Archived News

Well done to all the village winners in Bowland and especially to those who won in the medium, small and hamlet categories.

Festival Bowland

Festival Bowland is the new 'year-round' calendar of events that celebrate the birds, wildlife, landscape and culture of the Forest of Bowland AONB.

Annual Report

Many thanks to all of those who contributed to the Forest of Bowland AONB Annual Report 2007/08.

Sustainable Development Fund – open for business

This year we have £61,666 available to distribute as grants which can help to support sustainable development projects within the AONB.

Forest of Bowland AONB Literature

The Forest of Bowland AONB General Information Leaflet and Fishing in Bowland leaflets have been updated and reprinted.

Volunteers help build cycle trails

Volunteers have been helping to design and build cycle trails through Gisburn Forest during what was ludicrously called 'summer' and autumn.

Heritage Lottery Funding secured for the AONB

We are delighted to be able to announce that the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded us a grant of £49,900 to support our new two year project called 'Landscape Stories'.

Sustainable Tourism Business Network

There are now 73 members in the network meeting twice a year to share ideas and good practice.

Green Tourism Funding secured for Lancashire

We have recently secured funds to carry out a 3 year project to promote Lancashire as a green tourism county, and to further develop our sustainable tourism work in the AONB.

Natural Tourism Funding

A small grant has been secured for a Natural Tourism Demonstration Project funded by Natural Economy Northwest, to develop the wildlife elements of the website.

Other AONB Projects

New areas of work currently being developed by the AONB Unit include the commissioning of a revised Landscape Character Assessment.

On 17th August, 15 volunteers helped build cycle trail routes in Gisburn Forest for the Gisburn Forest Bike Trails Partnership.

Bowland Festival 2008

The Bowland Festival 2008, like previous years has been a huge success with hundreds of people coming to the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to take part in a wide range of events.

Forest of Bowland AONB Management Plan Review

The statutory management plan for the AONB is currently being reviewed to produce a new plan for the area for 2009-2014.

Sustainable Development Fund – open for business

The Forest of Bowland AONB has run a very successful grant scheme, the sustainable development fund, for three years now. Thanks to funding from Defra, via Natural England, we now have a fund of £61,666 for 2008.

Bowland Dry Stone Walling Competition

The competition and workshop, organised by Wyre Coast and Countryside Service took place in glorious weather at Cobble Hey Farm on Sunday 8th June.

Europarc Meeting

As many of you will be aware in 2005 the Forest of Bowland AONB became the first protected area in England to be awarded the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas.

Green Toursim Funding secured for Lancashire

The Forest of Bowland AONB have secured funds to carry out a 3 year project to promote Lancashire as a green tourism county.

Funding secured for Money to tackle Climate Change

The Lancashire Locals Climate Change Fund is a fund to support community projects on climate change.

Disabled ramblers group visit Forest of Bowland AONB

For three days in July the Forest of Bowland paid host to the Disabled Ramblers – a group of people from all over the country who are committed to enjoying the countryside despite having mobility problems

Business Network Meeting - 20 people attended the Sustainable Tourism Business Network meeting on March 5th at Barley Village Hall and 15 for the same meeting on March 17th at Cobble Hey Farm & Gardens.

Website Competition - a website competition was launched in the New Year to encourage businesses in the Network to develop their websites to show their commitments to sustainable tourism in the Forest of Bowland AONB.

Creative Marketing and a Sense of Place - we held the last of our current series of training days at Hornby, focussing on creative marketing and Sense of Place, and were lucky to have Wendy Davison as our trainer for the day, brought in by the Tourism Centre team from Lancaster University.

Cycle Adventure is offering a variety of cycling options including an inclusive flexible cycle hire service with free delivery and collection to any location in the Forest of Bowland.

Greenhall Riding Centre offers a full range of facilities for the general public and visitors to the area including riding lessons, hacking, children’s rides and a livery service.

Community projects that have taken place in Bowland

• New interpretation for Bowland’s villages
• Stone carving mark site of Quaker burial ground
• Sheep washes publication
• Conservation volunteers undertake further hedge laying

North Lancashire Bridleway – Phase II, Lots House Circular ride, Wyresdale Wheels for All update.

We recently produced 3 new leaflets: 'Welcome to Bolton-by-Bowland, Sawley & Tosside', ‘Welcome to Chipping’ and 'Fishing in Bowland'.

During the autumn the AONB ran a successful programme of training days for people involved in the business of sustainable tourism.

Dale House camping barn, Dale Head, Slaidburn

A year ago Chris and Cheryl Morris-Barrow and their young family purchased a house in an idyllic spot with views over Stocks reservoir and Gisburn Forest. Attached to their house is a derelict 17th century barn and it was their dream to preserve this barn in a way that was sensitive to the beautiful surroundings but could also be developed in some way to bring it back to life.

And so began the project of Dale House camping barn…

Seventeen tourism operators received Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards in the area’s first Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS).

Hedge laying with volunteers at Stocks, a restored war memorial and an ancient milepost.

Looking Well, together with Jon Brook at Bentham Gallery and supported by the Forest of Bowland Sustainable Development Fund and Arts Council, organised an exciting community based photography project in Bentham.

We have stocks of white paint just waiting for volunteers to apply it to rusty railings.

BTCV to run further conservation working holidays in Bowland this autumn and next year.

Maiden Bridge, Tatham
Many artists have a dream to control their own environment but when David and Hannah Davies discovered a traditional farmstead located high in the beautiful Bowland Fells with extensive views over the Lune Valley, they knew that they could make this vision a reality. And so began the story of Maiden Bridge...

Hen harriers were the star attraction at this year’s Bowland Festival, held to celebrate the wildlife, landscape, heritage and rural life of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from 2-17 June.

Roughlee, best-kept village of 2006, has transformed a neglected corner into a picture postcard scene.

There’s some wonderful scenery around Eldroth and interpretation boards for a circular walk between the village hall and the Dalesbridge centre are being prepared.

New stocks in Bolton-by-Bowland.

Barley village gives their village hall a complete makeover.

The hamlet of Knowle Green, straddling the southern boundary of the AONB, has a great community spirit and a very well used village hall. They have a garden festival where villagers open up their gardens for a weekend every other year.

Following the launch at our sustainable Tourism Conference in January and the training seminars in March, there are now 22 businesses taking part in the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) in Bowland.

Chipping and Leagram parish councils have recently completed a major project to renovate and remodel the area of their war memorial.

Watch the progress of a Bowland hen harrier and her chicks on a Springwatch-style camera! You can see recorded footage from a camera at a Bowland hen harrier's nest on a big screen at the Bowland Visitor centre at Beacon Fell Country Park.

Developing routes such as the North Lancashire Bridleway creates a sustainable form of recreation linked with business opportunities for local enterprises and landowners, in the form of accommodation, livery provision, luggage transport and the promotion of local food products.

The Forest of Bowland is gaining a reputation for fine food and local produce, so why not seek out some local producers and try it yourself? Buying food locally helps to support the economy and the management of our outstanding landscape.

A cluster of local businesses between Scorton, Calder Vale and Oakenclough have come together and are taking this project forward in conjunction with Wyre Tourism Association, Wyre Countryside Service, Forest of Bowland AONB and Lancashire Countryside Service.

Robert and Anne Gardner of Lower Fairsnape Farm are all set for the opening of their three converted farm buildings – Bleasdale Cottages. The farm is set in open countryside with stunning views of the fells on 200 acres of farmland in an area that typifies the beauty of the Forest of Bowland AONB, and where conservation and sustainable tourism are a high priority.

Various community projects underway.

The first BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) conservation holiday in Bowland for several years took place in Wigglesworth and Sawley in early March.

Participants attending our successful Sense of Place Training days, in November and February, found out for themselves what ‘a sense of place’ is and how using these ideas can enhance the marketing of their business.

24 businesses attended seminars during the first week of March as the first step in applying for a Green Tourism Business Scheme Award.

Dozens of business people, community groups and tourism operators attended a one-day conference entitled, "The Business of Sustainable Tourism - Save the planet and make money", to find out how they can reduce their impact on the environment while helping to generate income and employment.

This was launched at the Business Conference on 30 January, with over 20 businesses joining on the day.

Over the winter period we are offering tourism businesses the opportunity to attend a free training day based on our successful Sense of Place toolkit.

Martin has been arranging conservation holidays in Bowland for 2007 onwards with Countryside officers and United Utilities.

Martin Charlesworth has been leading a variety community projects through Sustainable Tourism funding.

There was a successful Arts and Crafts trade event held at Alston Hall on 28th Sept. Artists and craftspeople displayed their wares to outlets from Bowland and surrounding areas. The Local Produce event at Samlesbury Hall on 18th October also proved to be very successful especially inspired by the 3 keynote speakers on the evening.

Four training and familiarisation days were conducted during the summer with tourist information centre staff, across various parts of Bowland. The aim of the days was to provide a consistent message about the AONB and its special qualities in order for the participants to pass this information on to their visitors.

Village leaflets are being developed as part of the Sustainable Tourism work of the AONB, to promote tourism businesses in the Forest of Bowland.

21 delegates from new accession countries in Eastern Europe visited Bowland farms to see for themselves how businesses can adapt to the challenge of CAP reform in different ways - some by harnessing the advantage of being located in Bowland’s unspoilt landscape where ‘caring for wildlife’, ‘providing for public enjoyment’ and ‘investing in new business activity’ can all be mutually beneficial. Visitors from Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic saw a wide range of vibrant rural businesses both in and around the AONB that had profited from both business and environmental advice from Lancashire Rural Futures facilitation service.