What should be the countryside's New Year resolutions? Certainly, the big freeze demonstrates how neighbourly we can be in adverse conditions. So let's not lose these Samaritan values when the snow eventually disappears and the temperature starts to climb.
First, countryside organisations would do well to stop point-scoring and bickering. Too often, the drive for new members sits above the ideals that they are supposed to stand for and for which their members pay subscriptions; far too often, one organisation will attack another for its own personal gain.
Of course, they can't be expected to agree on everything, but it seems that we already have a Government with rural sympathies, so surely it would be better to impress them with a more united front? Currently, I have a strong feeling that the disparate factions end up doing more damage than good. This may suit Westminster, but it's hopeless for rural Britain.
Second, buy local. We're all going to have to pay more for food due to the savage increase in the price of wheat and other foodstuffs, but what we can try to control as individuals is demanding more that is local and in season from supermarkets. It won't be easy, but adversity has always brought out the best in the British people.
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A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National ParkOld House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
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The UK gets its first ‘European stork village’ — and it's in West SussexAlthough the mortality rate among white storks can be up to 90%, the future looks rosy for breeding pairs in southern England.
