Blog

About the Blog

Lizzie Bannister blogs about the Cambridgeshire countryside. She is a Trustee and volunteer at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Branch of CPRE.

In Lizzie's own words:

As an avid horse rider, I value the countryside for its support of my hobby and my lifestyle. This includes enjoyment in National Trust places, visits to places in England and local walks. I appreciate how a healthy countryside helps to sustain me in my life and the lives of other people.

I have lived in the Fenland countryside for half of my life, including living on a smallholding with animals, surrounded by a sea of arable land.

My master's degree in Conservation Management helps to inform my knowledge and understanding of issues and aspects of the countryside.

I am passionate about ensuring the health of both people and the countryside. I believe that preserving this link can secure a great future for us all.


Why I Care about the Countryside

by Lizzie Bannister

I care about many things – cats, the state of our wildlife, access to Netflix, the welfare of horses and the continuation of equine sports, our farmers, celebrities and magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, our local businesses, and so on. And I like to try to use my money to support the things I care about. For example, I bought torches from our local DIY…


The Social Dimension of the Countryside

I now go to the pub every month and meet up with a group of three to eight people; I never used to go to the pub with anyone outside my family or boyfriends but now I do, and that is a nice change. People have come to my home too, even once to see and ride my pony. One of the people I meet in the pub now regularly comes round to collect my pony’s poo for his garden, and he brought his lovely wife…


What Politicians and Decision-Makers Need to Know about Our Countryside

by Lizzie Bannister

Lizzie and dog

Lizzie and Ted the Dog


We need to ask ourselves: does the countryside get the same attention as the need to build houses, new shopping outlets and other forms of urbanisation? Yes, there is a need to build more houses but there…


A Historic Reason Why Countryside Protection Is A Must…

Alongside the obvious ones such as food production and recreation, history itself is a brilliant reason why the countryside is important and deserves protection.

There were fewer building in our countryside in the past, and we didn’t have the sprawling urban areas and infilled spaces we have now. It is important to keep planning laws respectful of our countryside if we want the economic…


For Peat’s Sake!

By Lizzie Bannister

Gordon's Mere, Woodwalton Fen NNR - geograph.org.uk - 163958.jpg

Gordon's Mere, Woodwalton Fen NNR - geograph.org.uk - 163958.jpg" by Terry McKenna is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

After many years of campaigning…


Hedgerows in Cambridgeshire!

Local horse riders are doing their bit for hedgerows! A long, new, field-edge hedge-line is being established in Ramsey Mereside to replace an old fence, whilst in Wimblington, the gaps in an old hedge where conifer trees were removed are being re-filled.


The Countryside is our Business and does have a Healthy Economy: The Economics of the Countryside

Horses

This thought paper looks at and promotes the countryside as a valuable and recognised economic asset - especially in light of “developing” it for the economy. It questions whether the proposed Ox-Cam Arc, where so much greenbelt would be displaced, would actually benefit our economy or damage it. A healthy economy does…