A 1930s protest song that led to the creation of the Peak District has been rehashed by a campaign group to stop 130 homes from being built on their local green belt. The swelling group of Hucknall campaigners have sprung into action over recent weeks, with a significant protest at Misk Hills, the site of the 100-home development, as well as several social media campaigns to protect their much-loved green belt. Misk Hills, a section of land off Common Lane, Hucknall, has been earmarked for development after the national government’s planning inspectorate overturned Ashfield District Council’s rejection of the plans. In an effort to curb the development, the Hucknall Ukulele Group organised a song-writing exercise for their newest rendition of “The Manchester Rambler”, a song released in 1932 by Ewan MacColl, inspired by his protest for free access in the Peak District. The original song and the protests surrounding the issue led to the formation of the Peak District National Park, something the Hucknall group hopes to recreate with their newest rendition. Mike Harris, the organiser of the Hucknall Ukulele Group, decided to host a songwriting competition to the tune of the “Manchester Rambler” to localise the song, after getting permission from MacColl’s family to use the song. Mike said: “We have a song book and we have our meetings, and we all go and sing songs. One of the popular ones is the Manchester Rambler. “As a sort of anthem to get access to the Peak District , they were denied access, and they had a mass ramble, then a lot of them got put in prison, and then it all led to the creation of the Peak District National Park. “We thought, well, we need to change the words, as we can’t have the Manchester Rambler, so we went with the Hucknall Rambler. “I wrote to the family after seeing it was still in copyright, and the family came back with a really lovely email saying that, of course, we could use it and that they wish us well with our campaign.” Louise Cooke, an amateur photographer and an avid hiker who has lived in Hucknall for the past ten years, wrote the words for the new ukulele song after learning about it from the campaign group. “I thought, well, I can have a go at that. I loved the Manchester Rambler song as well. “I wrote the words, and they were inspired by walking around there myself. I also learned that DH Lawrence and Lord Byron had written about the area as well, so when you put all of that together, there was a lot of material to put in there. “Our infrastructure is collapsing, we won’t be able to cope with these homes, we don’t have enough money for doctors, and there aren’t enough school places or transport. “In Hucknall West, there are hardly any bus services that go to Nottingham. We are really badly served, and we are underfunded. “Whilst we accept that more homes are needed, there are three issues: whether we need to build them on green belt, we need better infrastructure if we are to build them and finally that they need to be affordable.” All of this work comes off the back of the passionate campaign put forward by Hucknall Against Whyburn Farm Development, who have been fighting for the rejection of 3,000 homes on the Whyburn Farm site, as well as the protection of “green belt/grey belt” spaces around Hucknall, such as Misk Hills. An Ashfield District Council spokesperson said: “Ashfield District Council refused planning permission for this development. We considered the development inappropriate in the green belt. “The Government’s Planning Inspector decided that this open countryside fits with the Government’s definition of grey belt and approved the development. “There is considerable local concern about the impact that this development will have, but the Government Planning Inspector’s decision to approve means that the council has no powers to stop it.