Ramblers
"I enjoy ensuring the public’s rights are protected and not stolen from us"
Name: Kate Ashbrook
Current role: Footpath Secretary of Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and West Middlesex Area
Biggest achievement: getting the infamous ‘Hoogstraten’ footpath reopened
Kate has been a trustee of the Ramblers for 27 years, and was elected at her first general council in 1982, aged 27. In 1986 she became footpath secretary of Bucks, Milton Keynes and West Middlesex Area.
Working with Ramblers’ volunteers and staff, Kate helped to achieve freedom to roam in England and Wales through the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; she attended every session of the Bill’s passage through parliament, including an all-night sitting in the House of Lords.
Kate took East Sussex County Council to the Court of Appeal for failing to reopen the ‘Hoogstraten’ footpath and won, with a landmark decision to teach highway authorities that they must reopen blocked paths, not divert them. The case led to the reopening of the path after 13 years.
Reasons for volunteering: I enjoy campaigning and ensuring that the public’s rights are protected and not stolen from us.
