Once again the advent of a new year shows us that time and tide wait for no man. While this time of year invites us to reflect on successes of the past 12 months, such as Kirklees Council’s refusal to allow open cast mining next to the West Yorkshire Sculpture Park, it also allows us to consider the challenges that lie ahead, and how we can be more effective in what we do.

With this in mind, this New Year also sees the launch of the CPRE West Yorkshire website. We hope that the site will help us to better promote the value of West Yorkshire’s wonderfully varied countryside and why it should enjoy greater protection. We also hope that the site is useful to members of the public and encourages more people to stand up for their countryside.

While it’s easy to help protect the countryside close to you by joining CPRE, the website also identifies other ways that CPRE members and non-members alike can help the cause, such as by signing our Save the Countryside charter or by volunteering in the branch. There is a section where you will find a host of useful resources and recent editions of the branch newsletter, and a section identifying branch social events.

We hope that you find the website useful and informative. If you would like to help us by writing an article for the site, please get in touch with Michael Church: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. We are also looking for someone to help with the ongoing maintenance of the site- webmaster.