# Posted by Steve Hooker at 12/4/12; 11:28:22 PM
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Links to the storm over the donkey field

Cuts will destroy rarest habitats in Britain, warn conservationists - Nature, Environment - The Independent: "John Hughes, of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said the loss of the fund will damage the ability of environmental groups to protect the landscape: "We weren't happy to hear the fund was disappearing. [It] has done so much environmental good to a county like Shropshire which has a lot of aggregate sites. The fund was addressing the blight that comes with aggregates extraction.""

Yeah, well... I don't know the Clee Hills story, but here, on The Wrekin, I'm a little happier that this fund is closed. It was used here to build the wall at the foot near Forest Glen. Needlessly. Apparently, to echo how the foot looked 50 years ago. But only half the wall was built and today it looks brand new, when before it looked gracefully run down. It's part of the prissying. The tarting up. The taming of a wild, rough, bedraggled beauty spot, turning it into a city centre park.

I'm very glad the The Shropshire Wild Places Development Trust is finding it hard to get money.

# Posted by Steve Hooker at 28/3/11; 12:18:59 PM
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Cuts will destroy rarest habitats in Britain, warn conservationists - Nature, Environment - The Independent

Telford man hits out at UK Coal home threat « Shropshire Star: "A Telford resident who has been told to leave his home within two months has labelled landlords UK Coal as "heartless". Watch out video interview."

# Posted by Steve Hooker at 1/3/11; 8:20:33 AM
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Telford man hits out at UK Coal home threat « Shropshire Star

Shropshire Star: "Telford pensioner Eva Ludlum could lose much of the view from her bungalow in New Works when open cast mining operations start in earnest over the next few months."

# Posted by Steve Hooker at 17/11/10; 9:03:19 PM
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Eva's fears over open cast mine works

Council builds over iconic stepping stones because of health and safety fears: 

"An iconic set of stepping stones that appeared in Hollywood movie Robin Hood have been paved over by the council amid health and safety fears. 

For centuries ramblers have crossed the River Dove in the Derbyshire Dales using the stepping stones, which have featured on postcards and calendars as an enduring image of an area visited by over a million people each year. 

But the famous spot has now become an ugly eyesore after the uniformly flat limestone blocks were placed on top of the stones to stop people slipping."

# Posted by Steve Hooker at 5/8/10; 6:48:40 AM
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Council builds over iconic stepping stones because of health and safety fears | Mail Online

Mail Online: "Jed Thornby, 43, from Castleford, who regularly walks the paths on the mountain, said: 'Families with pushchairs shouldn't be encouraged up here. The weather can turn bad quickly and catch them out. Kids are vulnerable to cold. ;'And what about mobility scooters? Will mountain rescue teams be on permanent call to retrieve people after their batteries run out? 

However mountain rescuers say the newly-surfaced Miners' Track - which does not lead to the summit but rises from 2,460 ft to 3,300 ft before continuing to the shore of Llyn Llydaw - will make their job much easier. 

Ian Henderson, secretary of the Llanberis rescue team said: 'Snowdon is many things to many people. To climbers Snowdon is a mountain first and foremost while to others it's a theme park.'Tarmacking part of the path is a necessary evil to make the mountain more accessible. Perhaps we'll see fewer calls to twisted ankles as a result of this but we'll have to wait and see.'

I don't want this for The Wrekin. 'Next they'll want to put a lift up Everest' or a ski lift up The Wrekin.

# Posted by Steve Hooker at 7/7/10; 12:07:52 AM
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Mountaineers' fury over tarmac path up Snowdon

Friends, I tried to represent the majority of AFRTW's members at the Wrekin Forest Partnership meeting on Monday. At least the consensus was that the donkey field was quite unsuitable for parking. There's a couple of fancy reports out, one of which is very poorly researched and needs a lot more work before the writers are paid good public money for it. Well, fancy mis-spelling The Wrekin! Most of it was taken straight from net searches; boots are needed.

Most Authorities seem to want the coal extraction to go ahead quickly and don't have our sympathy for the protesters. I was shouted down when I supported them.

The leadership of the Partnership are lovely people but I do wish they understood that the most important thing to do with The Wrekin Forest is to leave it alone. It's NATURAL Beauty. It stops being an AONB when it's messed about.

Enough ranting from me, just be happy George the Ancient. # Posted by Steve Hooker at 19/5/10; 11:53:09 PM
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Wrekin Forest Partnership bullies shout down our George!

Defend Huntington Lane: "We've just received word in the last few minutes that representatives of UK Coal have visited the camp this afternoon, enquiring after our ‘list of demands'. They didn't seem pleased with the response, that we wanted them to call a halt to all open cast coal mining on this site!"

# Posted by Steve Hooker at 22/12/08; 9:56:33 PM
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The list of demand

The person responsible for the foul and vile abusive writings at The Ercall Yew Grove in the Limekiln woods, would be well advised to consider the attached item.
This is an addition to the Yew tree article posted earlier. Pat & COTEYG # Posted by Pat judson at 5/2/10; 9:31:26 PM
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Addition to article on Clootie Tree .

Following Steves  recent article on the "Clootie Trees "that give some people a smile when they come across them, it was sad and maddening yesterday, to see what some Prat has done to the ancient Yew Tree in the  Limekilns.

lets get this straight - leaving yards of Nylon string that Deer/Foxes/Hares/Pheasants can strangle themselves with is not clever - its a Dickheads actions - so if its you, and the cap fits , hello Dickhead.

Neither is lighting a large fire below an aged, and dry Yew tree - or leaving broken bottles lying around, empty drink plastic bottles, more Nylon string ( set with loops), and messages saying offense to Pagans - or anyone else that read your crap either - kids run around these woods, so you should be ashamed of yourself.

Those who would denegrate the Pagan belief to less than others, I will be posting an informative piece of legislation to amend this item later.

Why not go and do the same to yourself if you have the equipment?

Its obvious that whoever did this has no respect for the woodland, the animals, or others, be they of a different Religion to you or not  - pulling down  prayer ribbons is the act of a mindless, gutless prat, hope we dont meet up while I am in the woods and catch you at it.

By the way, your machete is now where you cannot chop down Hazel indiscriminately - its owned by someone, we just get to use it as a by your leave -people like you sicken me and spoil it for others.

Be warned.

Pat & COTEYG.

# Posted by Pat judson at 5/2/10; 8:49:00 PM
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so whos the smartass that ripped down the Clooties and lit a fire under the Yew tree?