Caroline Quentin, president of the Campaign for National Parks. Photo: CNP
A television actor and presenter has joined a campaigning group as its president.
Caroline Quentin said she was thrilled to work with the Campaign for National Parks, which she described as an important charity.
Ms Quentin, who has appeared in Men Behaving Badly, Doc Martin and Life Begins, is also an outdoor enthusiast and presented the series Caroline Quentin’s National Parks three years ago. She lives just outside the Exmoor national park.
The charity’s new president said: “I’m thrilled and excited to be working with this important charity.
“I think national parks are a valuable national asset and I want to encourage everyone to use them and enjoy them. They need to be protected for future generations.”
Caroline Quentin is an enthusiast for the outdoors and countryside. Photo: CNP
But she said the country’s national parks need to stay chanbge for the 21st century. “They need to remain relevant. I don’t think they should be pickled in aspic.
“The parks need to change with the times so they meet the needs of our children and our children’s children. During my time as president, my mission will be to make the national parks even more beautiful, lived in and loved than they are now.”
The Campaign for National Parks said 90 per cent of people say the parks are important to them. But since they were first created in the 1950s, damaging planning proposals for mines, roads and other large scale developments have been allowed to go ahead, chipping away at their protected status, it added.
Chief executive Fiona Howie: 'still much to do'
The charity’s chief executive Fiona Howie said “We are delighted to be working with Caroline. What a fantastic asset she will be to Campaign for National Parks, especially this year which is our 80th anniversary.
“Campaign for National Parks has achieved much over the decades but there is still much to do. The parks and the rural communities that live within them still face threats and challenges and we need to champion these beautiful places.
“Working with Caroline will help us make sure national parks remain relevant and used for many years to come. I know Caroline will do much to help us do that.”
