Walk for Democracy

A walk through the landscape and politics of North East England

From Spring Gentians to Rotten Boroughs

Walk	The route is 150Km and is broken into 7 stages. It starts at Cow Green reservoir (on the Co Durham/Cumbria border), and ends at Howick on the Northumberland coast. Cow Green was the site of one of the first modern conservation campaigns, as the reservoir threatened an internationally important site for the Teesdale Violet, Spring Gentian and other rare alpine plants. Howick Hall was the seat of the 2nd Earl Grey, champion of the 1832 Reform Act which swept away the "rotten boroughs" and began the extension of the parliamentary vote. See below for further information on the route, and the separate webpage for full details of the route.
for	The walk will raise funds for the North East Green Party's Euro and General election campaigns. Download a sponsorship form or see the donations page for details of where to send donations.
Democracy	In order to stand in an election to the European Parliament for the North East region (June 2009), the Green Party must find £5,000. For every constituency that we wish to contest at the next Parliamentary election (latest June 2010), we have to pay a similar deposit of £500. These are payments just to appear on the ballot paper. We are not bankrolled by rich donors and cannot afford multi-million pound debts, so every pound raised will help us to stand candidates in these elections - and give more voters the chance to vote Green. We want to give all voters in the region a Green alternative to the greenwashed "business as normal" parties. See the Green Party website for details of our policies and reports from our MEPs, and the North East Green Party site for details of our prospective candidates and local news. For the Euro elections on 4th June 2009, our regional candidates are Shirley Ford from South Tyneside, Iris Ryder from Hartlepool and Nic Best from Northumberland.

Walk

The route is 150Km and is broken into 7 stages. It starts at Cow Green reservoir (on the Co Durham/Cumbria border), and ends at Howick on the Northumberland coast.

Cow Green was the site of one of the first modern conservation campaigns, as the reservoir threatened an internationally important site for the Teesdale Violet, Spring Gentian and other rare alpine plants. Howick Hall was the seat of the 2nd Earl Grey, champion of the 1832 Reform Act which swept away the "rotten boroughs" and began the extension of the parliamentary vote.

See below for further information on the route, and the separate webpage for full details of the route.

for

The walk will raise funds for the North East Green Party's Euro and General election campaigns. Download a sponsorship form or see the donations page for details of where to send donations.

Democracy

In order to stand in an election to the European Parliament for the North East region (June 2009), the Green Party must find £5,000. For every constituency that we wish to contest at the next Parliamentary election (latest June 2010), we have to pay a similar deposit of £500. These are payments just to appear on the ballot paper. We are not bankrolled by rich donors and cannot afford multi-million pound debts, so every pound raised will help us to stand candidates in these elections - and give more voters the chance to vote Green.

We want to give all voters in the region a Green alternative to the greenwashed "business as normal" parties. See the Green Party website for details of our policies and reports from our MEPs, and the North East Green Party site for details of our prospective candidates and local news. For the Euro elections on 4th June 2009, our regional candidates are Shirley Ford from South Tyneside, Iris Ryder from Hartlepool and Nic Best from Northumberland.

Andrew's blog from the walk

Further information

When

24th to 31st May 2009

Where

As well as the symbolism of the start and end points for the route (see above), locations symbolic in the (recent) political history of the North East will be visited. These include:

a road built by the military during the 1750s, over an archaeological landmark of international importance
a disused airstrip used by vehicles carrying Trident nuclear warheads
a mink fur farm that spearheaded use of draconian legislation to stifle protest in the late 1990s
the grave of Emily Wilding Davison, campaigner for women's suffrage (died 1913)
sites used for burying and burning cattle infected by Foot and Mouth Disease in 2001
the site of a successful campaign to stop development of a nuclear power station in the 1980s

The route crosses five constituencies, from Bishop Auckland in the south west of the NE Euro region, to Berwick-upon-Tweed in the north east. Full details of the route are available on a separate webpage.

Who

Andrew Gray is a member of Newcastle Green Party. A mini biog is available on this website. Supporters are welcome to join in for one or more days of the walk: contact details are on the donations page.

Website

Information on walk at http://tyneside.metapath.org/walk4democracy. Daily blog from walker at http://tyneside.metapath.org/blog.

Spring Sandwort on sugar
limestone near Cow Green, 2008

Spring Sandwort (Minuartia Verna) on "sugar limestone", near Cow Green reservoir, 2008

The walk begins at Cow Green reservoir, which flooded a unique habitat for rare arctic plants.

Women in Black demonstration around Grey's Monument, Newcastle, March 2003

Women in Black demonstration against war in Iraq, Grey's Monument, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, March 2003

The walk ends at Howick on the Northumberland coast, recalling Grey's Monument in my home town, and the history of protest and political dissent centred around this monument.

"Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come ...; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone." [George Fox, 1656]