Birkrigg Common to Morecambe Bay
Last Updated: 13 September 2013

Within one generation, Rural Low Furness has undergone a significant change as a result of the dramatic increase in social mobility which has taken place throughout the country.    No longer are rural localities the home of rural communities of the type that were responsible for creating the surroundings which in modern times are found to be so appealing.  Access to the attractions of rural living is now almost entirely determined by affordability.    Independent means of transport have dispelled what some would have formerly sensed as remoteness.   No longer is a rural upbringing an important element in providing a capability for rural living; being rural or urban in personal outlook and values is no longer a determining issue in feeling comfortable with a rural postcode.

But that which is so visually attractive in the countryside is the result of successions of generations who were equipped with an awareness of their surroundings from an early age. It was axiomatic that one cared, and the knowledge to conduct oneself in a caring manner came from the local school and community as well as the home. The former continuity of rural communities that could be characterised in those terms has now gone, but a responsibility to care remains.

To be informed is to be empowered. It is therefore hoped that this website will inform and contribute in at least a small way to a deeper awareness of the character of this wonderful rural locality; and of the need for its care as a rural locality. Our children and future generations surely deserve no less.

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