About Us
The Foundation for Common Land’s purpose is both to conserve the cultural landscapes associated with Commoning and enhance the natural assets of Common Land for the benefit of the public.
It provides a single voice to co-ordinate knowledge and share learning across Common Land.
We work with Commoners’ associations and federations, owners of common land, environmental NGOs, parliamentarians and farming bodies.
A fundamental principle is that the system of Commoning is valued both as a cultural heritage in itself and as the primary delivery mechanism for a range of other public benefits: the protection of landscapes and habitats valued by society. We empower and enable isolated Commoners in rural communities, running marginal micro-businesses, to deliver environmental benefits as part of their sustainable livelihoods. No other organisation works on these issues.
FCL became a registered charity in 2013; and has since developed a growing profile and a reputation for constructive dialogue, networking and professionalism. We help communities better manage land, represent the needs of Commoners to policy-makers, and organise training and events to help different parties collaborate effectively.
A Commons Charter
Our supporters include commoners’ associations and federations, parliamentarians and non-governmental organisations. Our core principles, as specified in the charter which all supporters are invited to sign, are:
The active management of common land makes a significant contribution to rural economies and the maintenance of local communities
The active grazing of commons provides substantial public benefits by managing land to enhance its landscape, biodiversity, access, heritage and other environmental goods
Common land and the exercise of common rights are fundamental components of our historic and on-going culture.
A Charter for Collaborative Action on England’s Upland Commons
Upland Commons are important and valuable places for both nature and people.
This Charter supports ongoing collaborative working between all parties involved with common land. It forms the basis for taking forward the future management of Upland Commons to achieve the best multiple outcomes.
We APPRECIATE upland commons as a collection of physical assets including natural resources, ecology, business, community, history and culture.
We RECOGNISE upland commons as special places that are enjoyed both directly and indirectly by different users.
We RECOGNISE that each common is unique.
The Partnership RECOGNISES the importance of developing trust among current and potential partners, stakeholders and user groups.
We COMMIT, through participatory planning, to the long-term delivery of improved outcomes for commons, related businesses, nature, people and communities.
We ACKNOWLEDGE the absolute importance of coordinating partner interests and managing visitors to optimise what upland commons can deliver.
We COMMIT to inclusivity, respect and professionalism
Statutory Definitions
Common land has been subject to numerous statutes over time, but despite this there is not a simple or uniform statutory definition of common land; for example, when 19th and 20th century statutes defined common land, it was often for a specific legal purpose (for enclosure, regulation, preservation or registration), and this purpose tended to determine the classes of lands involved.
The Commons Registration Act 1965 is often regarded as the first definitive statute, and when we talk of common land today, we often mean registered common land. It defines common land as land subject to rights of common and waste land (Fact Sheet 2 section 2.3) which is not subject to rights of common. Common rights were expressed to include sole rights. Certain common lands were exempted from the 1965 Act, and the registers include lands which might not have been considered common previously – for more information refer to Fact Sheet 4 Registration. The Commons Act 2006 does not redefine common land but applies to land regarded as common under the 1965 Act. Part I of the Act applies to all common land in England other than Epping Forest and the Forest of Dean.
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The Commons Act 2006 aims to protect common land, in a sustainable manner delivering benefits for farming, public access and biodiversity.
What does the Commons Act 2006 do?
The Act enables commons to be managed more sustainably by commoners and landowners working together through commons councils, with powers to regulate grazing and other agricultural activities.
It provides better protection for common land and greens. This includes reinforcing existing protections against abuse, encroachment and unauthorized development. It recognizes that the protection of common land has to be proportionate to the harm caused and that some specified works can be carried out without the need for consent.
Part 1 of the Act requires commons registration authorities to bring their registers up-to-date by recording past changes affecting the registers during a ‘transitional period’, and to keep the registers up-to-date by recording new changes affecting the registers. Commons registration authorities will have new powers to correct many of the mistakes in the registers.
The Act sets out new, clearer criteria for the registration of town or village greens.
The Act prohibits the severance of common rights, preventing commoners from selling, leasing or letting their rights away from the property to which rights are attached.
The Act provides for the establishement of Commons councils for the better management of commons.
To keep up-to-date with what is happening with the Commons Act 2006 you can access the Defra website.
Our History
In 2006 a number of commons graziers’ organisations discussed the idea of setting up a national umbrella network to promote, advocate and care for a unique and precious approach to landscape, farming and the management of common land.
An inaugural meeting for all interested parties was held in December 2008. At that time it was agreed that a Shadow Board (8 members representing the main commons graziers’ organisations in the UK), other volunteers and some self-employed specialists would research and develop a ground-up, light but effective partnership organisation.
The result was the development of a structure that brings together existing commons grazier organizations including the Dartmoor Commons Council, Federation of Cumbria Commoners, the Yorkshire Federation of Commoners, Gower Commoners Association and Scottish Crofting Federation among others, along with organizations with European links and professionals with significant knowledge and experience in the sector
Ongoing
Hill Farming Training for Conservation Professionals
Hill farmers in Cumbria and Dartmoor ran training sessions on farms for 200+ people working for Natural England, Defra, RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, and other conservation NGOs. We know it was successful because feedback was excellent: “You can read things in a book, be told about them or learn them, but actually having that hands-on experience and doing it yourself just makes the realisation and the connection happen” – and because the NGOs involved chose to commission and pay for more courses.
2019
Project ‘Co-operation not Conflict’
Convening a meeting: ‘Co-operation not Conflict: Securing Thriving Farm Businesses in an area of International Significance for both its Cultural and Natural Heritage’. This brought together diverse groups within the Lake District with varying views on whether the World Heritage Site status was an accolade or a risk to environmental recovery. For the first time key national players, with The Prince of Wales present, agreed a statement recognising the need to work collectively to address the urgency of the economic, climactic and biodiversity threats ahead. This was accepted by the Lake District Partnership in June and will now inform the Management Plan for the National Park. In addition this approach was recommended in the Glover Review on our National Landscapes.
2015
Ensuring Common Land received a 50% uplift in payments when the Common Agricultural Policy was reformed.
This was a substantial victory since the uplift was opposed by the National Farmers’ Union and other powerful voices. FCL brought many Commoners together, and worked with economists, to ensure their research would expose the risk to marginal communities and the environment. Without the convening force of FCL their marginal voices would not have been heard above those of the farming establishment.
Charity Governance
The people behind our work
At the Foundation for Common Land we are fortunate to have a knowledgable team of staff and trustees supporting us.
Staff
We currently have several members of staff who work part-time
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Owen Morgan, SFI Moorland Digital App Coordinator (Part Time)
Owen is a landscape architect turned researcher in rural economics, having recently completed a PhD looking at socio-cultural value within hill farming communities. Throughout his professional journey, Owen’s passion has consistently centred around natural landscapes and the individuals responsible for their preservation. Currently residing in East Cumbria, he divides his time between working on the SFI Moorland Digital tool, teaching at the University of Cumbria, and conducting research to support upland farming communities.
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Lyndsey Stride, Governance and Finance Manager (Part Time)
Lyndsey Stride is a passionate communicator, she has written an Education Toolkit for schools and worked with commoners, the CDA and the National Park Authority to give commoners a voice. Lyndsey is a commoner in the New Forest, qualified primary teacher, Forest School leader and potter.
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Susie Hodgson, Office Administrator (Part Time)
Susie is based in the office in Ambleside taking care of the day to day running of the Foundation for Common Land. Susie and her husband are National Trust tenant farmers in the Langdale’s.
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Tom Lawrence, SFI Moorland Digital App Coordinator (Part Time)
Tom is passionate about conservation and is coordinating our SFI Moorland Digital Tool project. He is based in London and joins us after obtaining previous experience working on SFI Moorland and other agri-environmental schemes in Cumbria. His other professional experiences includes working for over 6 years at The Sloth Institute in Costa Rica after obtaining his MSc in Wildlife Health and Conservation.
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Rhiannon Jones, Training and Knowledge Exchange Co-ordinator (Part Time)
Rhiannon is an Agroecologist, founding member and Project Coordinator of Greenslate Community Farm based in Wigan. Her early career was in the delivery of alternative education provision, and later in farming, specialising in Regenerative Agriculture and the conservation of rare breeds. Her passion is in bringing farming, conservation, and education together.
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Julia Aglionby, Programme Delivery (Part Time)
Julia was on the Board of Natural England from 2014-2019 and is a Professor in Practice at the University of Cumbria; a practicing Land Agent and Agricultural Valuer she chairs the Uplands Alliance. Julia lives in Cumbria on ‘Susan’s Farm CIO’ of which she is a Trustee.
Trustees
Members of our Board have diverse experience in farming, policy, environment: and a shared passion for Common Land.
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Chris Short, Chairman
Reader in Environmental Governance at the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) in the University of Gloucestershire, who has been undertaking research on common land since the 1990s.
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Robin Milton, Upland Policy Lead
Hill Farmer in Exmoor and Chair of Exmoor National Park Authority. Deputy Chair of the Uplands Alliance and previously NFU Uplands Spokesman.
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Layland Branfield
Hill farmer in Dartmoor, has sat on the NFU Uplands Committee and is heavily involved on The Dartmoor Defra Test and Trial.
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Jim Bailey
Jim Chairs the North York Moors National Park Authority; he is a family man, farmer and countryman running a mixed farm including common grazing on the southern side of North York Moors.
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Jenny Phelps
Conservation Advisor for FWAG in Gloucestershire with significant experience in pulling together and managing complex multi outcome conservation projects, many on commons. Awarded an MBE for this work
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Harriet Fraser
Harriet is a writer and poet focusing on the relationship between landscape, nature and farming. She has worked with many commoners through projects in the Lake District, Yorkshire and Dartmoor.
Our Upland Commons Project Team
The team delivering the Our Upland Commons Project
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Keira Booth, Project Manager
Keira has worked for the National Trust for a number of years; moving from a park and forestry ranger through to visitor facing and education roles, she has most recently been working as a project coordinator for 2 large conservation and farming projects in the Lake District. Keira is based in the Eden Valley in Cumbria.
07977 840145
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Claire Braeburn, Yorkshire Dales Project Officer
Claire has extensive project management experience across the public sector, namely within education, and latterly a short career in Primary Teaching. Claire’s expertise is with facilitating, engagement, events, strategic communications and ‘joining the dots’. Whilst not from a farming background, her amassed skills and passion for the natural environment will ensure the success of the Yorkshire Dales FCL Project.
07890 028022
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Tamsin Thomas, Dartmoor Project Officer
After getting her degree in Environmental Science in 2018, Tamsin worked for Natural England securing funding from NLHF for a £10 million project to restore and conserve sand dunes across the UK. More recently she has been working with the University of Exeter on international projects focussing on food security challenges.
07890 047181