CPRE awards Felicity
She has
undoubtedly done more to protect the landscape around Maidstone
than any other single individual in recent decades.
In recognition of her
tremendous achievement, Felicity Simpson was awarded the
Countryside Medal, the highest award of the Campaign to Protect
Rural England at the annual meeting of the Kent branch, Protect
Kent.
Dr Simpson said the award was
entirely unexpected and she said she was "thrilled to receive
it."
It was presented to her by
the branch president, the artist Graham Clarke.
Dr Simpson, from Thurnham,
joined the Maidstone branch of CPRE in 2001 after retiring from 16
years’ service as a county councillor, She quickly became chairman,
a position she held until her retirement in 2011.
Mr Clarke said: "Felicity’s
expertise is highly respected, never more so than in her campaign
against the Kent International Gateway planning application at
Bearsted, one of the largest public inquiries that the Kent branch
has participated in."
Even though she has now
retired from her duties as chairman, she has continued to be
heavily involved in representations on the emerging Maidstone Core
Strategy.
Mr Clarke said: "Felicity has
given outstanding service to the countryside in Kent and this award
recognises her considerable contribution."
Dr Simpson, 74, earned a
First in Geography at Cambridge University and did a PhD in land
use studies in the La Trobe Valley, near Melbourne in Australia,
before becoming a secondary school teacher, teaching at both
Maidstone Boys’ and Girls’ grammar schools.
08/02/13
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