Lancashire Casts A Powerful Spell

The Bowland Symposium organised by the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) team on 1^st and 2^nd May this year, is set to attract both a UK and European audience. This prestigious event is being held at Mytton Fold Hotel, Langho and will attract audiences from other protected landscapes in Europe, UK AONBs and National Parks, the EUROPARC Charter Network, sustainable tourism networks, tourism businesses and local government.

Since 2005, the Forest of Bowland AONB team has led the way in developing tourism that takes account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts.  A programme of sustainable tourism activity has been developed working closely with tourism organisations, businesses and communities. The AONB has also been instrumental in setting up Bowland Experience Ltd. – a company established by Bowland tourism businesses, to provide a network for supporting and promoting sustainable tourism within the Forest of Bowland.  The event will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase these initiatives to a wide audience and continue to champion Bowland as a sustainable tourism destination.

The symposium has already attracted speakers from the International Centre for Responsible Tourism, Professor Harold Goodwin; and CEO of the National Association for AONB's, Howard Davies who will deliver the opening keynote addresses. 

This is not the first time Bowland has collaborated with European colleagues, during 2011 Harry Backhouse from Clough Bottom Farm Holiday Cottages, one of the first businesses to engage in sustainable tourism within the AONB, spoke at a European event to showcase the work of their business and the Forest of Bowland.  Harry presented ‘Sustainable Tourism: Small Business – Big Ideas' at the 7th EUROPARC Charter Network Meeting in Djerdap National Park, Serbia 28^th June 2011.  Harry commented "Our ‘eco' beliefs and sustainable ethos is at the heart of everything we do at Clough Bottom. We are a green business in it for the long term. Our vision is in the detail, which is why we subscribe to continuous improvement – always evaluating what we do, and what we can do better and more responsibly. We hope our approach will help safeguard this very special environment for future generations.'

The Bowland Symposium is an opportunity to showcase businesses like Clough Bottom as well as many other excellent examples within the AONB, through interactive workshops and fieldtrips. 

For further information visit www.forestofbowland.com/bowlandsymposium

Notes for editors

For further information please email Hetty Byrne or call 01200 448000

www.forestofbowland.com

The Forest of Bowland AONB

• The Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is one of 41 AONB’s in England and Wales.
• The Forest of Bowland was designated as an AONB in 1964.  The AONB legislation (National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) was designed to protect areas of unspoiled natural beauty for future generations.
• The Forest of Bowland AONB was the first Protected Area in England to obtain the Europarc Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas in September 2005.