Surrey MPs celebrate fantastic public engagement towards the Surrey Hills boundary review

In December 2021, Natural England launched the first phase of the Surrey Hills boundary review by calling for engagement from the public. This gathered evidence within and around identified evaluation areas to help inform follow on assessments regarding whether the Surrey Hills National Landscape – a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – should be extended. The evidence gathering platform has now closed, and the Surrey Hills thank all those who participated in the process.

The Surrey Hills family is enormously grateful to DEFRA Ministers for giving the go-ahead for the boundary review and to local Members of Parliament for their support.ย  But most of all, I would like to thank all those organisations and individuals who submitted their evidence. Your fantastic contributions will complement Natural Englandโ€™s evaluation of natural beauty and the desirability of extending the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Heather Kerswell, Chair of the Surrey Hills Board

 

Over 2000 pieces of evidence were submitted to the platform, a testament to the outstanding engagement from the public. During the visit by the Rt Hon Lord Benyon (Government Minister for Rural Affairs, Access to Nature and Biosecurity within DEFA) to the Surrey Hills on 1 February 2022, the Minister had the opportunity to visit locations such as Chinthurst Hill within the evaluation areas.

The Rt Hon Lord Benyon with Surrey Hills Chair, Heather Kerswell and Natural England Thames Solent Manager, Stephen Rudd at Chinthurst Hill

Surrey MPs are very pleased to see the amount of engagement the boundary review project has seen during the evidence gathering phase. I look forward to seeing the next stages of the process undertaken by Natural England.

Jonathan Lord, Member of Parliament for Woking

 

The future stages of the boundary review are outlined on the website here and will include a combination of desk based work and detailed field survey running until late spring 2022, and a desirability and candidate areas assessment in the summer.

โ€œThe Surrey Hills AONB is an iconic and beautiful landscape encompassing rare habitats from chalk grassland to extensive ancient woodland and is enjoyed by millions of residents and visitors from all across the region. We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to the call for evidence, and as Governmentโ€™s statutory landscape adviser, we look forward to continuing to work closely with Government, designated landscape bodies and stakeholders to deliver more for and through Englandโ€™s diverse landscapes.โ€

Allison Potts, Area Manager at Natural England

 

Following on from the evidence gathering phase, Natural England welcomes you to attend one of the four webinars planned for 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 26th March to share with you in more detail how the evidence submitted is being used, the key themes and messages that are emerging and next steps in the boundary review process.

To book onto one of these webinars, please click here.

The Surrey Hills boundary review website can be found here.

Surrey Hills celebrates National Tree Planting Day

Surrey Hills thanks the hundreds of community volunteers planting 13,500 trees for the Queenโ€™s Green Canopy in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty This winter, Surrey Hills Society have worked with 300 volunteers from a diverse range of communities to support the planting of over 2km of native hedgerow and 1000 woodland trees in the Surrey Hills. This engages with the unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majestyโ€™s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which is inviting people to โ€œPlant a Tree for the Jubileeโ€ in aid of The Queenโ€™s Green Canopy. This 2km of hedgerow forms part of the 7.5km being planting in the Surrey Hills through collaborative land manager groups funding by the Surrey Hills Farming in Protected Landscapes fund (FiPL). The trees that have been planted are a mixture of native species including hawthorn, field maple and hazel which create essential wildlife corridors and habitat for a wide variety of species such as the hazel dormouse, brown hairstreak butterfly and turtle dove.
โ€œThank you to all those who have given up their time to be involved in our tree planting efforts. Surrey Hills Society have engaged with members of the community, secondary school students, corporate staff teams and members of the Surrey Choices Growth Team, who all have the common aim of wanting to contribute positively to the environment. It has been wonderful to witness the enjoyment of volunteers, in learning more about both the environment and each other, as well as experiencing the benefit of being outside.โ€ Gordon Jackson, Chair of Surrey Hills Society and Surrey Hills Trust Fund
  The Surrey Choices Growth Team in partnership with Surrey Hills Society are funded by FiPL to work one day a week at Newlands Corner, helping to manage access for people and improve habitat for nature as part of the Surrey Hills Conservation Volunteers programme. In February, the Surrey Hills was delighted to host The Rt Hon Lord Benyon, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Rural Affairs, Access to Nature and Biosecurity) who visited the Surrey Hills Conservation Volunteers to view the excellent progress that they have made with removing invasive scrub from the chalk grassland, a habitat which is internationally important for its rarity and species richness.
Over the last few months, a huge variety of volunteer days have taken place in the Surrey Hills. This includes the first Surrey Hills Corporate Champions tree planting day with Allianz Insurance, a partnership between Surrey Hills Enterprises and Surrey Hills Society. The Allianz Tree Planting Day was held on Friday 25 February at Knowle Park in Cranleigh and saw 1,000 trees and shrubs planted. These essential efforts to help support biodiversity and conservation could not be possible without the engagement from farmers, landowners and volunteers. Angus Stovold of Lydling Farm, comments on the fantastic community work that has been undertaken to help plant trees on the farm;
I knew the local community was interested in our conservation work but we were blown away by the enthusiasm and help they gave willingly. It has made our decisions to continue at a pace much easier to fully integrate our farming with nature recovery.
The support of local Members of Parliament (MPs) has also been invaluable. On Friday 11 March, which was National Tree Planting Day, a group of Surrey MPs attended Lydling Farm, Shackleford to play their part in planting native hedgerow in the Surrey Hills.
I was delighted to be invited to Lydling Farm in the Surrey Hills to participate in some tree planting in aid of The Queenโ€™s Green Canopy. The astonishing efforts made by the Surrey Hills, farmers, landowners and their community volunteers will create a legacy of essential habitat for rare and vulnerable species for years to come. Angela Richardson, Member of Parliament for Guildford
Big leaf nature connections

An extraordinary week with extraordinary people

Last week, we hosted 6 brilliant groups of displaced young people from Big Leaf Foundation for a series of nature-based activities at Surrey Outdoor Learning (SOLD). This project is funded by Natural England to empower connection with nature.ย 

Connection to the landscape is an integral physical and emotional experience to support a feeling of safety, belonging and purpose for people in their environmental setting, and mental wellbeing. During the week, the Big Leaf teams were encouraged to partake in activities such as high and low ropes set within the woodland, to creative and artistic sessions. This gave the opportunity to reflect, understand and increase confidence in the natural environment.ย 

Big leaf nature connections

These ribbons contain the hopes and dreams of the displaced young people from Big Leaf Foundation, who joined us at SOLD for their session with Surrey Hills based artist, Diana Burch. From becoming members of the police, doctors, cricketers to hopes for a peaceful future, these ribbons were tied around a tree to dance in the breeze and connect their voices to the natural space.ย 

Some activities were very reflective, stitching and using textile markers on calico pennants. Images of flowers and trees were drawn and stitched, others had included the Afghan flag, pictures of the homes they had been forced to leave and even the chickens in the yard.ย 

They also had a joyful session tangling coloured wool, full of movement and teamwork. The outcome was a beautiful, natural entanglement of the wool, representing the different strands of their lives that despite the violence and trauma endured, have now come together in the setting of the Surrey Hills.ย ย 

Laughter and enjoyment were key parts of each day. In a way, my lack of sharing a common language and cultural roots with the participants โ€˜turned the tablesโ€™ – I became the person who might be considered as an outsider. The most inspiring aspect of these workshops was the way we all worked together and found common ground in creating together.ย 

Working in the setting of the Surrey countryside was an ideal way to make a bond with the land, where the location acted as provider of art materials as well as a kind of rural gallery to gather the work together.

Diana Burch – Surrey Hills based artist
Big leaf nature connections

Leadership, teamwork and kindness are just three of the characteristics held by the inspiring individuals that the Surrey Hills hosted at SOLD from Big Leaf Foundation. During their activities, they were encouraged to discover nature via physical exploration. This ranged from high and low ropes, blind folded guiding tasks and climbing walls.ย 

An inspiration to us all, these displaced young people were fearless and brought fantastic energy to every experience. They took a kind moment to reflect on their time spent with us so far.ย 

โ€œThis really good day, I am happyโ€.โ€ฏย 

โ€œIt was a great time we spent with you. I would like to thank you all for giving us this kind of respect and wish you best of luck and stay blessed in future.โ€โ€ฏย 

โ€œWeโ€™ve spent a beautiful time with everyone todayโ€.โ€ฏย 

โ€œIโ€™m really happy and beautiful, thank youโ€.โ€ฏโ€ฏย 

Over the last week, these young people laughed, created, faced fears and supported each other during their exploration of the Surrey Hills. An extraordinary week, full of extraordinary people.ย 

Weeks like this are so important because it gives the young people an opportunity to be outside, to get to know each-other, to leave their accommodation, not to feel so isolated. Itโ€™s great for their mental health and general wellbeing. But it also makes them realise that thereโ€™s people that care, thereโ€™s people that want to help them and they are supported.

Big Leaf Foundation

Update: Farming in Protected Landscapes fund

To view the FiPL webpage, click here.

In the summer of 2021, Defra announced a new fund to benefit nature recovery across Englandโ€™s National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The โ€˜Farming in Protected Landscapesโ€™ (FiPL) scheme provides grants to farmers and land managers in the Surrey Hills for one-off projects to make improvements to the natural environment, cultural heritage and public access on their land.ย 

Heather Kerswell, Chair of the Surrey Hills Board comments;ย 

The Surrey Hills are enjoyed by millions of people every year and have increased in popularity over the pandemic. With no sign of this trend declining we need to make people aware that this is a living and working landscape that also supports a huge range of habitats and species. By supporting our farmers and land managers we can help protect the Surrey Hills and support our local communities.ย ย 

This scheme provides a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to nature recovery and I urge our Surrey Hills farmers and land managers to apply for funding.ย 

The Surrey Hills is proud to fund some excellent projects so far. This winter will see over 7.5km of new hedgerows being planted. More than 6km of this will be as part of a collaborative hedge planting project involving eight different land holdings across the Surrey Hills. They will be planting hedgerows to help support native species and create vital habitat corridors across the landscape.ย ย ย 

As part of this project, Manor Farm in Wotton kicked off their ambitious planting of over 4km of hedgerow with the help of Surrey Choices, supported by the Surrey Hills Society. Surrey Choices provide a range of support services, which are dedicated to improving the independence, confidence, and life skills of disabled and autistic people and those with other support needs.ย ย 

The Surrey Choices Growth Team have also been funded by the FiPL grant as Surrey Hills Conservation Volunteers, supported by Surrey Hills Society, to undertake conservation work at Newlands Corner to help manage access and habitats for people and nature. This funding aims to develop and enhance the landscape, whilst enabling supported adults to gain important skills in horticulture, conservation and working in public spaces with the goal to help their transition into the workplace.ย 

Gordon Jackson, Chair of the Surrey Hills Society and Surrey Hills Trust Fund comments;ย 

Surrey Hills Society are thrilled to be collaborating with Surrey Choices to help protect and conserve the landscape. The Society has brought together a wide variety of volunteers working alongside Surrey Choices, with upwards of 300 volunteers planting native hedgerow in the months of February and March. Most recently we held a Society planting day at Manor Farmโ€ฏon 23 February, where Society and Surrey Choices volunteers worked side by side to help Manor Farm plant their 4.5km of FIPL funded hedgerow this winter.

On Tuesday 1 February 2022, the Surrey Hills was delighted to host the Rt Hon Lord Benyon Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. During his visit, the Minister was able to view some of the FiPL funded projects in action including visiting Surrey Choices at Newlands Corner and seeing a new flail collector purchased via the grant by Michael Baxter of the Albury Estate. This new machinery has enabled the Estate to improve its management of the important heathland, chalk grassland and woodland sites by working more efficiently and productively over larger areas. This is to the benefit of the landscape, to wildlife such as the small blue butterfly, and to the many people who visit this part of the Surrey Hills.ย 

Michael Baxter of the Albury Estate comments;ย 

We used the (FiPL) grant to purchase a specialist flail collector.ย  This will enable the Estate to improve its management of the important heathland, chalk grassland and woodland sites by working more efficiently and productively over larger areas to the benefit of the landscape, wildlife, biodiversity and the many people who visit this part of the Surrey Hills AONB.ย  The grant application was straightforward, and the Estate received support throughout the process.

The Surrey Hills grant has also funded projects such as a three metre Moore Unidrill at a dairy farm in Betchworth, which will help reduce the release of carbon stored in soil, protect the local environment from soil erosion and flooding and improve the sustainability of the farm.ย  Another exciting project is the installation of a variety of wildlife boxes across 20 land-holdings to deliver a large-scale, coordinated improvement to the provision of living spaces for wildlife.ย  Species such as barn owls, dormice and kingfishers are present within some landholdings and the new houses will help these species to increase in numbers, with further projects planned to improve habitats.ย 

The FiPL fund is key to helping deliver the Surrey Hills Management Plan by sustainably managing and conserving habitats and the natural environment, supporting the landscapeโ€™s cultural heritage and enriching the access and enjoyment of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for all.ย 

Co-ordinated by the Surrey Hills AONB Board, the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme is open to all farmers and land managers (including from the private, public and charity sector) within the AONB. Applications are open now and the scheme runs until March 2024.ย ย ย 

For further information and guidance visit; Surrey Hills FiPL fund | Surrey Hillsย 

Surrey Hills host Lord Benyon for a day of landscape and community engagement

On Tuesday 1 February 2022, the Surrey Hills National Landscape was delighted to host The Rt Hon Lord Benyon, the Government Minister for Rural Affairs, Access to Nature and Biosecurity for the opportunity to hear about their current projects, and meet some of the land managers, local businesses and partners within the Surrey Hills.

Welcomed by Heather Kerswell (Independent Chair) and Rob Fairbanks (Director) the Ministerโ€™s morning started at Chinthurst Hill, in one of the evaluation areas for the Surrey Hills boundary review, a project led by Natural England. The boundary review is an excellent opportunity for locations outside of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to be formally assessed with the potential to be included within an extended protected area. The public engagement platform closed on 31 January and saw over 2,000pieces of evidence gathered across the landscape.

Pictured left to right: Rob Fairbanks (Surrey Hills Board Director), Clive Smith (Surrey Hills Planning Adviser), Stephen Rudd (Natural England), Heather Kerswell (Surrey Hills Independent Chair) and The Rt Hon Lord Benyon

At Newlands Corner, which commands wonderful views across the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Minister was joined by Albury Estate landowner, Earl Percy, and Marisa Heath, Surreyโ€™s cabinet member for Environment. They were given an overview on the recent improvements to visitor facilities including new signage and interpretation, self-guided walking trails and the resurfaced car park. The group enjoyed a preview of the newly upgraded Discovery Centre, which is due to open to the public in the coming months, as well as viewing a short compilation of the #MySurreyHills video series. Looking across the viewpoint, the Growth Team from Surrey Choices welcomed the group to the beautiful landscape where they have been undertaking some essential habitat and access management work to restore the chalk grassland habitat. This work is being undertaken in collaboration with the Surrey Hills Society, and this talented team from Surrey Choices are the first group of Surrey Hills Conservation Volunteers, helping manage access and habitats for people and nature. Surrey Choices provide a range of support services, which are dedicated to improving the independence, confidence, and life skills of disabled and autistic people and those with other support needs.

Pictured: The Growth Team from Surrey Choices, Lord Benyon and Surrey Hills Society

Walking along the North Downs way, the Guildford Design Award-winning โ€˜Optohedronโ€™ by Will Nash was a brilliant way to frame the view and discover one of the Inspiring Views from the Surrey Hills Arts programme.

Pictured left to right: Alistair Burtenshaw, Director of Watts Gallery and Surrey Hills Arts Chair Lord Benyon and Alison Clarke (Surrey Hills Arts)

Continuing down into the Albury Estate, they were able to see one of the Surrey Hills FiPL applications (Farming in Protected Landscapes, funded by Defra) in action through the new flail collector purchased via the grant by Michael Baxter of the Albury Estate. This new machinery has enabled the Estate to improve its management of the important heathland, chalk grassland and woodland sites by working more efficiently and productively over larger areas. This is to the benefit of the landscape, wildlife, for example the small blue butterfly, biodiversity and the many people who visit this part of the Surrey Hills. The FiPL fund is key to helping deliver the Surrey Hills Management Plan by supporting projects including cluster groups of landowners and managers who are planting over 7.5 km of new native hedgerow this winter.

Pictured: Alex & Dom of Albury Organic Vineyard with Lord Benyon

Finally, after walking through the Albury Organic Vineyard, the Minister and guests enjoyed some delicious lunch from Surrey Hills Enterprises members Mandiraโ€™s Kitchen which was served with Albury Organic wine. This also gave the opportunity to meet local business owners such as Norbury Park Cheese, Silent Pool Distillery, LC Energy and Coverwood Farm, hosted by Simon Whalley and Wendy Varcoe of Surrey Hills Enterprises.

The Minister was able to witness the stunning illustrations of the Surrey Hills indicator species from their Making Space for Nature project. These paintings were created by an โ€˜Our Timeโ€™ artist at HMP Send, taking part in a programme delivered by Watts Gallery Trust and funded by the Michael Varah Memorial Fund in collaboration with the Surrey Hills Society and Surrey Hills Trust Fund.

Lunch was set in the background of the Albury Estate Vineyard and the site where a wildlife pond is being created. Before departure, Lord Benyon was able to plant a tree at this site and thank his hosts.

I was delighted to meet the talented and passionate Surrey Hills family and their partners for what was a vibrant and informative day. It was wonderful to hear about the valuable work being undertaken to support native species and improve access for the public.

The Rt Hon Lord Benyon

We are very grateful to Lord Benyon for accepting our invitation to spend a day in the Surrey Hills. His enthusiasm and interest in our projects was brilliant to see and we look forward to updating him in due course about all the work we do at the Surrey Hills.

Heather Kerswell, Independent Chair of the Surrey Hills

Surrey Hills AONB boundary review update

The Surrey Hills needs your help this new yearย 

In December 2021, Natural England kicked off the first phase of the Surrey Hills boundary review by asking for your engagement. It is looking to gather evidence within the evaluation areas identified* to help inform the decision to whether the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) boundaries should be extended into adjacent areas to the AONB.ย 

So far, there has been brilliant engagement on the evidence gathering platform, with the public submitting their evidence within these evaluation areas. In December, we encouraged all our communities to get involved.ย 

Heather Kerswell, Chair of the Surrey Hills AONB Board said:ย 

Were you able to get out over Christmas and think about the landscapes you think are noteworthy enough to be included as a national asset in the new Surrey Hills designation? I know lots of the public, parish councils, and local groups such as bird groups are on the case already – well done all! Whether eventually included by Natural England in the extended area or not it will be invaluable to have a record of these places. Keep them coming!ย 

This evidence gathering stage continues until the 31 January 2022, so we are asking for your involvement to help Natural England inform the next stage in their process by submitting your images and evidence.

You can do so by visiting the website here.

After the 31 January, the responses provided will inform and complement further research and survey work to complete the evaluation of natural beauty and the desirability of extending the AONB as required by Natural England.ย  There will be opportunities to provide feedback on the emerging picture between February and March.ย  This is expected to lead to proposals for an extension to the AONB being the subject of a formal statutory and public consultation later in the year.ย 

We welcome your participation to contribute your knowledge in helping Natural England with evidence in the decision-making process.ย 

*Other adjacent areas with a particularly compelling case may also be considered. Find the map of evaluation areas here.

Surrey Hills boundary review: Natural England press release

Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) needs you

  • Local knowledge is being sought to help decide on the extension of Surrey Hills AONB boundaries
  • Natural England is calling for everyone with an interest to contribute
  • Whether you live in in the Surrey Hills AONB, run a local business, enjoy visiting, care about landscapes and biodiversity, or represent an organisation – your evidence could be crucial in helping determine whether an extension is merited

The Surrey Hills is an iconic and beautiful landscape encompassing rare habitats from chalk grassland to extensive ancient woodland and is enjoyed by millions of residents and visitors.

There has been a desire locally over many years for a review to decide whether additional areas adjacent to the existing AONB boundary should also be designated.

Earlier this year Natural England announced that the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) will be considered for boundary expansion.

A formal boundary review is now underway which will consider the case for extending the existing AONB.

Members of the public are urged to take part and contribute to Natural Englandโ€™s decision making process. ย This stage is a โ€˜call for evidenceโ€™ to gather a range of data and information in a structured way to help address the specific technical requirements of the formal assessment process.

From today people can participate easily online, through a digital app, and other means. Evidence provided by the public will help contribute to Natural Englandโ€™s assessment of the natural beauty of the area; and its decision whether other areas in the vicinity of the existing boundary should form part of an extended Surrey Hills AONB.ย 

Allison Potts, Area Manager for Natural England, said:

โ€œIt is very important that people who live in and around the Surrey Hills have the opportunity to participate in this review process. Your local knowledge is our starting point.

โ€œWe are urging members of the public to help Natural England build evidence โ€“ to gather information about the natural beauty of the landscape; its condition, natural and cultural heritage, scenic qualities, relative wildness and tranquillity. Evidence that you provide for these factors could be particularly important for our assessmentsโ€.

If further areas are added to the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this could bring many benefits for the area, including boosting natureโ€™s recovery, giving more people the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful area and safeguarding a nationally important landscape for future generations.

An extension to the Surrey Hills AONB could help preserve the natural environment and rural heritage, promote tranquillity and give more opportunity to support peopleโ€™s health and wellbeing through access to nature, on the doorstep of London.

Click the button below to find out how you can help Natural England to decide.

โ€œBe Nice, Say Hiโ€ on the first Surrey Hills Greenway

The first Greenway in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was officially launched on 23 September by the Chairman of Surrey County Council, Helyn Clack. Known as the Leith Hill Greenway, the new route provides greater access for people of all abilities to enjoy beautiful countryside in a sustainable way for their health and well-being whilst reducing conflict.ย  It is hoped this new route will be the first of many Greenways across Surrey linking the countryside with towns and cities.

Greenway
The brainchild of Cycling UK, Greenways are a network of mostly off-road routes that connect people to facilities, rural businesses and open spaces in and around towns, cities and the countryside. The new 15 km Leith Hill Greenway route provides an opportunity for Surrey residents and visitors to enjoy the famous views of Box Hill, one of the UKโ€™s most spectacular vineyards at Denbies and the National Trustโ€™s majestic Leith Hill tower, with its sweeping panoramic views of London and the English Channel.ย  Along the Greenway, the countryside is blessed with rich wildlife, ancient woodland, historic sites and rolling fields.

The new route is well signposted, easily accessible and safely off-road, and encourages people to leave their vehicles at home and explore the area in a more sustainable way. The route can be started and finished at any point where there is a directional sign, meaning visitors can take on the challenge of the full 15 km or just a section of the route.

Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UKโ€™s head of campaigns:

โ€œThe Greenways initiative is a fabulous opportunity not just for Surrey visitors and residents but also for local businesses along its linked-up network of traffic free and traffic light routes. The vision of being able to journey from London to Leith Hill in peace and quiet is something all lovers of the countryside should support, whether you walk, cycle or ride horses.

โ€œCycling UK is hugely supportive of the Surrey Hills AONBs ambition and have helped advise on the work to date linking Leith Hill to Denbies Wine Estate. Weโ€™d encourage everyone to give it a go, and while doing so bear in mind the mantra of our joint education campaign with the British Horse Society: โ€œBe Nice, Say Hiโ€.โ€

Mark Weston, Director of Access at the British Horse Society:

โ€œWe are thrilled to see that the Greenways initiative is helping to improve access for all users in the Surrey Hills.ย  As one of the vulnerable road user groups, horse riders face considerable dangers on our roads and the need for safer off-road riding opportunities has never been greater.

By promoting the BHS and Cycling UKโ€™s joint campaign, โ€˜Be Nice, Say Hiโ€™ in the area we hope that we will be able to educate more riders, cyclists and walkers to be confident to pass one another comfortably and safely.โ€

Fiona Spencer of the Ramblers Association (Mole Valley):

โ€œAs Ramblers we welcome the Greenway initiative as a way to encourage more people to discover the joys of walking in nature. The Ramblers Association, through its local groups, of which there are 16 in Surrey, offers sociable volunteer-led walks to suit all levels of experience. Since Covid-19 the desire of people to visit the countryside has become ever more apparent. Well guided trails are important in helping people feel safe in walking, whether alone or with others. Exchanging a friendly smile with those you may meet, be they on foot, on horseback or on bicycles, can only add to our pleasure. So Be Nice, say Hi.โ€

Heather Kerswell, Chair of the Surrey Hills AONB Board:

โ€œWeโ€™re absolutely delighted to have Helyn Clack, Chairman of Surrey County Council to launch the new Leith Hill Greenway.ย  As more and more people recognise the benefits of discovering our countryside, the new Greenway will help them to do this by opening up the landscape for accessible exploration whilst encouraging people to respect and protect the natural environment as they do so.

โ€ We are so grateful to all our partners, especially DEFRA for funding, Denbies for giving permissive access on their land for part of the route, and Surrey County Council for getting it all done!โ€

This project has been funded through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

For more information about the new Leith Hill Greenway, including a map of the route visit: https://surreyhills.org/discover-route/leith-hill-greenway.

Ranmore Common in the spotlight: Residents concern of over-used byways and anti-social behaviour causing damage to Surrey Hills

Tension is mounting between residents and off-road motorists on the Byways across the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Since lockdown the area has seen an increase in off-road motorised vehicles, with new tracks being illegally carved out on private land causing damage to nesting sites and historic landscape features. Residents have also noted a spike in anti-social behaviour such as fly-tipping, trespassing and setting fire to vehicles.

Ranmore
The Surrey Hills AONB Board Chair, Heather Kerswell, members of the Surrey Hills Board and local councillors met with Sarah Billingham and other residents on Monday 26 July to discuss the issues and see the damage being caused first hand at a site visit to Ranmore Common.

Heather Kerswell, Chair of the Surrey Hills AONB Board, says,

โ€œI was shocked and saddened to see the damage being done to these byways and the surrounding habitats and historic landscape features. The Surrey Hills AONB Board sympathises with the impact that it has on residents and other recreational users in this beautiful and popular part of the Surrey Hills.ย  I am also aware of evidence that similar problems are now shared across large areas of the Surrey Hills. We need to work in partnership with our rural communities, Surrey County Council and Surrey Police to minimise this damage.โ€

The unique area of Ranmore Common just off the North Downs Way National Trail is a Site of Special Scientific interest and home to Lovelace bridges, WW11 monuments and old drovers roads with their ancient banks and woodlands. The grassy downland slopes offer a rare habitat to a myriad of species. The area is managed by a variety of landowners and regularly frequented by walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Due to the popularity of the byways in this area large rutted, muddy tracks have formed leaving them in a shocking state of repair impassable to all vehicles except robust 4x4s.

Ranmore
Local resident Sarah Billingham comments,

โ€œWe wereย delighted that members of the Surrey Hills Boardย came out to view the problems we are having across Ranmore Common. We have seen a huge increase in convoys of trail bikes and 4×4 vehicles accessing our byways in recent months, some of whom destroyย habitatsย by regular trespassing onto private land. These convoys also displace walkers and horse riders from the BOATs which should be open to ALL traffic and not just vehicles. Protective action needs to be taken to combat this problem, possibly through closing some sections of ourย byways butย we are concerned thatย this may push the problem to other areas of the Surrey Hills. I feel it is imperative that an overview approach is taken which amalgamates information as well as connecting communities that are all trying to contain these issues in isolation. A joined-up approach or possiblyย an area-wide Traffic Regulation Order for the Surrey Hills needs to be considered.โ€

Ranmore
Surrey County Councillor Hazel Watson, comments,

โ€œThere is mounting concern about the damage being caused to the protected Surrey Hills landscape by an irresponsible minority of off-road drivers. This site visit has highlighted how great the problem is in Mole Valley.โ€

โ€œToday we saw deep rutted tracks caused by vehicles that, when filled with water, hide brick and rubble that can cause serious damage to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. We need to highlight the seriousness of this problem and work together to solve it.โ€

Reports of antisocial crime can be made to Surrey Police via their online reporting tool; https://www.surrey.police.uk/ro/report/asb/asb/report-antisocial-behaviour/

For further information on the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) visit www.surreyhills.org.

Wanted: Hike Heroes, Local Legends, Walkpreneurs & Family Funsters

Weโ€™re on the hunt for North Downs Way Ambassadors and have a programme of free training available for people in Kent and Surrey who love being outdoors, love walking, love their local area and want to share that passion with others.

With interest in the outdoors, walking for wellbeing and focus on supporting local seeing huge increases during the pandemic weโ€™re delighted to re-launch our North Downs Way Ambassadors programme which combines all three! Led by walking and outdoor adventure company Pied-a-Terre, this will provide a springboard for keen walkers to share their passion for the outdoors and develop their trail knowledge to create a range of engaging, professional and safe guided tours for visitors.

HikeTraining will consist of 6 sessions starting in September. The course will cover multiple topics about the North Downs Way including nature, history, art, food and drink, family fun as well as practical sessions on insurance, risk assessment and walking tour business development. Lessons will be offered online and in person including trips out onto the trail itself to test and feedback on the skills and knowledge learnt before being assessed and finally let loose in Kent and Surrey as fully fledged Ambassadors.

Applications are now open until 20th August and weโ€™re looking to attract guides from all different backgrounds and locations along the trail including minority groups, disabled trail enthusiasts and family guides who can attract new and diverse audiences and help remove some of the access barriers to the glorious British countryside.

Pete Morris, North Downs Way Trail Manager said โ€œThe North Downs Way has so much to offer with 153 miles of beautiful views, stunning historic castles, cathedrals, palaces and artworks plus delicious produce and most importantly local beer! Weโ€™re delighted to be setting up this programme with Richard to help more people discover it.โ€

Richard Betts from Pied-a-Terre Adventures said “This is a great opportunity for us and weโ€™re excited to be working with the Kent Downs AONB and North Downs Way teams to deliver a programme of training that will ultimately encourage more people to explore the outdoors. By combining local expertise with route knowledge these tours can be really engaging offering visitors a chance to experience the local area in a totally different way – without the car! Hopefully theyโ€™ll get the walking bug just like we have.โ€

For more information, visit: https://www.kentdowns.org.uk/experience/northdownswayambassadors.

Job Opportunity: Surrey Hills AONB Communications Lead

The Surrey Hills AONB is recruiting for a new Communications Lead.

About the role

The Communications Lead for the Surrey Hills AONB is an exciting opportunity to raise awareness and understanding of the Surrey Hills as a Nationally protected landscape. You will lead the development and delivery of the Communications strategy and activity plan, helping to deliver projects that promote wide public understanding of the special landscape character and local distinctiveness of the Surrey Hills and the purpose of designation.

You will be the key driver for communications with both external and internal audiences including; visitors, key stakeholders and the Surrey Hills family of organisations.ย The role will suit an enthusiastic and creative individual with experience of the whole marketing mix and an interest in environment, landscape and the outdoors.

To be shortlisted to interview for this position your application will clearly evidence how you could deliver the role purpose and key outputs through your specific experience and qualifications, including:

  • Building strong relationships to work in partnership with a range of key stakeholders from across the Surrey Hills family and national partners
  • Ability to develop and deliver comprehensive communications and marketing plans
  • Delivery of engaging content across a range of channels
  • Experience of developing and strengthening a brand identity
  • Managing your time to deliver multiple projects at any one time

At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are as an organisation. Find out more about theย valuesย we follow.

For more information please find the full job description below and refer to this before submitting your application. We also invite you to read our Life at Surrey handbook to see insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Additional information

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 1st August 2021. Interviews will take place on Friday 6thย August at Warren Farm Barns, Mickleham.

The role is based at Warren Farm Barns, Headley Lane, Mickleham, Dorking, Surrey, RH5ย 6DG. It is expected that work will be carried out in a hybrid way between the role base, home working and at sites across the county as required for the role.

Contact details

If you would like an informal discussion about the role please contact Caroline Price by email atย caroline.price@surreycc.gov.uk.

For more information about the role, visit: Surrey Hills Communications Lead – Job Description (1)

To learn more about life at Surrey, visit: Life at Surrey Handbook

Have your voice heard at the Surrey Hills Community Forum 2021

Surrey Hills Community Forum
A free community forum is taking place this July, giving local people and groups in the Surrey Hills the chance to have their voice heard on key topics impacting the protected landscape.

The Surrey Hills Community Forum 2021 will take place on Thursday 29 July 2021 as an online session via Zoom. Providing the opportunity for parish councils and community groups in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to hear the very latest on important issues such as the โ€˜Surrey Hills Boundary Extensionโ€™ and โ€˜Making Space for Nature – Greening Communitiesโ€™ as well as lend their voice to these and other topics.

Hosted by the Surrey Hills AONB Board and the Surrey Association of Local Councils, this will also be a chance for local people to learn more about the work of the Surrey Hills Family.

Taking place from 10am to 11.30am as an online session, the programme will cover the following:

Welcome and introduction
Liz Cutter, Vice President of SALC and Surrey Hills AONB Board

Update on the Surrey Hills
Rob Fairbanks, Surrey Hills AONB Director

Surrey Hills Boundary Extension
Heather Kerswell,Surrey Hills AONB Chair
Clive Smith, Surrey Hills Planning Adviser

Making Space for Nature – Greening Communities
Liz Cutter, Vice President of SALC and Surrey Hills AONB Board
Caroline Price, Surrey Hills AONB

Q&A
Anne Bott,Deputy CEO SALC

To book a place on 29 July, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/surrey-hills-community-forum-2021-tickets-160542118799.