Walkers now enjoy access the summit plateau of Kinder Scout

Walkers now enjoy access the summit plateau of Kinder Scout

The village of Edale will resound to the echoes of a traditional ramblers’ song during celebrations of the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass next week.

The Chapel-en-le-Frith Male Voice Choir will lead a rendition of Ewan MacColl’s The Manchester Rambler at the 80th anniversary of the event, seen as a turning point in the public battle for access to Britain’s uplands.

The performance will be a reprise of the walkers’ anthem, which was performed by singer Mike Harding at celebrations five years ago. Mr Harding, along with author and broadcaster Stuart Maconie, will be among guests in Edale marking the 1932 battle between a group of young ramblers led by Manchester Communist Benny Rothman and the gamekeepers of the Duke of Devonshire on the Peak District’s highest hill.

Open Spaces Society general secretary Kate Ashbrook and outgoing National Trust director general Dame Fiona Reynolds are also expected at the commemoration. The National Trust now owns Kinder Scout.

Two of the children of five ramblers who were jailed for their part in the trespass have also said they will attend. Harry Rothman and Jan Gillett are expected at the celebrations on Tuesday 24 April.

Roly Smith, chairman of the Kinder 80 committee, which is organising the event, said: “We are delighted that Harry and Jan will be joining us to celebrate what was an iconic event, not only for freedom to roam legislation, but as an important catalyst towards the creation of our national parks, of which the Peak District was the first in 1951.

Mike Harding sang The Manchester Rambler at the 75th anniversary celebrations

Mike Harding sang The Manchester Rambler at the 75th anniversary celebrations

“The trespass anniversary has become an important date in the outdoor calendar, and many people believe that the sacrifice made 80 years ago by these ramblers should never be forgotten.

“But importantly we will also be looking forward to what has been achieved on Kinder by bodies like the National Trust since then.”

A week of nearly 30 walks, talks and other events in and around the Peak District has been organised by the committee, including a re-enactment walk on Wednesday, 25 April from Hayfield and Edale by ramblers from Manchester and Sheffield, who will meet up for a victory celebration at Kinder Low.

That evening, photographer John Beatty will present his Wild Vision audio-visual show at the Hope Valley College, Hope.

There will also be talks on the History of Kinder by Sheffield historian David Hey, and Climbing on Kinder by the BMC’s Martin Kocsis. Walks will include special ones linked to the High Peak Health Walks programme, a timeline walk, and others aimed at families with a focus on fun, adventure and exploration.

The festival will culminate in a trespass-themed ceilidh featuring the Well Dressed Band and local singer-songwriter Sally Goldsmith at the Broomhall Centre, Sheffield. Special exhibitions will also be staged at the Moorland Visitor Centre, Edale; the Castleton Visitor Centre, and at the New Mills Heritage Centre.

A revised and updated version of leader Benny Rothman’s book on the trespass, The Battle for Kinder Scout, will be published by Willow Publishing at the 24 April event.

Details of the Kinder 80 festival are on the Kinder Trespass website.

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