Lovely Lauren backs campaign to preserve our magnificent moorland

Lauren Knowles with Nick Critchley and Paul Davies at the Horeshoe Pass near Llangollen
Lovely Lauren Knowles is lending a touch of glamour to a campaign to preserve some of Wales’s most scenic and spectacular landscape.

The gorgeous gal from Prestatyn is the face of this weekend’s Llangollen Motorbike Show and she has been busy helping distribute information about the Heather and Hillforts project.
The 20-year-old has been on the Horseshoe Pass with the Heather and Hillforts Project’s Moorland Field Officer, Nick Critchley to meet bikers and encourage them to sign up to the campaign to promote responsible off-roading on two wheels and four.
The former Miss Prestatyn, who was third in the Miss Wales competition, also took time out to see some of the preservation work that has been done on footpaths which cross the heather moorland – and some of the damage that has been done by illegal off-roading.
Lauren will be at the show at the Royal International Pavilion on Saturday and Sunday, August 7 and 8, where one of her duties will be to help judge this year’s Biker Babe competition.
She said: “This wonderful landscape is part of our heritage and is something which has to be preserved.
“The Motorbike Show can play a part in that by helping people to enjoy off-roading legitimately and that’s why we’re happy to have the Heather and Hillforts campaign at the show.”
Also part of the Heather and Hillforts stand at the show will be national organisation Tread Lightly which aims to promote responsible off-roading and whose Project Manager is Mark Margetts.
He said: “We want to engage and find a way of getting on together. Treadlightly has been going in the USA for 25 years and is a highly respected, credible and positive organisation.
“The popular conception of off-roaders might be of young kids on old bikes tearing round the place but it couldn’t be further from the truth – the majority act responsibly and this just happens to be their hobby.
“We want to encourage responsible off-roading and encourage people to act legally, join a responsible user group or club, and use legal routes.”
Nick Critchley added: “We want to send out a positive message that there are places where people can enjoy off-roading and we will have information about those routes and places that can be used.
“We support Tread Lightly in what they aim to achieve and to direct our message at off-roaders and help them find out how to do what they do legally.
“We will be at the show with merchandise and information about the Heather and Hillforts campaign and the importance of the landscape of our moorlands both from an ecological and an historical perspective.
“The people who are riding their bikes and driving their 4x4s illegally are ruining this magnificent countryside for everyone else.”
Rare species and their priceless habitats are being illegally endangered and damaged by off-road motorbikes and 4x4s and so are the Iron Age hillforts which are a very special feature of the uplands of Denbighshire.
The campaign, catchphrase is ‘don’t leave home without it’ and led by Denbighshire Countryside Services, encourages farmers, ramblers and others who enjoy the county’s wide open spaces to carry a special telephone number with them – or even key it into their mobile phones – to report the vandals.
Nick Critchley said: “We want the legitimate off-roaders to join us in this and report those they know are acting illegally because they are giving all off-roaders a bad name.
“But ideally we want prosecution to be a last resort for those who refuse to get the message – we would much sooner persuade people and ifnrom them and that’s what we hope to do at the Motorbike Show.”
Denbighshire County Council’s Heather and Hillforts Project covers the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Horseshoe Pass and Llantysilio Mountains, part of the Ruabon/Llantysilio Mountains and Minera Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Berwyn and South Clwyd Mountains Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
The campaign to protect them is backed by North Wales Police, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Forestry Commission Wales.
They are appealing for the public’s help in catching and convicting the offenders who are liable to be fined up to £20,000 and can have their vehicles seized and crushed.
That Police telephone number – 0845 6071002 or 0845 6071001 for Welsh language callers – means that anyone seeing illegal off-roaders tearing up the landscape can immediately report them.
The Motobike Show will once again include wide range of bikes on display, exhibitors, attractions, features & entertainment. The Custom Bike Show introduced in 2009 will return (more details to follow), there will also be more bike parking spaces on site.
For more information on the Heather and Hillforts campaign go to www.heatherandhillforts.co.uk and for further details of the Motorbike Show check out www.themotorcycleshow.co.uk

Lovely Lauren Knowles is lending a touch of glamour to a campaign to preserve some of Wales’s most scenic and spectacular landscape.The gorgeous gal from Prestatyn is the face of this weekend’s Llangollen Motorbike Show and she has been busy helping distribute information about the Heather and Hillforts project.The 20-year-old has been on the Horseshoe Pass with the Heather and Hillforts Project’s Moorland Field Officer, Nick Critchley to meet bikers and encourage them to sign up to the campaign to promote responsible off-roading on two wheels and four.The former Miss Prestatyn, who was third in the Miss Wales competition, also took time out to see some of the preservation work that has been done on footpaths which cross the heather moorland – and some of the damage that has been done by illegal off-roading.Lauren will be at the show at the Royal International Pavilion on Saturday and Sunday, August 7 and 8, where one of her duties will be to help judge this year’s Biker Babe competition.She said: “This wonderful landscape is part of our heritage and is something which has to be preserved.“The Motorbike Show can play a part in that by helping people to enjoy off-roading legitimately and that’s why we’re happy to have the Heather and Hillforts campaign at the show.”Also part of the Heather and Hillforts stand at the show will be national organisation Tread Lightly which aims to promote responsible off-roading and whose Project Manager is Mark Margetts.He said: “We want to engage and find a way of getting on together. Treadlightly has been going in the USA for 25 years and is a highly respected, credible and positive organisation.“The popular conception of off-roaders might be of young kids on old bikes tearing round the place but it couldn’t be further from the truth – the majority act responsibly and this just happens to be their hobby.“We want to encourage responsible off-roading and encourage people to act legally, join a responsible user group or club, and use legal routes.”Nick Critchley added: “We want to send out a positive message that there are places where people can enjoy off-roading and we will have information about those routes and places that can be used.“We support Tread Lightly in what they aim to achieve and to direct our message at off-roaders and help them find out how to do what they do legally.“We will be at the show with merchandise and information about the Heather and Hillforts campaign and the importance of the landscape of our moorlands both from an ecological and an historical perspective.“The people who are riding their bikes and driving their 4x4s illegally are ruining this magnificent countryside for everyone else.”Rare species and their priceless habitats are being illegally endangered and damaged by off-road motorbikes and 4x4s and so are the Iron Age hillforts which are a very special feature of the uplands of Denbighshire.The campaign, catchphrase is ‘don’t leave home without it’ and led by Denbighshire Countryside Services, encourages farmers, ramblers and others who enjoy the county’s wide open spaces to carry a special telephone number with them – or even key it into their mobile phones – to report the vandals.Nick Critchley said: “We want the legitimate off-roaders to join us in this and report those they know are acting illegally because they are giving all off-roaders a bad name.“But ideally we want prosecution to be a last resort for those who refuse to get the message – we would much sooner persuade people and ifnrom them and that’s what we hope to do at the Motorbike Show.”Denbighshire County Council’s Heather and Hillforts Project covers the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Horseshoe Pass and Llantysilio Mountains, part of the Ruabon/Llantysilio Mountains and Minera Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Berwyn and South Clwyd Mountains Special Area of Conservation (SAC).The campaign to protect them is backed by North Wales Police, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Forestry Commission Wales.They are appealing for the public’s help in catching and convicting the offenders who are liable to be fined up to £20,000 and can have their vehicles seized and crushed.That Police telephone number – 0845 6071002 or 0845 6071001 for Welsh language callers – means that anyone seeing illegal off-roaders tearing up the landscape can immediately report them.The Motobike Show will once again include wide range of bikes on display, exhibitors, attractions, features & entertainment. The Custom Bike Show introduced in 2009 will return (more details to follow), there will also be more bike parking spaces on site.For more information on the Heather and Hillforts campaign go to www.heatherandhillforts.co.uk and for further details of the Motorbike Show check out www.themotorcycleshow.co.uk

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