RIGHT TO ROAM NEWSLETTR—TELL THE STORY OF LACK OF ACCESS TO OUR RIVERBANKS

No right to access three quarters of England's riverbanks In this newsletter: –Our riverbank investigation –Wigan and Makerfield Events –Finnamore Wood –Local Group Updates Dear Roamers, Nearly three quarters of England’s riverbanks have no right of access according to our new analysis, revealed in the Guardian last weekend. We found that 71% of riverbanks across 89 English river catchments have no access land or public right of way on either bank within 100 metres of the water. It is a staggering finding and yet, somehow, an unsurprising one. Many rivers begin their life accessible, birthed in the mountains and moors where access land is more common. As estuaries become more urban they tend to offer greater access to the riverside. However, the middle courses are often forgotten and inaccessible. It’s like knowing someone in their youth and losing touch until their old age. Take the River Severn for example, whose headwaters begin high in the Welsh hills of Plynlimon, and end in the great estuary of the Bristol Channel. Yet through its middle catchment in Shropshire, it becomes one of England’s least accessible waterways, with 90% of its banks off limits. In other places, paths named after a river barely encounter the rivers whose name they carry – for example, most of the ‘The Test Way’ does not adjoin the famous chalk stream at all. Right to Roam's local group in South Devon experienced this phenomenon recently on the River Erme. Our trespass took us along the private paths of the Flete Estate (of Our Land fame), which for 5km on both sides of the river is reserved for the exclusive access of residents and guests of the estate. It is a beautiful section of a river in much need of help, but which for the most part is unseen even by those living in villages and towns in the same catchment. Does this story sound familiar? Have you been shut out from your local river? Drop us a reply and tell us your story. Details like that help us build the case for change. Our investigation lands on the freshly cleared desk of incoming DEFRA Secretary of State, Angela Eagle. Her arrival continues a decade-long trend at the department, where a new SoS has been appointed, on average, once every year. We hope she will recognise the scale of the inequality it represents and the inadequacy of the government’s flagship access policy of creating ‘nine new river walks’, which have so far failed to create any new access. She needn’t look far for ideas. Across Europe we see examples of a different approach. Sweden, Norway and Scotland all have a right to swim and paddle in most inland waters with exceptions made for privacy, wildlife and public safety. France has 1,286 officially monitored freshwater bathing sites. Meanwhile, in Paris, three free, supervised swimming areas have been opened on the Seine, with the water tested daily and sites closed temporarily when conditions make swimming unsafe. Berlin has 39 official bathing places where the city monitors conditions and gives swimmers information about where it is safe to enter. The city’s website states: “The Lageso wishes all Berliners and all guests of the city a pleasant and safe bathing and swimming season at the official bathing areas". In some Swiss cities, the rivers are so clean that people commute to work by swimming. Even in the densely populated Netherlands there are now 800 officially designated swimming locations, that are monitored and tested regularly. From the 1st of June next year Flanders will make all swimming legal unless there’s a good reason not to . Authorities there have taken the enlightened view that legalising swimming results in a stronger swimming culture, which in turn produces stronger and more capable swimmers: saving lives, and benefitting mental and physical health. As the Netherlands national swimming programme, Swim-ABC, website succinctly puts it: “Learning to swim is vital in our country with its abundance of water. We live near water, and we like to seek it out. Therefore, it is essential that children learn to swim at a young age.” While Europe evolves, we stagnate. England and Wales are increasingly looking like the last ones left on the bank while everyone else takes to water. Wigan & Makerfield: Save the Dates With the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, making his constituency of Makerfield a litmus test for the country, Right to Roam are paying a visit. –August 27th, The Old Courts, 7pm. Join Nadia, Guy, and the Right to Roam North West local group, for an evening of discussion about increasing land access, who owns the North West and what access reform could look like. –September 12th, Wigan Diggers’ Festival Right to Roam will be running a stall at this local festival, celebrating the legacy of the great Gerard Winstanley and his belief in the land as a common treasury for all... –September 13th, SAVE THE DATE With the team in town, there’s mischief to be found… save the date and we’ll release more details in due course! Finnamore Wood We recently reported on events unfolding at Finnamore Wood in Buckinghamshire, where a luxury property developer is enclosing a once-accessible woodland. The site was formerly home to a borstal but in the decades since it closed, local children and families have walked and played among the trees. In recent months, an eight-foot fence has been erected around the perimeter. Once again, the woodland has been turned into a fortress. Last week residents held a vigil to highlight the injustice and call on the local authorities to act. You can watch a moving short film about the day here. BBC News Jon spoke to the BBC about the legacy of the Kinder Mass Trespass and why it’s still unfinished business in England and Wales. Check the article out here. Local Groups Update Dorset Congrats to the Dorset group, who went out last weekend to liberate a Right of Way on Deadmoor Common from blockage – great work folks! Leicestershire The Leicestershire group are organising a swim trespass and picnic this Sunday, August 9th. If you’re interested, please contact Nadia on nadia@righttoroam.org.uk for more information. Kent Kent local group are looking to expand their pool of active members and organisers. They’re especially in need of someone who is interested in social media but would love to hear from any keen folk regardless of skill set. They welcome people from all over Kent and are hoping to gather some representation in the East or along the coast. Members meet regularly online and in person. They’d also love support in researching land ownership in Kent and planning actions that can include book clubs, socials, walks, film screenings, etc. If you’re interested in getting involved, please email righttoroamkent@gmail.com West Yorkshire On August 29th our West Yorkshire group are teaming up with long time friends of the campaign, Trash Free Trails, to give the hills a spruce after the Yorkshire 3 Peaks. “We will come together to give these majestic hills a good clean and do our bit of Wild Service. We want to have fun and engage with the public and really try to understand the psychology of littering. We are not aiming to lecture, blame or protest, but if we can talk to the public about rubbish and increased responsible access even better!" Sign up on the Trash Free Trails website here. For more details, drop the local group a line at: righttoroamwestyorkshire@gmail.com Lewis and Jon, on behalf of the Right to Roam team Can you help keep us roaming? The right to roam campaign is kept afloat by small donations from a few hundred monthly supporters. We are grateful for every single one of you. It’s what keeps the work going, but if we want to scale what’s needed, we need to grow that base. We currently have a target of 1,000 subscribers in order to make the campaign sustainable for the next year. Can you help? £5 / Month £10 / Month £15 / Month £20 / Month As an extra bonus for supporters, those who choose to become monthly paid supporters of the campaign will automatically enter into our ongoing art print giveaway as a thank you for helping sustain the movement long term. Visit our social accounts RIGHTTOROAM.ORG.UK This email was sent from this site. If you no longer wish to receive this email, change your email preferences here.

PLANTLIFE SAY MEADOWS ARE IMPORTANT

View this email in your browser Donate Join Shop Hi John, Wildflower meadows are really important (we all know this). These national treasures capture carbon, provide food and shelter for wildlife and protect land from flooding. Since 2013 we have led the creation and restoration of over 13,000 acres of wildflower meadow. But there’s so much more to do. By donating today, you can help make this a reality. Donate Meadows only thrive when farmers, land managers and communities have the tools and funding they need. Your donation helps us campaign for the policies and investment that enable meadow-friendly management – and helps us directly support those working on the ground. Supporting Farmers like Peter and Catherine In Wales alone, your support has helped us work with more than 1,200 farmers and landowners in the last three years. We worked with Peter and Catherine who have farmed Wern Ddu Uchaf for 34 years. In their own words: “I’ve learned a tremendous amount by working with Plantlife advisors, they’ve really supported us...Plantlife have really taught us a lot about the farm and how to farm it.” Farmers like Peter and Catherine are at the heart of meadow restoration work and their deep knowledge of the land helps us promote nature-friendly farming practices that both protect and restore biodiversity. By giving a gift today, you can help influence the way meadows are looked after, putting wild plants and fungi at the heart of land management. Donate today Thank you for your ongoing support. Jo Riggall Grassland Advocacy Officer PS If you've already given a gift to protect our national treasures, thank you so much. Tractor bails hay in a meadow This appeal represents Plantlife’s work to create a world rich in plants and fungi. Your gift will help support work from species recovery and habitat restoration to campaigning for policy change, and working in partnership with people. Your gift will be used in the most effective way possible to make a difference to nature. We can only continue our conservation work through the generosity of supporters like you. Follow Plantlife on: Instagram Instagram Facebook Facebook YouTube YouTube LinkedIn LinkedIn Website Website Copyright © Plantlife All rights reserved. Plantlife International is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered Charity in England and Wales (1059559) & Scotland, (SC038951) Registered Company in England and Wales (3166339) Registered Office: Brewery House,36 Milford Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2AP, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1722 342730 enquiries@plantlife.org.uk www.plantlife.org.uk Plantlife respects your privacy. You can read more about how and why we use your personal data at www.plantlife.org.uk/privacy-notice Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. This email was sent to spanishjohnedwards@gmail.com why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences Plantlife · Brewery House · 36 Milford Street · Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2AP · United Kingdom

FROM PROTECT THE WILD—IT’S A WIN—GUGA LICENCE REFUSED

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more WE DID IT! GUGA HUNT LICENCE REJECTED! 🎉 A major victory for compassion, for science and for common sense. DEVON DOCHERTY AUG 3 READ IN APP My eyes are brimming with tears as I send you this email to let you know the Guga hunt licence has officially been REJECTED by NatureScot and the hunt will not be going ahead this year. This means 2,000 baby Gannets have been saved from a brutal death of being snatched from their nests and beaten to death by the Guga hunters. Instead, they will get the chance to live. To learn to fly. To become the magnificent seabirds they were always meant to be. This is a historic day - the first time in history the Guga hunt licence has been rejected by NatureScot. A campaign that changed everything Since we got involved in this issue last year, Protect the Wild has been at the forefront of a high-profile campaign against this year’s licence application. Over the past year, together we’ve built the biggest campaign the Guga hunt has ever faced. More than 250,000 of you signed our petition to NatureScot - the largest public response the organisation has ever received on a licensing decision. We produced an animation narrated by Brian Cox that has been viewed more than 15 million times, staged protests at NatureScot’s headquarters and at events attended by its senior leadership, and kept the issue in the national spotlight through creative campaigning - including our founder Rob standing in the most contested seat of the Scottish Parliament election. Our campaign generated extensive national media coverage, including multiple primetime evening news slots, a front page cover on election day, and even a feature on Have I Got News For You, which led to a huge spike in Google searches about the Guga hunt. We commissioned polling that showed this campaign reflected the views of the wider Scottish public, not just a vocal minority. Behind the scenes, we spent countless hours meticulously researching the hunt. We obtained and published previously unseen footage appearing to show hunters frightening nesting Gannets in breach of their licence conditions, prompting widespread public outrage and calls for NatureScot to investigate. We submitted dozens of Freedom of Information requests that uncovered significant new evidence and exposed flaws in NatureScot's approach. We took our findings directly to NatureScot’s licensing team and senior leadership in a series of meetings, challenging the basis on which any licence could lawfully be granted. For decades, the Guga hunt continued with remarkably little scrutiny. That changed this year. We made sure NatureScot could no longer rely on outdated assumptions or incomplete evidence to justify the killing of Gannet chicks. Together, these efforts transformed the Guga hunt from a little-known local tradition into one of Scotland’s most closely scrutinised wildlife controversies, forcing NatureScot to commission its most comprehensive scientific assessment of the hunt to date and confront questions it had never properly answered before. I hope today's decision demonstrates the power of refusing to accept that change has to happen slowly. We were never prepared to stand by while thousands of Gannet chicks continued to be killed each year waiting for the law to change. We believed we had to fight on every front: challenging the licence in the short term while campaigning to change the law for good. And that’s exactly where this campaign goes next. But first, to everyone who stood with us - thank you. Every petition signature, every email, every share, every comment, every donation and every conversation helped shine a spotlight on the Guga hunt and hold NatureScot to account like never before. This victory belongs to every single one of you. A message from Rob Whilst today’s announcement is of course a huge victory for the Gannets, it is not a permanent one. Until the law itself is changed, the hunt could still come back. That’s why I will not just sit around and celebrate. The focus must now shift to the Scottish Parliament and the campaign to amend Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 so the legal exemption allowing Gannets to be taken from Sula Sgeir is removed once and for all. That is why tomorrow morning I will be walking 16 kilometres around the Scottish Parliament dressed as a Gannet: as a powerful reminder to those at the heart of Scottish politics that removing a single line from the law could protect these seabirds forever. 16 kilometres. £16,000 target. One mission: amend Section 16. Support my fundraising challenge If you’d like to chuck in a few pounds (or £16 if you’re feeling generous!) to the fundraiser I would be very appreciative. We’ve demonstrated what can be achieved with months of focused campaigning, now we need your help to push on and change the law for good. SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

FROM PROTECT THE WILD—SHOULD THEY BE WORRIED ABOUT THE GUGA HUNT

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Just 24 Hours Until the Final Guga Hunt Decision - Here's Why I'm Worried Just 12 people will decide the fate of 2,000 Gannets. DEVON DOCHERTY AUG 2 READ IN APP This is it. Our final chance to stop the Guga hunt going ahead this year. And with just 24 hours until NatureScot' decision, you’d think I’d be feeling more optimistic. After all, the latest scientific assessment shows the Guga hunt would decimate Sula Sgeir’s Gannet population, and both their licensing and Marine Ornithology teams have recommended the licence be refused. But in a recent statement announcing the recommendation to reject the licence, NatureScot said something concerning: “This is a recommendation only. The final decision will be made by our Board.” In other words, despite clear scientific evidence that the Guga hunt would undermine the integrity of the Special Protection Area and drive Sula Sgeir's Gannet colony into decline, 12 Board members still have the power to ignore that evidence and licence the hunt anyway. That’s why we need every single person reading this to send them an email right now. Email NatureScot's Board We need to make it impossible for them to ignore the science. Every email is another reminder that the public is watching, that this decision matters, and that anything less a licence refusal will be met with outrage. We’ve changed the wording of our email template to reflect this. So if you’ve been waiting to act, don’t wait any longer. Once you've filled in your details and clicked submit, an email will open in your inbox, addressed to every member of NatureScot's Board. Hit send. Then ask one other person to do the same. These final hours could make all the difference. Next time you hear from me, I will be announcing whether science, compassion and common sense have prevailed, or whether 2,000 Gannet chicks have been failed by the very organisation entrusted with protecting them. One final push. Let's finish what we started. Already sent an email? Leave a comment on NatureScot’s Facebook or Instagram. SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

FROM FRIENDS OF THE EARTH

View in browser Dear John, You just got an email from us with the subject 'Have we offended you?' We didn't mean to send you that – sorry! A technical error meant that this email was automatically sent to you. Our apologies for any confusion or worry that mistake caused. Here's the email we meant to sent: Many of us will be deeply affected by the wildfires in Suffolk and across Europe, which further make the case for action on climate change. After years of Friends of the Earth pressure, the UK government has committed to set stronger objectives to adapt to climate change. To keep us safer from extreme weather. That’ll be of little solace to those fleeing fires today. Or anyone bearing the brunt of back-to-back heatwaves; disabled people, care home residents, those in badly designed homes. But it's progress. And we still have a live legal case to make the government do more. Can you sign our petition to keep the pressure up too? Or share it if you've already added your name. I'LL SIGN THE PETITION For more rays of hope, keep reading... Breakthrough on illegal deforestation Last month the UK government announced it will finally implement new regulations to stop imports of commodities like palm oil, soy, cattle and cocoa produced from illegally deforested land. This is massive news. And I can honestly say this wouldn’t have happened without all your support. It’s a great step forward, but we need much higher government ambition to truly protect forests and the people who depend on them. And to hold companies to account for environmental harms and human rights abuses in their supply chains. So we can celebrate this success, but our campaign’s not over. And we’re going to need your continued support. I'LL SIGN THE PETITION Join us in October to end corporate harms to people and nature After that breakthrough, help us keep up the momentum. Join us in London to ask your MP for a new law to put people and planet over destructive corporate profit. We’ve joined with the Good Business Matters campaign to hold a mass lobby – where hundreds of us will meet our MPs in Parliament – to call for this law. Join us in Westminster on Wednesday 21 October to put a stop to human rights and environmental abuses in UK companies' supply chains. Sign up and we’ll give you all the info and support you need to show your MP why this matters to you. I'LL TAKE PART Heathrow expansion – how much do you know? There's a lot of competing info out there about whether a new runway at Heathrow airport is a good or bad thing. Fancy testing your own knowledge? Here's the first question: 1. Governments and private funds from 6 countries own a slice of the Heathrow pie – profiting directly from its expansion. Which one of these isn’t on that list? AUSTRALIA FRANCE SAUDI ARABIA UK Tens of thousands demand clean water The heat’s got many of us dreaming of taking a nice refreshing dip. But with hundreds falling sick after sewage spills on UK beaches, we’ll have to think twice [1][2]. Nearly 50,000 of you have signed our petition calling for clean water now – thank you! If you haven’t signed our petition yet, please do. I'LL SIGN THE PETITION Local action on – and in – the water Local action group York Friends of the Earth partnered with Surfers Against Sewage to highlight the increasing levels of pollution in the River Ouse, while private water companies make huge profits. Attendees paddle-boarded, kayaked, swam or marched along the River Ouse and dropped a banner from Skeldergate Bridge. The event gained local and national media attention. Swimmers and a canoeist in a river, a swimmer holds up a sign 'end sewage pollution' If you’d like to get involved where you live – for clean water or for any local issue that matters to you – use our group finder and get stuck in! FIND MY LOCAL GROUP Sustainable fashion with free shipping this weekend Now’s the time to stock up on summer fashion – from Friday to Sunday you can get free shipping at our Threads of the Earth shop. Look good while supporting our work. This isn’t fast fashion. Our products are made from all-natural materials using renewable energy and eco-friendly printing methods. And, once your item is worn out, you can send it back to be remade for credit in return. As they say, a T shirt is for life, not just the summer hols 🌞 TAKE ME TO THE SHOP A photo of someone wearing a 'save the planet' t shirt, and the text 'free post all weekend' Coming up, you’ll hear from us soon on how you can take action to clean up our water and how to say no to a third runway at Heathrow. Until then – stay safe and happy in the sun! Thanks, Aleanna Shaughnessy Supporter Relations Manager, Friends of the Earth NOTES: [1] Secret court documents reveal potential scale of illegal sewage spilling, BBC News [2] Ex-Southern Water boss among four charged over alleged plan to manipulate water tests, BBC News About us Supporter promise Privacy policy Contact us DONATE This email was sent to spanishjohnedwards@gmail.com Want to change how you receive these emails? Unsubscribe from this list We send communications to our supporters who have opted in to receive emails from us. Friends of the Earth Limited. Reg. No. 01012357. Incorporated in England and Wales. Registered office: Friends of the Earth The Printworks 139 Clapham Road London, SW9 0HP United Kingdom Copyright © Friends of the Earth Limited

IT”S BUGBYTES AGAIN FROM BUGLIFE

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) © Katie Waddington "If we and the rest of the back-boned animals were to disappear overnight, the rest of the world would get on pretty well. But if the invertebrates were to disappear, the world's ecosystems would collapse." ~ Sir David Attenborough ~

FROM PROTECT THE WILD—GUGA HUNT IS SET TO BE REFUSED

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Guga hunt licence set to be REFUSED The science says the hunt can't go ahead. DEVON DOCHERTY JUL 29 READ IN APP If you haven’t already seen the news on our social media, NatureScot has published the papers for its upcoming board meeting on 3 August, and its own licensing and marine ornithology experts have made a clear recommendation: The 2026 Guga hunt licence should be refused. I hesitate to celebrate too soon, but this almost certainly means the Guga hunt will not be going ahead this year. Let me explain what’s happened. NatureScot has carried out the most comprehensive scientific assessment of the Guga hunt ever undertaken. The results from that were published today, along with a summary by their licensing and marine ornithology team. Drawing on updated population modelling, the latest evidence on avian influenza and the legal tests required under the Habitats Regulations, they concluded a licence should not be given this year. In their assessment, the marine science experts considered three possible options: Grant the full licence to kill 2,000 gannets as requested by the hunters; Grant a reduced licence to kill 500 gannets; Refuse the licence. Officials rejected the first two options. By law, NatureScot cannot grant a licence for something that undermines the integrity of a protected site. And the science showed that a kill limit of 2,000 Gannet chicks would negatively affect the population over the long term and undermine the integrity of the Sula Sgeir Special Protection Area where the hunt takes place. Crucially, the papers reveal that even reducing the hunt to 500 birds would still leave "reasonable scientific doubt" that it would not adversely affect the site, which is home to internationally important seabird populations. The recommendation by NatureScot’s licensing and marine ornithology team concludes: “On the basis and rationale summarised above, the recommended option is to refuse the licence application this year.” This would be the first time NatureScot has refused a licence for the Guga hunt. You made this possible This announcement came on the very same day our petition to NatureScot surpassed 250,000 signatures. Sign the petition That is no coincidence. Over the past few months, together we’ve transformed the Guga hunt from a little-known event into one of Scotland’s biggest wildlife controversies. We’ve put NatureScot under unprecedented public scrutiny, forcing it to confront questions it had never properly answered, commission more robust scientific analysis and revisit long-held assumptions about the hunt. Every signature, every email, every donation, every protest, every share, like and comment helped make that happen. Thank you. But as the saying goes, it’s not over til it’s over. NatureScot’s Board will make the final decision this Monday, so we can’t be 100% sure the hunt won’t be going ahead til then. We’ll be observing that meeting and will let you know the outcome immediately. But it would be genuinely unthinkable for them to ignore their own science. Either way, our work wouldn’t stop there. We’ll immediately begin campaigning to abolish the outdated legal exemption that allows this hunt to take place at all. More on thats soon. One way or another, the days of the Guga hunt are numbered. Stay tuned, and thank you again to all the incredible people reading these posts, taking action, and helping us to abolish Britain’s last seabird hunt. We’re so close to stopping the Guga hunt but we need your help to get it over the line. Become a Gannet Guardian today with a monthly donation and help give this campaign the strength to keep going until the Guga hunt is ended for good. The next stage of this campaign is to secure a change in the law so that the Wildlife and Countryside Act no longer allows the Guga hunt to be licensed in the first place. Become a Gannet Guardian If you set up a recurring donation today, we’ll send you a Gannet plushie as a reminder of the birds you’re helping to protect :) SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing