TRESPASS 94 WEEKEND Festival SATURDAY 25th April and SUNDAY 26th APRIL 2026
The 94th Anniversary of the 1932 Hayfield Kinder Scout Mass Trespass – and a celebration of the progress since and current campaigns to secure wider and more secure access to our land and water.
A weekend of talks, discussion, workshops, music, walking and wild swimming. Come along and be part of the crucial campaign to ensure that the Labour Government brings in significant Outdoors for All legislation. All Labour Governments since 1945 have passed milestone legislation to extend access to our land in their first term (1948 National Parks; 1968 Countryside Act; 2000 Countryside Rights of Way Act). Don’t let this government fail to do the same! Contact your MPs and follow campaigning groups on Social Media – Hayfield Kinder Trespass Group, Right to Roam, Outdoor Swimming Society, The Ramblers, Open Spaces Society, and local groups near YOU.
Below is a summary of the April Hayfield Festival of Outdoors for All:
April 2025 saw the fourth Outdoors for All festival organised by Hayfield Kinder Trespass Group, celebrating the 93rd anniversary of the 1932 Hayfield Kinder Scout Mass Trespass. It is now recognised as an important annual calendar date for everyone who cares about extending our right to access appropriate land and water across our country. This year, the event was sponsored by the Wainwright Foundation and the Alpkit Foundation.
Once again, the weekend attracted large numbers of people as Hayfield Kinder Trespass Group worked with national and local Right to Roam, together with the Outdoors Swimming Society, the YCL and other groups and individual volunteers to stage our most successful weekend since the 90th was held here in 2022.
Speakers on the Saturday and Sunday included Kate Ashbrook, Jon Pearce MP, Phil Brickell MP, Guy Shrubsole, Imogen Radcliffe, and David Toft, all addressing the national situation with regard to the possibility of new legislation being passed by the new Labour Government. It was pointed out that all previous Labour Governments have introduced significant Acts in their first term of office– the creation of the National Parks in 1948, The Countryside Act 1968 (a significant piece of legislation that expanded public access and conservation efforts in the UK. Key provisions included empowering local authorities to create country parks, establish picnic and camping sites, and provide recreational facilities for the public.); and the The Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CROW Act), passed in 2000 by the Labour government, providing a public right of access to certain rural areas like mountains, moors, and heaths, known as “open access land”. Kate Ashbrook, Guy Shrubsole and Phil Brickell stressed how important it was that we should all campaign to ensure that the issue is a high-profile priority for the first term of this government – and warned that there was a danger it might be overlooked.
Discussions continued in St Matthew’s Church, with two panels, one for the national picture and a second, involving local activists, about specific issues in the region. This was followed by Trespass Workshops, which proved extremely popular.
Exhibitions of Trespass-related work by pupils at Hayfield Junior School, and once again, there was a well-received and thought-provoking exhibition by students from Loughborough University School of Architecture, whose brief was to design an eco-friendly Outdoor Centre.
The formal afternoon sessions ended with a rousing rendition of ‘The Manchester Rambler’ by Manchester folk singer ROO, and festivities continued late into the evening at the village green and in The George Hotel.
On Sunday, the now traditional walks and swim took place, greatly enhanced by the involvement of the national Right to Roam, who had organised public transport to bring in large numbers of supporters. After gathering for a rousing rally on the village hall green, campaigners marched out along the ‘trespass trail’ to William Clough and Kinder Reservoir, where there was yet again an inspiring swim event.
Notes for Editors
1: The Kinder Pledge
We declare our commitment to a universal right of free and responsible access to all landscapes, rural and urban, for all.
We pledge to peacefully campaign to enshrine in law the right of universal open access to land and water, urban and rural, across all of the UK. This law should be similar to those currently in place in Scotland. We will also support the actions of those who undertake forms of non-violent direct action to campaign for these rights.
We pledge to do no damage to any landscape and to recognise that some areas may not be available to everyone at all times, in order to protect the environment and wildlife.
Through formal and informal programmes of education, we will seek to extend popular understanding of the natural and built environments and how we can best protect and enhance the rich diversity of the life and lifestyles that they enable and support.
Individually and with others we will explore, enjoy, exercise, and simply be in open urban and rural spaces. We respect the rights of others to do likewise. We will work to ensure that open spaces are welcoming and accessible to anyone and everyone on an equal basis.
2: The Outdoors for All Manifesto:
Outdoors For All is a coalition representing many thousands of outdoor people throughout the country:
● Over 36 leading national governing bodies and environmental organisations have signed up to support the manifesto, seeking to extend responsible access to more green, blue and urban spaces.
● The Outdoors For All coalition is calling for new legislation to open up more of our countryside, including waterways, woodland, riversides and downland for public enjoyment
● A new bill will create opportunities for people to enjoy more land and water for activities including cycling, walking, climbing, horse riding, caving, swimming, flying and paddling.
● The UK ranks lowest of 14 European nations on connectedness to nature. It also ranks 11th out of 15 European nations on levels of physical activity. Nations that rank higher than the UK, have far more freedom to enjoy their outdoor spaces.
Signatories include representatives from Hayfield Kinder Trespass Group, the Open Spaces Society, the Ramblers’ Association, the British Mountaineering Council, Right to Roam, British Canoeing and groups representing paddlesport, swimming, horse riding, climbing, rambling, wheeling, flying and many more. The manifesto also has the support of the National Trust, The Canal & Rivers Trust, The Wildlife Trusts and the Campaign for National Parks.
