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We deal with almost 1000 cases a year assisting communities, groups and individuals in protecting their local spaces and paths in all parts of England and Wales. Can you help us by joining as a member?
We have appointed Katherine Evans as our local correspondent to watch over the public paths, commons, greens, and other open spaces in Essex.
Photo: Katherine Evans
Katherine lives in Braintree District in north-east Essex. She says: ‘I volunteered to be the Open Spaces Society’s local correspondent for Essex because I care about keeping our public rights of way and other public open spaces—such as village greens, common land, and access land—open, usable, and available to the public.
‘With the pressure to build houses and the associated infrastructure, precious open spaces and public paths can get overlooked and dismissed as being “only for leisure use”. There is evidence that access to nearby green or blue open space is beneficial to our mental health and well-being—and the government has promised to provide such spaces within 15 minutes’ walk of everyone’s homes. The protection of these spaces and making them as accessible as possible is important to us all.’
Katherine is a life member of the Ramblers, being a volunteer footpath secretary and ‘Lost Ways’ Co-Ordinator for Essex. She is also a member of the Essex Local Access Forum. Katherine is a parish councillor and has a layman’s experience and knowledge of the planning system having been a member of the planning committee for many years.
Adds Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary: ‘We welcome Katherine as a local correspondent. We are delighted to have an activist on the ground in Essex to defend the public’s rights to paths and open spaces.’
Header photo: Jordan Photography