Northern Forest

[Lat-Literal]

...which suggests that, continuing the mathematical sequence, there will still be 0 by 2030.

The get out clause is that it wasn't in his manifesto - only verbal statements in the campaign plus comments on Twitter.

[vinteuil]

It depends on your post of view. The "middle" of the United Kingdom is somewhere in Morecambe Bay. The middle of Great Britain is a little further east in the Forest of Bowland.

Of course, Londoners think it's on Waterloo Bridge.

... almost right, Alpie, almost right.

It's actually the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens. Which is in fact the omphalos of the world.

[Dave2002]

This forest will be in the Midlands

So I presume you mean it is to keep non-desirables out of the North!

Could be a customs barrier - https://inews.co.uk/opinion/britain-...t-hedge-india/

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I wonder whether the money for this (very worthwhile) project has been obtained by cancelling the Trans-Pennine rail electrification .

A couple of comments caught my eye from the article:

But these areas will soak up funding, leaving many of the northern hills just as bleak and treeless in the coming 25 years.

... and ...

Admittedly the government's cash contribution isn't huge

Indeed! £5.7 million towards a £500 million project, the rest to be "raised by charity". Hmm.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Indeed! £5.7 million towards a £500 million project, the rest to be "raised by charity". Hmm.

In other words, go out and beg.

[BBMmk2]

Typical. Will this new forest be rather thin? 110 miles?

[oddoneout]

A great deal can be achieved at little or no cost. Seedlings can be raised by schools and community groups and planting done by volunteers. Dealing with difficult terrain, or where earth has to be moved/reshaped, fencing to prevent loss through browsing, drainage, are the kinds of things which cost, but again much can be achieved with good organisation and use of volunteer groups;such projects can lend themselves to team building days and CSR tick boxing for business.
The Woodland Trust appears to be the lead on this grand scheme and they have the advantage of being an established body in terms of experience and fundraising.
I have read that there is £75bn hard infrastructure investment planned for the M62 corridor - I do hope the Northern Forest isn't a cop-out for the landscaping and remediation work that should be part of(and therefore costed into) such schemes.

[Dave2002]

A great deal can be achieved at little or no cost. Seedlings can be raised by schools and community groups and planting done by volunteers. Dealing with difficult terrain, or where earth has to be moved/reshaped, fencing to prevent loss through browsing, drainage, are the kinds of things which cost, but again much can be achieved with good organisation and use of volunteer groups;such projects can lend themselves to team building days and CSR tick boxing for business.

I agree with the initial statement, but sometimes there has to be more. There seem to be too many people in government and elsewhere expecting "volunteers" to do things which arguably ought to be paid for - for example in schools and libraries. Some people doing what is effectively voluntary work are exploited quite ruthlessly. The notion that they should be satisfied with what they do for the community is OK for those earning substantially more to suggest.

[oddoneout]

I agree with the initial statement, but sometimes there has to be more. There seem to be too many people in government and elsewhere expecting "volunteers" to do things which arguably ought to be paid for - for example in schools and libraries. Some people doing what is effectively voluntary work are exploited quite ruthlessly. The notion that they should be satisfied with what they do for the community is OK for those earning substantially more to suggest.

Agree, but felt it better to limit my views to the immediate subject! 40 years of assorted involvement in what I believe is now termed the 'Third Sector' has made me only too well aware of the extent, especially in recent years, to which the Establishment expects such bodies to pick up the pieces from deficient public policy, and to do so without support.

[Dave2002]

Agree, but felt it better to limit my views to the immediate subject! 40 years of assorted involvement in what I believe is now termed the 'Third Sector' has made me only too well aware of the extent, especially in recent years, to which the Establishment expects such bodies to pick up the pieces from deficient public policy, and to do so without support.

Not sure that Third Sector also includes other "public" bodies. Indeed it doesn't appear to - from this link - https://www.nao.org.uk/successful-co...commissioners/ There are public bodies also which are effectively run by volunteers (parish councils) and school governors which often include highly capable people who don't get paid (though in some areas they do ...). There are many areas of life where people are doing things but don't get paid. In some sectors - education again - good/useful work is sometimes done by volunteers or low paid workers (e.g. reading assistants in schools) - but that may mean that budgets are cut even further for activities which really ought to be paid for (IMO). As I think I wrote earlier, that's OK if they enjoy it, and are not being dumped upon, but that's not always the case. There may be impacts on quality - though not always for the worse. OK - back to forests I suppose.