Posts by kateashbrook
Mannau agored a llwybrau i bawb eu mwynhau
Galwad Cymdeithas y Mannau Agored i ymgeiswyr yn Etholiad y Senedd, 7 Mai 2026 Nid yw’r cyfle i bobl fwynhau mannau agored a llwybrau, er mwyn ymlacio, er budd i’w hiechyd a’u llesiant ac i werthfawrogi natur, erioed wedi bod yn bwysicach. Mae Cymdeithas y Mannau Agored1 eisiau i bawb yng Nghymru allu mwynhau’r manteision…
Read MoreOur nine-point plan for the new Senedd
We have sent our nine-point plan for the new Senedd to our members in Wales to use when speaking to their candidates in the forthcoming election. Here is the manifesto. (Cymraeg yma) ________________________________________________ The opportunity for people to enjoy open spaces and paths, for their relaxation, health, well-being, and appreciation of nature, has never been…
Read MoreOur chairman, Phil Wadey, honoured
Our chairman, Phil Wadey, has been made an MBE in the New Year’s Honours, for services to rights of way. Phil, a walker and rider, specialises in historical research with the aim of adding paths to the official (definitive) maps. Having been working on this for more than 35 years, he has so far…
Read MoreCentenary of open-spaces law
Today, 1 January 2026, is the centenary of landmark legislation which, for the first time, created a right to walk and ride on significant areas of common land in town and country. This law was largely thanks to the Open Spaces Society (then the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society). On this day 100 years ago…
Read MoreWe call on health secretary to make public access a reality
We were delighted to learn that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, enjoys walking. Consequently, we have called on him to expedite the promised green paper on access to nature. Wes Streeting told The Observer (21 December) that he enjoys ‘the occasional solitary walk’ which allows him to ‘“decompress” from…
Read MoreNew National River Walk ‘a damp squib’
The proposed first new National River Walk, the government’s Boxing Day announcement, is a ‘damp squib’, we argue. The government claims that it will provide ‘21 kilometres of new paths’ along the Mersey Valley Way, between Stockport and Sale in Trafford. ‘It does nothing of the kind,’ says Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary. ‘The route…
Read MoreCall for new ‘People’s Charter’ on 75th anniversary of revolutionary national parks and access law
Today (16 December 2024), on the 75th anniversary of royal assent of the revolutionary National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, the organisations which collectively promoted that law, call for a new vision from government. Hailed as a People’s Charter, the 1949 act was to enable all citizens, no matter their background, to…
Read MorePublic access to new Woodbury Common land agreed
We are delighted to have reached agreement with Clinton Devon Estates whereby the public wins an almost immediate right to walk over newly-registered common land at Woodbury, east Devon, instead of having to wait, perhaps years, for the right to be confirmed(1). Clinton Devon Estates sought consent under section 16 of the Commons Act 2006…
Read MoreMega-development on Kilvey Hill, Swansea, would cut a hole in a Persian carpet
We have objected strongly to the amended planning application from Swansea Skyline to convert Kilvey Hill, east of Swansea, into a commercial tourist-site. The society considers the hill to be a much-loved local gem, which should not be sacrificed for mega-tourism. The proposed development would comprise, among other structures, gondola stations and chairlift infrastructure for…
Read MoreNew village green at One Tree Hill
We are celebrating the decision by Surrey County Council to register One Tree Hill at Long Ditton as a village green, thereby protecting it for ever. The land comprises about 10 hectares of mixed woodland, open grassland, and scrub intersected by numerous paths. About seven years ago, Elmbridge Borough Council’s consultants, Ove Arup and Partners,…
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