Campaigns Update

Back in February, we asked you to help us map the nation’s view of the night sky.

An incredible 7,845 counts were submitted - our biggest year ever!

We’ve done the number crunching, and the results show a drop in severe light pollution compared to 2020 – with lockdown likely to be the explanation.

Discover what we found on our interactive map, and be sure to zoom in to find out how your area compares.

The government has been forced to backtrack on one of their damaging proposals to deregulate the planning system.

This change would have led to thousands fewer affordable homes being built in rural towns and villages across England – places in which young people and families are already priced out of the place they call home.

But we weren’t going to let that happen. Thanks to the pressure you helped to build, the government quietly dropped the unpopular plans over the Easter weekend!

April sees the countryside really come alive.

In her latest exclusive monthly column for CPRE, Susie White gives us her tips on what to look out for this month.

Wild garlic and anemones can be seen in the woods, curlews and plovers in the skies, and orange-tip butterflies floating on the breeze.

But most peculiar of all, discover the macabre but fascinating habits of the burying beetle.

Our new research shows that we can fund a bus service for every village, every hour across England, by scrapping the government’s damaging road-building agenda.

Our plan is affordable, achievable, and is already happening elsewhere in Europe.

In the run-up to crucial local elections in May, will you ask your councillors to sign up to our vision of a bus service for every community?

We’ve written a template letter for you, so it will only take a minute.

Blossom season is upon us, and isn’t it glorious? The delicate white and pink flowers blooming across our countryside is a sure sign that spring is well underway.

Here’s our guide to six common blossoms you can see throughout the season – and how to identify them.

In 2018, after years of campaigning by CPRE and others, the government committed to introducing a deposit return system for drinks containers – a huge win for the countryside.

But three years and two consultations later, they’ve made little progress.

Instead, they have delayed the introduction of a DRS until at least 2024, and are still considering a watered-down version favoured by a few industry players.

Industry pressure is clearly delaying and diluting this transformative system. We can’t let that happen.

Stay tuned for ways you can help make sure the government doesn’t bottle it on deposit return.

We’ve joined almost 250 organisations to raise concerns about the controversial new Policing Bill.

The Bill includes new trespass and protest offences, which risk putting a ‘do not enter’ sign across the country and further limiting access to the green spaces that enrich all of our lives.

Next year will be the 90th anniversary of the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass.

This event saw hundreds of ramblers trespass in the Peak District in an act of civil disobedience to assert their right to roam. CPRE’s subsequent campaigning to address the issue helped create the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949.

Without the right to protest, and protests that cause disruption and trespassing, the countryside would not be the place it is today. That’s why we’re raising concerns about this bill.