As the spring weather arrives and lockdown continues to ease, Natural England and Natural Resources Wales have today launched a renewed Countryside Code. The theme is to welcome and encourage everybody to enjoy nature, but to encourage them do that in a way that protects and respects nature, other visitors and those who own and manage the land they visit.

You can access the code via the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-countryside-code
https://naturalresources.wales/days-out/the-countryside-codes/the-countryside-code/?lang=en
https://naturalresources.wales/days-out/the-countryside-codes/the-countryside-code/?lang=cy

Our land – full of beauty, splendour and wonder. From lush landscapes to unique wildlife. But here, you never know what’s around the corner. Things can change in the flick of a switch.

The Defence Training Estate is shared land. It’s where families and locals spend time. But it’s also where our armed forces practise live-fire training. It can go from tranquil to treacherous overnight.

Welcome to ‘Respect the Range’ the new campaign that encourages everyone, from families and dog walkers, to hikers, green laners, and mountain bikers, to be mindful of the shared lands and make sure they’re using the training areas only when it is safe to do so.

Not all areas of the Defence Training Estate are open to the public. So respect the range and to use
the land respectfully; follow public access routes, and use the range when and where it is safe to do so.

To find out more about the campaign, and to check the training times, visit:
http://www.gov.uk/guidance/safe-access.

DEFRA has made the decision to not renew its contract with HUDDLE and the service will cease in early April.

Natural England (NE) would like to continue to provide a communications platform for LAFs and so will look to set up a SharePoint (or similar) facility as soon as possible. There will be a short gap in provision, but NE will contact members to ask if they want to join the new facility.

NE have downloaded all the existing files and folders from the LAF workspace to ensure no information is lost and will review in due course what needs to be retained.

NE has suggested you might want to take the opportunity to save your own files before April by using the download facility on HUDDLE.

You can also email Andy Mackintosh of NE to request particular files, or if you have any other
queries: andrew.mackintosh@naturalengland.org.uk

It looks as if the threat to motorsport from the ramifications of the ‘Vnuk case’ may finally be over:

Read more on the Government website.
Read the statement from Motorsport UK.

Following the retirement of Alan Kind, we would like to welcome Dave Waterman who will be supplying his services to LARA as its Technical Advisor from March 1st.

Dave worked for DEFRA from 2000 until 2018. His role in DEFRA was mainly as head of recreation and access policy, which included public rights of way policy and legislation, but included National Parks policy. Before that Dave worked in a wide variety of roles in the Departments of Environment and Transport, including the Planning Inspectorate and the (then) Vehicle Inspectorate.

Dave drives a Defender, but his exploration off the beaten track is generally by bicycle or on foot. As you will see from the above, Dave brings a high degree of expertise to the role and a special understanding of PROW issues from a government perspective.

We are delighted to welcome Tom Waterer as our new Chairman. Tom takes over from Andrew Brown who resigned in April, after four years in the role, due to family circumstances.

Tom is a lifelong motorcyclist who has worked for BSA, Norton, Suzuki GB, and the Motorcycle Industry Association; he’s raced at the Isle of Man TT and in enduros; and competed in motorcycle trials and motocross. More recently he’s become involved with 4×4 green-laning; renovating Land Rovers; competing in AWDC events; and driving 4x4s overseas in Morocco, the Pyrenees, Namibia, Lesotho, and South Africa. Quite some CV!

Tom can be reached at chairman@laragb.org

LARA TECHNICAL ADVISER

Due to a forthcoming retirement, LARA wishes to recruit a part time, home based, Technical Adviser. The role requires a working knowledge of current legislation and good practice as applied to the use of motorised vehicles in the countryside, and highway research expertise. An interest in grassroots motorsport, on 2, 3, or 4 wheels, is desirable but not essential. The role also includes the administrative work necessary to support the LARA Steering Committee, which usually meets three times a year.

Applicants should be Members of IPROW or able to demonstrate equivalent qualifications and experience. Applicants would need to demonstrate committee experience and negotiation skills. The position would suit retired local government officers, potential early retirees, or anyone willing to assist Highway Authorities with the management and sustainable use of rights of way.

Applicants will be expected to commit to an average of 10 hours per week, but this may rise following a transition period with the existing incumbent. The actual hours to be worked, the hourly rate, and other contract terms, will be negotiable for the right applicant.

If you are interested please apply, in confidence, to chairman@laragb.org including your CV and any other relevant information. Applications close on Friday 13th March 2020, interviews will be held during March/April 2020, and the successful applicant should expect to start work from 1st May 2020, subject to negotiation.

Posted on behalf of our friends at GLASS:

No matter where you live almost every green laner and trail rider has heard of Happy Valley, Carn March Arthur, The Wayfarer and Horseshoe. These are some of the most iconic green lanes in the UK, but damage has been caused by those who choose to act outside the responsible green laning community. This, coupled with the impact of weather and water erosion, has left local authorities with some hefty repair bills they simply cannot cover – so we need to take steps to bring these important routes back to their former glory.

Over winter GLASS have been busy forming plans with Denbigh, Wrexham and Gwynedd County Councils, Snowdonia National Park Authority and local landowners – now it’s time for action!

GLASS are going to help fund these large projects which will include:

• Helicoptering hundreds of tons of stone to repair Happy Valley and Carn March Arthur.
• Bridge repairs, sleeper section maintenance, drainage improvement, signage and off-piste solutions on the Wayfarer.
• Signage and drainage improvement along the full length of Horseshoe

We’ll be digging into our fighting fund to complete each project, but the shortfall needs to be covered by donations. Money raised will be ring-fenced for these projects and any excess used for future maintenance on the routes.

Our crowdfunding page can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/greenlaneassociation
(Please note that during the process donations to JustGiving are optional)

A project overview and future ongoing updates can be found here:
https://www.glass-uk.org/help-save-our-iconic-welsh-lanes.html

With your help we can ensure that some of the most well-known lanes in the UK are preserved for us all to drive for years to come.

Finally, don’t forget to pass the link to donate onto any green laners you know.

Ends

We have now completed the move to the new web server. The content is unchanged. There’s still some tidying-up and re-formatting to be completed and the old site will remain available at https://laragborg.wordpress.com/ until this has been completed.

Please be aware that we are moving the LARA website to a new web server, starting on the morning of Wednesday 13th November. The website will be continue to be available at http://laragborg.wordpress.com/, but not at http://www.laragb.org/, whilst the move is underway. The linked Reference Documents will be unavailable (at both web addresses) for a short period thereafter. Emails sent to any @laragb.org email address whilst the changes are underway may not be received. We currently hope to have everything fully functional within 24 hours, although we will be making minor changes to the style and format of the site over the following days.