From ‘Right To Roam’…...From ‘Emergence’ Magazine….
by Bernie Bell - 08:06 on 25 October 2024
From ‘Right To Roam’…...
“Starry Starry Fortnight
While the right to experience the night sky on Dartmoor has taken up a lot of column inches of late, we’re campaigning to extend this right well beyond this corner of England as part of inclusive access reform. The stars should be for everyone.
That’s why between the 25th October and the 11th November, we’re inviting you to get out - where you live - and rejoice in the beauty of the night sky. We’re not suggesting that you go far, and you certainly don’t have to camp - whatever is on offer to you: a local park, a garden, the edge of your town where the streetlights begin to grow dim… find your spot, and look up. Go with your friends, your family, or by yourself.
However - wherever - you choose, take a moment to think about what it would be like if the right to enjoy the night sky could be more freely available; what would it be like if in England we enjoyed a presumption in favour of access, including the ability to lay out under the milky way?
As the nights get darker it’s the perfect time to enjoy the stars, particularly the first weekend in November coinciding with the new moon.
Our friends at Go Stargazing have some great resources for you to make use of including the best times to stargaze, where to go, how to see the Milky Way, and a dark sky calendar.
Depending on whether you’re planning a night walk, a picnic or a camping trip to celebrate Starry Starry Fortnight, don’t forget to go prepared in order to be comfortable and to get the most out of it.
Once you’ve been out, use your experiences to raise your voice for access reform. Tell us about it on social media (links below), write to us, or write to your MP. Above all, enjoy a connection to the natural world which is ancient and mesmerising; the night sky should be our commons, yet our ability to see and connect with the stars is increasingly at risk.
How can we work together better for the sake of our trails?
Our friends at Trash Free Trails invite you to their upcoming Trails Gathering on December 5-6th in London. The gathering will bring together campaigners, conservationists and storytellers with brands and businesses from across conservation and the outdoors to explore more nature-led forms of collaboration.
The gathering will see attendees participate in lively and inspiring workshops that draw inspiration from ecological systems, to empower new ways of working which centre the future wellbeing of our trails and their communities. Find out more and book here.
Local groups challenging micro-enclosure
Right to Roam Wiltshire and Somerset set off to meet the 600 year old 'Magic Oak' in Bruton, fenced off from the public in 2021 by new landowners severing its connection to the people that grew up climbing it or sat under its ancient boughs. Speaking of the impact of this they said: "All the byways and footpaths are now enclosed with fencing, in a prime example of micro-enclosure - funnelling the public through the land with little chance of meaningful interaction with nature". They identified Beefsteak Fungus and Oak Click Beetles, and listened to poetry dedicated to the Oak.
Kernow Right to Roam, meanwhile, decided to pay a visit to Roche Rock on Saturday, after it became the site of a micro-enclosure at the hands of Lord Falmouth back in May. A padlock, metal sheet and chains were wrapped around a ladder which provides access to the 20 metre outcrop up to the ruins of a mediaeval chapel, a place dripping with history, myth and folklore.
Today, Kernow Right to Roam are reasserting their right of access to the Roche: “it belongs to the people of Kernow in a way that transcends property law, through feeling the beating heart of our ancestral belonging through each granite outcrop and wild space”.
Donate to the campaign:
As a campaign we rely on our supporters to keep us afloat. We’re a nimble, small team. We make good use of the resources we have but to keep the campaign going as we push for the access legislation we all deserve, we need your support.
We’d rather be funded by hundreds of supporters donating a few quid a month, than by a corporate sponsor signing a fat contract. Please consider becoming a regular supporter as we work for access reform in England.
Lewis,
On behalf of the Right to Roam team”
-----------------
To follow us on social media:
Twitter: @Right_2Roam
Instagram: right.2roam
Facebook: right2roam
From ‘Emergence’ Magazine….
A Talk by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
Through the concept of “space-time” we can understand how the movement of time is fused with physical space into a continuum. But what are the nuances of this relationship, in which time imprints place with meaning, and vice versa? In this talk—the second in a series given at our Remembering Earth Time retreat—Emergence executive editor and Sufi teacher Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee speaks about how the intimate relationship between time and place, expressed through the cycles ever-present in our landscapes, can help us form ties of kinship with the Earth. If time becomes rooted rather than abstract, can we once again find ourselves a participant in the mystery and magic of creation?”
Subscribe to our podcast:
• Spotify
Add your comment
