Forest of Bowland Charter Awards

Author: Carol Ritchie, Director EUROPARC

I recently had the great pleasure to be invited to the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to present them with their Charter award for a successful re-evaluation. Proudly the first to be honoured for their sustainable tourism work with the Charter in England, the partnership has gone from strength to strength.

As a part of the UK Carol had never visited, the Forest of Bowland was real unchartered territory amongst the high dales of Lancashire in the North West of England. This relatively wild and isolated corner or England relishes in its history, culture and farming tradition, all combined to create a unique and inspiring landscape.

Since its inception the AONB has forged string links with the hardy community of the area, and this has borne fruit in its sustainable tourism forum and more recently in the company Bowland Experience Ltd (BEx). During the award local businesses, who had received their own Charter business award from the AONB, gave presentations of their work and commitment to sustainable tourism.

It was inspiration to hear the strong commitment farmers and businessmen had for sustainable tourism of their area. Their connection to the land really came across as they wanted to maintain a livelihood through their business yet ensure the land was looked after.  These businesses truly deserve European support so if you are planning a visit to the Forest of Bowland, which I can highly recommend, then please do have a look at them. I certainly look forward to sampling the delights of the sustainable Lancashire kitchen on my next visit!