About our work

Agency Meetings
Workshops and Conferences
Journal 'Countryside Recreation'
Information Directory
Joint Agency Project - Social Inclusion

Agency Meetings

Four Agency meetings are organised throughout the year to keep the CRN agency reps up to date with the work going on in the secretariat and to identify areas of mutual interest amongst the agencies.

Workshops and Conferences

Up to eight workshops / conferences are held by CRN every year on topics decided on in advance at the Agency meetings. In general, the events attract about 60 people from a wide range of organisations covering England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and comprise a mixture of presentations, workshops and field visits. Conference papers are also produced after each event. These events provide an ideal environment for networking and exchanging information.

Events organised by CRN in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 are listed below. Proceedings of these events may be ordered through the publications page on this website.

"Activity Tourism: From Strategy to Delivery" - 21 March 2006, Birmingham

"The National Lottery and Countryside Recreation" - 22 June 2006, Birmingham

"Volunteering: Strategies and Practice for Engaging Volunteers in Countryside Recreation and Management" - 28 June 2006, Birmingham

"Young People in the Countryside" - 27 September 2006, Sheffield

"Knowing Your Customer: The Joys of Statistics and Visitor Monitoring" - 26 October 2006, York

"Why? How? Who? Community Engagment in Countryside and Urban Greenspace Management " - 22 November 2006, Birmingham

"Outdoor Recreation and Nature Conservation" - 24 January 2007, Sheffield

"Activity Tourism: A Practical Approach" - 7 February 2007, Belfast

"Branding the Outdoor Experience" - 29 March 2007, Birmingham

"The Changing Funding Environment for Outdoor Recreation" - 23 May 2007, Southampton

"The Impact of Outdoor Recreation on Changing Social Behaviours" - 20 September 2007, Birmingham

"Accessible Outdoors Environments for All: Shared Understanding" - 21 November 2007, Sheffield

"Preparing for Climate Change in the Outdoor Recreation Sector " - 30 January 2008, Birmingham

"Arts in the Outdoors" - 13 March 2008, Glasgow

"Volunteering in the Natural Outdoors" - 1 May 2008, Cambridge

"Accessible Outdoor Recreation"- 18th November 2008, Oxford

"Growing Up Outdoors Conference" - 3rd December 2008, London

"Supporting Outdoor Recreation - The Changing Funding Environment"- 14th January 2009, Sheffield

"Influencing Behaviour and Understanding for positive benefits - Social Marketing and the Countryside"- 11th March 2009, Sheffield

"Dogs in Parks and the Countryside" - 07th May 2009, Worcester

"Is our fear of risk damaging our children?"- 1st July 2009, Birmingham

"Dogs in Parks and the Countryside" - 07th May 2010, Worcester

"Making a Splash: Providing Opportunities for Water Based Recreation on Inland Waters" - 28th October 2009, Sheffield

"A new era for country parks?" - 23rd November 2009, Worcester

"Growing Up Putdoors the next steps: children's health and the outdoors - 03rd December 2009, Oxford

"Education in the Outdoors" - 23rd February 2010, Sheffield

"Accessible Outdoors: Outdoor access for disabled people" - 26th May 2010

Visit the Current Events page on this site to find out the forthcoming CRN events for 2010.

Journal 'Countryside Recreation'

Countryside Recreation is published three times a year and distributed free of charge, and includes articles from professionals in the field of countryside recreation, news and a diary of events. If you are interested in receiving a hard copy of the journal please contact the secretariat with your details, but an on-line version is also available on this website. If you already receive a copy but wish to change your mailing details please contact the secretariat at CRN@shu.ac.uk or fill in the change of address form.

We welcome articles and letters from all readers, the Journal themes planned for 2008 can be seen on the Journal page. Contact the Network Manager if you are interested in submitting an article.

Information Directory

CRN produces an annual Directory from a database of research commissioned by the CRN Agencies in the area of countryside recreation. Research up to 1998 is available in hard copy from the CRN secretariat, or up to date information can be found on the information directory page on this website.

Joint Agency Projects

Volunteering was raised by members of CRN as an important area of outdoor recreation, and therefore the Coutryside Recreation Network commissioned a report, written by The Tomorrow Project. It was launched at a conference at Wimpole Hall, near Cambridge, in May 2008. Copies of the report, 'Volunteering in the Natural Outdoors', are available to buy through the publications page.

2005 saw the publication of 'A Countryside for Health and Wellbeing: The physical and mental benefits of green exercise'. This report was undertaken by the University of Essex, on behalf of the Countryside Recreation Network. Copies are available to purchase through the publications page. The executive summary is available for free from the website click here for more details.

Social Inclusion was identified as an area of mutual interest for several CRN Agencies at a CRN meeting at the end of 1999. This was taken forward during 2000 and early 2001 as a project to identify good practice in social inclusion and to be used by the agencies to influence their own social inclusion policies.

The project was completed in early 2001 and the research is now available as a report from CRN and can be ordered through the publications page. The Executive Summary can also be found on this website.

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