‘Give us the right to roam’
Local authors join campaign calling for greater access to England’s open spaces
THE law excludes ordinary people from 92 per cent of English land – but three writers from West Berkshire aim to change that.
They are among more than 100 authors, musicians, actors and artists who have written to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for greater access to nature, even as the Government’s 2019 manifesto vows: “We will make intentional trespass a criminal offence.”
Newbury Weekly News columnist Nicola Chester; former Newbury resident and author of Who Owns England Guy Shrubsole and Nick Hayes, author of The Book of Trespass, who comes from Upper Basildon, are among signatories, along with actor and comedian Stephen Fry, singers Jarvis Cocker and Billy Bragg and actor Sir Mark Rylance.
Nicola Chester said the campaign to extend the right to roam was being launched 20
years after it came into being as part of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act.
She said that she and others had been “encouraged by the way people turned to nature during the pandemic” and added: “Just eight per cent of England has public access and just three per cent of its rivers.
“Even locally, there are great swathes of open access land that remain closed to the public.
“The letter is the first step in the campaign.”
Critics of the Government proposals to upgrade trespass from a civil offence warn it would mean the criminalisation of walking on the great majority of England’s land and claim landowners are over-represented in Parliament.
The letter to the Prime Minister, headed ‘A letter from the artists of the land’, states: “We write to you as authors, musicians, actors and artists, united in our belief that we all need greater access to the English countryside.
“In the books we write, the songs we sing, the art that we make, we celebrate the essential connection that we feel with nature.
“Our love for nature resonates with our millions of fans and followers, but in England, it is actively discouraged by the law.
“This is not only unfair; it is also untenable... just over the border in Scotland, the law encourages the public to swim, walk, camp, kayak, forage and climb, to connect with nature in a responsible manner that is better both for them and for the environment.
“Why should we, in England, be denied this right?”
It goes on: “Lockdown demonstrated how vital it is for us to have access to green outdoor space, both for our physical and our mental health.
“There is now a body of scientific evidence showing just how essential nature is for our wellbeing.”
For more information on the campaign, visit https://www.righttoroam.org.uk/
See Nicola Chester’s
on page 30
Nature
Even locally, there are great swathes of open access land that remain closed to the public