“If we don’t stand up now and show how much these wonderful green spaces mean to us we risk losing them forever.”
A protest will take place in a Cumbrian forest this weekend as fears grow that the Government could sell off public woodlands.
The rally will be staged at Grizedale after more than 100 leading figures – including actor Dame Judi Dench and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams – signed a letter to a national newspaper criticising the proposals.
The Government is due to launch a consultation on selling off England’s public forests, including forests and woodlands across the Lake District such as Grizedale, Whinlatter and Ennerdale.
Sunday’s rally will take place on the meadow next to the main car park at Grizedale at 1pm.
There will be speeches from former Forestry Commission chairman Lord Clark of Windermere, Cumbria Tourism chairman Eric Robson, Jack Ellerby from Friends of the Lake District, and Paul Townsend, chairman of Save Lakeland’s Forests.
Lord Clark said: “This is a great opportunity to send a signal about the strength of opposition to selling off the public forests.
“I urge as many people as possible to come to Grizedale Forest – walkers, mountain bikers, families, and people walking their dogs – just as millions of people do in our public forests every year.
“If we don’t stand up now and show how much these wonderful green spaces mean to us we risk losing them forever.”
Homepage
