Cumbria’s Special Relationship
As we reflect back on the unstinting 70 years of service of Queen Elizabeth whose wisdom touched so many we also face forward to the new era as King Charles pledges his service to our nation.
In Cumbria over 20 years we have developed a special relationship with our new King. As Prince of Wales since 2001 the King made almost annual visits to Cumbria. His stays with Joe and Hazel Relph developed an abiding love for Borrowdale and the communities, farmers and commoners who live and work in the Lakes.
King Charles III Meeting Will Benson and his family who farm in Grasmere
In my experience King Charles is both a romantic and a pragmatist, a man with a vision and someone with enormous attention to detail. He cares deeply about the future of rural and farming communities while never letting us forget our obligations as individuals, as businesses and as society to address the nature and climate crises.
Our new King has a phenomenal memory, he learns his briefing notes off by heart, he remembers what he asked you to do six months previously and challenges you if you haven’t made progress.
And what is perhaps much more important an ability to stimulate and shape positive conversations.
King Charles adopts his mother’s maxim to choose reconciliation over division. I have seen this approach first hand when he has brought together people to consider contested issues . He is not naive in assuming one meeting chaired by himself will resolve the issue. What his presence so often achieved was to enable us to see the good in others, to reflect on other’s perspectives and to seek the areas where constructive progress on can be made. It is always about what we can do, not what can’t be achieved; about positive steps not shelving the issue. By bringing people together expectations are raised and stalemates loosened.
King Charles III attending the Lake District Summit in 2019
One concrete outcome has been ‘Our Upland Commons’ - a £3.1 million project funded by the National Lottery Fund and working with 25 partners. This project arose from the then Prince of Wales in 2012 gently requesting I ‘sort out the Uplands’ as he was Patron or President of many organisations that argued with each other on the radio. King Charles has remained engaged and supportive of this work and for the last 5 years has been Patron of the Foundation for Common Land.
The work of the Prince’s Countryside Fund has also been significant and enduring in Cumbria e.g. funding The Farmer Network in many ways including apprenticeships, the Resilience programme supporting farming families adapt to the changes facing them. The Herdwick Sheep Breed Association also benefits from his patronage and Cumbria Wildlife Trust has been at the heart of delivering the Coronation Meadows, an initiative so close to King Charles.
Cumbria has reaped the benefits of this Special Relationship As King, Charles’ role and duties have now changed and Cumbria’s ‘Special Relationship’ will of necessity evolve. As a County we can look back with immense appreciation for his time spent in Cumbria and attention devoted to farming, culture and nature. We in Cumbria perhaps now should look forward and rise to our collective duty to progress initiatives he has supported so passionately.
Julia Aglionby