http://www.daelnet.co.uk/ A Week In The Country - a weekly column by John Sheard focusing on countryside and rural affairs issues from the Yorkshire Dales and beyond en-uk
http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_12032010.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, who has spent hours disentangling his trout flies from clumps of Japanese knotweed on the banks of various North Country rivers, wonders if introducing yet another alien – a sap-sucking bug – to tackle the problem is a move we might rue in the future Daelnet 2010-03-12 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_05032010.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, who is still in mourning for the stately elm tree, delights that – once again – amateur enthusiasts are taking part in a nationwide drive to bring life, and knowledge, back to our precious woods Daelnet 2010-03-05 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_26022010.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, who interviewed the present Duke of Devonshire when he lived in the Yorkshire Dales, and who met his father several times, does the unfashionable thing and begs him not to give up his title Daelnet 2010-02-26 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_19022010.cfm Our somewhat bemused countryside commentator John Sheard reports more good news for the third time in a mere five weeks. Should we take the cynical view, he asks, because a general election is a few weeks away – or has Whitehall finally woken up? Daelnet 2010-02-19 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_12022010.cfm Like everyone else in the Yorkshire Dales, our countryside commentator John Sheard is getting fed up with this long harsh winter. But here, he praises the work that Jack Frost is carrying out in his allotment and, hopefully, on our farms too Daelnet 2010-02-12 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_05022010.cfm A government inspector will report by the end of this month whether the Yorkshire Dales should have an unwanted wind farm that will dominate the area for miles around. But our countryside commentator John Sheard believes that the Government’s plan to build 6,000 inland windfarms in the UK is based on panic caused by bad science Daelnet 2010-02-05 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_29012010.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard reports on yet another important countryside co-operation between one-time vocal opponents and hopes that this might be the silver lining behind the recession and the tough times ahead Daelnet 2010-01-29 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_29012010.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard reports on yet another important countryside co-operation between one-time vocal opponents and hopes that this might be the silver lining behind the recession and the tough times ahead Daelnet 2010-01-29 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_22012010.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard pinches himself to report two items of good news for farmers, growers, horse riders and the equestrian industry but wonders why it has taken so long? Daelnet 2010-01-22 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_15012010.cfm As the snow on his car finally melts, but only to leave his back lane like an ice skating rink, our countryside commentator John Sheard recalls his childhood winter in 1947 and compares our modern day reactions to the present cold snap Daelnet 2010-01-15 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_08012010.cfm As Britain faces five months of electioneering, our countryside commentator John Sheard makes a vow to avoid politics until a general election is finally announced and write about things that really matter in the countryside – like fishing, for instance Daelnet 2010-01-08 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_01012010.cfm With some difficulty, our countryside commentator John Sheard looks back on the Noughties, a decade in which rural affairs took a seat right at the back of the class, and seeks out the few good bits which might, he hopes, auger well for the future Daelnet 2010-01-01 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_18122009.cfm Although he will spend today in hospital as a result of an injury sustained on his allotment, our countryside commentator John Sheard will pass the holiday period hoping that members of his family will have picked up the none-too-subtle hint about what he wants in his Christmas stocking Daelnet 2009-12-18 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_11122009.cfm Our countryside correspondent John Sheard, somewhat startled at finding himself in agreement with a politician on rural issues, wishes that more MPs with common sense would speak out against the “green” dreamers of Whitehall Daelnet 2009-12-11 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_04122009.cfm Most people have forgotten the near hysteria that gripped the nation a decade ago as the Millennium approached, says our countryside commentator John Sheard. Many of the grandiose projects to mark the year 2,000 failed. But here in the Yorkshire Dales, the Millennium spirit still marches on. Daelnet 2009-12-04 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_27112009.cfm The build-up to the devastating floods in Cumbria began fifty years ago, says our countryside commentator John Sheard. A culmination of natural causes led to the so-called “once in a millennium” events in Cockermouth but the seeds of disaster were sown on the high fells in the 1960s. Daelnet 2009-11-27 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_20112009.cfm This has been a week when some politicians – Tory ones at that – have deeply offended rural voters, says our countryside commentator John Sheard. But next week, a scheme is launched which raises a glimmer of hope for peace in the long-running war between farmers, bureaucrats and environmentalists Daelnet 2009-11-20 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_13112009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard delights are large-scale operations to re-generate England’s woodlands –and congratulates the amateur volunteers and the charities that make such work possible Daelnet 2009-11-13 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_06112009.cfm Farm livestock has been given a bad press in recent years as being major causes of greenhouse gasses, says our countryside correspondent John Sheard. But new scientific research, and a controversial new book, suggests that raising livestock on traditional pastureland is in fact a boon for the environment. Daelnet 2009-11-06 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_30102009.cfm Our rural affairs commentator John Sheard, who has been lambasted many times for his criticisms of what he calls the “global warming band wagon,” fears that it is being use as an excuse for an attack on the countryside and its people. Daelnet 2009-10-30 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_23102009.cfm People who love the English countryside, and in particular its wilder areas, owe a huge debt to our hill farmers, says our rural affairs commentator John Sheard. Daelnet 2009-10-23 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_16102009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, shocked at plans to make every household in Britain have six waste bins, worries about his wife’s begonias – and discovers why his favourite trout stream is bung-full of old tyres Daelnet 2009-10-16 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_09102009.cfm A flash of deepest scarlet before his very eyes made our countryside commentator John Sheard a happy man this week. A brief encounter with a butterfly, and a glorious September, made up for one of the most miserable summer for years Daelnet 2009-10-09 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_02102009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, who has done his best to ignore the political conference season, wonders why it is so often left to the Royal family to speak up in the interests of country folk Daelnet 2009-10-02 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_25092009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard applauds plans to get more people out walking in the country and public parks but says that the countryside must be respected – and that our parks should no longer be “no go” areas after dark Daelnet 2009-09-25 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_18092009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, who has rambled on the Pennine Way as well as in print, admits to an ambivalent view towards ramblers. The majority are nice people, he says, but contends that their biggest organisation has become a guerrilla army in the class war Daelnet 2009-09-18 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_11092009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, who from time to time leaves the comfort of the Yorkshire Dales to visit family in Indonesia, takes a – hopefully – light-hearted look at sci-fi plans to halt global warming by exploding artificial volcanoes and asks: why bother when Krakatoa could save us the trouble. Daelnet 2009-09-11 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_04092009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, a lifelong fisherman and waterways lover , reacts with alarm to allegations that the Government’s house-building programme, allied to massive population growth, is sentencing some of our iconic rivers to a slow and lingering death – including the Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales. Daelnet 2009-09-04 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_28082009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard believes that four seasons is enough for Britain – but suspects they are slipping up the calendar. Daelnet 2009-08-28 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_21082009.cfm Countryside commentator John Sheard, who fears for the future of once common birds like the cuckoo and the skylark, welcomes the news that British scientists and bird watchers have joined a worldwide campaign to prevent bird species going extinct Daelnet 2009-08-21 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_14082009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard admits to feeling somewhat smug after listening to this week’s Government appeals for us to waste less food – but thanks his Victorian granny for the lessons which now slash his food bills Daelnet 2009-08-14 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_07082009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, worried about the strange swings and roundabouts summer in his allotment, wonders if one of the answers to his problems is a plastic box set up this week on a London rooftop. Daelnet 2009-08-07 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_31072009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, who has fished (briefly) in Canada whilst worrying about wolves and bears in the woods behind him, discusses the latest "green" craze: the releasing of wolves and beavers to join the escaped boars at large in the English countryside Daelnet 2009-07-31 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_24072009.cfm Our rural affairs commentator John Sheard fears that the English countryside and its way of life are under the greatest threat since Hitler’s thwarted invasion in 1940. This time, however, the threat comes from its own government Daelnet 2009-07-24 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_17072009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard ponders on the diplomatic row caused when Prime Minister’s wife Sarah Brown sent back veal dishes at G8 banquets in Italy. She may have been half right, he says, but such gestures by well-meaning do-gooders here in the UK have robbed young male calves of a short but happy life Daelnet 2009-07-17 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_10072009.cfm THE LAW, it is said, is an ass, which gives the phrase a sort of rustic ring although it is a very long time indeed since an ass was a common sight in the English countryside. But this week, two legal decisions produced contrary opinions on this verdict.... Daelnet 2009-07-10 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_03072009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, who has waited some 15 years for the return of the salmon to the upper reaches of the River Wharfe, wonders if the latest moves by Defra on water quality might finally achieve the dream... Daelnet 2009-07-03 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_26062009.cfm COUNTRYSIDE commentator John Sheard touches upon the touchy subject of methane production and marvels at a Canadian research programme designed to produce a new breed of cattle which might help save the planet – by burping less... Daelnet 2009-06-26 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_19062009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, just back from four days in posh Spain, ponders on the holiday decisions that millions of Brits will make this summer: vibrant, noisy and expensive Spain or the peace and quiet of the Yorkshire Dales... Daelnet 2009-06-19 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_12062009.cfm This is Daelnet's 400th Week in the country column, almost eight years of reporting on the state of country life, all of it spent under a Labour government of mainly townie MPs. Despite that - or perhaps in spite of it - life in the countryside is getting better, claims our commentator John Sheard... Daelnet 2009-06-12 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_05062009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard despairs at the ignorance of some urban children about where their food comes from and welcomes this weekend's decision to throw open the farm gates to townsfolk visitors Daelnet 2009-06-05 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_29052009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, a keen allotment holder, relishes the fact that vegetables have been on show at this week's super-posh Royal Chelsea Flower Show, traces the history of the allotment movement - and advises would-be grow-your-own enthusiasts on how to get the local council to provide allotment land... Daelnet 2009-05-29 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_22052009.cfm In a week when our countryside commentator John Sheard spotted the first mayfly of the year, he records with satisfaction the long-overdue recognition of the importance of insects in Mother Nature's scheme of things Daelnet 2009-05-22 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_15052009.cfm MONDAY morning is not my favourite time of the week - a feeling no doubt shared by millions - but this Monday started in the pits and went down as I continued to read the never-ending-saga of the rape of the Mother of Parliaments by the very people whose job is supposed to be protecting her honour. Daelnet 2009-05-15 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_08052009.cfm As county council elections loom, our countryside commentator John Sheard ponders the strange fact that it is Labour controlled counties which raise much of the 250,000 pounds a day in fines imposed on motorists caught by speed cameras... Daelnet 2009-05-08 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_01052009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, who covered his first national park committee meeting 50 years ago, reflects on the 60th anniversary of the creation of the first national parks, and says that it took almost 40 of those years for planners to realise that local residents had rights too... Daelnet 2009-05-01 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_17042009.cfm Next week, Chancellor Alistair Darling will present arguably the most critical Budget since the end of World War 11. He is being asked to help save small rural businesses by giving them business tax relief - but our rural affairs commentator John Sheard doubts whether he has the will or the wherewithal to do so... Daelnet 2009-04-17 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_10042009.cfm HOTELIERS, restaurateurs and publicans are looking forward to a boom Easter in the Yorkshire Dales as millions of Britons who normally go abroad stay at home, worried by the credit crunch and the plunging pound. It should be a good time for children and wildlife - but be on the look out for criminals... Daelnet 2009-04-10 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_03042009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, who has long relished the serious side of the cheeky chappie chef Jamie Oliver, praises his latest stand against the con-trick known as the Common Agricultural Policy, but worries more about Yorkshire Dales hill farmers fighting strangulation by Brussels red tape... Daelnet 2009-04-03 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_27032009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, worried about the decline in many garden birds - including the robin - has found a new source of interest at his allotment: the mass arrivals of the long-tailed tit... Daelnet 2009-03-27 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_20032009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, normally a stalwart supporter of wildlife in all its forms and of mammals in particular, just adores the suggestion that beavers should be re-introduced to Britain, but suggests it would be totally inpractical because of their one very bad habit... Daelnet 2009-03-20 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_13032009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard, whose first contact with Yorkshire Dales quarrying began in near disaster, hopes that a top conservation award will save a 230-year-old quarry from closure by complaint... Daelnet 2009-03-13 10:00:00.0 http://www.daelnet.co.uk/news/weekend/weekend_06032009.cfm Our countryside commentator John Sheard fears for a secret place and a favourite wild fruit, the bilberry, which along with the oak, the beech and the rhododendron is under attack for yet another foreign invader. He asks: When will we ever learn... Daelnet 2009-03-06 10:00:00.0