Nigel Evans

The Ribble Valley

The Ribble Valley is made up of vast swathes of land designated as areas of outstanding natural beauty (75%).

It is one of the largest parliamentary constituencies stretching from Fulwood, a suburb of Preston, across hills into sparsely populated rural seclusion. There are 800 farms, ranging from large dairy units to small hill farms.

There are approximately 77,500 people living in the Ribble Valley and Fulwood constituency, of whom about 38% work in manufacturing, 28% in the service sector (including the NHS) and 4% in agriculture, fishing and forestry. The largest employer is British Aerospace (which has two plants in and just outside the constituency).

Claim to Fame

One of the many 'claims to fame' of the Ribble Valley is that it is the geographic centre of the UK. Ordnance Survey have pinpointed Grid Ref 637565, four miles north of Dunsop Bridge, as the official centre of the kingdom. The famous explorer Sir Ranolph Fiennes unveiled the plaque that verifies this.

Nigel says,

"It is a great feeling to know that we live at the 'centre of our kingdom'. Together with its beauty and the charming nature of its people the Ribble Valley is a magnificent and enchanting place to live".

The Queen in Ribble

There is no doubt that the Ribble Valley is one of the most beautiful parts of our country and it is therefore no surprise that the Queen is strongly rumoured to have said that She would like to retire to the Ribble Valley.

This scoop was picked up in a biography of the Queen. It is no secret that she owns land in the Ribble Valley and that she has enjoyed numerous visits to the area.