The Rossendale Rambler

This was the first Conference of the Ramblers' Countryside Officers and it was attended by 75 delegates from all parts of England and Wales. Any delegate who came in the hope of a pleasant, relaxed long weekend with plenty of socialising would have been extremely disappointed. Workshops, discussion groups and lectures filled the whole of the day, beginning immediately after breakfast and continuing until late at night with just time for a swift half before the bar closed and it was time to go to bed. Although it was hard work, it was very interesting and instructive, with subjects covering a wide range such as dealing with planning applications, Development Plans, hedgerow protection etc. I believe that we all learned a great deal over those few days.

I gave a presentation on the Friday evening on the landspreading of waste paper sludge and the EEC legislation which permits this byproduct of paper recycling, as well as other materials such as abattoir waste and sewage, to be spread on land "for the benefit of agriculture". Delegates were very interested as most were unaware of the legislation or the fact that the sludge whilst having a slight nutritional content also contains low levels of various heavy metals such as, cadmium, mercury and lead.

The purpose of the Countryside Officers' Network is to put in practice that part of the Ramblers' Association constitution which commits the organisation to "protect the countryside". Eventually, it is hoped that every Ramblers' Group will have its own Countryside Officer and that those Group Officers will work together, where appropriate, on an Area, or even, sometimes a Regional basis, so that they will be able to tackle any threats to the countryside, whether they be a minerals or waste development, housing in the green belt or a new motorway system. The role of the Central Office in this new network is to provide information where necessary and to tackle those issues which can only be dealt with nationally, such as campaigning for changes in legislation and responding to consultations on planning guidance.

The Countryside Officers' Network will run in parallel with the existing Rights of Way network and the traditional walking activities of Ramblers' Groups which, hopefully will inform Countryside Officers of any intrusive and inappropriate developments in their locality so that action can be taken to oppose them. In this way, the Ramblers' Association can live up to its potential as the largest environmental organisation in the country.

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