In his inaugural speech as President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) [1], Bill Bryson [2] today (Monday) celebrates the ‘miracle’ of the British countryside and warns that we need to redouble our efforts to safeguard it.

‘Something I have often wondered is why we don’t make the whole of England a National Park. In what way, after all, are the Yorkshire Dales superior to the Durham Dales? Why is the New Forest worthy of exalted status but glorious Dorset unworthy?

‘It is preposterous really to say that some parts are better or more important than others. It’s all lovely. And there’s not much of it. Of the surface area of the Earth, only a tiny fragment – 0.0174069 per cent, or so I gather – can call itself Great Britain. The fragment that is England is even tinier. So it’s rare and dangerously finite and every bit of it should be cherished.’

Speaking to CPRE volunteers at the organisation’s AGM [3] in London, Mr Bryson goes on to say:

‘That is why I am so proud and excited to be part of this heroic organisation, and why I am so pleased to be able to thank you for your years of devoted effort. It is deeply appreciated, believe me – even I daresay by those who don’t know how much they appreciate it. It is inexpressibly vital that we keep up the fight and I urge likeminded people to join CPRE in its vital work.’

Mr Bryson added:

‘Many people are aware of my passion to eradicate litter [4], and CPRE will announce a national campaign on this issue in due course, but I am also a strong supporter of CPRE’s broad programme of work. Our current priorities include opposing elements of the recent Planning White Paper [5] which undermine the role of planning in protecting the environment and reduce community involvement in shaping the future. We are also continuing our excellent work on highlighting how tranquillity [6] enhances our quality of life.’

Out-going President Max Hastings [7] said:

‘Bill is taking over the Presidency just when he is needed most. There is no doubt that Gordon Brown intends a massive housebuilding programme for southern England. CPRE will be in the forefront of the battle to ensure that development takes place where it fits and where it is acceptable, not in areas and on a scale which will do irretrievable damage to our shrinking landscape.’

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

2. Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951, the son of two journalists. A backpacking expedition in 1973 brought him to England. He got a job in a psychiatric hospital in Virginia Water, Surrey where he met his future wife, Cynthia. After working for The Times and The Independent in the 1980s, he became a full time author living in North Yorkshire. He and his family returned to the USA for several years, then moved back to England in 2003 to live near Norwich. The Lost Continent (1985), his first travel book, chronicled a trip in his mother’s car around small town America. Since then he has written several more including Notes from a Small Island (1995), A Walk in the Woods (1998), Notes from a Big Country (1998) and Down Under (2000). He has also written books about language and an autobiography (The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, 2006). His magnum opus on science, A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), won the Aventis Prize for best general science book. Bill is Chancellor of Durham University, a Commissioner for English Heritage and in 2006 was awarded an honorary OBE for services to literature.

Photographs of Bill Bryson are available here.

3. CPRE’s AGM will take place in London on Monday 9 July. The media are not invited. CPRE’s 2007 Annual Review (reporting on the year 01- January – 31 December 2006) will be formally adopted. Copies are available on request from the press office (020 7981 2880).

4. On Friday 6 July, Bill Bryson will visit Ketteringham Depot to help launch South Norfolk Council’s anti litter and fly tipping campaign. Further information about the event and access for the media is available from: David Peel, Communications Manager, South Norfolk Council on 01508 533611 or dpeel@s-norfolk.gov.uk.

5. The Government published a Planning White Paper on 21 May 2007 which CPRE fears will make it much easier for Major Infrastructure Projects, large supermarkets and housing estates to be developed on greenfield land. Further details are available from http://www.cpre.org.uk/news/view/395

6. CPRE launched its pioneering new tranquillity maps in October 2006. Natural England has recently confirmed that tranquillity will be included in the next phase of the Countryside Quality Counts project to develop its headline indicator of change in the quality of the English countryside. CPRE is working to ensure that National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, regional planning bodies and local planning authorities use the new maps to develop policies to secure and enhance tranquillity in their areas.

7. Sir Max Hastings steps down on Monday 9 July after serving 5 years as CPRE’s President. He was appointed on 19 June 2002. Sir Max has had a long and distinguished career as a journalist, best selling author and broadcaster. He became a foreign correspondent and reported from more than 60 countries and 11 wars including the 1982 Falklands War for BBC TV and the London Evening Standard. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he has won many awards for his journalism. After 10 years as editor and then editor in chief of The Daily Telegraph, in 1996 he was appointed editor of the London Evening Standard until his retirement in 2001.