We are the only membership charity campaigning for, protecting and enjoying 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!

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 80 people have become Friends between June and mid August 2017 - 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 the Yorkshire Dales Society - you can now renew your subscriptions or make a donation online using our secure online payment - just go to Renew Online

Latest News...

Free classical concert tickets for Members of Friends of the Dales

7.30, Saturday 23 September, at the Influence Church, Richmond

The New London Chamber Ensemble

Richmondshire Concerts is a registered charity, which has been putting on top-quality, professional classical concerts for 70 years. Members of Friends of the Dales are invited to the opening concert of the 2017 Richmondshire Concerts season:

NLCE is one of Britain’s premier chamber music groups. Tonight the musicians perform works by Debussy, Nielsen, and four pieces by Mozart specially arranged for wind quintet by top modern composers, such as Sally Beamish. For full details of this (and the other Richmondshire Concerts) visit rsconcerts.org.

To request free tickets, either...

Go to rsconcerts.org and click Friends of the Dales offer at the bottom of the home page; or…
Call 01748 822640 (answerphone) and leave your contact details and number of tickets required.

No more than two tickets per application, please. There is a limited number of free tickets available, so it’s ‘first come, first served’!

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!

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.

Farewell to our volunteer Editor, retiring after 35 years!

Mrs Fleur Speakman, volunteer Editor of the Yorkshire Dales Review (our flagship membership magazine) has retired after 35 years service. We held a special lunch for Fleur and her closest friends in Ilkley recently to celebrate her outstanding achievements.

For the last few years, Fleur has worked closely with graphic designer Michael Spencer of Briggs (our Dales based printers), pictured here with Fleur.

Mark Corner, our Chairman, said in his tribute to Fleur "On behalf of members and Trustees and the thousands of enlightened readers over the years, I would like to thank Fleur and express admiration for what she has achieved. The Review has provided a window on the Dales, highlighting its beauty and its people but also the challenges it faces."

The current (Summer) Review is Fleur's last as Editor - future editions will be edited by Sasha Heseltine with support from Lynn Leadbeatter, Trustees and volunteers. Email us to suggest articles or items about the Dales for future issues.

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!

Learn more

Protect

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

Learn more

Enjoy

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

Learn more

Two of our Key Projects

DalesBus

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

Learn More

Capturing the Past

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

Learn More

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. The next event is a FREE guided walk on Saturday 12 August from Barbon.

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.

Join us as a member

Make a donation

Leave a gift in your will

Help as a volunteer at our events

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, click HERE

Alastair Humpreys

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"

Useful Links

President Sir Gary Verity

Chairman Mark Corner

Registered Address:

Canal Wharf, Eshton Road, Gargrave, BD23 3PN.

Charity number 515384.Company limited by guarantee number 1822908

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