Editing Footpath (section)

===Open Spaces Society===
[[File:Stepping Stones - geograph.org.uk - 5528.jpg|left|thumb|[[Stepping stones]] in the [[River Rothay]], [[Lake District]], England.]]
The [[Open Spaces Society]] is a charitable British organisation that works to protect public rights of way and open spaces in the United Kingdom, such as [[common land]] and [[village green]]s. It is Britain's oldest national conservation body. The society was founded as the Commons Preservation Society and merged with the National Footpaths Society in 1899, and adopted their present name.<ref name="oss">[http://www.oss.org.uk/ Open Spaces Society]</ref>

Much of the Open Spaces Society's work is concerned with the preservation and creation of public paths. Before the introduction of [[definitive map]]s of public paths in the early 1950s, the public did not know where paths were, and the Open Spaces Society helped the successful campaign for paths to be shown on [[Ordnance Survey]] maps. It advises the [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]] and National Assembly for Wales on applications for works on common land. Local authorities are legally required to consult the society whenever there is a proposal to alter the route of a public right of way.<ref name="oss"/>

[[The Ramblers]] are another British organisation concerned with the protection of footpaths.