Joe Lord, winner of Ken Willson Award 2012

Nominations are now open for the ninth annual Ken Willson Award – a £500 cash prize to a young person making a significant difference in the Dales. Click here for full details.

We are delighted to welcome a host of new Business Members to the Society – Rohan Designs Limited, Kintish Networking Skills, DJ Wilkin Construction Ltd, Brockland Woodland Burial, King William The Fourth Guest House, The Boar’s Head and Rugged Ways. This takes our total of Business Members to over 40, both Dales based and from further afield. You can read more about each business in the Directory, by clicking here. Business Membership costs £30/year – full details here.

Spring 2013 Review

Every 3 months we send out around 1,000 copies of our fantastic Review magazine to our Members, Business Members, Affiliate Members, kindred organisations and friends in the media. Here’s the current Spring issue with a stunning front cover courtesy of a lovely image of Purple Saxifrage on Pen-y-Ghent, kindly contributed by local photographer Andy Holden. Members receive this prestigious journal, packed with campaign news, articles, book reviews and events listings, four times a year. Click here for how to join the Society.

The Moonbeams local contemporary folk band are generously donating £1 from the each sale of their new CD Sparrowhawk’s Eye to the Society (and another £1 to local charity Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust). Read the full story here. You can buy the CD at their gigs, from their website and from Dales outlets. Full of original songs written by lead Jon Avison, the CD is a stunning musical debut from this Long Preston based band.

The existing ford and footbridge at Far Gearstones on the Cam High Road (green lane) which would be replaced by a road bridge capable of carrying wagons weighing more than 40 tonnes. Photo credit Ann Shadrake

Our latest campaign is to stop the ancient green lane of Cam High Road near Ribblehead being turned into a road to carry heavy forestry wagons extracting at least 20,000 tonnes of timber from Cam Forest per year. If you walk, ride or bike on this remote scenic route, which carries the Dales Way, Pennine Way and Pennine Bridleway, this application will affect you. 

The Society and many others submitted a formal objection but despite widespread objections the application was approved by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Planning Committee on Tuesday 12 February. We will be proving further updates on this. See background information on these damaging plans here.

View from Brightenber Hill, Gargrave, looking south, proposed site of 3 wind turbines. Image copyright YDS

See our Latest News & Campaigns pages for news on other campaigns – to stop more wind turbines at Knabs Ridge (Harrogate), Killington Lake (northen Dales), to stop wind turbines at Brightenber Hill, Gargrave, and to get Ribblesdale quarry traffic off the roads and onto the railways. We are active on many other issues threatening the Dales – see the Campaign pages, our Facebook page and join us as a Member to receive updates in fantastic Yorkshire Dales Review magazine.

Mountain Biking on Lower Winskill - YDNPA free image. See more stories on the Dales on YDS Facebook page

YDS Facebook – photos, campaign news, events, and lots more! 

Purple Saxifrage on Pen Y Ghent. Photo credit and copyright Andy Holden

Our banner image at the top of our website is by Andy Holden, photographer, and is of the rare Purple Saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) taken on Pen y Ghent on 24 March 2012. We are very grateful to Andy for permission to use this image. We change our banner image every 3 months or so.

We welcome Comments – get in touch via the Comments & Contact Us page, or leave a Comment under any story featured on the website.

The Yorkshire Dales Society was founded in 1981. We are a membership charity, actively campaigning for a sustainable future for the Yorkshire Dales. You can download a pdf of our charitable objects.

Campaign: We are an independent charity which campaigns against threats to the communities and special landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales.

Protect: We actively support the sustainable protection of this internationally important area. One of our key projects is the provision of the Sunday Dalesbus service, benefitting residents, businesses and visitors alike.

Enjoy: We offer a year round programme of events, walks and talks so everyone can enjoy and learn more about this beautiful area and why it needs protection. 

YOU CAN HELP THIS VITAL WORK BY BECOMING A MEMBER

As a registered charity we rely on the subscriptions and donations from our Members to fund our vital work in campaigning for the protection of the Yorkshire Dales and the well-being of its communities. See the Membership or How to Join buttons for details of our affordable subscription rates.

Page last updated: 15 May 2013