Jarvis Cocker Be Kinder
"I want this to encourage people to be kind to the landscape, to be kind to the environment. To make them pause, think for a moment and think how to be kinder. Think how to be... Kinder."
Jarvis Cocker and Jeremy Deller in the Peak District.
We really are spoilt here in Sheffield. Nestled so closely to the green and glorious Peak District, there's a haven of adventure and exploration right on our doorstep. Those rolling hills have seen some sights too, including the famous Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout which took place almost 90 years ago, and saw a group of defiant ramblers fight for their right to access the countryside.
This summer, from Saturday 6 July to Sunday 15 September, former Pulp frontman and BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Jarvis Cocker and Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller will collaborate with the National Trust and local community groups to bring us the BE KINDER walk, as part of the Trust's People's Landscapes programme.
The trail has been created with the purpose of encouraging people to think deeply about the importance of being kind to the landscape and all the flora and fauna that dwell within it, while remembering and celebrating those who fought for our rights, and the rights of future generations, to access and enjoy it.
Well-loved Sheffield native Jarvis says of the BE KINDER project, "I want this to encourage people to be kind to the landscape, to be kind to the environment. To make them pause, think for a moment and think how to be kinder. Think how to be... Kinder."
Based on the Mass Trespass route taken in 1932, the BE KINDER walking trail starts at the Penny Pot Cafe next to Edale train station, where walkers can begin their adventure in style with music from Ruth Ewan's jukebox, filling the air with songs of passion and protest. Further down the trail, explorers can discover the Cinebarn, a tiny rural screen showing film clips by a variety of directors and amateurs, all of whom were inspired by the beautiful landscape of Kinder Scout. Passages from Jon Macgregor's Derbyshire-based novel Reservoir 13 will be tucked away on the route too, waiting for people to uncover them.
Trespassers take to the hills.
2019 is also special because it marks the tenth anniversary of Kinder Scout becoming a National Nature Reserve. The National Trust's work in the 'High' or 'Dark' Peak area of the Peak District, which includes Kinder Scout, is vital to ensuring that this beautiful environment remains so, but as Jarvis rightly says, "the preservation of the landscape is everyone's responsibility".
So hop on the Sheffield to Manchester train and get ready to explore the BE KINDER trail on foot, keeping your eyes peeled for artistic interpretations along the way. And remember to Be Kinder.
