Significant interest is being shown in the 3 Valleys Nature Park. This follows the production of a prospectus by a consortium of statutory and voluntary organisations, who are to meet on 12th February to discuss the next steps.
The priority is to undertake an audit of the River Colne corridor and beyond where possible, to establish existing features, activities and future needs. Over the coming year, there will be opportunities for volunteers to help with surveys and data collection for the audit.
EPIKs directors recently attended an on-line conference about the uplands above the Colne and Holme valleys, organized by a consortium called by Our Common Landscapes (OCL).
The meeting and its 8 workshop themes helped to illustrate the similarities and differences in the challenges faced by the valleys and the uplands. Especially on key issues such as flooding, active travel and community engagement, there was a lot of common ground on how these themes should be developed.
Afterwards EPIKs directors, Jeff and Chas, held a meeting with Cllr Rob Walker (Colne Valley) who chairs OCL to explore active travel and the potential synergies between the 3 Valleys Nature Park project and the uplands schemes.
Work on a plan to co-ordinate activities on walking and cycling in the upper valleys is now under discussion between Greenstreams and River Holme Connections as part of 3NVP’s proposed programme of activities.