Friends of the Dales is a registered membership charity. Please help us to keep the Dales special and vibrant for years to
come!
We continue to review the latest government advice about coronavirus. Our staff continue to work as normal following strict Covid-19
protocols but the office is closed to visitors. You can contact us as normal on 01756 749400 or via the usual email addresses or contact form. Our continued best wishes to all
our members and supporters.
See below in Latest News a link to all the presentations and the outcome paper "Green New Dales Challenges" from
our major online public event - the Green New Dales Conference (3 & 17 October 2020) held in partnership with North Craven Heritage Trust.
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We really need your support to help keep the Dales special and vibrant for years to come. Thank you to all our Friends for their
support! A special thank you to everyone who joined during "lockdown". And to the many dozens of new members joining through our recent promotion in
the Dalesman September magazine.
Please join us or donate to support our charitable work to protect the Dales - you can use our secure online payment -
and you can Gift Aid your contibution too. Join us or Donate
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Read about our campaigns and comments on major planning applications affecting the
Dales.
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Latest News...
Conference Outcome Paper and Presentations all now available!
Both days of our Green New Dales Conference were a terrific success and you can all the
conference video/powerpoint presentations and the video discussions by clicking on the individual links below.
We've also uploaded (November) the outcome paper "Green New Dales Challenges" with actions for all of us who care about the
Dales.
Outcome from the conference with suggested actions for everyone who cares about the Dales
GreenNewDales_Challenges.pdf Adobe Acrobat document [860.6 KB]
Day 1: Chair of Friends of the Dales Bruce McLeod introduces the conference, and Julie Martin chairs the Conference, introducing the speakers and panel
discussions.
Video 1: Introductions and presentation by Gary Smith YDNPA
Video 2: Introduction and presentation by Rob Atkins CDC
Video 3: Introduction and presentation by Catherine Weetman
Video 4: Questions and Panel Discussion
Day 2: John Asher, Chair of North Craven Heritage Trust introduces the Conference, chaired by Mark Corner, Member of Yorkshire Dales National Park
Authority.
Video 1: Introductions and presentation by Prof Alan Simson
Video 2: Introduction and presentation by David Evans
Video 3: Introduction and presentation by Neil Heseltine
Video 4: Introduction and presentation by Prof Rick
Battarbee
Video 5: Questions and panel discussion
We had a really successful online AGM on Saturday 19 September 2020. You can download and view the Review of the Year, as presented by our Chair Bruce
McLeod.
23 June 2020 - Objection to Planning Application at Langcliffe Quarry
We have submitted a detailed objection to an application to develop areas of the former Langcliffe Quarry due to the serious impact on the ecological, archaeological
and cultural integrity of the Hoffmann Kiln and its surrounding area. You can read our full objection by downloading below. If you wish to make a comment on the application, visit the Yorkshire Dales
National Park Authority's Planning Portal, and enter the application code C/48/615 to view the plans and submit your own comment.
Photo shows our visit to the Hoffmann Kiln at Langcliffe Quarry during our AGM in 2018 (photo credit Ann Shadrake).
8 June 2020 Tree Guards - A Growing Problem
Created by Laurence Parkin, this terrific "infographic" encapsulates our campaign for more trees in the Dales, but not more plastic! First published in the 150th
anniversary edition of the Yorkshire Dales Review, the illustration can be downloaded (below) for sharing. The key messages are relevant to planting anywhere, not just in the Dales. With more
treeplanting nationally mooted as part of the coronavirus pandemic "green recovery" we hope alternatives ways of planting trees can be explored, avoiding the use of single use plastic where
possible.
27 May 2020 - Objection to development at Hellifield Flashes
We've strongly objected to an application for development at the important wildlife and amenity site at Helllifield Flashes, and consider it entirely inappropriate
for Craven District Council to be asked to make a decision on a new proposal before the barrister’s report (they commissioned) has been received and considered, and any restoration works (to previous
works) satisfactorily carried out. See the plans, objections and comment yourself at the CDC planning portal here by entering the application number 2020/21553/OUT
Photo courtesy Save our Craven Countryside
30 April 2020 - Tracking Barn Conversions in the Dales
Download below a PDF of a presentation by our Trustee Nancy Stedman. Nancy is monitoring planning
applications to convert barns in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Over recent years a change to planning policy has led to a big increase in applications to convert roadside barns to local
occupancy homes or short term holiday lets. In her presentation Nancy explores the implications of this change in policy - are barns being conserved, and if so, is there more housing for local
people? Due to the coronavirus situation, planned talks to local groups on this topic have been postponed - or are being held by video conferencing.
22 April 2020
Plastic Tree Guard Collection Day
Before the coronavirus "lockdown" guidance was issued, we held a very successful day collecting plastic tree guards in a Dales woodland for onwards recycling. Read a
short report by Trustee Mark Corner and woodland owner, plus more photos, below.
19 March 2020 Dalesbus Services Update
Due to Corvid-19, the summer timetable will not be introduced until further notice.The winter timetable will continue to operate if at all possible. However, please check the current situation
at Dalesbus or follow their Twitter account @Dalesbus BEFORE travelling.
August 2019. Our updated membership leaflet is now available and we are working to distribute copies throughout
the Dales and further afield. Please do get in touch if you would like some copies to put out in your local area.
July 2019. Julian Glover, leading the Designated Landscapes Review, has issued his interim findings in the letter
below, with the final report expected in the autumn. Lots of positives, though not so much focus on the social and economic challenges facing areas like the Dales.
We have a good track record - for over 35 years - in campaigning on issues of crucial importance to the Dales. These include affordable housing, rural bus services, biodiversity, green lanes,
Dales farming and landscape conservation - plus many others!
We keep a watching brief on what is happening in the Dales, lobby government and intervene where we believe appropriate. For example, we monitor significant planning applications in the Dales and
comment on many each year - supporting those we believe are right for the Dales
We run varied walks and talks throughout the year
Vibrant Communities - free guided visits to Dales towns and villages organised and led by local members
Dales Insights - afternoon talks and free shorter guided walks
Classic Countryside - free longer guided walks with an extra "something special"
Focus on the Dales - full day event on a topical Dales subject
Come and join us, most are free to all! See Upcoming Events
DalesBus services run on Sundays and Bank Holidays through the summer (and some in the winter) across the Yorkshire Dales, llinking into
bus and train services from across the region.
So you can enjoy the Dales in the most environmentally friendly way!
DalesBus is run by our social enterprise company the Dales & Bowland CIC. Volunteers organise, fundraise and
publicise the services, but the buses themselves are run by bus companies or community providers. Full timetables - see DalesBus
Capturing the Past is our fantastic three year project to work with people and
groups in the Ingleborough Dales area to train them to catalogue and digitise their own local history archives and make these available to the public through a new website.
Our archive project is being funded through Stories in Stone, a four year programme of conservation and community projects concentrated
on the Ingleborough area. The scheme has been developed by the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership and is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Yorkshire Dales Community Archives
This website is operated by Friends of the Dales, a working name of the Yorkshire Dales Society, which is
a registered charity (Charity Number 515384) and a company limited by guarantee (Company Number
1822908).
Our Charitable Objects are 1) To promote for the benefit of the public, the conservation of the landscape, biodiversity and cultural heritage of
the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and adjacent areas, and the social and economic wellbeing of its local communities;and to encourage others to engage with,understand,enjoy and protect these areas,
and 2) In pursuance of the above, to advance the education of the public.
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