We believe in countryside and green spaces that are accessible to all, rich in nature and which play a crucial role in responding to the climate emergency. Although we are an independent charity, we are also part of a national network. We campaign for the kind of countryside we all want: one with sustainable, healthy communities and available to more people than ever, including those who haven’t benefited before.

We stand for a countryside that enriches all our lives, regenerating our wellbeing, and that we in turn regenerate, protect and celebrate. In Berkshire, we work in each of the six local authority areas by

• Contributing our views to the rules that help decide what gets built and where
• Promoting planning tools that help us use land in a more sensible way by prioritising the recycling of land that was previously built on (often called brownfield)
• Encouraging well-designed homes and energy efficient developments, with a focus on homes people can genuinely afford to live in,
• Ensuring the need for schools, hospitals and local services is met when new housing is proposed by big developers
• Encouraging participation in our annual Start Count survey to help identify where and how we can minimise light pollution to benefit humans and wildlife, and find the best spots for stargazing
• Campaigning for a bottle deposit return scheme to reduce plastic waste
• Increasing awareness and participation in our hedgerow campaign to help our wildlife, hedgerow and tree species to survive
• Working for healthy natural places such as our woodlands, grassland, heathland and meadows to ensure they remain rich in nature and wildlife habitat,
• Campaigning for a comprehensive bus network for rural areas
• Achieving measurable improvement in Berkshire’s air and water quality, and reductions in all forms of environmental degradation, light pollution and noise disturbance
• Working to protect much-loved local places such as our Green Belt and the North Wessex Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty