Outdoor Focus Autumn 2017 | Page 15

PEAKED INTEREST Gritstone is a marketing vehicle and not a traditional publishing house and we will not be in a position to publish books written by non-members of the co-op, no matter how good they may be. We have also decided for the time being while we get established to keep the number of co-op members at four. There may come a time in the future when perhaps we can increase the membership, but we feel that this time hasn’t yet come. We’re not yet past our first year of trading, so it’s early days. But I think the consensus among the four of us so far is that we’ve hit upon a model which brings us definite advantages. We’re not sure why nobody has started an authors’ co-operative before, and we would certainly welcome being joined by other similar co-operative ventures if others choose to come together in a similar way to us. T he right to walk freely over mountain and moorland was the birthright of every citizen of Britain, claimed author and broadcaster Stuart Maconie at the 85th anniversary Spirit of Kinder event, held at Edale Village Hall on Saturday, 22 April. Stuart, the newly-elected president of the Ramblers, added: “I was in Castleton earlier today, and it was just great to see families from all walks of life, colour and creed out enjoying the glorious scenery of the Hope Valley. “That’s who those brave trespassers of 85 years ago fought for, and that’s who I’ll be fighting for as president of The Ramblers.” Stuart added that he was greatly honoured that, as a keen walker from a council estate in Wigan, he had been elected to his new position as head of the 140,000-strong Ramblers. The theme of the standing-room-only event was the transformation of the summit of Kinder Scout, the Peak District’s highest point, by the National Trust and Moors for the Future partnership, and it looked forward to current and future challenges to this precious environment. Other keynote speakers were Dame Helen Ghosh, Director General of the five-million- member National Trust, Stephen Trotter, Director of the Wildlife Trusts of England and formerly manager of the Trust’s High Peak Estate, Jon Stewart, current General Manager of the Trust in the Peak and Vanessa Griffiths, Chief Executive of The Ramblers. Master of ceremonies was the popular BBC Radio Sheffield presenter Rony Robinson, and his partner, Sheffield folk singer Sally Goldsmith provided the musical accompaniment on the day, including the leading of the traditional singing of The Manchester Rambler. S Andrew Bibby is a writer and journalist. He won the OWPG Award for Excellence in 2006 for his book Wensleydale and Swaledale. everal guild members will be leading walks at this year’s Sheffield Walking Festival, taking place from 8–17 September 2017. Sheffield is the leafiest city in Europe and the greenest in the UK with over 60% of it greenspace and much of the Peak National Park within the city boundary. Andrew White will be leading the Ladybower Reservoir walk from the first series of his Walks Around Britain TV programme on 15 September. Chiz Dakin will be leading an outdoor photowalk in Padley Gorge and up on the moors on 11 September. Anne and John Nuttall will be leading a family walk, akin to their kiddie book walk, in the same area on 17 September. And Rob Haslam will go in search of Naked People on a sculpture trail near Rotherham on 12 September. Roly Smith’s joint venture on Clarion Call, a book on Sheffield’s Access Pioneers, is also celebrated with the GHB Ward Walk, also on 12 September. For further details and booking visit the website: www.theoutdoorcity.co.uk/walk autumn 2017 | Outdoor focus 15