BILL BRYSON DELIVERS GIANT SOUTH DOWNS NATIONAL PARK POSTCARD: WILL THE GOVERNMENT GET THE MESSAGE?
Bill Bryson, author and President of CPRE, today (18 March 2009) presented a giant postcard to the Government on behalf of the South Downs Campaign, a network of over 150 organisations pressing for a South Downs National Park. The postcard is one of 18,500 sent to Government calling on it to confirm the widest possible boundary. The postcard was also signed by Ben Fogle, Brian Blessed, Campaign for National Park President and Vice President respectively, Floella Benjamin OBE, Ramblers’ President and David Dimbleby.
Bill Bryson said: “The postcard campaign has inspired a huge response from the public who support the National Park. It shows the Government how important it is to confirm the South Downs National Park with the widest possible boundary.
“The four areas shown on the postcard – the Western Weald, the chalk downland, the town of Lewes and the village of Ditchling are greatly deserving of National Park status. We hope that the Government will listen to the many thousands of voices that support this.”
The Government is expected to announce its decision on the South Downs National Park in early summer almost ten years after it promised the National Park as a ‘gift to the nation’ in 1999.
Bill Bryson continued: “This is the landmark 60th anniversary year of the legislation that established National Parks. The then Labour Government described the Act as “... the most exciting Act of the post-war Parliament”. We hope the Minister in 2009 makes a similarly historic decision with regards to the South Downs.
“I hope that the giant postcard that I’m giving to the Government on behalf of the South Downs Campaign will find a happy home with the thousands of postcards that have already been sent in. We’re calling on the public to help show support for the South Downs National Park by sending in their own electronic postcard to the Government, which can be found at www.cpre.org.uk [6]. This is history in the making – have your say now!”
The electronic postcard can be viewed on the CPRE website home page: www.cpre.org.uk or: http://www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/landscape/national-parks/national-parks-take-action Paper copies of the South Downs National Park postcard can be ordered from the South Downs Campaign website: www.southdownscampaign.org.uk
- Campaigners deliver a giant postcard to DEFRA, credit: CRC/Anne Purkiss