The countryside is still being undervalued

People continue to undervalue the countryside, despite it being home to a quarter of the population, a source of employment for 5.5 million people and contributing £22 billion to the UK economy.

This needs to stop, says the Prince’s Countryside Fund Manager Helen Aldis: “Rural Affairs are often put to one side until there’s a crisis, like dramatic floods earlier this spring. But once the waters recede, and the crisis is no longer visible, we neglect to examine issues the countryside faces and these issues not only affect those who live in the countryside, they have an impact on everyone who lives in Britain.”

28 per cent of people undervalued the contribution of the countryside in a YouGov survey. They wrongly believed it to be less than the 19 per cent of the overall economy that the countryside actually contributes.