We are the only membership charity campaigning for the protection and enjoyment of the Dales
Friends of the Dales is the new brand name of the Yorkshire Dales Society, a registered charity. Please help us to keep the Dales
special and vibrant for years to come!
Click to sign up to our regular email newsletter full of topical stories about the Dales!
Help the Dales - Become a Friend of the Dales
today!
We really need your support to help keep the Dales special and vibrant for years to come. We are thrilled that over
200 people have signed up to become Friends over the last financial year - a fantastic boost to our membership and the clout we have as a campaigning charity!Thank you to all our Friends for their support!
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
Already a Friend - You can renew online!
Existing members of Friends of the Dales/Yorkshire Dales Society - you can now renew your subscriptions or
make a donation online using our secure online payment - just go to Renew Online
Our Trustees Annual Report & Accounts for 2017-2018 is available to download below. We'll provide some piecharts and illustrations at our AGM (see events page) on 22 September at Langcliffe to
cover the financial detail, plus as a illustrated talk by our Chairman, Mark Corner to pick out the highilghts of the year and plans for the future.
Summer newsletter about Dales Bus services just realised with updates on timetables from the August BH through to end of September or October. PDF to download below.
Just one of the fabulous flowers seen on the wide verges of the drovers lanes and in the restored hay meadows, during our event near Orton in Westmorland. A big turn out of nearly 50 people on a
hot sunny day - a great time was had by all.
1 July 2018
On one of the hotest days of the year so far - we reached the summit of Sharp Haw, near Skipton, for our walk in partnership with Skipton Golf Club.
16 June 2018
Rain didn't stop play! We had a brilliant guided walk in the stunning hay meadows near Muker and along the River Swale valley with expert botantist Anne Readshaw - with glorious views from our
picnic spot at the ruined Crackpot Hall.
7 June 2018 - We've updated our Privacy Policy and you can read it here
27th April 2018 - FOTD submitted our response to the consultation on the Yorkshire Dales National Park Management Plan 2019-2024. FOTD-YDNP MANAGEMENT PLAN-27-4-18.pdf Adobe Acrobat document [223.6 KB]
11th April 2018.Jerry Pearlman's obituary wriiten by Kate Ashbrook inThe Guardian
4th April 2018.John Grogan, MP for Keighley, calls for updated plans and changes to National Park authorities to
improve public access. See his comments here:CNP
29th March 2018. The Government announce £2 mln funding for restoration of historic farm buildings in 5 national
Parks including YDNP. A great opportunity to keep some of our iconic field barns in use. SeeDEFRA
28th March 2018. Earlier this
month (once the snow had gone!) a group led by Sheila Gordon met outside Skipton Castle to mark and celebrate the completion of a project to waymark the route of Lady Anne’s Way. There was a short
address where sponsors and anyone who had helped in the project were thanked and this was followed by a very enjoyable five mile walk along part of the route (complete with new waymarks) before
looping back to Skipton via the Leeds/Liverpool canal. Read more about the route and story behindLady Anne's
Way
27th March 2018. Article in the Craven Herald on the new season's DalesBus services. SeeCraven Herald
24th March 2018. We enjoyed a wonderful event on Saturday, led by Chris Grogan. In the morning Chris took the group on a fine walk from Austwick, incorporating part of the Dales High Way route - including a stop at Wash Dub (photo).
In the afternoon Chris gave a fascinating talk about the creation, by Chris and her husband Tony, of the Dales High Way - a 90 mile route from Saltaire to Appleby. Many thanks to Chris and Tony and
to everyone who joined us for the day. A grand day out indeed!
22nd March 2018. Nice article about Friends of the Dales in this month's Cumbria Magazine. Cumbria Magazine April 2018.jpg JPG image [989.5 KB]
21st March 2018. At the unveiling this morning at Settle station of a plaque in memory of Bill Mitchell who was an
"Enthusiast and supporter of this line" (Settle to Carlisle). Bill, well known Dalesman and author, was a past President of the Yorkshire Dales Society.
19th March 2018. 'Why Don't We Just...' article by FOTD chair Mark Corner about 2nd homes in the Dales in this
week's Big Issue North.
12th March 2018.Campaign for National Parks has published today 'National Parks for all: Making car-free travel
easier', which sets out recommendations about how to improve the options for travelling to and around National Parks sustainably. We have contributed to the report and support its recommendations.
See the summary and full report here:CNP
11th March 2018. We sadly inform members of the death of our trustee and friend Jerry Pearlman who passed away
peacefully at home on Friday 9th March. His funeral was held on Sunday 11th March. Jerry was a founding member of the Yorkshire Dales Society, its solicitor, and a very active trustee. He had a
particular interest in championing access to the countryside. We will publish an obituary in our next Yorkshire Dales Review. Our condolences go to his wife Bernice and family. Jerry will be sadly
missed by us all.
9th March 2018. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is now consulting on the draft Yorkshire Dales
National Park Management Plan (2019-2024). This is a very important document that will shape our National Park in the short and medium term. We will be responding to the consultation. If members have
comments, we would be happy to incorporate them in our response as appropriate. Alternatively, we would encourage members to respond directly. The plan and supporting documentation can be found
here:YDNPA
8th March 2018.We were delighted to attend and speak at the Destination Dales Tourism Forum, held in Hawes today.
Great to see the innovations happening within our tourism sector and network with many accomodation and attraction businesses, several already Business members of Friends of the Dales. Delighted
thatCorn Mill TearoomandBedale Tourist Information Centrebecame Business Members on the day.
Welcome!
5th March 2018. Our letter to the Yorkshire Post expressing disappointment at Richmondshire District Council's
rejection of the proposal to progress further consideration of the 2nd homes tax matter. SeeYorkshire Post
5th March 2018. Interesting article 'The wheels of the bus of social justice' by Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley on CNP's
blog in which she argues that accessible public transport in the Dales is a matter of social justice. SeeCNP
27th February 2018. Very disappointing news that Richmondshire Council has voted against progressing the proposal
to have discussions with government about the possibility of increasing council tax on 2nd homes as part of a set of initiatives to attract younger people to the National Park.
SeeRichmondshire Today
Nice article in the 'Who do you think you are?' magazine about our Capturing the Past community digital archiving project. CTP article- who do you think you are.pd[...] Adobe Acrobat document [1.0 MB]
New 2017 Friends of the Dales leaflet
All about the Friends of the Dales, our charitable work to protect the Dales, and how you can help!
Share:
We have just secured a fantastic discount for members with Cotswold Outdoor and their associated companies Snow & Rock, Cycle Surgery and Runners Need! When you become a Friend of the Dales
and join as a member, you'll receive a special discount code to use across all four brands - instore or online (T&Cs apply). See Join or Renew
online for more details of this great offer exclusive to members.
Our charitable work
Campaign
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
DalesBusservices 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.
This website is operated by the Yorkshire Dales Society, 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.
Everyone is welcome at our events, members and non members - see Upcoming Events for more information. We take a break over August, then are back with a full day at Langcliffe on Saturday 22 September - see event
entries.
There are many ways to Support our
Charity and be a Friend of the Dales, to help keep the Dales special and vibrant for years to come.
Our Business members are very valuable to us and we thank them all. For a list of all these businesses, or for more information on the
benefits of business membership, clickHERE
Alastair Humphreys
Our Patron
says :
"it's more beautiful than you realise; the people are open and friendly and have time for you; your phone might not work which is a
positive as you'll have more time - slow down and enjoy the silence".
Alastair’s quest for adventure began young. Aged 8, he completed the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge over 26 miles
Bill Bryson, a supporter, says :
"There isn't a more glorious and beguiling landscape anywhere, or one more deserving of our support. It really is as simple as
that"
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