CPRE Bedfordshire Instagram Advent Calendar 2022

The first Living Countryside Awards were held in 2008 so in 2023 the awards will have been running for 15 years. We’re kicking off our celebrations early with the return of the CPRE Bedfordshire Instagram Advent Calendar.

Every day from 1st December through to Christmas Eve, we’ll be sharing an image from one of the 56 winners of our top award. The 24 projects we’ll be highlighting in our Advent Calendar showcase the many different kinds of entrants – from local food to building restoration and wildlife conservation, from schools to sustainable businesses and community groups – they cover the length and breadth of the county. Watch out for a bonus project on Christmas Day too!

The images

All the photographs were taken by Barry Halton, who has worked on the Living Countryside Awards with us since they were launched in 2008. For this series we’ve chosen some of his most striking and unusual images, alongside more traditional pictures. We hope you enjoy them. We’ve also dug back through the archives to find out what our judging team said about each project at the time to give you a flavour of why they received a top award.

Follow us on Instagram to see all 24 images.

You can also see the images on our website.

St Margaret of Antioch church, Knotting, 2011

We said: “The Churches Conservation Trust assumed care of the tiny village church in 2009 when its congregation became too small to sustain its regular use for services. Since then, the Grade 1 listed building has been meticulously restored using traditional materials and skills in a two-year programme. It has a charming and simple interior with a timeless, rustic feel and is now well protected and prepared for its next few hundred years.”

Follow us on Instagram to see all 24 images.

In the New Year

Next year, we’ll be catching up with previous entrants and finding out what’s happened for them since they took part. We’re also looking forward to discovering a new set of people, projects and businesses doing great things in their communities. Keep an eye on our website for the latest news on categories and how to apply.