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Listen to our Countryside Voices podcast

A woman wears large headphones as she faces a leafy hedge

Tune into our Countryside Voices podcast for countryside stories, expert voices and some surprises…

Episode six

In this episode we’re looking at rights – our rights to access the English countryside.

Why do we only have a right to roam over a tiny percentage of our country, and do we need to think about expanding these rights?

We also look at the government’s controversial proposals to criminalise trespass, and how that could affect access to the countryside.

Joining our host, Jamie Wyver, are campaigner and author of Who Owns England?, Guy Shrubsole, and CPRE campaigner Emma Marrington.

Episode five

This time, we’re talking about something that affects us all: the planning system.

What is it, and why does it matter? We take a look at the power that the planning process gives us citizens to shape our local area – and the serious threat posed by the government’s damaging proposals to decimate the rules about planning. You’ll hear from Hugh Ellis, director of policy at the Town and Country Planning Association, Madeleine Gohin, planning officer at CPRE, and Naomi Luhde-Thompson, chief planner at Friends of the Earth.

Episode four

In this episode, we talk about the health and wellbeing benefits of spending time in the countryside and nature. It’s well established that spending time in nature is good for us, but is all time spent in nature equal, or does it matter what we do while we’re in nature?

And how can we make sure more people can experience these benefits?

We explore these fascinating questions with Professor Jules Pretty from the University of Essex; poet, writer and artist Dr Sheree Mack; and CPRE’s campaigns manager Maddy Haughton-Boakes.

Episode three

We’re back! Enjoy the third and latest episode of our Countryside Voices podcast, featuring great stories and insights from the countryside that we all love.

In this episode, we’re talking about getting children out in nature. Why is that first experience of nature so vital to building a lasting connection to the countryside – and how can we break down barriers so that more young people than ever have the opportunity to experience our most iconic countryside?

Expect to hear the voices of the brilliant young environmentalist and campaigner Dr Mya-Rose Craig, Iesha Small, head of strategy and policy at Youth Hostel Association and Mark Robinson, a campaigner at CPRE.

Episode two

Ready to dive into the second episode of the Countryside Voices podcast?

This time we’re exploring the experience of rural communities during lockdown and how these might help regenerate the countryside in the future.

We discuss the lockdown and its aftermath with Simon Murray, the new chair of CPRE, and Leicestershire farmer Donya Donger. We find out what they think needs to happen next to help rural businesses and communities thrive as we emerge from the pandemic.

Episode one

A beautiful starry sky is one of the magical sights the countryside can offer. But light pollution stops many of us from seeing the stars and has a big impact on wildlife.

In our kick-off episode, we’re meeting Emma Marrington, CPRE’s starry sky expert, about the results from our annual Star Count and what can be done to reclaim our dark skies.

We also explore the fascinating world of bats with Joanna Ferguson from the Bat Conservation Trust.