Archived News October to December 2002 TV STARS SAY 'COLLECT YOUR FEAST FROM A FARMERS' MARKET THIS CHRISTMAS Nov 30th National Association of Farmers' Market website Villagers halt pathway project Nov 30th Villagers say the work would have completely spoilt the whole area, and after meeting them, the National Trust has agreed The country responds Nov 29th CPRE'S VIEW ON PRE-BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT A countryside in crisis Nov 29th Rural England is now in the midst of one of the greatest upheavals it has ever known..... Life on the hedge Nov 29th Local communities can now get help and advice to discover more about their hedges. Helping councils get services online Nov 28th A new strategy will help councils to work towards the target of delivering their services electronically by 2005. Wildflowers and gardens in climate change threat Nov 28th Some of the best-loved features of UK gardens are under threat as a result of the impact of climate change and many species of wildflower found in the north may find it impossible to survive. Farming's crucial balancing act is between sustainability and profitability Nov 27th Insistence on ever-lower food prices has long-term damaging consequences in terms of environment, health, food producers and rural economy Villagers fear deer cull Nov 27th Villagers have criticised plans by the UK's biggest coal producer to shoot wild deer near a restored Northumberland opencast site. Push for rabies jabs after bat bite death Nov 27th English Nature is considering making all its staff who work with bats have a rabies vaccination, following the first British death in a century from being bitten by one of the animals. More info from The Bat Conservation Trust Homes on offer for quitting tenant farmers Nov 26th Hard-up tenant farmers in Devon, who are forced to quit the industry, are being given a chance to obtain their own home. Smugglers threaten village pubs Nov 25th Smuggling is behind the closure of many small village pubs, say publicans in Leicestershire. Longer life expected in rural areas Nov 25th Men in Manchester can expect to die 10 years earlier than those born in north Dorset, according to new figures. Cashing in on medieval law Nov 23rd North Yorkshire Lord of the Manor could be about to reap thousands of pounds from local villagers - thanks to an archaic law. The State of the countryside Nov 21st Official research paints a bleak picture of the state of the rural economy in England and Wales Second home tax break scrapped Nov 20th Local authorities in England will get the power to cut the 50% discount that exists for second homes. House prices 'power ahead' Nov 20th House price rises are running at more than 20% and are expected to continue to rise until the end of the year Is your loo drying up the UK?' Nov 20th Each Briton uses about 150 litres a day for washing, cooking and flushing .... equivalent of 16 buckets or 75 two-litre bottles every day Job losses on the land escalate Nov 19th 15,000 jobs were lost from farming in England in the 12 months to June this year – showing the biggest exodus of farmers from the industry since the Second World War. Affordable housing steps up the political agenda Nov 19th New proposals allowing local authorities greater freedom to manage their housing assets could release up to £70m each year for the provision of affordable housing. Cornish gains official recognition Nov 19th Cornish joins Welsh and Gaelic as a protected and promoted language under a European charter Villagers oppose airport runway plan Nov 18th The airport expansion, would mean either a new runway ending at Breachwood Green, or a runway realignment near the village of Teagreen. THE QUEEN'S SPEECH: Parliamentary showdown on hunting with dogs expected after Christmas Police refuse to prosecute Scots hunt Campaign sets out new principles of modern hunting Rural crisis conference called as figures show huge income slump Nov 14th The Co-operative Group has organised the event in a bid to find workable solutions to the problems. Report Car dumping on line Nov 14th Report at a new website the location of a dumped car seen in a difficult to reach location where normal recovery trucks and local authority vehicles could not reach them THE GOVERNMENT'S PLANNING REFORMS Nov 14th A CPRE briefing on a possible Planning Bill Derbyshire women show the way forward Nov 13th Derbyshire women are hosting a special conference this week to demonstrate the increasing role they are playing in revitalising rural communities and to encourage others to follow their lead. Rural women missing out on opportunities Village sees large crime increase Nov 13th Crime in a Northamptonshire village has gone up by 87 per cent over the same period last year. New guidance for phone masts Nov 12th A new guide for the siting of mobile phone masts will encourage more consultation between mobile phone operators, local authorities and local communities. Phone masts near you? Forum to keep rural filling stations open Nov 8th An initiative to protect Britain's network of rural filling stations has the full backing of the petrol supply industry. Villagers see red over phone removal Nov 8th A small village demands the return of their red phone box - but BT says the booth was uneconomical. Villagers join airport protests Nov 8th Residents of a Northamptonshire village have vowed to fight proposals for any new runways in the area. Villagers still cut off after storms Nov 8th Villagers have been left without phone links since storms hit East Angia 11 days ago. Government response to foot and mouth inquiries Nov 7th A national movement ban would come into force immediately, and emergency vaccination would be considered if another case of the disease was confirmed. Grey squirrels’ reject family planning Nov 5th Research into the feasibility of using contraception to control the impact of grey squirrels is to be discontinued after trials in the wild proved inconclusive Forestry Facts And Figures Published Nov 5th Showing more trees planted (13,000 hectares) and more wood usage in the last year Village calls for bypass changes Nov 4th Residents in a Leicestershire village (Earl Shilton ) are holding their own exhibition of plans for a controversial bypass. 'Last' hunting season opens Nov 2nd Fox hunting started in England on Friday, in what could be the last season before legislation is introduced. Passionate pro-hunters have warned the government that a ban on it will lead to "some very serious unrest". In Search of the Quality of Life Nov 1st Where is the best place to live in Britain? ... Best for beauty, best for community, best for local produce and best for affordability? Rural Economies - Exploding the myths Oct 30th Rural economies matter, not only for the countryside, but for England as a whole HALTING SPRAWL CAN HELP SAVE OUR CITIES Oct 30th CPRE has produced a briefing ... The Urban Summit ... in the run up to the Urban Summit Village halls – protesting for a future Oct 28th A mass protest is being planned this week - on Tuesday October 29 - to draw attention to a funding crisis threatening the future of England’s village and community halls. No longer profitable to produce food Oct 28th Incomes from non-farming activities are keeping farmers afloat, as the return from food production is virtually nil British Food Fortnight Oct 26th A national celebration of real British food & drink 26th October - 10th November 2002 New website records hidden heritage Oct 26th Members of the public reported more than 37,000 archaeological objects to a government scheme during 2000 Crime infiltrates farms on the urban fringe Oct 25th Prostitution, illegal raves and drug-taking are just some of the scenes of everyday life on the modern farm, according to a new report Welsh village fights pub closure Oct 22ndThe Red Hart Supporters Club is campaigning to prevent the management of the Red Hart Inn, Llanvapley, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire obtaining change of use to a private house. Click here for details and to add your support. More on the Pub is the Hub here Stuck in the middle with ewe Oct 20th Two towns claim the title, but the true centre of Great Britain may lie on a Lancashire sheep farm. Getting rural communities on the move Oct 16th For some people who live in the countryside getting from A to B is no simple matter. Around one in six households in rural England don't have a car - more of these are in larger villages than in small towns - and nearly one in three settlements don't have a bus service. Rural post offices lifeline Oct 16th The government is ready to pump a further £450m into Consignia in order to save 8,500 rural post offices just weeks after a huge demonstration by countryside campaigners.