The Countryside Agency was established by the Government in 1999 and is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It aims to conserve and enhance England's countryside, spread social and economic opportunity for the people who live there, and help everyone, wherever they live and whatever their background, to enjoy the countryside and share in this priceless asset. The Agency provides publications, case studies and learning networks.

For more information visit www.countryside.gov.uk telephone 01242533 222

The Local Heritage Initiative helps communities bring their local heritage alive, by giving funds, advice and support. It is also collecting records and stories from the projects to create a national archive of England's local heritage. If you wish to investigate, explain or care for your local landscape, landmarks, traditions and culture you can apply for a grant of between £3,000 and £25,000. The scheme is administered by the Countryside Agency with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Nationwide Building Society. The £10 million initiative currently covers England but similar schemes will soon be developed for communities in Scotland, Wales and possibly Northern Ireland.

Visit www.lhi.org.uk/index.html for more information on grants or support, or telephone 01242 521381

English Heritage works to conserve and enhance the historic environment, broaden access and increase people’s understanding of the past. Funded in part by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and in part from revenue earned from their historic properties, it maintains a register of England’s most significant historic buildings, monuments and landscapes and cares for Stonehenge and over 400 historic buildings on behalf of the nation. It also administers grants for the conservation of historic environment, buildings and monuments and has learning resources for teachers and others.

For more information visit www.english-heritage.org.uk or telephone 0870 333 1181

The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) specialises in working with people, especially volunteers within their communities, to bring about positive environmental change. In the early years, BTCV developed volunteering as a means to achieve an environmental goal; now conservation volunteering is also becoming a focus for the achievement of wider social goals tackling social exclusion and encouraging personal development and lifelong learning.

For more information on becoming involved, on training, conservation holidays or to order conservation handbooks visit www.btcv.org or telephone 01302 572 244. You can also find out more about BTCV's Green Gyms, which offer the opportunity to improve your fitness by getting involved in practical conservation activities such as planting hedges, creating and maintaining community gardens, or improving footpaths. For Green Gyms in your area visit www.btcv.org/greengym/regions/map.html

The Wildlife Trusts partnership is the UK’s leading conservation charity exclusively dedicated to wildlife. Their network of 47 local Wildlife Trusts, alongside a junior branch, Wildlife Watch, work together to protect wildlife in the countryside. The Wildlife Trusts care for over 2,560 nature reserves, from rugged coastline, to rural wildlife havens. With more than 413,000 members, they lobby for better protection of the UK's natural heritage and are dedicated to protecting wildlife for the benefit of future generations. A wide range of publications is available to order or you can volunteer to practically secure the future of precious habitats and species, enabling them to thrive again.

For further information visit www.wildlifetrusts.org or telephone 0870 0367711