Benedict Southworth, centre, and supporters with the petition
Britain’s biggest walking charity has handed a petition bearing thousands of names to the Government, urging it to rethink its plans for national trails in England.
The Ramblers’ chief executive Benedict Southworth ‘walked’ the list of 18,000 people to Natural England, the Government’s advisory body on the outdoors, where chair Poul Christensen received the document.
The Ramblers said the Government is proposing to change the way the trails are looked after, handing them over to hard-pressed local authorities and voluntary groups and leaving them without a national champion.
The charity argues the plans pose a real risk to the quality of the trails and will also prevent the country from collectively harnessing the tourism, economic and health benefits of the trails.
The Ramblers instead propose the creation of a national charity is created to protect these national assets and unleash their full potential.
Mr Southworth said: “Thousands of people have joined us, from local campaigners to outdoor organisations and celebrities, to voice their concerns about the future of our national trails.
“Since Natural England announced their plans last year, our main worry has been that the trails will be left without a national champion.
“Having been involved with national trails since their inception, the Ramblers are offering its ambition, resources and expertise to work with government to help make a national trails trust a reality.
“I hope our petition hand in today will remind the Government how deeply our supporters care for the future of national trails and urge them to protect this national asset.”
As well as the 18,000 petition signatories, the call for a national trails trust has already received endorsements from the Outdoor Industries Association; British Council for Archaeology; British Horse Society; Sport and Recreation Alliance; Long Distance Walkers Association; CTC – The National Cycling Charity and a number of celebrity outdoor enthusiasts including Janet Street-Porter and Sir Chris Bonington.
