Kate Ashbrook: 'governments attacking green spaces'

Kate Ashbrook: 'governments attacking green spaces'

A leading outdoors campaigner said the zeal of the Kinder Scout trespassers must be reignited to protect the countryside from Government attacks on green spaces.

Open Spaces Society general secretary Kate Ashbrook told a gathering they should not forget the sacrifices of the five people jailed after the incident on the Peak District’s highest hill.

She was speaking today at a celebration to mark the 82nd anniversary of the pivotal event that helped open up England’s countryside to walkers.

Ms Ashbrook, who is also the Ramblers president, said it was a difficult time for those fighting for access to the countryside.

She said: “We must reignite the campaigning zeal of the Kinder trespassers. Times are tough for countryside campaigners, but the spirit of Kinder will carry us through.”

Addressing the Spirit of Kinder event at Sheffield Town Hall, Ms Ashbrook said: “The governments in England and Wales are attacking our green spaces, making it almost impossible for local people to register them as town or village greens to secure their rights to enjoy them.

“The cuts in local authority funding and the obsession with development mean that budgets for maintaining, creating and recording public paths have been slashed.

Ramblers set off on the 1932 mass trespass

Ramblers set off on the 1932 mass trespass

“The national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty have to make do with ever-shrinking funds to protect our top landscapes.

“It’s time that the Government recognised that open country, green spaces and public paths are not a luxury but a vital need. They contribute massively to our health and wellbeing, as well as bringing income to the rural economy.

“This year we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the right-to-roam on open country. The first access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 was opened to the public in September 2004 in the Peak District and Yorkshire Dales, among other places.

“But there is much more to be done. We are keen to see completion of coastal access around England, and greater access to woods and forests. There are unrecorded paths and commons to be claimed.

“The Kinder trespassers, five of whom, scandalously, were jailed, showed what can be achieved with determination and courage. We must never forget their legacy as we face the battles of today.”

Other speakers at the event were John Mothersole, chief executive of Sheffield City Council; Sheffield-based archaeologist Bill Bevan; Annabelle Kennedy, of Sheffield Wildlife Trust and three young members of the Woodcraft Folk.

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