The people's group campaigning for The Wrekin
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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
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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
News
Simon
As you know the terms of reference for the Wrekin Forest Partnership is that one of the meetings each calendar year would be an open meeting for the general public and other interested parties.
I have attached a copy of the proceedings from the July Wrekin Forest Partnership meeting No 3. , sorry if ahs taken so long my sick leave in the summer meant a back log of work , getting to the top of the pile finally !!
The Wrekin Forest project has been active throughout the year seeking to actively deliver on the plans set out in the Wrekin Forest Landscape Conservation Plan published in December 2007 and as project Officer I will present a round up of the years events. Phil Holden , manager of the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership , [the Wrekin Forest Partnership is formally constituted by the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership] will be presenting their work on a major review of the management vision for this beautiful part of the County of Shropshire.
If you or the group you represent wish to speak or display at the evening please get in touch.
For further agenda items for the evening or to offer assistance to help with chairs or refreshments please call me , all offers gratefully received.
When I have your comments , offers for contributions back etc and can then confirm the running order for the evening I will follow up this notice with a public invitation and send it out via the usual outlets.
My sincere apologies for the late notice, I do hope you will be free to join us on the evening,
All the best , Pete.
Pete Lambert , Wrekin Forest / Telford Green Network Officer
Shropshire Wildlife Trust
193 Abbey Foregate , Shrewsbury , Shropshire SY2 6AH
01743 284285 / Mob. 07785964497
Keith Harris
If you mean Lil, then I do. I knew her well.
Tell you a lot more if you like.
Be happy,
George Evans.
With the kind permission of the Raby Estate , owner and lead partner in the restoration project, local people are invited to join a guided tour of the Hillfort with some of the expert team of archaeologists , historians and ecologists who have helped shaped the restoration plan. They hope to answer your questions , let you know why the Wrekin Hillfort needs repair and most importantly how you can help. Representatives of Shropshire Wildlife Trust and English Heritage will also be on hand to explain their role is this important and critical project to conserve one of Shropshire’s largest Iron Age monuments.
The guided tour will start at 9.30am on Wednesday 1^st October 2008.
Please meet in the Forest Glen car park at the foot of the Wrekin Hill . The tour will take about three hours and includes free refreshments at the Halfway House.
The Raby Estate team will be working closely with Shropshire Wildlife Trust volunteers to carry out the works over the next five years. If you would like to help or become involved in some way please contact the Wrekin Forest Officer of Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Pete Lambert on 01743 284285 .
Pete Lambert , Wrekin Forest / Telford Green Network Officer
Shropshire Wildlife Trust
193 Abbey Foregate , Shrewsbury , Shropshire SY2 6AH
01743 284285 / Mob. 07785964497
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Pete Lambert , Wrekin Forest / Telford Green Network Officer
Shropshire Wildlife Trust
193 Abbey Foregate , Shrewsbury , Shropshire SY2 6AH
01743 284285 / Mob.07785964497
The Autumn and Winter period are generally more practically based ,though you are still welcome to join the group and continue our wildliferecording efforts all year round. Please remember to book your place onthe minibus for each session you are joining , we can on certain daysmeet you on site , please check before hand.
I have attached the programme as a Word file I hope this is compatiblewith your computer systems , please display the poster if you can , passit on or tuck it into your diary. On top of the published programme wewill have other opportunities for you to get involved in theconservation of the green spaces of Telford , I can let you know aboutthose when we meet up . Look forward to hearing from you , regards Pete.
Pete Lambert , Wrekin Forest / Telford Green Network OfficerShropshire Wildlife Trust193 Abbey Foregate , Shrewsbury , Shropshire SY2 6AH01743 284285 / Mob. 07785964497
Thanks for any help you can provide me,
Ryan
p.s. if you are not sure of any camp sites, do you know where I might be able to find more information about the local area and who I might contact about more information? Thanks again.
‘Leave it in the ground’ is the slogan of a new network for groups taking action opposing new coal developments in the UK, including the 30+ planned opencast sites and seven new coal-fired power stations. Added to those already operating, and the coal import and transport facilities, these projects represent a massive threat to our ability to cut greenhouse gas emissions to safe levels, and would be a disaster for the climate as well as for local areas.
The network plans to be a way for groups to share skills and experience in different areas and to encourage collaboration on common goals. It is a loose network of equals, and is not affiliated to any political party or NGO. We will be holding our first national meeting on the 11th and 12th of October at the Yard Theatre, 41 Old Birley Street, Hulme, Manchester M15 5RF - and we would like to invite you to attend.
The proposed agenda for this meeting includes:
Saturday 11th
*Introduction to the UK coal industry
*Updates on opposition to coal developments in the UK, including the campaigns against the Ffos-y-Fran (near Merthyr Tydfil) and Lodge House (Derbyshire) opencast sites, the 2008 Climate Camp and the proposed Kingsnorth coal-fired power station blockade.
*Discussing climate change solutions, including the importance of a socially just transition to a low-carbon economy.
*Thinking about how our network will function, its decision-making structure, name and communications *Planning initial events and strategy for the network *Regional networking between groups
Sunday
*Media training
*Introduction to direct action planning
*Further discussions on climate change, climate justice and international networking
If you can only make one day of the meeting, please try to come on Saturday. We will aim to start at 10:00 and to finish by 18:00 to allow for travel. The meeting will free, lunch and evening meal on Saturday and lunch on Sunday will be available for donations.
If you would like to attend, please register by emailing xxxxxxx, with ‘meeting’ in the subject line, stating how many of your group wish to attend, any special dietary or access requirements and whether you want accommodation for Saturday night. Free accommodation will probably be ‘crashpad’ only, but we can provide details of nearby hotels etc.
For those traveling from far off, we will operate a ‘pool fare’ system to even out the costs of travel. The venue is about ten minutes walk from Manchester Oxford Road station, and is served by number 54 and 86 buses, with many others serving the nearby Stretford road. More details on the GMPTE website.
We hope your group will be able to join us in strengthening the opposition to the coal industry in the UK.
Best wishes,
Rebecca Spencer
on behalf of the network
c/o Sumac Resource Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Nottingham NG7 6HX
www.leaveitintheground.org.uk
0780 4018214
(I've withheld their email address... Contact me for it.)
What a wet and dodgy Summer we are enjoying / enduring! Our family camping tested our British grit though we did sneak a few great days out of the showery intervals.
At the present I am working on the Autumn and Winter programme which will include numerous wildlife walks, surveys and practical activities. The practical activities will include hedge laying , coppicing , planting , willow cutting and habitat creation. When the programme is complete I will send it out.
Latest News : In the last week the final consents have come through for the Wrekin Hillfort restoration plan , the next step includes a guided open tour of the Hillfort to explain the planned work , answer any questions and let you know how you can take part. I will let you know when we have a date for that , probably in early October.
that’s all for now , take care, Regards Pete.
Pete Lambert , Wrekin Forest / Telford Green Network Officer
Shropshire Wildlife Trust
193 Abbey Foregate , Shrewsbury , Shropshire SY2 6AH
Banner! I'll get it tomorrow.
Been away, keeping off the non urgent Internet. No longer in Much Wenlock. Don't know where I am these days.
Haven't been up for sometime, last was a month ago, Tom said nothing was happening, thusly: we agreed all was well :-)We just play on the swings down Beech Avenue, me the king with my two little kings and our black and tan, short haired border collie (she looks like a small Alsation). We always greet visitors to /our /Hill with a smiling hello.
Notice wimberries were starting to come out, on the shortcut up to Tom's. Looking forward to lush crop with this rain.Saw the deer were gnawing at the pine trees below the mast.It takes us four hours to 'do The Wrekin.' But we stop for tea, to climb trees, to look around, splash about in mud, take a longer route parallel to the track, throw sticks for the dog.
I rushed it once, on my own, walked as quick as I should. Did it in... I forget! Who cares! :-)))
The quickest was by car, with those mast people. Took a minute. I'm sure! To get to the mast. Even though we stopped twice on way. It felt like were were going by jet plane. Amazing!
Where are those mast people and their works?
BTW saw your boy, Paul Evans, in The Guardian, on about somewhere I whiz past on the way to Church Stretton. Aren't there ravens on The Wrekin?
Stay cool dude,
TTL
Steve
george evans wrote:
Steve,
Sister Anna, carry the banner!
I met Howard, the town clerk yesterday and he was saying he had an AFRTW banner in his store room and whose was it? I said you had intended to collect it but had been busy moving house but I'd remind you. I rather think he's short of space and would like you to have it soon.
Pity about the event that should have happened on 26th July but fizzled out. I couldn't go because my littlest granddaughter had her birthday party and family comes first. I gather nobody much came.
Nothing much is happening on The Wrekin except that the fellers are felling some trees off the North Circular (you call it the dark side) and somebody has messed up the water supply at the Sea Scout camp. I pottered in the woods for three hours this morning. Last Sunday, returning from the top, a chap asked how long it took to walk up and down. I admitted having taken four hours, which worried him, until I said that the record was 25 minutes. Anyway I'm a bit garrulous and talked to a lot of folks.
Hope you're now comfortably settled in Much Wenlock.
Stay happy,
George.
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I propose to urge Telford and Wrekin Borough Council to either reopen their lavatories to the public or build some new ones. Or possibly reopen temporarily while the new ones are being built.
Also I support the idea of a van supplying food and drink based in the car park like the one that was told to clear off because some suit decided it wasn't 'appropriate'.
Furthermore I think there should be an interpretation centre or museum, but in Wellington, not at the Forest Glen.
Otherwise I don't think we need anything much except the continued excellent work of Pete Lambert and the Wildlife Trust Volunteers.
NOW, what do our readers think? Do please tell or I won't know what your views are. AND do it in time before the meeting. This is the nearest you'll get to democracy, having your views aired at the meeting, even if I don't personally agree. However don't make it too long please. I do have my limits and so has the chairman.
Am I right?
Do you want more?
Or less?
Whatever you do - be happy,
George the Ancient,
President.
Don't forget to give me a call please to book a place on the minibus, thanks.
I have attached the next programme of events, see you soon,
regardsPete.
Pete Lambert, Wrekin Forest Officer /Telford Green Network Officer,Shropshire Wildlife TrustTel 01743 284285, Mob. 07785964497
I am very pleased to be able to tell you that the long promised notice board for the Forest Glen is now in place. Made of Shropshire Oak in the Raby Estate workshops and expertly installed in the last week by a team from the Estate. I am very grateful to Mike Harris , Estate manager and the Raby workforce for their skill and patience in getting this project to a successful conclusion.
The notice board is for the use of all whether for example our local orienteering club to promote their next activity , the Huntsman or Buckatree Hotels to publicize special evenings , Parishes news , Lost and Found , recruiting Friends or promoting Summer Fetes! I will be putting up a few leaflets today to get it going and do hope you will find it a useful aid to communication across the Wrekin Forest community of residents and visitors.
The Notice board has been paid for by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the Wrekin Forest project.
The board is in the Forest Glen at the bottom corner of the car park , near the steps.
The Raby team did nice job with oak pegs etc , the wood is not treated so will weather to a lovely silver grey over the coming months. Oak has natural preservative qualities making it ideal for outdoor structures.
All the best Pete Lambert
Wrekin Forest Officer Shropshire Wildlife Trust
Are you going up The Wrekin on the longest day? Will there be pagans?
Sunrise is at approx. 04.42am on Saturday 21st June 2008 and sunset 21.21pm
Meet at the top, at sun-down? Or should this be sunrise? (Before 5am... Not me! More likely to catch the naked dancing witches at this time as well as the faeries.)
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BTW: soz about the lack of updates, I've been moving house and well, frankly, there's nothing new to report. Which is good, really.
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"When Arthur died around 520AD civil war appears to have broken out between his rival heirs, his son Cuneglasus and his nephew Maglocunus. It was at this time that Wroxeter declined, Cuneglasus probably left for a more defensible site to the nearby Iron Age hill-fort on The Wrekin.
Not only were many pre-Roman forts re-occupied during this period, but ‘The Song of Llywarch the Old’ calls the 7th Century capital of Powys “Dinlle Wrecon”, from which the word Wrekin probably
derived."
He is revealed to be the British warrior who, following the Roman withdrawal in the fifth century, defeated the invading Anglo-Saxons at the battle of Badon (493AD).
Excavations at the Dark Age capital of Powys, Wroxeter, four miles to the east of Shrewsbury, have shown that in the fifth century this city may have been the most sophisticated in the country.
This is precisely the time that Arthur is said to have been Britain’s most powerful king."
On the
Trail of King
Arthur
in Shropshire A 5 MB pdf
Simon Brown, an analyst from the stockbroker Landsbanki, said: "Extraction rates for deep and surface mines are set to grow in 2008 and 2009 alongside a steep rise in coal prices."
The coal hole is getting more and more valuable to UK Coal.
Hello,
These pics were taken inside some pillar-and-stall workings which became temporarily accessible several years ago (I was unaware of them, so did not access them myself... Pictures courtesy of Martin)...
The entrance was apparently on the eastern boundary of the Shortwoods, though I'm not sure which direction they extended underground. As you can probably tell from the pictures, the workings are quite shallow.
Not sure if you will need to register with the Mine-Explorer site to see them or not...
Cheers,
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"Plans to create a huge opencast mine on the western edge of Telford will have clear benefits for Shropshire and the rest of Britain, according to UK Coal.
It says mining will create more than 90 well-paid jobs, provide a multi-million boost for the economy, make safe an area riddled with dangerous mine workings and help meet the growing national demand for coal.
But objectors say the scheme will wreck the quality of life for residents, threaten the health of future generations and destroy wildlife in some of the county's most precious countryside.
Telford & Wrekin Council is currently collating views before coming to a decision later this year on UK Coal's planning application for Huntington Lane, near Little Wenlock."
There's anti-comments over on the SS page. No pro-comments. Go figure :-)
What I can't figure is the quite useless good points they make: 90 jobs, filling in the old mine workings, some cash for the council. If they had said they would turn it back into a wondrous wild life park, with no housing development, I may have sat up—a little.
Greetings "AllFriends", good news today, Tesco has joined the opposition to UK coals proposed devastating opencast mine.
As spokesman for Friends Of The Ercall, I can say that TESCO has been working with us, and Councillor Angela McClements, to ascertain the impact on their business and the locality. The General Manager, Mr Jim Bradford, has been very helpful at meetings, where the evidence of the effects of Opencast mining around the country, has been produced, and then carefully considered, enabling a sensible and logical conclusion to be reached.
Other major players on the Wrekin business park have also been contacted, and I know that Angela is working hard at present to get them on side too. We can hope, that the leading retailer will show the others the way to go. I feel that this is a major point in the campaign to stop the mine going ahead, and urge people to still write letters of objection to Telford and Wrekin Planning department, Mr D Coxill, while there is still time to do so.
Best wishes to All Friends, Pat.
I am pleased to be able to attach the new Volunteer Programme for theWrekin Forest Volunteers.
It has been a very successful run of tasks since Christmas , lotsachieved from new hedges in Little Wenlock and Devils Dingle , helpingour Friends at Apley Castle Park , to trimming back the edges of ErcallLane , willow coppicing and the new woodland entrance at the Buckatree.A big thank you from me , I have enjoyed all our days out and I amlooking forward to a long summer of more of the same.
All the best, regards,
Pete.
Pete Lambert, Wrekin Forest Officer /Telford Green Network Officer,Shropshire Wildlife Trust
Brian Tarr
Nice one, cheers Brian. Here's the link...
It'll come in first as Birmingham, but you need to look over on the right hand box, scroll down to 'The Wrekin and Telford. Pick any one, then scroll about the map with the hand icon, zoom in, out etc.
It's a brown fields map, of areas that could be developed.
Lightmoor, Donnington, Jackfield...
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If you would like to join us please get in touch , I will work on a first come first served basis, sorry for any disappointment. If the course is popular we may be able to run it again later in the year. Hope you are all well , regards Pete.
Pete Lambert, Wrekin Forest Officer /Telford Green Network Officer, Shropshire Wildlife Trust
There
will be a meeting of
ALL
FRIENDS ROUND THE WREKIN
MONDAY, 11TH.
FEBUARY NEXT
7PM – 9PM.
WELLINGTON CIVIC CENTRE
EVERYONE
IS WELCOME
to
an
OPEN FORUM
To
discuss
NEWS
AND VIEWS
After
the election of a
NEW CHAIRMAN
And
the election or re-election of president, secretary and treasurer
We
hope to hear the latest proposals from
THE WREKIN FOREST
PARTNERSHIP
DISNEYLAND? THEME PARK?
QUANGOS?
Also on the Agenda
THE MAST
What
are they up to; do we approve?
OPENCAST COAL MINING
What
do we think of that?
What
shall we do?
PLEASE
COME ALONG,
HEAR
WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON AND HAVE YOUR SAY.
Us: Tom from the Halfway House, Pete Lambert SWF, me AFRTW correspondent.
Question: Where's the landowners, why are we (us) here?
Mission: to give us (interested parties) the talk face-to-face instead of looking at plans coldly. (They were very nice people. We didn't look at any plans, yet.)
Landowners have been informed and are in the loop, but not present on this detailed examination of what NGW intend to do to the path, how many vehicles are going up, over what period talk. Curiously.
In brief: They're going to take out the diagonal granite bricks. All of them. Their yesterday's idea and didn't work. Acting as dams for mud and rubble and producing vortices (vortexes) the other side, deepening divets. Tom cleaned many of the worst offenders out recently, looking forward to the ice.
They're going to re-contrete the top path near Hell's Gate with natural coloured cement and local stone key. And extend, by 200 yard. I think I'm correct. This didn't dawn on the day. It sounds a lot now. Mind, they were ever so nice, disarming NGW people.
The vortices have really dug up that top section of concrete. So much, that drivers aren't taking the proper route. Tom's had words with some, blocked off shortcuts with logs sometimes too.
With the track good for Heath & Safety, the drivers will go up their designated path, and will be firmly reminded to drive it with care.
There's going to be six months of lots of traffic when they make the switch, which will be... They don't know. Sometime before 2010. But they want to get onto the track pretty quickly, within a month or two, proper papers signed and all that red tape. I think their drivers have been complaining.
The mast. There's going to be a second, temporary mast at the junction below Hell's Gate. Where it was once before, I believe. There's going to be one hole, then weighted ties. Pete reminded them about the archeological dig they did on that very spot, all them years ago. And suggested they may help out, perhaps in some way to the bid he's got in to the quango that owns the digging rights for the hill fort. Did I say that SWF want to fence off a part of Hell's Gate to give it time to regrow after repairs?
For a month. There's going to be 24hour security, on site, in a porta-cabin. And one, oddly, at the foot near the toilets. To spot trouble on its way up, they thought? Tom swam in some terrific stories. One about the new fashion for night time jogging, walking and mountain biking with lights on their foreheads, some stronger than cars! He's sees everything that goes up that track. Some amazing things.
The new mast will look like the old one. But will be digital. Julie is going to send me an emissions report that says, "everything is cool." I'm to publish it here.
I'll add more details later and some pictures.
