Right to Roam release Trespass Guides across the country as part of nationwide campaign with LUSH

• Guides on how to trespass responsibly distributed across 87 LUSH stores in England in push to encourage local access to nature throughout the country
• Right to Roam launch collaboration with British Mountaineering Council Cymru, calling on the Welsh government to enact UK Labour’s commitment to introduce a Right to Roam Act
• Further mass trespasses planned along Anglo-Scottish border to highlight wide disparity between Scottish and English access law

This week Right to Roam is releasing thousands of Trespass Guides around the country as part of a bid to encourage access to nature in spots which are traditionally off limits to the public. Currently, only 8% of land in England enjoys formal rights of access. [Note 1]

From Thursday 7th to Wednesday 27th September, the guides will be available exclusively in Lush stores and encourage trespassers to follow principles of responsible access inspired by the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, which governs Scotland’s comprehensive system of access rights, and provide tips on how to politely manage confrontations with landowners. [Note 2]

The campaign, called “Nature Is For Everyone”, is in collaboration with the ethical cosmetics company LUSH and advises high street shoppers that trespass is ‘not a criminal offence’ and, exercised responsibly, can be crucial for protection of the environment. All Lush stores across the UK will feature stunning artwork by Nick Hayes (cofounder of Right to Roam and author of the Book of Trespass) in their windows.

Jon Moses, a campaigner with Right to Roam said: “With so much of the countryside off limits to the public we have become disconnected from our environment, meaning widespread damage often goes unnoticed. We urgently need a Right to Roam Act, not just for our nation’s physical and mental health, but for the protection of nature too.”

LUSH stores will sell a bespoke ‘Right to Foam’ soap, shaped as footpath signs, with all the money (minus the VAT) from sales going to support Right to Roam’s work. 

LUSH campaigns manager Andrew Butler said: “For too long people have been cut off from the vast majority of our land and waterways, leading to feeling that they are apart from nature, not a part of it. This disconnection harms our physical and mental health and leads to the destruction of the environment often going unchallenged. We urgently need a Scottish-style Right to Roam Act that covers the whole of the UK, giving everyone equal easy access to nature”.

Earlier this year the UK Labour Party pledged to introduce a Scottish-style Right to Roam Act in England should it win power, “replacing the default of exclusion with a default of access”. [Note 3]

In tandem with the launch, Right to Roam and BMC Cymru are urging the Welsh government, where Labour already hold power, to adopt the same commitment.

Wales currently has a right to roam over only 20% of the countryside and many activities other than walking are prohibited. 

Eben Muse from British Mountaineering Council Cymru said: “It’s clear that the only way to secure a genuine right to access the countryside in Wales is by following Scotland in establishing a true right to roam, including the right to wild camp. It will help us tackle the nature and climate crises, boost rural economies, and improve the wellbeing of every person in Wales. We need nature and nature needs us.”

The multi-week campaign comes in advance of a mass trespass of the Anglo-Scottish border, being organised by the Right to Roam campaign in late September. The event will highlight the vast disparities in access law between the two countries. [Note 4]

For details of that event and separate press release, please contact: guy@righttoroam.org.uk 

For more information and to arrange an interview please contact:

Right to Roam: hello@righttoroam.org.uk

LUSH: andrew.butler@lush.co.uk

BMC Cymru: Eben.Muse@thebmc.co.uk

Editor’s Notes

1. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 provided access to ‘mountain, moor, health and down’ as well as common land in England, ultimately constituting nearly 8% of land in England. The footpath network covers an additional 0.2% of land. Only 3% of rivers enjoy undisputed rights of access. For more see: HOME | Right to Roam
2. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code governs the Right of Responsible Access in Scotland – colloquially known as the ‘Right to Roam’ – covering most land and water. NatureScot (outdooraccess-scotland.scot)
3. Labour vows to introduce Scottish-style right to roam law in England | Access to green space | The Guardian
4. This year is the 20th anniversary of the Scottish Land Reform Act (2003) which introduced widespread rights of access to land and water across the country, in line with many other Scandinavian countries and other areas of Europe. The Right to Roam campaign is calling for similar laws to be introduced across the rest of the UK.

About Lush

Lush invents, manufactures and retails fresh handmade cosmetics.  A beauty company with a campaigning heart, Lush is passionate about direct action using its stores around the world as a platform to shed light on little-known social and environmental issues. www.lush.com