Hey Olly, how long have you been involved with the Ramblers, and what drew you to the to the charity in the first place?
I joined five years ago. My background was working with charities, helping volunteers to campaign on access rights and getting people out and enjoying nature more. I was really drawn to a role that helps volunteers campaign at a local, not just a national, level. I wasn’t that much of a walker before but joining the Ramblers has inspired me!
Given your title and just how many campaigns the Ramblers runs, it must be quite a juggling act. Do you relish the challenge of it?
I do. I’ve lost count of the number of campaigns I’ve worked on, from local and general elections to lobbying for coastal paths and the 2020 Agriculture Act. I was surprised at how much work the Ramblers does behind the scenes to make sure people can get out walking in nature. There’s so much more to it than most people think.
What are some of the Ramblers’ main goals for 2022?
Right now, we’re working to influence new government legislation around levelling up and planning. We are partnering with other charities to ensure the Government delivers on promises around access to nature. We have a huge opportunity to improve the areas people live in and shape the next generation of planning for the benefit of walkers.
The first section of the England Coastal Path opened in 2012. How has the One Coast For All campaign progressed since then?
There’s been huge progress, but the project goes back much further than that. Volunteers in Essex, for example, were involved in suggesting ideas for the initial campaign in the early 2000s. In the last 10 years the Ramblers has worked on around 60 stretches of coast path. Each one needs to have the route mapped out, approved and opened. So there’s a huge process for each section of the path, and Ramblers volunteers are supporting it. In fact, they’ve probably walked the entire coastal path hundreds of times! Half of all the planned sections are now open or approved and we’re hoping the final touches can be done in the next year or two.
“We have a huge opportunity to improve the areas people are living in and shape the next generation of planning for the benefit of walkers.”
And as a newly inspired walker, is there a part of the coastal path that’s your favourite?
My absolute favourite isn’t open yet. I live in north Kent, near the Isle of Sheppey, and the new path is going to be a 31-mile circuit round the island. Kent is full of lovely bits of coast that have great access, but in Sheppey there’s not so much. I’m looking forward to a route connecting nature reserves and bird sanctuaries around the island to create a walk that can be done on a day or over a weekend.
With the help of thousands of volunteers, the Ramblers has searched all of England and Wales and found over 49,000 miles of paths which could be lost forever. Now Ramblers volunteers are working to collect the historical evidence needed to build and submit applications to restore the most important paths for future generations.
To find out more about Don’t Lose Your Way and to donate to the campaign, click here.
Can you tell us a bit about the Don’t Lose Your Way campaign?
It’s a campaign to save historic paths from being lost forever. Over the past few years, Ramblers volunteers have identified and mapped 49,000 miles of paths that could be lost. Now the volunteers are filling out the applications needed to try to save the most important routes. The process is long and complicated so we’re building an online portal which brings together all the evidence and support required.
“The Thames Path is a great example of a project that cuts through an entire city, connects communities and opens up nature to those who didn’t have access to it. It took a 20- or 30-year campaign by local volunteers to get it open and now there are volunteers across the country doing similar things.”
Do projects like the Thames Path prove that the Ramblers is just as important for those living in urban areas?
I think it's very important for town and city dwellers. The Thames Path is a great example of a project that cuts through an entire city, connects communities and opens up nature to those who didn’t have access to it. It took a 20- or 30-year campaign by local volunteers to get it open and now there are volunteers across the country doing similar things. Recently the Salford Trail opened in Manchester, another long trail devised by the Ramblers.
What are the main barriers preventing people from walking and how are the Ramblers overcoming them?
With the path network and open-access land we’ve got in this country, you’d think everyone would live near somewhere where they could walk in nature, but that’s not the case. Even if you go to some small, rural villages it can be difficult to go for a walk that doesn’t involve crossing a busy road.
It’s great that we’ve been able to open up national parks like the Lake District for everyone, but if you live far away and don’t have a car or can’t afford public transport, it can be difficult to get to these places. What’s more stiles can make it difficult to pass if you’re in a wheelchair, are elderly, or with children. That's why we're lobbying the government to make the places we live more walkable, to improve access to nature for everyone, wherever they live'.
As a young person yourself, how important do you think it is that we get more people walking, no matter their age or where they live?
It's very important from a health and wellbeing point of view. There’s endless evidence that walking in nature is beneficial for your health. And it shouldn't be seen as something that only young people or only people living in the countryside can do – it should be easy for everyone to go for a great walk on their doorstep. We released a report last year that showed there are massive inequalities throughout the country between those who can and who cannot easily get out into these spaces. It’s an equality that is worth fighting for.
Are there any more burning issues that you’d love to focus on in the future?
We’ve got the right to access millions of acres of England in places like the Lake District, Peak District and other high, mountainous areas. And while it’s nice to be able to explore and disappear into these places, most people don’t live near them. So I want to give people the freedom to roam land closer to where they live, especially as this year marks the 90th anniversary of the Kinder Scout trespass, which was the very start of the freedom to roam movement.
The Ramblers is generously supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, as part of the lottery’s Climate Challenge initiative. People’s Postcode Lottery manages lotteries on behalf of 20 Postcode Trusts.
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