Aims
The main aim of the Association is to promote friendship, refreshment, relaxation
and physical well-being by means of outdoor activities in the countryside
and areas of heritage interest, for people of all ages and background, with
special emphasis on walking. The objectives which were formulated at the
end of the 19th century remain as valid today and can be summed up as:
- development of sustainable rural tourism
- appreciation and interpretation of the countryside
- promotion of companionship
- increasing the professionalism of walking leaders
- expansion of the Invited Guest Trust charity to help people to enjoy
outdoor holidays
Sustainable rural tourism has been the main focus of the Association from
its foundation in 1893. Vice President Professor David Bellamy endorses
our commitment:
| "Our rural landscapes are in the gravest of dangers. This
danger can only be averted by a population of caring people who understand
what the countryside is all about. Walking in the country is one of
the most pleasant and popular of pastimes. Walking holidays are a
very important part of the livelihood of rural communities, which
are increasingly under threat for many reasons - please become part
of their solution not the threat. Walking from a homely base where
you can rest in the company of others of the walking kind adds icing
to the cake of every countryside experience. Walking with an expert
to guide your footsteps and your minds into the highways and byways
of country life educates, enthrals and entertains. That's what Countrywide
is all about. Never forget that you are ambassadors of these sceptered
isles." |
Following the Foot & Mouth crisis in 2002, David Bellamy commented:
| "The only good thing to come out of the foot and mouth debacle
is that it has proved once and for all that rural tourism and good
agricultural practice are inseparably linked. My sincere congratulations
to all our members who have toed the line on access and behaviour
and so kept the lifeblood of our type of passive, caring tourism flowing
through the Rural Shires. All I can say is have faith (and so you
should, because the commitment of The Association to the training
and education of walk leaders and their support to individual members
and walking clubs countrywide is exemplary) and book up on the specialist
and responsible walking holiday of your choice for 2002. Britain's
beleaguered countryside needs your support now, more than ever. Thank
you for caring" |
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