New Chairman for National Park pressure group

6 August 2003

The Council for National Parks(1), the top charity for our finest landscapes in England and Wales, has elected a new chairman, Kate Ashbrook(2), who takes over from Angus Lunn.

Kate is also general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, president of the Dartmoor Preservation Association, former chairman of the Ramblers' Association and now chairman of its access committee.

Says Kate: "More than half a century after their first uncertain steps, the National Parks of England and Wales have never been more popular, more necessary-or more vulnerable".

"Our job is to ensure that the Parks' principles are unsullied, that millions are able to enjoy them without degrading them, and that threats to them are met without compromise".

"It is a challenge that I gladly take up, knowing that CNP has a fine record in combat and in support of these incomparable treasures".

Notes to Editors

1.                  The Council for National Parks is the national charity that works to protect and enhance the National Parks of England and Wales, and areas that merit National Park status, and promote understanding and quiet enjoyment of them for the benefit of all.

2.         Kate Ashbrook's association with National Parks began on Dartmoor at the age of ten.  She took part in numerous Dartmoor campaigns and public inquiries before becoming active on the national scene in the late 1970s.  She joined CNP's executive committee in 1983.  She led the campaign for the Ramblers' Association for freedom to roam which culminated in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, and in a personal capacity she successfully took East Sussex County Council to court for its failure to reopen the infamous 'Hoogstraten' footpath

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