CPRE Lancashire, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester

08/10/2026

We are looking for new volunteers to help drive CPRE Lancashire, LCR and Greater Manchester forward.

Whether you are volunteering for the first time, passionate about saving green spaces or looking to gain some experience with our charity team, give us a go!

We’re especially keen to find planning volunteers who can support us as local ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground for proposed developments. It’s vital that we have this input from communities and local volunteers.

Our Planning Manager Eddy Taylor is seeking to recruit a number of volunteers to assist with spotting proposed developments across our region. If you are passionate about protecting the countryside, we may have a role for you!

Check out our Volunteer Welcome Booklet and then get in touch via [email protected] to register your interest.

https://buff.ly/d5PofYq

07/10/2026

Love Your Countryside month might be over, but caring for the countryside isn’t something we limit to four weeks.

A century after CPRE’s founders came together out of affection for the countryside, thousands have shared what it means to them today. As we step into our second century, we want even more people to feel connected to the green spaces around them — and to join us in protecting and restoring them for future generations.

The more we notice the countryside in our everyday lives, the more reasons we find to protect it.

Want to discover how you can get involved with CPRE Lancashire, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester? Our green spaces need you!

Here’s what Anna, Volunteering Development Assistant at CPRE, hopes for the next 100 years: “In 100 years, I hope humans will have learnt to live with the countryside, not just around it. I’d love to see more wildlife woven into daily life. I hope people will cycle and walk more, through a wider range of green spaces that belong to communities rather than private owners or companies. I want us to have a deeper appreciation for nature — not just the grand vistas, but the wildflowers on our doorsteps. I imagine more solar panels on roofs and wind turbines visible on our walks, powering our lives sustainably. I hope people will actively invest time in their local places and feel responsible for their future. The countryside should be an integral part of how we live, cherished and looked after by everyone.”

https://buff.ly/P5YoLww

06/10/2026

We thought fracking was behind us after thousands of you supported our 2022 campaign and the government reinstated the moratorium. We even put up a memorial board at Ainsdale Beach for the late Dr Desmond Brennan, the retired Liverpool University chemistry lecturer from Formby who championed our green spaces and provided vital scientific support to the anti-fracking movement.

But a moratorium isn’t the same as a ban — it’s a temporary pause that any future government could reverse. There’s also a loophole allowing fracking activity to go ahead at sites in North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

That’s why we’re backing Friends of the Earth’s campaign to make the ban permanent. Add your name to their petition: https://buff.ly/A1Zew4e

Nigel Farage's Reform party has declared it wants to “drill baby drill” if it wins the next general election. There’s a temporary pause on fracking in England, but it’s not even written into law. So it would be all too easy for any future government to allow fracking to start again. And righ...

06/10/2026

We’ve recently joined and already have our first supporters!

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05/10/2026

Did you know the new 200-mile LCR Ringway will form a looped route connecting all six Liverpool City Region local authorities? It links Liverpool, Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral and Halton — and also stretches into parts of west Cheshire, Warrington and west Lancashire — guiding walkers and cyclists from urban waterfronts and historic docks to coastal dunes, woodlands, parkland and canal towpaths, showcasing the region’s varied landscapes and heritage sites.

01/10/2026

Don't forget to let us know if you are coming to our special member event on the afternoon of Sunday 18th October at Samlesbury Hall — the very place where this branch began!

We have a special guest speaker (details to be revealed soon 😎) with strong ties to the region and the branch, whose talk will reflect local history and our Chair Lindsay Beaton will share our plans going forward.

There will also be tea and cake, light refreshments, and plenty of opportunities to share your feedback — from relaxed conversations and Q&A to short breakout chats with committee members — so you can help shape our future.

Email [email protected] to secure your seat — places are limited, so RSVP soon and let us know any access or dietary needs.

01/10/2026

Have you visited our Centenary information panel at Ainsdale yet?

The memorial plaque celebrates the late Dr Desmond Brennan, a retired chemistry lecturer from Liverpool University and Formby resident who devoted himself to protecting our green spaces and gave essential scientific backing to the anti-fracking campaign.

After the Government withdrew support for fracking in November 2019, Des was honoured with CPRE’s Countryside Medal; he sadly died in 2024, and CPRE has installed this panel in his memory.

If you have memories of Des, please share them below.

30/09/2026

Our Chief Executive, Roger Mortlock, has responded to Angela Rayner’s remark on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that the government only has a “slim chance” of reaching the 1.5 million homes target.

Rayner pointed to external “headwinds” such as the war in Iran and rising construction costs. Those factors are real, but they don’t explain why the target was always likely to be missed. The root of the problem lies much closer to home: in how the target was designed. Large housebuilders successfully pushed the government for a calculation method that favoured their margins. The formula that converts 1.5 million homes into local targets is a political construct, not an accurate reflection of actual housing need.

Roger says Rayner’s comment should be treated as an opportunity to change direction, not as a reason to lower ambitions. We must prioritise recycling land—evidence shows this approach not only makes sense but can also drive growth and regeneration. What’s been lacking is the political will to deliver the right kinds of homes, in the right places, for the people who genuinely need them. Ministers should stop chasing a target based on flawed assumptions and use this moment to get housing policy back on the right track.

30/09/2026

If you become our supporter on easyfundraising, you'll raise free funds for CPRE Lancashire, LCR and Greater Manchester simply by shopping online.

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21/09/2026

Share your stories with us! Why do you love our countryside?🍂