From Wednesday 8th March to Sunday 12th March, a group of Yorkshire Green Party councillors and members, together with other anti-fracking campaigners, will be walking some or all of the 120 miles between the two approved fracking sites in the North of England: Third Energy’s Kirby Misperton site in Ryedale, Yorkshire and Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site in the heart of rural Lancashire.

The final leg of the walk on Sunday will be from Longridge to Maple Farm, Preston New Road. This last section will be the walkers joined by members of Preston New Road Action Group and Roseacre Awareness Group, in solidarity with their Yorkshire colleagues. A reception committee will welcome the group’s arrival at Maple Farm at 15.30hrs.

Spokesperson for Frack Free Lancashire, Nick Danby, said: 

“We are delighted to welcome our colleagues from Yorkshire after their epic walk from the proposed fracking site at Kirby Misperton in beautiful Ryedale. It is important that people realise that the developing site at Preston New Road is only the first of many that are planned for the North of England and elsewhere.”

Claire Stephenson on behalf of Preston New Road Action Group said:

“Our community and county has strongly said no to fracking: Lancashire County Council carefully considered all of the facts and refused this development. Intense work has now commenced at the Preston New Road site, in spite of the fact that there are two outstanding legal challenges. We are very grateful for the support and solidarity of our Yorkshire friends who are also facing the threat of fracking at the Kirby Misperton site.”

Legal challenges in Lancashire against the Secretary of State begin on March 15th Manchester Civil Justice Centre.

Protests against the Fracking companies at both sites are ongoing. The latest on the Preston New Road site is here, and the latest for Kirby Misperton is here.