A LANCASHIRE county councillor has been elected to the top body protecting areas of natural beauty in England and Wales.

And County Coun Tim Ormrod's first job will be to boost the status of the Forest of Bowland.

Coun Ormrod, who represents Colne, has been appointed to the executive committee of the National Association of Areas of Natural Beauty.

And he will use his position to back a bid by the Forest of Bowland for a EUROPARC European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas, which he believes will attract visitors and funding from all over Europe.

Coun Ormrod said: "Gaining the EUROPARC charter would show that the Forest of Bowland is a cared for environment and will allow the Bowland authorities and local businesses to promote themselves on a Europe-wide level.

"We will be able to attract new foreign markets of holiday makers, giving greater benefit to the local economy."

He added: "AONBs are typically not as well known as our National Parks. It is my aim, through the EUROPARC charters, to make them equally well known, so that these beautiful areas can be conserved for future generations to enjoy."

To be awarded the charter, the Forest of Bowland - which is already an AONB - has to prove that it is actively working towards promoting sustainable tourism.

This could include schemes to encourage visitors to use public transport, preventing litter dropping, ensuring that accommodation facilities are well insulated to prevent energy wastage and promoting the use of local produce in restaurants and businesses.

On the back of the charter bid, protected landscapes in the North of France, near Calais, have already proposed a joint bid with the Forest of Bowland for European Union funding.

Don McKay, principal planning officer for the Forest of Bowland and AONB officer, said: "In order to sustain the Forest of Bowland we need to attract funding in the long term."