The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) marks its centenary in 2026, and its Norfolk branch has planned a series of events to commemorate the milestone.

They include a plea for members of the public to write a ‘Love Letter to Norfolk’ - whether in the form of a letter, poetry or using any other media - to describe what makes the county special to them, and what their worries are for its future.

It is hoped that high-profile Norfolk characters and celebrities will also join in, with plans to publish a compendium of the best responses.

Snowdrops and aconites at Walsingham Abbey (Image: Richard Humphrey)

CPRE Norfolk trustee Chris Dady said: "We want to inspire people to write down what the Norfolk countryside means for them.

"We will be publishing those letters on our website, and if there are some from better-known people or celebrities, it will hopefully start getting people thinking about how important the countryside is to them.

"We have got this great thing in Norfolk, so let's start to appreciate and celebrate it, rather than just taking it for granted."

An original poster for CPRE, which was founded in 1926 (Image: CPRE)

Other Norfolk events to celebrate the CPRE centenary include an exhibition in Diss Museum, running from March 14 until September, illustrating the charity's history and achievements, as well as looking ahead to future challenges.

A youth awards programme is being run in conjunction with schools carrying out environmental projects, and there will also be a scheme to recognise successful wildflower meadows, and encouragement the establishment of new ones.

There will also be a countryside day at Martha’s Meadow in Southery, near Downham Market in west Norfolk on June 7.

CPRE Norfolk volunteers at Martha's Meadow (Image: Adrian Pope)

The first incarnation of CPRE, as the Council for the Preservation of Rural England, was formed in 1926 as the building boom of the mid-twenties sparked concern over the destruction of the countryside. Since then, CPRE has been instrumental in the preservation of national parks and green belts.

CPRE Norfolk was founded in 1933, and its achievements locally include supporting the Blakeney Neighbourhood Housing Society in the 1940s, campaigning for the Norfolk Broads to become a national park in the 1950s, winning planning protections for the coast and countryside ahead of the development of Bacton Gas Terminal in the 1960s and saving Halvergate Marshes from arable land conversion in the 1980s.

A Preservation of Rural England Pamphlet, 1926 (Image: CPRE)

More recently, it has campaigned on issues ranging from light pollution to battling large greenfield housing developments and "mega solar farm" applications.

Mr Dady said the growing demands on rural land resources - from agriculture and wildlife to housing, infrastructure and renewable energy developments - meant the need for sensible planning to protect the countryside was now more important than ever.

"The original aim of CPRE was to try to make sure whatever we do in the countryside - and there are huge amounts of pressure - is done in a way that minimises the damage to agricultural land or landscapes, so we can continue to enjoy a countryside that is good for our health, both in terms of food and wellbeing," he said.

"We also want a thriving countryside, in terms of the rural communities having access to service, transport and all the rest of it.

"We also want to have decent links between urban areas and the countryside. Norwich, surprisingly, is comparatively very deprived in terms of the ability of people to access green space."

Sir Nicholas Bacon is president of CPRE Norfolk (Image: Newsquest)

CPRE Norfolk president's 'Love Letter to Norfolk'

Sir Nicholas Bacon, of the Raveningham Estate in south Norfolk, is the president of CPRE Norfolk.

He is known across the country for his environmental leadership, and in Norfolk he has held held leading roles at Norwich Cathedral, the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, Easton College and the University of East Anglia - as well as serving as High Sheriff of Norfolk in 2005.

This is his "Love Letter to Norfolk":

"I have lived in Norfolk for most of my life. Born here, I am deeply passionate about the culture of Norfolk ways, its traditions, language and landscapes.

"Long a place on the edge - a destination in its own right, rather than somewhere passed through on the way elsewhere - it has largely avoided wholesale and detrimental change.

"But now, the threats facing this remarkable county, which attracts so many who wish to relocate here, risk damaging the very qualities that make it so special.

"Love may be blind, but it is difficult, if not impossible, to regard the changes now being actioned as anything other than degrading to the character of our cherished piece of England."

The night sky over Morston Quay (Image: Steve Lansdell)

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