HORSE riding campaigner Lady Mary Towneley has been presented with a special award by the British Horse Society for her work on improving access.

Minister for Culture, Media and Sport Kate Hoey MP presented Lady Towneley with the award for her "significant contribution to the equestrian world".

Lady Towneley, from Dyneley, Cliviger, has been a member of the British Horse Society for nearly 40 years and since 1975 has worked on behalf of Riding for the Disabled. She was the driving force behind the Bridleways Strategy for Lancashire and continues to work for its implementation.

Researching and riding the country's historic routes has long been Lady Towneley's passion and her latest achievement was to ride the Pilgrim's Way from Winchester to Canterbury.

In the 1980s, she researched and rode the length of the Pennines from Derbyshire to Northumberland and campaigned for the route to be adopted as a national equestrian trail.

She persuaded the Countryside Commission to adopt her proposal and the first major section of the 200-mile route should be opened in the spring of 2001.

The citation reads: "This award is one way in which the British Horse Society can mark her outstanding achievements but the real testament will be the many miles of routes she has secured.

"Generations to come will have cause to thank her as they ride many of her trail blazing routes, and especially for the Pennine Bridleway National Trail." By CATHERINE SMYTH Telegraph Reporter CONGRATULATIONS: Lady Towneley receives her British Horse Society award from Kate Hoey MP

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