CPRE Cheshire Branch

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Joining and getting involved

Photo: Skyscan Photolibrary

A distinctive feature in Crewe and Nantwich District, Cholmondley Castle near Malpas and surrounding Cheshire countryside, as seen from the air.

Although CPRE has a core of excellent professional staff at national and regional level, the bulk of the organisation is made up of volunteers. Income is from membership fees, donations and legacies, with a small amount from trusts.

If you share our aims, we should be delighted if you would join us as a member or help us with some of our Branch or District activities. More information on volunteering and membership categories and rates can be found here, or see the National Office website here.

If you can spare some time to help directly with our activities, that would make a huge difference to what we can achieve to keep Cheshire special. Help is much appreciated in a range of different areas, from active campaigning to fundraising or helping with branch or district activities. If you feel you have a contribution to make, do contact the Branch Chairman or your local District Chairman to discuss the variety of ways you can get involved.

Finally, you can support us by making a donation and/or by making a bequest which would benefit the branch or the wider organisation. Please contact the Branch Office if you would like further information on either option, or please send your donation (payable to the Treasurer).

Our Cheshire Countryside is special. Click on the names to see what some of our famous North West dwellers have to say about their favourite Cheshire landscape: Chris Davies, MEP; Fred Talbot, Granada TV; Lady Baker Wilbraham, former President of Cheshire Branch CPRE; Ann Winterton, MP for Congleton; Patrick O'Neill, Editor of Cheshire Life.

The poem 'In Trust' has been kindly reproduced with the permission of its author, Harry Owen, the Cheshire Poet Laureate. Here he celebrates the Cheshire countryside and shares his hopes that we will long seek to protect it.

Celebrate 80 years of CPRE

Next year is a landmark in CPRE’s history: the 80th anniversary of the founding of CPRE’s national organisation. Cheshire Branch will celebrate its own 80th two years later. This makes us one of the oldest environmental charities in the country, and that’s something worth celebrating.

We would like to mark these occasions by organising social events as celebrations, and to raise our profile with the public, raise funds, and recruit new members.

We need a team of volunteers to work with Clare Lewis on arranging social events. This would be enjoyable work, including coming up with ideas and finding venues, and you could give as much or as little time as you like, working from your own home if prefer.

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Membership Categories and Rates

As a charity, CPRE depends upon the generous support of our members and supporters to cover the costs of our work.

We offer a number of different types of membership:

Individual*	£25.00	Concessionary**	£12.00
Joint*	£33.00	Under 25*	£12.50
Family*	£39.00	Local Group*	£30.00
		Parish Council*	£26.00

* Recommended minimum

** For those living solely on state pension, income support or jobseeker's allowance.

If you share our aims and would like to join, please contact the Branch for an application form or call Freephone 0800 163680 to use a credit card. Alternatively, to join on-line please click here.

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Volunteer Opportunities

We need your help!

Your skills, talent and experience are important to us, however much or little time you can spare. We are always looking for help with a range of activities, and for people with a wide range of skills and interests to help us in our work:

Interests and skills		Activities
Campaigning		Attending meetings, lobbying
Housing		Writing letters to the press
Industrial development		Securing media coverage
Transport	If you have	Manning stands at events
Planning legislation	one of more	Organising fundraising events
Waste	of these	Distributing leaflets
Air quality	interests	Producing and editing a newsletter
Local foods	then we	Speaking to groups, local organisations
Fundraising	need your	Committee roles - Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer
Marketing/PR	help with	Investigative visits
Journalism	our activities	Working on study groups
Organisational/management		Making presentations to young people
Financial		Committee work
Research		Computer work/typing
Recruitment		Administration
		Donating professional expertise for free

Chairperson for the CPRE North West Regional Group

We are looking for an inspiring volunteer chairperson for our well-established North West Regional Group. You will share our commitment to the countryside and value its protection as a national asset for everyone.

You will lead our campaigning and lobbying activities helped by a policy officer and dedicated volunteers. Experience of management, leadership and the voluntary sector are essential. Knowledge of the planning system, regional government, or rural/environmental issues would be an asset.

Further information: Jo Shockley, Tel: 020 7981 2857, josephines@cpre.org.uk

Planners urgently needed

We urgently need people with planning knowledge and experience to help us respond to the massive growth in consultations arising from regional government and the burgeoning growth of controversial planning applications throughout the county.

Much of our work involves the examination of proposed planning legislation and applications at regional, county, unitary authority and district level, researching and preparing submissions, and making representations at enquiries and appeals as necessary.

Our office in Middlewich provides administrative support, office accommodation and a central focus to the band of volunteers spread across the county, working in local groups or individually, who maintain contact through email and regular meetings. Nationally, CPRE is a highly respected campaigning organisation with a role to play in consultation at all levels. Volunteers have the opportunity to contribute to policy debates at all levels.

We seek to ensure our volunteers are comfortable with their role, that they have the opportunity to involve themselves in activities that interest them and to the level of commitment that meets their needs.

If you are interested in helping us protect and enhance the countryside or would like more information please contact us to arrange an informal chat.

More generally, working with other volunteers active in the District or County you could be involved in any of the following:

Campaigning about issues of concern to CPRE
Monitoring local planning applications and development proposals
Reviewing the District's Local Plan or Unitary Plan
Ensuring the District is represented at Branch Executive meetings and has a member on the Executive
Recruiting new members and volunteers
Fundraising - organising events, seeking sponsorship
Responding to requests for information from members and the public

Below is a selection of ways in which you could help:

Fundraiser -To submit funding applications for grants and donations to trust funds, charitable bodies and statutory organisations. If you like a challenge, are resourceful, creative and articulate this could be the job for you.
Events Organiser – To devise, plan and manage events for the purpose of raising funds and public awareness of CPRE. We have a willing band of volunteers ready to work with someone with experience of creating events to raise funds in the charitable sector.
Press Officer – for the Stockport District
Assistance with correspondence – for the Chester District
Campaigners and people to check Planning Application Lists in Vale Royal and Halton

Do have a look at our Local to You page - we have specific ways in which you can help your local District, and these are often listed there. If the ideal role for you is not shown, please do get in contact with us anyway. We have lots of ways in which you can get involved, and our needs change all the time.

If you would like to be involved, whether on a regular or occasional basis, please contact anyone at the Branch Office, letting us know your particular concerns and interests.

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Victoria Buildings

Lewin Street

Middlewich

Cheshire CW10 9AT

Tel/Fax: 01606 835046

E-mail: info@cprecheshire.org.uk

President:

Lord Grey of Codnor

Patron:

HM The Queen

Registered Charity No. 248304