THE RIGHT TO ROAM

 

Labour Commit to a Right to Roam Act!

Dear Roamers,
 

Time has been all warp and weft over here at the non-existent Right to Roam HQ. Could it really only be a fortnight since our last missive? There is much to update: from big political progress to the fight against local micro-enclosures, and next steps on Dartmoor.

Let’s get stuck in…

 

Political Progress on a Right to Roam Act

 

A massive thankyou to everyone who's been contacting their MP to call for a Right to Roam Act. We've seen lots of creative letter-writing going on and know that the postal service at the House of Commons will have been busy!

 

Everyone's campaigning is paying off, because the past fortnight has seen some amazing progress in how politicians have been talking about Right to Roam:
 

• The Labour party has said it would introduce a Right to Roam Act as part of its programme for government if it wins the next election. Shadow Environment Secretary Jim McMahon made the announcement after visiting Dartmoor and meeting members of the Right to Roam campaign and The Stars Are For Everyone group. 
• The Liberal Democrats have tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament condemning the recent court ruling outlawing wild camping on Dartmoor. Lib Dem MP Richard Foord has also proposed a Private Members' Bill that would extend the right to wild camp to other national parks in England. 
• And of course we remain hugely grateful to Green MP Caroline Lucas, who has been a long-time supporter of our campaign - the second reading of Caroline's Private Members' Bill on Right to Roam is scheduled for 24th March. If you've yet to write to your MP, please do so, and encourage them to register to speak during this debate.
   

We warmly welcome all these developments and will be continuing to engage with MPs of all parties to champion the need for a strong Right to Roam Act and flesh out details. But remember, the thing that really gets politicians interested is voters telling them what they want - so please keep writing to your MPs!

 

Right to Roam Goes Local to Fight Micro-EnclosuresAA

Events in Dartmoor triggered reflections closer to home for our national organiser, Jon Moses, who has been steadily losing access to his local weir for the past ten years. You can read his powerful Twitter thread about this example of ‘micro-enclosure’ here.

Every week someone gets in touch with their own story of local loss: a treasured woodland suddenly strung with barbed wire, a local meadow sealed off without warning, a river blocked off by fences and gates. As Jon notes: these rarely make national headlines but they’re no less important to how we live our lives.

That’s why we’re working with journalists from the Press Association to build up a national picture of these micro-enclosures for an investigation. 

If you have your own story of a place you love that has been taken away, please drop an email to: danny.halpin@pa.media with as much detail and context as you can provide (please CC us in at righttoroam2020@gmail.com as we may be able to help further with media or local contacts).

The best way to fight these losses is to build power locally. That’s why this year we hope to use the campaign as an icebreaker – linking people interested in land justice around the country to start taking action.

If you’re interested, get in touch with our group coordinator, Maria at: mariafg.rtr@gmail.com
 

Next Steps to Save Wild Camping on Dartmoor

This week we hosted our first online event, featuring writer and long-standing Right to Roam supporter Robert Macfarlane, alongside activists from Right to Roam and The Stars Are For Everyone, to discuss next steps in the campaign to save Dartmoor. You can find the recording of the event here.

Rob’s speech was a work of magic so if you’ve only got a spare ten minutes, make sure you give that a listen [it starts at 2.36].

The big news is that, following pressure from RTR and other access organisations, the Dartmoor National Park Authority have unanimously agreed to launch an appeal against the ruling. Dartmoor Preservation Association are helping the DNPA with a crowdfunder to help support the appeal, which you can contribute to here.

Meanwhile, we want to expand the campaign to wild camp beyond Dartmoor and are calling for wild camping to be permitted across England and Wales’ 13 other national parks.

If you’re a hardy winter camper and would like to participate, then take a night under the stars between February 12th - 26th and share your photos, stories and experiences on social media using the hashtag #TheStarsAreForEveryone. Be sure to leave a positive trace by picking up any litter you see and leaving none yourselves.

 

If camping isn’t possible or desirable due to the time of year, perhaps wake early to witness the early-bird dawn chorus; go for a night walk; or to take to the hills or the greenbelt to watch the first stars emerge: all things made easier by camping when the weather is warmer! 

 

Winter blessings,
Right to Roam Team