Monthly Archives: January 2015

Collective action to celebrate Magna Carta

Posted on 29/01/2015 by campaignerkate

In the Guardian last week Guy Standing called for a new charter to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta and pointed out that ‘Magna Carta enshrined a principle of British justice that recent Labour and Conservative governments have abused … Continue reading →

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Rooting for Ramblers’ Routes

Posted on 26/01/2015 by campaignerkate

To celebrate their eightieth birthday this year, the Ramblers have teamed up with the Observer to provide 20 walks for last Sunday’s edition, with a good spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.  It’s excellent publicity for the Ramblers and should … Continue reading →

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Applehood and mother pie

Posted on 21/01/2015 by campaignerkate

I loved the solecism, ‘applehood and mother pie’, from Barry Gardiner, shadow natural environment minister, at yesterday’s parliamentary launch of Landscapes for Everyone: creating a better future.  He was right.  Because the document had to be agreed by 27 organisations, … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, AONB, campaigns, National parks, parliament | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Toboggan or not toboggan

Posted on 17/01/2015 by campaignerkate

It’s sad that tobogganing has been banned in parts of the United States and Canada because it is claimed to be dangerous. In Scotland, the Outdoor Access Code, introduced as part of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, includes the right to … Continue reading →

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Language in the making

Posted on 16/01/2015 by campaignerkate

Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken; Just as John Keats observed when he first read Chapman’s translation of Homer, so we are witnessing a new verb swim into our ken: … Continue reading →

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Rodney Legg makes the ODNB

Posted on 13/01/2015 by campaignerkate

The late Rodney Legg, writer and environmental campaigner and for 20 years chairman of the Open Spaces Society and member of the National Trust council, would have been thrilled to have known he was to feature in the Oxford Dictionary … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, National Trust, Obituary, Open Spaces Society, People, Public paths | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The (not so) good is the enemy of the best

Posted on 11/01/2015 by campaignerkate

It may surprise you to hear that the Open Spaces Society has objected to a planning application for a new footpath in Maidenhead. This is because the proposed path would make it even more unlikely that we could win a Thames-side … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, National trail, Natural England, Public paths, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Negative is positive

Posted on 05/01/2015 by campaignerkate

Quite often those to whom I am opposed say ‘the trouble is you are so negative, always campaigning against things and saying no!’ But stopping something bad from happening is positive not negative. In preparation for the 150th anniversary of … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, common land, Open Spaces Society, Public paths | Tagged | 1 Comment

Commons under threat worldwide

Posted on 04/01/2015 by campaignerkate

The pleasure of an international gathering about commons is to discover that our English and Welsh commons are just a small (though vital) part of a very big picture.  Commons are global—land, water, air, knowledge—and boundless.  But the common denominator is … Continue reading →

Posted in campaigns, common land, commons, International Association for the Study of the Commons, Sweden | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Ramblers honour Bucks path champion with gate

Posted on 01/01/2015 by campaignerkate

The Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and West Middlesex Ramblers have honoured the work of Mike Walker, former Environment Group Manager for Buckinghamshire County Council, with a commemorative gate on a footpath at Great Missenden, Bucks. Mike, who retired last year, managed Buckinghamshire’s … Continue reading →

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