Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas

Three Poems by Reshma Ruia

In spring 2022, poets from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds were invited to apply for a paid poetry commission set up by the University of Cumbria’s Literature team. The commission formed part of a UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) funded project to explore the potential role of literature in inspiring and encouraging more diverse engagement with rural landscapes. Working in partnership with our colleagues at Rydal Mount, we were able to offer the successful candidate a residency at this historic house, providing an opportunity for creative immersion within Wordsworth’s own landscapes.

Dr Reshma Ruia, poet, writer, and cofounder of The Whole Kahani, a collective of British fiction writers of South Asian origin, was selected to undertake the unique poetry commission set up by the University of Cumbria and themed around the idea of ‘belonging’ within natural landscapes.  She took up the residency at Rydal Mount in May 2022.

Dr Ruia commented that:

“Britain is now a vibrant multicultural society that celebrates inclusivity and diversity. Whilst this is very apparent in the urban landscape of the cities, I feel there is a distinct lack of this same inclusivity in rural Britain. We need more Asian and black writers and poets to interact with the countryside, be less hesitant or wary and feel less like interlopers. This should not just be the preserve of established literary canon or male writers. We can bring our own freshness of vision and our imagination. Just as societies need an injection of new blood and vision to be revived, I believe our landscapes also need to be reinvigorated and re-examined through a new set of eyes.”  

This commission contributes to the development of the Lake District as an evolving Cultural Landscape. Literature has played a crucial role in shaping how think about this region, influencing the formation of the National Park in 1951 and informing visitor responses in complex ways. While Wordsworth himself described the Lake District as “a sort of national property, in which every man has a right and an interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy”, recent public reviews and reports show that many groups feel disconnected from National Parks and other rural landscapes.  This new writing reminds us of poetry’s potential to generate new ideas about these places and our relationship with them. 

Dr Ruia produced three new poems in response to our commission and her residency at Rydal Mount. We are delighted to be able to publish this work for the first time here. 

Issue 3, Summer 2022

Issue 2, Spring 2022

Issue 1, Autumn 2021

Protected landscapes offer an opportunity to develop core areas for nature recovery that integrate with wider nature recovery planning in the UK and contribute to achieving 30% of land protected for nature by 2030. 

• An evening webinar presenting the context for nature recovery in protected landscapes took place on Thursday 17 March 2022. 
• An online conference exploring practicalities of nature recovery took place on Thursday 7 April 2022.

These events were hosted by CNPPA in partnership with the Lake District National Park Partnership, RSPB and Nature North. 

View the Landscapes for Nature Recovery Conference Programme, 7 April 2022.

View recordings of the main sessions on our YouTube channel.

This event explored Defra’s proposed National Landscapes Partnership and was hosted by CNPPA in partnership with the Campaign for National Parks. 

A recording is available on our YouTube channel here

What is Natural Beauty? Report now available!

What is Natural Beauty brought together strands from debates about the practicalities and economics of landscape management, within the context of what is considered beautiful and draws people into Protected Landscapes. 

This online event was hosted by CNPPA and run by the PLACE Collective with the Wye Valley AONB Partnership and the Lake District National Park Authority. 

Symposium recordings are available to watch here.

The WINB Symposium Programme can be found here.

Centre for National Parks & Protected Areas (CNPPA) became a founding signatory to the Protected and Conserved Areas Joint Statement (PCAJS) at COP26 in Glasgow.

This is an international statement signed by a number of international national park organisations, government departments, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature's World Commission for Protected Areas (IUCN-WCPA).

The signing took place in the UK Pavilion at COP26 Friday 5^th November 2021. You can watch the recording on YouTube here 

Read the PCAJS Report. 

CNPPA hosted this online conference, in partnership with the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission.

Recordings are available to view on our YouTube channel here.

The event report is available here: Food, Farming and Countryside Commission - Event Report.