National Trust
Meet the new GM of the National Trust and learn what the Trust is working on.
Hands Off Our Land: the fight to protect TS Eliot's village
We are in East Coker in Somerset, and, as in many villages across England, people here fear they may soon be swamped by development. Local campaigners’ minds have been concentrated both by the threat of urban expansion to the south of Yeovil (a town of 42,000 residents two miles away), and by the publication in July by the coalition government of a draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The NPPF has created common cause between organisations such as the National Trust and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, as well as lobby groups and commentators across the political spectrum. The Daily Telegraph has been leading a widely supported 'Hands Off Our Land’ crusade.
There is near unanimous fear that the 52-page NPPF, intended to replace more than 1,000 pages of planning law, will create a legal 'presumption in favour of sustainable development’ and encourage local authorities to adopt a default position in favour of developers getting the green light. It appears that, although the draft NPPF is yet to be modified in the light of the many criticisms and is not yet in force, councils are already being prompted to abide by its intentions.
Aloha to Nicola Cornick and Amanda McCabe
I started writing romance when I was about 18 and over the years sent in several manuscripts to Harlequin Mills & Boon. I loved their historical imprint and couldn’t get enough of the books so I thought I would try writing one of my own. They rejected me three times, though, saying that there was too much adventure in my stories and not enough romance. I was determined to keep trying and eventually after 12 years they accepted True Colours, my first book. Amanda/Laurel : I started like almost all authors do, as a reader! I started young, when I found a box full of romance novels hidden in my grandmother's closet when I was 10. They were mostly old Barbara Cartlands, some Heyer and other Regencies, some Victoria Holt, and some old Harlequins with falling-apart covers. I spent the summer sitting on the closet floor reading book after book, and I was totally hooked! I also started writing when I was around the same age, little fairy-tales I would make...
Ashdown House National Trust - News
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Martial Arts: Northumbria weigh in with medal haul “Finally we have to pay tribute to David Ashdown, Northumbria Jitsu's unofficial fitness coach, for giving us our best kept secret weapon: fitness we can trust!” Almost 40 jitsuka from the North East region headed to the West Midlands with hopes high. |
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Military chiefs sign letter calling for rethink on defence There were two people in the running for the job, one was Paddy Ashdown a decorated and highly respected officer in the Royal Marines who served with the SBS. The other was Liam Fox a civilian Army medical officer who, as far as I can tell, |
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Lords Second Reading - Live Music Bill I am one of a growing number of Members of your Lordships' House who have been Members of the devolved Assemblies and Parliaments. In my case, I remain a Member of the National Assembly for Wales, but only for the next four weeks. |
