Pippa rewarded for conserving dales hay meadows

SETTLE woman Pippa Rayner has won recognition for her work in conserving the hay meadows that form such an important part of the Yorkshire Dales landscape.

Just twelve months after beginning her work with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, Pippa, the YDMT's Hay Time Officer, has been chosen as this year's winner of the Ken Willson Award.

This is the third annual Ken Willson Award to be presented and it is a "living memorial" to Ken Willson MBE, who spent most of a long and active life working and campaigning for the Yorkshire Dales. In order to celebrate his lifetime achievement, the Yorkshire Dales Society (YDS) and Craven CPRE, two of the organisations with whom Ken was long associated, established the annual prize in his name to recognise the achievements of people under 30 who have made an important contribution to the dales.

Pippa was chosen for her contribution to the protection and enhancement of the dales' natural environment, as well as helping people to better understand and enjoy the natural history and cultural heritage of hay meadows.

She was presented with a cheque for £500 by Malcom Petyt, Chairman of YDS and CPRE Craven Branch Chairman, Hilary Fenten at an event in Settle at the Yorkshire Dales Society office.

Pippa, who lives in Settle, said, "I am delighted to win the award as I already feel that I'm very lucky to have such a fantastic job in a beautiful area. I've had a great year meeting Dales' farmers who are keen to increase the wildlife value of their meadows and I've been impressed with their interest in the project. Winning this award reflects the importance of the project in working with farmers to maintain the beautiful meadows that contribute so much to the Dales' landscape."

I've had a great year meeting Dales' farmers who are keen to increase the wildlife value of their
meadows

Pippa Rayner - YDMT

The Hay Time project was set up by YDMT and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to conserve species-rich hay meadows and restore degraded meadows.

Don Gamble, Hay Time Manager, said, "It's great that Pippa has received the award. It recognises her enthusiasm and hard work, which has enabled the project to quickly gain credibility and get real results in restoring meadows."

As part of the project, a superb full colour guide to the flowers and grasses of traditional hay meadows has been produced. Copies are available for £2 from National Park visitor centres or by contacting Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust on 015242 51004 or emailing info@ydmt.org.