Keep The Wrekin wild
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15/11/2008; 20:58:58
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I'm putting together a map of the tracks and walks and everything!
I'm putting together a map of the tracks and walks and everything!
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An independent group of individuals who share a love of The Wrekin
and a determination to see it preserved for the good of its
communities, landscape, wildlife and heritage.
Read more about Purpose, principles, activities and structure.
Some promotions about The Wrekin:
The Wrekin Hill
;newWindow.focus())
This book is available for £12.99 from all good booksellers and the Halfway
House after the launch on 8th April 2007, or direct from Allan himself, in
which case send a Sterling cheque for £12.99 made payable to ALLAN FROST at
1 Buttermere Drive, Priorslee, Telford, Shropshire, TF2 9RE, United Kingdom.
Overseas buyers should send an International Money Order for that amount
(there is no additional charge for postage for this book).
Wrekin Wraiths, Rebels and Romans;newWindow.focus())
The book is available from all good booksellers and the Halfway House on
The Wrekin after the official launch at the end of October 2006 or direct
from Allan himself, in which case please send a Sterling cheque for £5.99
made payable to ALLAN FROST at 1 Buttermere Drive, Priorslee, Telford,
Shropshire, TF2 9RE, United Kingdom. If you live outside the United Kingdom,
send an International Money Order for £6.99 made payable to Allan Frost at
the above address.
Fern Ticket;newWindow.focus())
George Evans, the venerable chairman of All
Friends Around The Wrekin has a booklet out. Already on its second
reprint and the only book about The Wrekin, like ever!
Join George for a walk up and around The Wrekin, learn all the important landmarks and all the historical aspects of The Wrekin.
BTW: A fern ticket is the mythical permit to adventure on The Wrekin or
in its magical forest. Couples spotted leaving a dance at the Forest
Glen were asked. "Have you got your fern ticket?"
Wrekin Recipes;newWindow.focus())
Recipes taught to the pupils of Wrekin Road School in 1904 with
Emmie Teece's memories of the Wellington area in the years before
World War One.
£2.99 All proceeds to the Wrekin Appeal
Available from : Langlands Records, Wellington; Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury
Archive page for Saturday, 15 November 2008
 Sa, Nov 15, 2008Gossip and rumour
Heard on the hill today and elsewhere...
;newWindow.focus()) Mad orange leaves The woman, who's just had seventeen grand drop in her lap, also did the feasibility study for the Greenwood Centre. An unvisited white elephant. Landscaped and prettified through the slave labour of the sentencing of petty criminals with community service orders. [Don't turn them loose on the hill. Leave it untidy and unkempt. Natural.] Planning permission would never be granted for a car park on the donkey field, it was rejected last time. Part of the rejection said, 'the view of The Wrekin, from the motorway, would be blighted by a visible car park.' [Then why are we here again? I'd suggest it's because TAW have money to give away on the fool's errand of a £17k report.] There's nothing stopping the current toilets being opened. They're wide enough for wheelchair access. There's no need for any planning permission—they're already built. We just need to clean them up and refit. And OPEN them. [Let's just do it ourselves.] # Posted by Steve Hooker at 15/11/08; 8:58:58 PM To the Gossip & Rumour dept. Discuss Comment [0] Gossip and rumour 
To Pete from George
Pete,
Thanks for your messages. I have Naomi at home from
the PRH now but am not able to do as much as I would like; there's a bit of
caring and a lot of cooking/housekeeping to do.
However.
;newWindow.focus()) Mad yellow leaves. I maybe a hassle, but I can take a wicked picture. I do like the leaflet and have just printed it off.
Well done with that.
I'm glad you will be able to get on with the
Hillfort protection scheme and the rest of your work, at least for a
while.
But,
Sorry you're having a hassle with Steve Hooker.
He's gone way over the top, though he's not wrong in principle. I too want The
Wrekin Forest to remain as wild as possible, though perhaps not as wild as
Steve.
You'll surely find that there is a lot
of opposition from all the regulars and locals and all who really know The
Wrekin and care fiercely for it to destroying the donkey field or any other
part of the forest.
There's also the financial problem.
Unless a lot of money is forthcoming on a regular basis there won't be the wages
to keep someone on site looking after the place, without which it'll be soon
vandalised. This means providing a money making facility with all the brash
commercialism that goes with it or it's not worth doing. That's what will
destroy the wild woods and the ambiance of this wonderful place.
The best solution is to have the
visitor centre in Wellington, separate from the woodlands but with town
facilities, car parking etc. available. Many of us will do our utmost to support
this.
On the Forest Glen site, all we want
is the lavatories, either new or the old ones. Some of the regulations are ridiculous; just tell me how many wheelchair users walk up The Wrekin.
The Wrekin is not like anywhere else.
It's not Cardingmill or the Lake District, it's wilder than that. It should not
be exploited. It's very precious to many of us.
When people come and find nowhere to
park, that's fine, they'll go somewhere else and maybe come back another time.
The available car parking is enough for the number of people the site can stand.
Provide parking for another hundred vehicles and there will be more visitors
than the area can take and the very character of the forest will be
destroyed.
So I'm saying;
1. We want lavatories - open and
controlled.
2. A Visitor Centre has to be in Wellington.
There's nowhere else suitable.
3. No more car parks at the Forest Glen. Visitor
numbers need to be controlled by limiting the facilities.
Of course I'll be prepared to argue my case
with all comers but I think you will find that the majority of those who really
know and care about The Wrekin Forest will agree with me.
I do hope this is a useful contribution to the
discussion.
Be happy,
George Evans.
# Posted by Steve Hooker at 15/11/08; 8:13:33 PM
[Links added by Steve Hooker] To the Planning applications dept. Discuss Comment [0] To Pete from George
With a cherry on top
Shropshire Star: "Mr Lambert said planting trees in the field, using solar power at the centre and giving it a turf roof would help reduce its carbon footprint."
;newWindow.focus()) Today...Up past Burnt Cottage looking up toward Beech Tree Avenue. Do that in Wellington Town Centre and I'll applaud it. Eating part of greenery of The Wrekin, even the smallest part and I'll fight you tooth and nail. By all means necessary. Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot Joni Mitchel Big Yellow Taxi Shropshire Wild Places Development Board, gives lip service to green issues. Clearly, by building on green spaces, they are not The Wrekin's friends. They are sworn enemies. A windmill on top is cheap bribery. "Pretty please. With a cherry on top." # Posted by Steve Hooker at 15/11/08; 7:56:47 PM To the News dept. Discuss Comment [0] With a cherry on top
Wrong headed
Car parking charges?Will move parked cars into Little Wenlock and around the smaller hamlets.
Overflow car parking in the donkey field with mesh on the grass.Think back 20 years ago. ;newWindow.focus()) Looking down across the donkey field More cars begets more cars. Begets more parking lots. Begets more cars, begets more parking lots. It's wrong headed to welcome more cars. Or should we knock down The Wrekin and build a big car park? Let's turn the clock back. Make much less free space for parking at the foot, more free parking further away. Perhaps below Little Wenlock, and/or closer to the motorway. Have the Forest Glen as a dropping off point. Double yellow lines and the occasional parking warden. Cuts down visitor numbers, naturally. Makes everyone a little more healthy. Maintains the hill’s integrity. I heard a story today, about a man attempting to go up to the top in a 4 x 4. "He wanted to take his dog for a walk up the top." The Wrekin's special character shouldn't be compromised by the 20th century's love affair with the motorcar. The 21st century has learned that cars can be very dumb. I'm thinking of councils removing traffic calming measures, speed bumps, chicanes. And also removing central white lines. Leaving motorists with little to 'understand.' Thereby forcing them to slow down. It's counter intuitive. Likewise with our parking 'problem.' Think counter intuitively, to save the hill. # Posted by Steve Hooker at 15/11/08; 7:20:59 PM To the dept. Discuss Comment [0] Wrong headed
Posters are up
How long will they last? Last time I was admonished by the landowner for
putting them up the main track. He accused me of littering. Even though
I'd have taken them down, myself, after a few weeks. (I do pick litter,
off my own back.)
This time I've put them on notice boards on the Ercall and Forest Glen, and on the big sign below Hell's Gate. Tom's going to put one up too. I think the poster seemed good last night at 3am in the morning. It has the right message, but perhaps it will not mean much to newbies, not knowing the giant story. It was meant to draw attention to more information of the website... We'll see. I intend to continue with further posters. I'll remove these (so no litter). ;newWindow.focus()) SWT propaganda not leaving any room for my notice on the notice board ;newWindow.focus()) Fly postering on the big sign ;newWindow.focus()) How we let silly giants eat The Wrekin # Posted by Steve Hooker at 15/11/08; 7:20:40 PM To the News dept. Discuss Comment [0] Posters are up
Poster campaign
Could you tell me which is best? Or maybe I should use all of them?
Would anybody (later) like to offer to spread them about? Shops, post
offices... Pubs. Community centres, bus stops...
Got more in the pipeline, but busy weekend, ahead. ;newWindow.focus()) A new giant story to tell the next generations, when they ask. "What was The Real Wrekin like when you were a boy, daddy?" Eaten by the greed of silly giants. While we stood by and did nothing. ;newWindow.focus()) For future generations ;newWindow.focus()) Save the donkey field and save The Wrekin If you can think of better captions, or alternatives... Knock yourself out (in the comments). ;newWindow.focus()) Silly and nasty giants. Which is which? # Posted by Steve Hooker at 15/11/08; 12:01:58 AM To the News dept. Discuss Comment [0] Poster campaign
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