Kinder Trespass Anniversary Celebration

One for the diary - the 70th anniversary of the legendary Kinder Trespass of 1932 falls this year, just months after the death of leader Benny Rothman and there's going to be a big knees-up at the site of the original meeting to commemorate the event.

The date is Saturday 27 April, time 1 pm, and the venue is Bowden Bridge Quarry, on Kinder Road, Hayfield, now a car park. Minister of State for the Environment, Michael Meacher is going to be there, presumably singing along, and a 'day of music and song' will be led by former RA president Mike Harding.

Mike's going to be singing 'The Manchester Rambler' as well as songs from his musical, 'A Free Man on Sunday' and will be joined by Sheffield folk singer Sally Goldsmith and the local Thornsett Brass Band.

After the singing and speeches from such as Sir Martin Doughty, chair of the Peak District National Park Authority and of English Nature, and Kate Ashbrook, chief executive of the Open Spaces Society and an RA council member, there will be a number of guided walks following the trespassers' original route up William Clough. One of these will fittingly be led by Benny Rothman's son, Harry.

There will be no car parking at Bowden Bridge on the day, but there are buses hourly from Stockport, Glossop and New Mills to Hayfield and a number of groups are walking to the event in the spirit of the original protestors, many of who walked from Manchester to avoid police checks on the railway stations.

Don't know about the music, but it commemorates a significant piece of outdoor history that shouldn't be forgotten. See you there.