Love Your Countryside
Whether you live there or visit; whether you are walking or wandering; picnicking or litter-picking; our countryside is special.
We want to help people enjoy, protect and love Scotland’s wonderful countryside.
Below you can find out how you can share your love of the countryside with others, become a countryside protector, or even help raise money to help us continue our work.
Frame your favourite countryside area.
If you love the countryside as much as we do, we’d love to see where you visit.
Show us what you love about the countryside, and share your favourite images using #LoveYourCountryside on Facebook, X (Twitter) or Instagram.
You don’t have to use the frame we’ve created, but it is easy if you want to. Click the button, print it out and cut out the middle, and you’re ready. We are excited to see what pictures you take.
Action for your countryside:
Become a Countryside Protector
There are many things you can do to protect the countryside – but why not complete these three Love Your Countryside actions and go for our Countryside Protector certificate. Share what you’re doing by using the #LoveYourCountryside tag and inspire others to do the same.
Completed the three actions? Let us know to receive your certificate.
How to complete the three actions for Love Your Countryside
Step 1: Clean up your countryside
We all know there is a litter problem and one of the easiest ways to take direct action to protect your countryside and greenspaces is to take part in a litter-pick. There are loads of organised groups and people doing this on a regular basis. You can also submit data to a litter survey. if you would like to (optional).
If you are already litter-picking we’d love to hear about it.
Not sure where to start? We have listed some groups and individuals that litter pick on a regular basis and selected social media posts that may inspire you to get our and take action.
Step 2: Know your countryside
This action is about being more informed and raising awareness about who is making the decisions about where you live. Spend 10 minutes investigating this. Whether you would like more green spaces for your community, for nature, cycling infrastructure, social housing, or public transport or are worried you are going to lose areas you love to development, getting involved with your council’s Local Development Plan (LDP) could be the best way to make it a reality. It is changed every 10 years so you may only get one chance to influence this.
Spend 10 minutes finding out what is happening with your local development plan and find out if you are living next to a Green Belt area and what this means.
Step 3: Share your love of your countryside
Don’t go it alone. Tell your friends about everything you are doing to help protect Scotland’s countryside, and maybe they will get involved too. You may make them think differently about their local area. Feel free to share the work you and APRS are doing on social media using the hashtag #LoveYourCountryside
Let us know if you have completed the three actions you did to receive your certificate.
Once you are a countryside protector?
Share pictures of you holding your certificate, or the certificate displayed in your window, at work, at school. We would love to share these on social media. Please continue to enjoy the fantastic countryside and you explore the countryside on your doorstep, you may discover a hidden gem. We’d love to hear about this too. Share any photos with us by emailing info@aprs.scot or by posting online using the hashtag #LoveYourCountryside.
Donating is easy, just follow the link above. Or if you would like to start fundraising with your own challenge, follow the link in the button above, then click ‘Start Fundraising‘. From there just select what your challenge is, or ‘do your own thing’.
How to fundraise for the
Love Your Countryside campaign
Fundraise for your countryside
Whether it is a 5k, a step-a-thon, or seeing the countryside from a parachute, there are many ways to fundraise while making the most of your local area. Of course, if you would like to raise money by having a bake sale or shaving off your beard, we’d love to hear about that too. Start your fundraising by following the steps below.
Please let us know what you plan to do; we will support you wherever possible. Email info@aprs.scot
We’d love for you do do some fundraising while exploring the green space on your doorstep. Walking, hiking or wheeling – whatever takes your fancy. What is most important is you are out in the countryside and enjoying yourself.
There are just a few simple steps to get started on your fundraising journey.
Decide on the activity or challenge you would like to do.
Tell everybody and share your page with any many people as you can.
Looking for inspiration on where to explore? Check out the Ramblers Scotland Path Maps. You can also map some of your routes to help make the maps event better.
Don’t forget to take lots of photos and share them with us using the hashtag #LoveYourCountryside or emailing them to info@aprs.scot
Love Your Countryside News
We’ll keep you posted on updates and fundraising achievements here.
Raising money for APRS through a walk around Greater Glasgow’s Green Belts. Join me!
Barry is fundraising by completing a 1,406km (874miles) challenge which is the same distance as the journey from Land’s End to John o’Groats.
Joanna McFarlane is the Public Engagement and Education Manager for APRS and is stepping up to walk 846,647 steps while raising funds for APRS.
An APRS membership or donation will help support our work to protect all of Scotland’s rural landscapes – from the Green Belts around our villages, towns and cities out to the forests, hills, mountains and coastlines.
Whether it is more green spaces, cycling infrastructure, social housing, or public transport, in theory getting it into your Local Development Plan (LDP) could be the best way to make it a reality.
This page gives pdf maps of every greenbelt in Scotland by local authority
Get your Countryside Protector certificate
Please look after yourself and your countryside.
We encourage everyone to be responsible and follow all guidance and laws while taking part in any fundraising. This includes adhering to the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Outdoor Access Code.
Find out more