Kinder Trespass 90th Anniversary Celebrations
These took place on Saturday 23rd April 2022 based at the Royal Hotel in Hayfield.
A new movement to campaign for a "Natural Heath Service" through greater access to our countryside was called for.
From left to right: Craig Best, Yvonne Witter, Dave Toft, Kate Ashbrook, Roly Smith and Caroline Lucas.
Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, told a packed audience in The Royal Hotel:
"We need a new movement for access, and we need everyone to work together. Today is the opportunity for us all to get together to develop and implement our next campaign for access – a much broader movement than ever before – to provide a true legacy to Kinder."
Kate condemned the recent Government ditching of the promised "quantum shift" review on access, which had been initiated by the Treasury and would have given the opportunity to argue the economic and health benefits of access. "This is not just from increased spending by visitors" said Kate, "but also by savings through improving people’s health and wellbeing – the Natural Health Service."
Caroline Lucas, the first Green Party MP, claimed that our green and pleasant land should no longer be regarded as a luxury for a privileged few to enjoy. She said the UK should follow the lead given by Scotland, Norway and Sweden, where the right to roam had long existed as a common right.
Caroline explained that she had tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament celebrating the 1932 Kinder trespassers and calling on the Government to extend the provisions of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act to include rivers, woodland, grasslands and the Green Belt.
"The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries on earth. I genuinely believe that by extending the right of access to the countryside, we'd see a renewed effort to protect and restore nature and biodiversity. It is high time for a rethink of our approach; to reclaim the earth which was taken from us."
Stuart Maconie, broadcaster, author and president of The Ramblers, emphasised that one of the legacies of the Trespass had been to illustrate the effectiveness of taking direct action where there was a justifiable cause. "No one ever got anywhere by going cap in hand" he claimed.
The meeting, which was chaired by Dave Toft of the Hayfield Kinder Trespass Group, started with a poem about "Our hills" by Gracie from Hayfield Primary School. Other speakers included Craig Best, General Manager of the Peak District for the National Trust, which has owned and managed Kinder Scout for 40 years, who reassured the audience that Kinder was "For everyone, for ever", and Yvonne Witter, leader of Mosaic, the collective representing BME communities and a member of the Peak District National Park Authority. Keith Warrender of Willow Publishing also launched his comprehensive new book on the Trespass, 'Forbidden Kinder'.
Fifteen other outdoor and conservation bodies had stands in a specially erected marquee next to The Royal. In addition, the Loughborough University School of Architecture staged an exhibition of prospective designs for a new Trespass Centre in Hayfield in the Village Hall, where the village Primary School also put on displays of children's poetry.
The Ramblers stall was staffed by David Jones, Ian Berry (who also managed to lead an unofficial walk from Dinting to Hayfield before his shift), John Ireland, Marie Claude Quieffin-Witcombe and Pauline Brooke.
The stall was set up from 10.30 am with a display of posters (some memorabilia ones), membership leaflets, the Area booklets Spring/Summer 2022 and Manchester & Salford Group's publicity leaflets. Two banners (a ten-year old tapestry and a modern pull-out stand) provided the backdrop. A steady stream of interested visitors stopped at the stall, some from as far away as Brighton, Epping and York. Some of the visitors were walkers and members of the Ramblers and were pleased to be offered our booklet listing all the groups. There were quite a few non-users of organised group walks and they were keen to know about the Ramblers walks.
We were also pleased to welcome Helen Bates from Head Office (seen below with John and Pauline), who joined us at the stall.
Later, on the Village Green, Caroline Lucas, Kate Ashbrook, Craig Best, historian Julian Batsleer and writer Roly Smith took part in an informal Q & A session, and local band Recover played at The Royal Hotel.
