The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) is urging a number of youth groups to make full use of a newly-released resource pack on the Countryside Code.
The CLA has written to the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Beavers, Cubs, Guides, Scouts including Chief Scout Bear Grylls, Sea Cadets, British Orienteering and local education authorities asking them to teach children the free lesson plan on the code.
Aimed at Key Stage 2 children the lesson plans, developed together with Leaf Education, centre around the code’s messages of respecting everyone, protecting the environment and enjoying the outdoors through many fun-filled activities including a soil investigator’s exercise, sky lantern role play activity and waymarker memory game.
It is hoped these packs will help children and young adults understand that safe and responsible behaviour in the countryside is fundamental to enjoyment of it.
In the South East the CLA represents thousands of farmers, landowners and rural businesses in Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight, and has written to each local authority promoting the packs.
Regional Director Tim Bamford said:
“More and more people continue to make the most of our beautiful countryside – and we want to ensure they all feel welcome. In doing so, we want to help people understand how to enjoy their visit safely and responsibly, starting in schools and youth groups.
“For a long time there has been a lack of education around the Countryside Code, which is why we’ve developed these packs to ensure young people, and their families, can enjoy visits to the countryside, contribute to the protection of our fragile environment and learn more about other users who live and work in rural areas.
Article continues below this advertisement “We’d strongly urge all youth groups to make full use of this resource so that they themselves can become custodians of the countryside, with both visitors and farmers reaping the rewards.”
A copy of the Countryside Code Lesson Plan is available to download from the CLA website here.
For more information about the CLA and its work, visit https://www.cla.org.uk/in-your-area/south-east/ and follow @CLASouthEast on Twitter.
I should imagine the nicer, more responsible kids probably respect the environment anyway and adhere to the countryside code, but as for getting the lowlife, scummy types to respect it, good luck with that! Though I doubt many of them would be involved with organisations such as mentioned here anyway. A little surprised to see sky lanterns mentioned, aren’t they a bit of a risk of starting fires if they land on something flammable?
Make the most of whats left of the countryside whilst you can! it will all soon be “much needed housing” for the growing population…
Why can’t someone teach our County Council, and their rich developer pals, to do the same…?