The 1932 Mass Trespass took place on Kinder Scout
The British Mountaineering Council’s hillwalking advocate will be among those gathering to mark the anniversary of a historic event in the battle for access to England’s uplands.
The fourth annual Spirit of Kinder Day will take place next month to commemorate the 1932 Mass Trespass on the Peak District’s highest hill.
The BMC’s hillwalking development officer will attend the event in Hayfield, the village from which the trespassers set off for Kinder Scout.
Philip Pearson, former senior policy officer in the Trades Union Congress’s economic and social affairs department, will speak on climate change and green issues and a new biography by Mark Metcalf of trespass leader Benny Rothman, will be unveiled. The book is published by the Unite trade union.
Musical interludes will be provided by folk singer Brian Peters and the Manchester Woodcraft Folk, who will lead the traditional singing of Ewan MacColl’s Manchester Rambler.
The 23 April event is being organised jointly by the Kinder Visitor Centre Group and the Kinder & High Peak Advisory Committee and will be held at The Royal Hotel in Hayfield.
Other events during the weekend include the unveiling the first of several interpretive plaques which will form a Trespass Trail, and art exhibitions, including work by local artist Sarah Morley, in the village hall. The Woodcraft Folk will also be organising activities for young people in and around the village hall. In the evening, the band Hoakes will be performing at The Royal in support of the Kinder Visitor Centre.
The Mass Trespass participants set off from Hayfield
On Sunday 24 April, three walks led by qualified mountain leaders start in or near the village at 10am and on the same day at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, the Bridgewater Folkfest will feature Bill Lloyd and others, singing traditional north country music including The Manchester Rambler.
Among the organisations attending the event are the Ramblers; Sheffield Campaign for Access to Moorland; Peak & Northern Footpaths Society; British Mountaineering Council; the National Trust; the Civic Trust; Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation and Friends of the Peak District.
Admission to the Saturday event is free, but organisers advise early arrival as space is limited.
KHPAC was set up when the National Trust bought Kinder Scout in 1982. Its purpose is to ensure access rights are maintained and access problems resolved. The group includes representatives of the Ramblers, BMC, Sheffield Campaign for Access to Moorland, Peak & Northern Footpaths Society, the National Trust and the Peak District National Park Authority.
The Kinder Visitor Centre Group is hoping to acquire premises to establish a visitor centre in Hayfield to provide a venue for exhibitions and information for local people and visitors.
More details are on the Kinder Trespass website.
