Countryside Alliance becomes tourism agency member

1:05pm Wednesday 28th December 2011 in News

THE Countryside Alliance is now a member of the tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire.

Membership will provide the Countryside Alliance with opportunities to be included in a wide range of benefits such as digital marketing and social networking activities, business tourism marketing and domestic and international exhibitions and a presence on the Yorkshire.com website that attracts five million visitors each year.

Simon Hamlyn, northern regional director for the Countryside Alliance, said: “We hope that we can use this platform to really shout about the great enterprises and communities of rural Yorkshire. Membership will also see us increase our working relationship with rural businesses to enhance the profile of Yorkshire and its reputation.”

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We look forward to working closely with the Countryside Alliance to help promote those towns and villages that are so vital to Yorkshire’s tourism economy.”

Comments(26)

MHayworth says...
4:16pm Wed 28 Dec 11

Well, Mr. Verity - I won't be visiting Yorkshire again if your idea of tourism includes supporting blood sports lobbyists. I just hope your organisation isn't receiving any taxpayer funding! Appalling news.

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damejane says...
6:24pm Wed 28 Dec 11

How I agree with MHayworth. I live in North Yorkshire and the thought of CA advertising its gruesome barbaric methods of treating wildlife and our taxes being used for this is not the way I want to start 2012!
Why does living in the countryside have to involve the 'sport' of killing?

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twotonethomas says...
7:38pm Wed 28 Dec 11

As a District Councillor in North Yorkshire I shall be wanting to know exactly how much public money is being spent sucking up to sadistic law breakers.
Please though people do not turn your backs on Yorkshire, just use accommodation providers that do not advertise on Welcome to Yorkshire, bearing in mind providers will have already paid an annual membership, so ask their views when you phone to book.

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MHayworth says...
8:05pm Wed 28 Dec 11

Just looked at their website and this does appear to be a taxpayer funded government agency, issuing large tenders.

Their 'About Us' page starts with:

" Forget flat caps and whippets, Yorkshire is a contemporary destination which hasn't neglected its roots."

Really? Forget whippets but use our tax money to promote the bloodsports lobby? Those obscene people who call 'cubbing' a country sport? Who breed foxes in artificial earths so they can claim to be pest controllers?

I can think of better ways to spend our money - starting with defending our wildlife and teaching our children to respect rather than hunt down and torment animals for some perverse pleasure.

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corred says...
8:32pm Wed 28 Dec 11

oh great...what's their advertising campaign going to be ?

Come to Yorkshire, see the wonderful countryside, sample the excellent food & drink.......see the beautiful wildlife & then KILL IT !!

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The Govnor says...
8:40pm Wed 28 Dec 11

Not what I want to spend my tax money on. I suppose the ban on hunting means the next best thing would be to get the government to introduce a new sport of badger baiting - Welcome to Yorkshire

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RogerGW says...
8:50pm Wed 28 Dec 11

I was looking forward to booking a hiliday in Yorkshire this year, after this news, I will find an alternative.

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jillydream says...
8:57pm Wed 28 Dec 11

I fail to see how the Countryside Alliance can become a member of the Tourism Agency for Yorkshire. Having checked their website before commenting, they are pro bloodsports. Does this suggest that Yorkshire no longer welcomes anyone who is against hunting? Not a great message to send out to the hundreds of thousands of tourists and visitors who come to Yorkshire each year. I would be expecting the Agency to maintain an unbiased stance. This does not seem to be the case. I come from Yorkshire, have family living in the County and find this particular alliance distasteful. I live in a rural area and support the rural economy but never blood sports.

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NoToHareCoursing says...
9:31pm Wed 28 Dec 11

Much of Yorkshire is very beautiful indeed. It's a pity that the beauty of Yorkshire is to be spoiled by the ugliness of association with the Countryside Alliance.

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CountrysideOne says...
9:44am Thu 29 Dec 11

Congratulations 'Welcome to Yorkshire' you've managed to find the one thing to make sure I never want to visit you.
How you can represent the majority of hard working, civilized and decent people of Yorkshire is beyond me.

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Sheffield_Tiger says...
11:09am Thu 29 Dec 11

‎"A bookmaker was fined after he admitted yelling racist abuse at a Countryside Alliance march in 2002. Peter Smith of Chelvey Batch, near Backwell, who works in his family's bookmaking business, was fined £500 and ordered to pay £55 costs at Bow Street magistrates. He was voicing his support for the Countryside Alliance during the march at Whitehall when he clashed with Mr Khan. Mr Khan was demonstrating against hunting and was waving a banner when Smith went up to him and tapped him on the head with a plastic hunting horn before hurling racist abuse. Smith admitted a charge of using racial abuse." - http://bit.ly/vmVyok


Views on hunting aside, are these the people we want representing our county? Welcome to Yorkshire would appear to say not..

From Welcome to Yorkshire's Terms & Conditions: Discrimination: To provide a welcoming and caring service to visitors that does not discriminate eg.by gender, race or religion

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ADucksQuack says...
12:55pm Thu 29 Dec 11

The Countryside Alliance promotes terrifying, torturing, ripping apart wildlife while it is alive for fun, and then daubing themselves with that creature's blood.

This guarantees I will avoid visiting Yorkshire.

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dailyecho123 says...
2:34pm Thu 29 Dec 11

FFI: http://www.realca.co
.uk/news/hunting/cot
swold-huntsman-convi
cted-of-racial-abuse
And this is not an isolated incident; only like the real fox-hunting that goes on, the evidence needs capturing and taken to court. On p.91 here, there is further admission of their guilt, so this is on two counts very unsavoury: http://content.yudu.
com/Library/A1uwih/I
slandLifeDecember20/
resources/index.htm?
referrerUrl=http%3A%
2F%2Ffree.yudu.com%2
Fitem%2Fdetails%2F44
5408%2FIsland-Life-D
ecember-2011-January
-2012%3Fedit_mode%3D
on++Island+Life+Dece
mber+2011%2FJanuary+
2012

Report this post »

dailyecho123 says...
2:36pm Thu 29 Dec 11

FFI: http://www.realca.co
.uk/news/hunting/cot
swold-huntsman-convi
cted-of-racial-abuse
And this is not an isolated incident; only like the real fox-hunting that goes on, the evidence needs capturing and taken to court. On p.91 here, there is further admission of their guilt, so this is on two counts very unsavoury: http://content.yudu.
com/Library/A1uwih/I
slandLifeDecember20/
resources/index.htm?
referrerUrl=http%3A%
2F%2Ffree.yudu.com%2
Fitem%2Fdetails%2F44
5408%2FIsland-Life-D
ecember-2011-January
-2012%3Fedit_mode%3D
on++Island+Life+Dece
mber+2011%2FJanuary+
2012

Report this post »

dailyecho123 says...
2:44pm Thu 29 Dec 11

FFI: http://www.realca.co
.uk/news/hunting/cot
swold-huntsman-convi
cted-of-racial-abuse
And this is not an isolated incident; only like the real fox-hunting that goes on, the evidence needs capturing and taken to court. /index.htm?referrerU
rl=http%3A%2F%2Ffree
.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fd
etails%2F445408%2FIs
land-Life-December-2
011-January-2012%3Fe
dit_mode%3Don++Islan
d+Life+December+2011
%2FJanuary+2012

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ryedale.man says...
7:19pm Thu 29 Dec 11

Perhaps we should focus on all the other issues promoted by the Countryside Alliance as well?

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CountrysideOne says...
8:27pm Thu 29 Dec 11

ryedale.man wrote:
Perhaps we should focus on all the other issues promoted by the Countryside Alliance as well?
Strange that out of the 7 news headlines on the CA homepage all relate to hunting.
I do not want an organisation such as the CA to promote anything related to the countryside, they certainly don't represent the views of the majority countryside.

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CountrysideOne says...
8:27pm Thu 29 Dec 11

ryedale.man wrote:
Perhaps we should focus on all the other issues promoted by the Countryside Alliance as well?
Strange that out of the 7 news headlines on the CA homepage all relate to hunting.
I do not want an organisation such as the CA to promote anything related to the countryside, they certainly don't represent the views of the majority countryside.

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Sheffield_Tiger says...
8:49pm Thu 29 Dec 11

ryedale.man wrote:
Perhaps we should focus on all the other issues promoted by the Countryside Alliance as well?
The issues are prioritised on their site menu with the main issues being

#1 Hunting
#2 Shooting

A look around their website shows the major issues the CA stand for, in comparison any other rural issues get token mention

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twotonethomas says...
9:13pm Thu 29 Dec 11

@ Ryedaleman, This is taken from the Masters of Foxhounds Association website:- 'Finally there is only one organisation that promotes and defends all country pursuits and that is the Countryside Alliance. Everyone who wishes to continue to go hunting is duty bound to be a member.'
I don't recall my rural post office, bus service, school or even tourist attraction saying their customers are 'duty bound' to join the CA
That says it all really

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twotonethomas says...
9:14pm Thu 29 Dec 11

@ Ryedaleman, This is taken from the Masters of Foxhounds Association website:- 'Finally there is only one organisation that promotes and defends all country pursuits and that is the Countryside Alliance. Everyone who wishes to continue to go hunting is duty bound to be a member.'
I don't recall my rural post office, bus service, school or even tourist attraction saying their customers are 'duty bound' to join the CA
That says it all really

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The Facticide Reliance says...
9:30pm Thu 29 Dec 11

Doesn't say much for the integrity of Welcome to Yorkshire when they accept a member who's fallen foul of the Advertising Standards Authority, does it?

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slimhotknave says...
10:15pm Thu 29 Dec 11

Wow! Really? No more Yorkshire holidays for me....very disappointed that the Countryside Alliance, whose only remit is to try and repeal the Hunting Act and actively still kill wild animals illegally, is welcomed at "Welcome to Yorkshire." No, you are welcome to it!!!

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Graeme E says...
10:45pm Thu 29 Dec 11

I have many friends in beautiful Yorkshire and was considering a ten day long trip to the mainland to see places I last visited years ago (Otley, Leeds, etc). I shall now save my money and spend some extra time in Liverpool and London. Their gain, your loss Welcome To Yorkshire. I hope advertisers of their site are taking note.....

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Paul Nelson says...
11:05pm Thu 29 Dec 11

A group shall now be switching our walking trip in the New Year from Yorkshire to Lancashire. We have to wish to support the vileand cruel bloodsports industry. SHAME ON 'WELCOME TO YORKSHIRE'!!!

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Lofty Lady says...
4:58pm Wed 4 Jan 12

We have a chalet on the Isle of Wight if anyone is interested - although we have hunts that trespass on National Trust land (being investigated) and some attractions that support the hunts (Garlic Farm) the Tourist Board is not currently in bed with the CA.

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