face. He will also tell us of progress towards the creation of a Park in South-East England, namely the South Downs. His talk will be illustrated by about fifty striking colour slides. The twelve existing National Parks of England and Wales are: the Broads, Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdonia, and the Yorkshire Dales.

For further information, please contact our Lectures Secretary on 01895 464694. Visitors as well as members are welcome to attend. There will be a buffet reception and a charge for admission which will be decided in due course.

This talk will be a special feature and social event and follows the one which the Society held in 2006 when the topic then concerned the Eden Project. We hope that visitors and prospective new members will take the opportunity to meet leading members of the Society in what is a special social occasion.

"THE FAMILY OF NATIONAL PARKS by Adrian Thornton

England and Wales enjoy a family of 12 National Parks: the Broads, Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdonia, and Yorkshire Dales. It began in 1951 with the Peak District and Lake District. The 21st century saw the birth too of a Scottish family, with two National Parks so far: Loch Lomond & the Trossachs, and the Cairngorms. There are likenesses between the family members. But their diversity is just as striking. In East Anglia, Broadland is so flat that the only way to see a wide panorama is from the air. Teeming with wildlife, it needs to be experienced and explored quietly, ideally by boat. The Broads themselves are artificial, despite appearances; they originated as huge holes created by peat-digging, mainly in Norman times. This got forgotten later, and was sensational news when rediscovered by careful research in the 1950s. Pembrokeshire is far from flat; with its coves and cliffs each view you meet on the easy coast path is a new and rich experience. The tiny City of St David's has a splendid cathedral and major music festival. The inland tidal creeks of the Cleddau Estuary (also best seen by boat) are different again, as are the Preseli Hills, where the bluestones of Stonehenge came from and which have their own prehistoric remains. The beauty of the Lake District is so famous that parts of it are too popular for their own good, but it has many uncrowded valleys and hills that are just as enjoyable. We too can help (and get better views) by travelling by bus or lake steamer where we can, leaving the car at base. Even better, strike out on foot. Lake District grandeur may suggest an untouched natural landscape, unvisited by industry. Yet on Pike O'Stickle's slopes is a 'factory' where prehistoric man quarried volcanic tuff and roughed out stone axes to be exported all over England. The eastern mountains' summit is surprisingly called High Street, after the Roman road along its ridge. Majestic Thirlmere and Hawes Water were once small lakes, now much enlarged by dams built in 1890 and 1930 to build reservoirs for Manchester. The Lake District's history is rich, varied and fascinating. There have always been divergent opinions as to how National Parks should be 'developed', and whether development is consistent with conservation. There's no doubt that conservation is essential, as if we let them get spoilt or eaten away, our children and grandchildren won't be able to get them back. The National Trust does a fine job of conserving the areas it owns (making them accessible too), but most National Park land is privately owned and much is extremely vulnerable to commercial exploitation. National Park Authorities, their planning bodies, walk a tightrope but mostly hold the balance well. Yet mistakes are easily made and can cause great harm. There's a charity, the Council for National Parks, that aims to ensure that the best balance is in fact kept. Backed by many environmental and recreational groups (like the Wildlife Trusts, the Youth Hostels Association, and the individual Parks' support societies), it benefits too from the support of the Friends of National Parks, individuals in all our cities and counties who value the National Park family, and feel it's a civic duty to support National Park values and 'put something back' in return. If you'd like to know more about the Friends or about the National Park family, or belong to a local organisation that would enjoy having a talk on it by a local speaker, please contact me at Phoenix Cottage, Cassington, Witney, Oxon OX29 4DL; or on 01865-880359."

The Society's Lectures Secretary is:-

Mrs Christine Beauchamp
2 The Grove
Ickenham
Uxbridge
Middlesex UB10 8QH
Tel: 01895 464694

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