Chairman’s Report

We are very grateful to Michael Southworth who as Chairman for the past four years has worked with and encouraged us all in our support for North Craven. Following Michael’s lead, your Committee has joined forces with other organisations to strengthen our ‘heritage’ work. We have become members of the Yorkshire Dales Historic Environment Group convened by the National Park; we have joined the Yorkshire Dales Society - which incidentally enables all members of NCHT to attend YDS walks and lectures free of charge; Mark Corner, one of our trustees, sits on the YDS Policy Committee which assesses major planning applications and policy developments which affect the Dales. Through another trustee, Jules Marley, we link with CPRE and these links contributed to success in the local and national campaign to stop inappropriate redevelopment of our Dales barns. We continue to offer grants to support conservation work in historic places of worship (we made a grant of £2,000 in 2013 to Long Preston Parish Church) and we have re-launched our bursary scheme to encourage academic research relating to North Craven. But the past is just that - now the challenge is to protect our heritage in the future. One issue relates to how best to preserve and make available our records. The Journal has been and will continue to be our main repository of research on North Craven and its life. Nowadays the internet plays an increasing role and in response we have digitised all back numbers of the Journal. Our plan now is to widen the role of the website to incorporate, archive and provide links to other material relating to North Craven’s heritage. We also need to extend our reach by using social media. These measures will not only benefit today’s researchers, but conserve the Trust’s achievements for the next generation and beyond. If you feel committed to the future of North Craven, please come and join the Committee. Take the first step by getting in touch with me or any other Committee member!