The annual Spirit of Kinder
event, celebrating Kinder Scout and the 1932 Mass
Trespass, comes to Sheffield on
Saturday, April 26.
The event, which will also celebrate
10 years of the implementation of the CROW Act which gave the Right to Roam in
open country, is organised by the Kinder & High Peak Advisory Committee and
will be held at Sheffield Town Hall starting at 2.30pm. It is free and open to
all.
Group chairman Terry Howard said: “Sheffield’s
vital role in the Mass Trespass and the fight to gain access to our mountains
and moorlands is often overlooked. We aim to put that right at this event, and
also to highlight to important work that Sheffield City Council and the
Sheffield Moors Partnership is doing to encourage access to the moors of
Sheffield’s Golden Frame.”
One of the keynote speakers, John
Mothersole, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, added: “We should never
forget the community spirit that confronted a great sense of injustice. That spirit does live on in our commitment
to, and enjoyment of, the great asset we have both in and close to our city. This event reminds us of that, but also needs
to drive us forward”.
In addition to Mr Mothersole, the
other keynote speaker will be the forthright national President of the Ramblers
and General Secretary of the Open Spaces Society, Kate Ashbrook. Sheffield’s
Walking Champion, Coun. Peter Price of Sheffield City Council, will be master
of ceremonies.
Other speakers will include Bill
Bevan, the Sheffield-based archaeologist and interpreter, who will describe the
prehistory of Kinder Scout, and Annabelle Kennedy of the Sheffield Wildlife
Trust, who will outline the work of the Sheffield Moors Partnership.
Young representatives of the
Woodcraft Folk will describe the various Sheffield trespasses which took place
during the 1930s, including the often-forgotten successful Abbey Brook Trespass
on September 18, 1932.
Among the organisations expected to attend are
the Ramblers (National, Sheffield and Manchester); Sheffield Campaign for
Access to Moorland; Peak & Northern Footpaths Society; British
Mountaineering Council; the National Trust;
Peak District National Park Authority; Peak District Mountain Rescue
Organisation; the Sheffield Moors Partnership and Friends of the Peak District
(CPRE).
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