FROM RIGHT TO ROAM

Can't see this message? View in a browser   "Get On Our Land!" Meet Right to Roam's Access Friendly Farmers Dear Roamers, Every January in Oxford two huge farming events happen side by side. There’s Oxford Farming Conference, bastion of conventional/industrial/conservative agriculture, and there’s Oxford Real Farming Conference, which provides a much-needed progressive, regenerative and participant-led counter-narrative. We were at ORFC to talk about access. Without an ability to responsibly cross the 67% of England taken up by agriculture, we can’t get to many of the places where more extensive rights should apply: woodlands, rivers and coasts, downs etc. What’s more, farmland access will help get pedestrians off rural roads, where more than 100 die a year and hundreds more are injured, not to mention the economic benefits of allowing people to simply walk in nature close to home (ill health related to sedentary lifestyles currently costs the economy more than £8 billion a year). But how would having more people on the land affect farmers? The NFU and CLA habitually scapegoat the public for systemic damage to the countryside in which they are deeply complicit, and boasted about getting right to roam taken out of the Labour manifesto last year. But with decent education and infrastructure, there is far more for farmers to gain than to fear. We know this, because for the past year or so, a group of Access Friendly Farmers and Landowners (AFFLO), has been helping us explore both the challenges and opportunities of access. AFFLO began with an email from Debra and Tom Willoughby, two farmers who agreed with the objectives of the campaign. We knew they couldn’t be the only ones and set about finding more. The group now includes farmers, landowners and estate managers from across England, and a few from Wales. We’ve discussed dogs, legal liability, the costs of access infrastructure and public education among other themes, and these conversations have helped inform our campaign asks and actions, for example see our dog policy proposals last year which were also covered here. And in September last year we brought 60 people to the Willoughby’s farm for our Wild Service in Action workshop weekend. It’s not easy for farmers to speak out in opposition to the noisy blowhard lobbyists, especially now when many feel beleaguered, isolated and dependent on each other. But the access debate is far less tribal than it may seem, and counter-narratives are powerful. Some of you may have seen Patrick Barkham’s feature in the Guardian, featuring four of brilliant AFFLOs. Then, last Thursday it was an honour to introduce an open-hearted and hugely well received panel discussion at ORFC. Great conversations ensued in the pub and we’ve come away with yet more AFFLO members. So, massive thanks to the organic sisterhood of Debra Willoughby, Sarah Langford and Romilly Swann, and to Guy Thallon of Castle Howard Estate for the panel, to Debram Guy and to Jo Clark of On The Hill in Devon for being interviewed, and Martin Lines of the Nature Friendly Farmers Network for great advice and introductions in Oxford. Legends, all of them. What next? The group is ready to expand, so if you’re an access friendly farmer or land owner, or know one, do get in touch via hello@righttoroam.org.uk. We’re planning to set up a twinning scheme between AFFLO and local Right to Roam groups. Meanwhile, you can also help by remembering the power of conversation, especially if you meet farmers on your roamings: many of them need to reconnect with their communities as much as we need to reconnect with nature, and the land is naturally where we meet. LOCAL GROUPS It was such a pleasure to join the inaugural event organised by our newest Local Group, Right to Roam Leeds, Bradford, West Yorkshire. 25 brilliant humans gathered in Ilkley and strode out on the Moor (some daringly baht ‘at), admiring the misty views over Wharfedale and the enigmatic rock art, enjoying a lunch stop at the Twelve Apostles stone circle and gathering several bags of trash along the way. Great conversations were had, connections made. Indoor meetings and trespass adventures are in the offing. Join them if you’re local or give them a follow and warm welcome on Instagram and Facebook. WILD SERVICE BOOK CLUB After a wee hiatus, the Wild Service book club is back! This week Nadia spoke with the brilliant ecological artist Bryony Ella, author of the chapter on Belonging. Her work explores the intersection of human-nature relationships, science and spirituality. You can catch up with their conversation on our YouTube channel here. We’re planning to do a lot more video content this year to bring the campaign to a wider audience, so do give our YouTube channel a subscribe – there should be much more to come. FOR THE READING LIST We’ve got three pieces for the attention of roamers this week. -First, check out this beautiful long read about the Right to Roam campaign and the wider land issues it raises, by the environmental journalist Samuel Firman. It does a brilliant job of putting the campaign in its historic and ecological context. -Following on from our investigation on inaccessible monuments, Matthew Shaw from Stone Club has written this fantastic op-ed for The Great Outdoors magazine about the significance of access reform for archaeological enthusiasts and all those seeking to connect with the prehistoric world. -Finally, another interesting long read on the Scottish right to roam in Backpacker Magazine from U.S author and park ranger, Ken Ilgunas. It really captures the consensus in Scotland: that access reform has worked well, and, far from fomenting rural divisions, has brought the countryside closer together. As Ken puts it “The right to roam, I came to see, can make a whole country more neighborly.” We'll be back in touch soon with a recap, a welcome to our new followers, and a supporter survey to capture your thoughts about how the campaign is going. Sending love to you all, Amy, on behalf of the Right to Roam team ---------- For the latest campaign updates, follow us on Instagram & Bluesky To get involved, check out our website here. Can you help keep us running? Head to ‘Donate’ here. Right to Roam Leeds, Bradford & West Yorkshire meet for their inaugural walk! Take Action Visit our social accounts Check out our site   This email was sent from this site. If you no longer wish to receive this email, change your email preferences here.