We believe a beautiful, thriving countryside is important for everyone, no matter where they live. Millions of town and city dwellers recharge their batteries with a walk or a bike ride in the local Green Belt, spend weekends and holidays in our National Parks, or enjoy fresh local produce. People who live in rural areas keep our countryside beautiful and productive.

The countryside is unique, essential, precious and finite – and it’s in danger. Every year, a little more is lost forever to urban sprawl, new roads, housing and other developments. Rural shops and services are closing, and increasingly intensive farming is changing the character of the countryside. Climate change, too, will have serious impacts on the rural environment.

We work locally and nationally to stand up for the countryside: to protect it from the threats it faces, and to shape its future for the better. CPRE has been standing up for the countryside for nearly 90 years. In that time, we’ve seen some remarkable successes. We’ve helped win protection as National Parks for some of our most remarkable landscapes, from the Lake District to the South Downs. We’ve helped to influence and apply planning laws that have, against the odds, preserved the special beauty and character of the English countryside.