30th September 2010

Blackwater Valley wins Landscape Award

For over 30 years the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership has been working to create a landscape that local people can be proud of and value.  Now this work has been recognised through the UK Landscape Awards as the Blackwater Valley are announced winners for the South-East Region.

“We are absolutely thrilled,” said Christine Reeves, Visitor Promotions Officer for the Blackwater Valley Countryside.  “So much good work has been done over the years, and continues to be done, so it’s really great to be recognised in this way by winning the South-East Region of these prestigious awards. I hope it puts the Blackwater Valley on the map.”

Jo Watkins, President of the Landscape Institute which
organised the Awards says: “We are delighted to announce the results of the first heat of these unique awards.  They highlight the tremendous contribution that great urban and rural landscapes make to the creation of strong communities.
This Award is important as it is recognises that looking after
our landscape for future generations is a responsibility shared by all of us.”

All entrants to the awards were asked to give a  statement about their project covering: Sustainability; Being an Exemplar; Public Participation and Community Engagement; and Awareness-raising. They also had to provide a plan or map of the scheme and submit at least six pictures. Two optional elements included: a three-minute video presentation uploaded to YouTube - The Blackwater Valley video can be seen at You Tube - and copies of leaflets to promote the project to the public.

“The Valley will never be able to compete with the dramatic and awe-inspiring vistas found in many other parts of the country,” added Christine, “but it does offer a landscape that is dynamic and rapidly changing. It was once regarded as a problem area located on the borders of three countries, but today as a result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people the Blackwater Valley has become a unified area, the centrepiece for the local people, a valuable recreational resource offering a mosaic of grasslands, woodlands and freshwater lakes.”

Altogether 69 projects were entered for the awards. Nine regional winners have been selected and three will be short-listed to go forward to the final along with the winners from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The overall winner will be announced on 8th November 2010 at the European Landscape Convention Conference in Liverpool. The UK winner will then be submitted to the Council of Europe’s European Landscape Award which will be announced in March 2011. The Award has only been run once before although this is the first time that it has taken place in the UK.

Details of all entrants can be found on the UK Landscape Awards website.

END

For more information about the Blackwater Valley contact :
Christine Reeves on 01252 331353.
BVCP, Ash Lock Cottage, Government Road, Aldershot GU11 2PS.

NOTES

• The Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership (BVCP) is funded by the County, District and Parish Councils along the River Blackwater. It works to promote community action in conservation and recreation and to protect the Valley for the enjoyment and well being of the whole community.
• Members of the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership are: Hampshire County Council, Surrey County Council; the Borough, District, Town and Parish Councils of Blackwater & Hawley, Farnham, Finchampstead, Guildford, Hart, Rushmoor, Sandhurst, Surrey Heath, Waverley, Wokingham and Yateley.

For more information abut the Awards contact:
Paul Lincoln, Director of Policy and Communications, Landscape Institute
Tel: 020 7685 2646 or email

NOTES

• The European Landscape Convention (ELC) established a Council of Europe Landscape Award to recognise quality stewardship of landscapes.  Council of Europe member states run national competitions to identify national winners who are then put forward for the European-level award. The Award has only been run once before. This is the first time that the Award has been run in the UK. Entries for the Award closed on 27th August 2010. The winner will be announced on 8 November 2010 at the European Landscape Convention Conference in Liverpool. The UK winner will then be submitted to the Council of Europe’s European Landscape Award which will be announced in March 2011.
• The ELC is the first international convention to focus specifically on landscape, and is dedicated exclusively to the protection, management and planning of all landscapes in Europe. The ELC became binding from 1st March 2007.  The convention highlights the need to recognise landscape in law, to develop landscape policies dedicated to the protection, management and creation of landscapes, and to establish procedures for the participation of the general public and other stakeholders in the creation and implementation of landscape policies. It also encourages the integration of landscape into all relevant areas of policy, including cultural, economic and social policies.
• The European Landscape Convention is championed by DEFRA, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Scottish Government, the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland and their agencies.
• The Award is being managed in the UK by the Landscape Institute, the professional body for landscape architecture.