NATURAL BEAUTY'S 40TH

The Prince of Wales is a man who can recognise a significant anniversary when he hears of one. Given his interest in conservation, he was unlikely to see a landmark date for the Cotswolds without offering his own seal of approval.

This summer, the Cotswolds will be marking its 40th anniversary as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It promises to be quite a celebration, with Hook Norton even brewing a special anniversary beer later in the year.

The Cotswolds was ten years behind the Gower Peninsula, near Swansea, which became the first ANOB half a century ago, while the Chilterns just about pipped the Cotswolds by a matter of months.

But with its rolling hills and valleys and 4,000 miles of drystone walls, apparently as long as the Great Wall of China, the Cotswolds stands as the largest of the 40 ANOBs in England and Wales, covering 790 sq miles. The size of the protected land had to be increased by 30 per cent in 1990.

Prince Charles believes that without the protection the special status has given, important elements of its landscape and communities could have been lost forever. Over the coming months the anniversary will be overseen by the comparatively young Cotswolds Conservation Board, which came into being two years ago to increase public understanding and enjoyment of the ANOB.

The board is made up of 40 members, 17 nominated by local authorities, eight by parish councils and 15 appointed by Government.

They are supported by voluntary wardens like Jean Booth.

"Our job is to make sure that the landscape is maintained and that people have easy access to it," explained Jean who is a member of the team of 340 wardens who conduct hundreds of guided walks each year.

"I would like to see more people encouraged to get out and take advantage of the work we do."

The enabling legislation for ANOB designation goes back to the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, drawn up by the Government of Clement Attlee in 1949. The idea was simple and bold: to preserve the most beautiful parts of England and Wales for future generations.

A photograph showing Great Tew Terrace in Burford High Street appears on the cover of a specially produced booklet to mark the 40th anniversary. A picture on page two, taken of the same building in 2003, suggests very little has changed.

But the Prince uses a message of support for the Cotswold Conservation Board to put the case for greater affordable housing in rural areas, after some most unwelcome alterations to the region's social fabric.

"If we want to keep our rural communities alive it is essential that young families and key workers are able to live in the countryside," writes the Prince, who bought Highgrove House, his unofficial residence near Tetbury in 1980.

"The statistics are alarming and show that the total resident population of the Cotswold ANOB is just over 157,800, with a significant greater number than the national average over the age of 45. The number of young people, between 15 and 29, is significantly below the national average, especially those aged from 20 to 29."

The Prince started his Affordable Housing Initiative two years ago to see if ways could be found to address the problem by encouraging new financing schemes and partnerships.

He highlighted the findings of a recent Limestone Grasslands Survey carried out by the Cotswold Conservation Board which revealed that this nationally important habitat for wildlife and rare plants only exists because of the type of livestock grazing practised over generations. "Without it the grasslands would quickly turn into inhospitable scrubland," said the Prince, who added consumers also had their part to play in preserving landscapes. "The choices they make when, for instance, they buy their groceries each week can, quite literally, determine the future for British farmers.

"The success of many farmers' markets in the Cotswolds towns proves that people are increasingly concerned about where their food comes from and how it is produced."

But local farmers are themselves divided about what the future holds. Shepherdess Valerie Underhill feared there would not be many small farms left in 40 years' time, with an increase in "ranch farming" by a select group of super farmers, who made it impossible for small agricultural businesses to compete.

Mark Tufnell, a member of the Cotswold Conservation Board, said a growing band of Cotswold farmers were now looking to introduce entirely new types of crops.

Mark said: "I am interested in a species of bamboo that provides non-fossil-burning fuel for power stations. As well as providing conservation grade crops, such as oats and spring barley, I would like to see the policy of set aside continue in its present form, provided it is properly managed. I am also part of a group trying to brink back the English grey partridge to the ANOB."

As part of the celebrations, the board is offering people the chance to learn some useful rural skills. Between now and November, expert drystone wallers will be holding two-day courses to teach people the art of building a traditional Cotswold wall.

The training courses are run as part of a £1.4m Heritage Lottery Fund project, Caring for the Cotswolds, for beginners wanting to take up the craft. But they also offer those with a bit of walling 'know-how' the chance to hone their skills.

The courses will be held at a range of locations including Shipton-under-Wychwood in West Oxfordshire.

John Tabor, who runs the Caring for the Cotswolds, project, said: "Drystone walls are very much part of what makes the Cotswolds special they are a key feature. Sadly, many of them are in a derelict state but it is hoped that our walling courses will encourage people to maintain and restore them for future generations."