Our former Treasurer, David Mason, who now lives in the wilds of Little Ribston Park, nominated the conservation group for the “Rural Organisation of the Year 2003 Award” in recognition of all the work we have done for our local community and countryside since 19th May 1982. The National Farmers Union Countryside Magazine and Honda UK sponsor this national award and competition is fierce. You may imagine our excitement when we found ourselves on the short list and received an invitation for a small delegation to attend the award ceremony in Westminster (Majorie takes up the story….)

Dateline London 23 July 2003

We had an early start; Sue Hughes, Keith and I were away by 07.00 hours for the York train picking up David at Cattall. The Edinburgh – London express arrived in Kings Cross on time after a smooth journey. Unfortunately engineering and security problems on the underground lay ahead, delaying our arrival at “ One Great George Street”, Westminster, and famous headquarters of the Institution of Civil Engineers – where the presentation ceremony was held. It was very satisfying to be one of only four organisations selected in the final national competition in the conservation category. We met so many people involved in one way or another in enhancing and protecting the environment of our rural communities. It was inspiring to realise just how much concern, support and effort there is for conservation throughout the length and breadth of the British Isles. TV presenter Simon Groome delivered a computer-projected display of the activities of each group and a panel of countryside experts had the unenviable job of selecting a winner for each category. Welsh television also recorded the event. No, we did not come first, but we were proud to share the company of some excellent professional and amateur competitors, any one of whom deserved to win. We were presented with our certificate as Runner Up and commended for all the conservation group has achieved over the years. The ceremony was followed by lunch under the chandeliers in the Great Hall, overlooked by the massive paintings of the great engineers Thomas Telford and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Heady after the momentous occasion we went out into sunny London. It had been a long day and there was little time for sightseeing – we had a train to catch! A short stroll past Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, down the Embankment along the Thames with its views of the London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral took us to the Underground before the rush hour started. A bright and shiny GNER 125 whisked us back to York and we were home before 8.00pm.

We had mad many contacts and exchanged experiences and ideas for the future. It made us realise that we are not alone in our efforts to maintain the quality of our environment. There are so many dedicated people out there prosecuting the same cause, determined to keep the countryside safe for our children’s future. Our thanks to David for nominating us for the award and putting our achievements in the national arena. Hopefully there will be a display of photographs of the event at our AGM.