MEMBERS of Stowey Green Spaces Group (SGSG) have received a Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) award for their love and care of the countryside.

CPRE gave the group its green spaces ‘Love Your Countryside’ award after the judges were particularly impressed with the long-term commitment of the volunteers involved.

The judges were also impressed by the mixture of different activities undertaken by SGSG, from regular litter picks to ambitious habitat improvement projects across a number of sites.

A Nether Stowey Parish Council spokesperson said: “Well done to Stowey Green Spaces, we all appreciate the work you take on in the village.”

The ‘Love Your Countryside’ awards are part of CPRE’s 100th anniversary year celebrations.

Entrants had to show projects involved improvements to the rural environment, whether natural or built, and demonstrate sustainability in their construction, use, and management.

The projects also had to be visible from public places or have some sort of opportunity for the public to experience them, such as at specific events, or by arrangement.

A CPRE spokesperson said: “We are looking for projects that are helping to protect what matters, to regenerate what has been lost, and to allow us to connect to the places that sustain us all.

“We want to celebrate people who are making a real difference in the Somerset countryside.

“They can be individuals or groups.

“Whether through hands-on action, community leadership, campaigning, or creative storytelling, we are celebrating those who inspire change, raise awareness, and advocate for rural communities.”

Stowey Green Spaces Group is an independently constituted community organisation founded in 2016 as a sub-committee of Nether Stowey’s recreation ground management committee,

It has developed to cover the green spaces of the surrounding areas and linking routes between them in order to maximise community interest in, and introduce visitors to, the wider surroundings.