lockdown
How lockdown drove more people to the countryside… and produced more litter
Tuesday 22 December 2020
It can’t come as a surprise to anyone who loves the countryside that one of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a shocking increase in litter. More than a third of adults in England (38 per cent) have seen more litter near to where they live since the start of the pandemic and […] Read more >
Marking time in Coggeshall
Friday 3 July 2020
The Covid-19 lockdown is, it would appear, easing before presumably coming to an end. It has unquestionably been a difficult time – tragically so for many – but there has been light amid the gloom. In this delightful essay, writer Anne Boileau reflects on what lockdown taught us and is thankful for the good people… […] Read more >
Our Lovely Essex: it’s time to draw the feature to a close and remember those we have lost to the pandemic
Thursday 2 July 2020
Back in April, in response to the Covid-19 lockdown, we asked the people of our extraordinary county to send us images and thoughts of what made Essex so special to them. The idea was to dream and share memories of happier times that we knew would ultimately return once that troubled period came to an […] Read more >
Our Lovely Essex: another winning treble from Ken McDonald
Tuesday 30 June 2020
Ken McDonald is another supporter whose photographs have helped make Our Lovely Essex such a success. Here are three more. As ever, thanks Ken! Read more >
Planning and democracy during the Covid-19 pandemic: letter to the county’s planners
Thursday 25 June 2020
Among so many issues we have all had to confront during the Covid-19 lockdown, the manner in which the planning process is conducted has been of particular concern to CPRE Essex. To ensure our local authorities are aware that we are as alert as ever, and hopefully to encourage them to engage in full, open […] Read more >
Our Lovely Essex: a productive stroll with the camera
Thursday 25 June 2020
Ken McDonald took this series of shots “while out recording some new walking routes that will be added to the Hundred Parishes website in due course”. Read more >
Our Lovely Essex through a (smaller) lens
Monday 22 June 2020
Manuden Church has featured before in Our Lovely Essex, but this shot taken from the bridleway between Stansted and Manuden by Janet Harris proves you don’t need hugely expensive cameras with giant lenses to capture something rather special. “I used my Panasonic TZ70 for this shot,” says Janet. “I can’t take my Olympus camera – the […] Read more >
Our Lovely Essex: how things have changed in Saffron Walden!
Friday 19 June 2020
Gordon Ridgewell’s shot of Castle Street in Saffron Walden reminds us how much things can change. “In the early 1900s, 1,200 people lived in this street and it had five pubs, according to the 1911 census,” says Gordon. “When I was at school in the 1940s I was told not to walk here and policemen […] Read more >
Our Lovely Essex: of vigilance and vipers
Thursday 18 June 2020
The word ‘Essex’ is, for those lucky enough to live here, interchangeable with ‘Paradise’, but of course we must never be naïve or complacent… after all, even the Garden of Eden had its viper. Joanna Campora lives in the south of the county and sent us two images that show how quickly we can lose […] Read more >
Lockdown lesson for government: more than two-thirds in South East want to see their local green space enhanced
Monday 15 June 2020
72 per cent of adults in the South East of England think their local green space, or nearby countryside, could be enhanced Majority of these would like to see more wildlife (52 per cent) and a greater variety of plant life (50 per cent) in their local green space CPRE, the countryside charity, and the […] Read more >