Sarah Lewis was quite right to say the creation of a South Downs National Park was a great victory for campaign groups across the South East, particularly the 160 members of the South Downs Campaign (The Argus magazine, August 29). They have worked together, some for nearly 20 years, seeking better protection for one of England’s most iconic landscapes. Their hard work and persistence has at long last been rewarded and I would like to thank everyone in the campaign who has helped out over the years.

What is clear is that no one organisation could have achieved this result on their own. If ever there was a lesson to be learnt, it is that by working together, the groups that make up the campaign have magnified their voice and their impact far beyond the sum of their component parts.

The challenge now is to ensure that the new National Park Authority, once it is set up, has the powers and funding to do the job properly. It will also require the support of outside bodies to achieve its aims. Whatever follows the campaign, which will be disbanded in 2010 as it has achieved its main goal, must have a strong voice to be able to stand up for the protection and enhancement of the area and in doing so be able to engender widespread public support. That will be essential to ensure the new authority hears what the wider community wants for the area and is not railroaded by one or two particular interests.

Robin Crane CBE
chairman, South Downs Campaign
Carron Lane, Midhurst