Open Spaces Society appoints correspondent for Essex

Katherine Evans, who lives in Braintree district, will serve as the Essex correspondent to protect public paths, commons, greens, and other open spaces across the county.

Katherine said: "I volunteered to be the Open Spaces Society’s local correspondent for Essex because I care about keeping our public rights of way and other public open spaces—such as village greens, common land, and access land—open, usable, and available to the public.

Katherine Evans has been appointed the Essex correspondent for The Open Spaces Society (Image: The Open Spaces Society) "With the pressure to build houses and the associated infrastructure, precious open spaces and public paths can get overlooked and dismissed as being 'only for leisure use.'

"There is evidence that access to nearby green or blue open space is beneficial to our mental health and well-being—and the government has promised to provide such spaces within 15 minutes' walk of everyone’s homes.

"The protection of these spaces and making them as accessible as possible is important to us all."

Katherine is a life member of the Ramblers, and volunteers as a footpath secretary and ‘Lost Ways’ co-ordinator for Essex.

She also serves on the Essex Local Access Forum and is a parish councillor, with a layman's experience and knowledge of the planning system as a member of the planning committee for many years.

Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, said: "We welcome Katherine as a local correspondent.

"We are delighted to have an activist on the ground in Essex to defend the public’s rights to paths and open spaces."