CPRE Bedfordshire review of the year 2025

It’s been another busy year for the CPRE Bedfordshire team. Here we take a quick look at what we’ve been able to do thanks to your support.

Living Countryside Awards

This summer’s Living Countryside Awards allowed us to celebrate some amazing projects across the county. Clophill Lakes Nature Reserve scooped both the Bedfordshire Choice Award, which is voted for by the public, and the Keep it Wild category.

A real highlight was the number of volunteer led community gardens and allotments, which support local people and provide a whole range of benefits from health and wellbeing to fresh food and friendship.

We visited some wonderful countryside sites and green spaces, as well as meeting businesses embracing sustainable practices whilst showcasing great produce.

Hedgerow Heroes

We completed the first phase of our Hedgerow Heroes project in early 2025. We planted 1220 metres of new hedgerows and restored over 200 metres of hedgerow by hedge laying. Season two started in November and will feature sites in Campton, Stondon, Southill and Gravenhurst. By the end of December 2025 we will have planted around 700 metres of new hedgerow. Where possible, we have been incorporating specimen trees to increase biodiversity.

A highlight has been hedgerow planting with the help of around 100 school children in Campton. Every student, aged between 4 to 10 years old, planted a tree of their own. They will be able to watch the hedgerow, which is around a new wildlife field being created by the parish council, establish over the coming years.

We couldn’t have done any of this without the help of our established band of volunteers who turned out in all weathers. They have become a great team and welcomed this year’s newcomers, showing them the ropes with enthusiasm and good humour.

We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Forest of Marston Vale to make this project happen. In partnership with them, Hedgerow Heroes enables hedgerow planting in places that may not have been planted up without our help, benefiting communities and extending the hedgerow network of the county.

Rooted in communities

Our team of planning volunteers scrutinise planning applications across the county. Where appropriate we respond directly to the relevant council and help empower local communities to establish campaigns to help protect their countryside and green spaces.

We have worked with several Local Action Groups, helping them to respond to planning applications for houses, and increasingly, solar farms. We have continued to support a group in Shefford that focuses on the consequences of flooding from building on floodplains up stream – an issue we highlighted after last year’s flooding. In Harlington, we were instrumental to setting up a local action group after the announcement of a significant housing development and we continue to work closely with them.

Our expertise and experience have been welcomed by parish councils, communities and individuals and in October, our planning workshop helped to further arm them with the knowledge and understanding they need to respond to planning applications.

The big picture

Our planning team continues to keep an eye on the progress of ongoing National Infrastructure Projects like East West Rail and the East Park Energy solar farm. As part of this year’s Universal Studios consultation, we shared our seven key asks for the project.

After the long-awaited announcement by the Government’s New Town Task Force, it was confirmed that Tempsford was on the list. We shared our initial reaction and unpacked what we know so far about the process to help residents understand what happens next.

We produced a briefing document that details concerns about the continued pollution of the Great River Ouse and how new housing developments are being held up because of inadequate provision by Anglian Water.

All our responses and briefing documents to significant consultations and applications are published on our website, along with Explainers on key planning issues. This helps organisations and individuals understand both our concerns and how they can make their own comments more effective.

Keeping in touch

We have been rebuilding the numbers of followers to our new Facebook page after the old one was unexpectedly removed in March. Along with Instagram, Facebook provides us with a crucial way to keep in touch with our supporters.

Throughout the year we have continued to share stories, campaigns, regular features like our A-Z of Bedfordshire, and ways to get involved with our work. Whether you read them on our website, via social media, or through our monthly e-newsletter, we hope you find them useful and inspiring.

Changes to the CPRE Bedfordshire team

We welcomed two new Trustees this year. Glenn Hayward joined us as Treasurer, while Alice Wiggins brings her marketing expertise.

On our staff team, following the retirement of our long serving Director, Lois Wright, in the spring, we welcomed Jane Lee as our new manager. We will also be saying goodbye to Shelly Dennison, who has worked on our communications since 2017 and leaves this month.

Looking ahead

2026 is National CPRE’s Centenary year, so look out for related events and news. We will also be marking CPRE Bedfordshire’s 40th anniversary in 2026/27 so it’s a double celebration!

The Hedgerow Heroes project will continue in the New Year, followed by looking for sites for the 2026/27 season.

We will closely watch and communicate news of the new Local Plan consultations across the county. For the ongoing major infrastructure projects, we will continue to seek more detail and call for protection of Bedfordshire’s countryside and valued community areas. Our support and guidance to parish councils and community groups will continue as national and local planning policies add pressure to increase house building, threatening our green spaces.

In 2026 we’ll keep standing up for the Bedfordshire countryside. Want to stand with us? Sign up now for monthly news on our work or join us as a member from just £3 a month.