Shropshire Star Tuesday, March 1, 2016
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Call to help protect the humble Drama teacher hedgehog for future generation
STAR BRIEFING
pens new book
A former performing arts teacher has shared what he has learned over the years in a book about the development of education in theatre. Roger Wooster spent 15 years at Theatr Powys in Llandrindod Wells, which until its closure in 2011 had an international reputation for its educational theatre work. He left the company to set up the performing arts course at Coleg Powys where he continued his interest in theatre in education. Over the years his students worked to produce important education projects in collaboration with government agencies. Mr Wooster said: “I worked in Theatre in Education in Wales from 1975 until 1990, ending up as part of the internationally-respected Theatr Powys team Wooster based in Llandrindod. “From 1990 I worked in Coleg Powys and then Newport and Aberystwyth universities teaching performing arts and theatre in education, theory and practice. Having retired a couple of years ago I have been writing a history of the development of theatre in education in Britain which is published today.” Theatre in Education: origins, development and influence is published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama and has an associated website.
Time is running out to save hedgehogs, as almost half of people have never seen one in their garden, according to a survey that suggests a further decline for the prickly garden visitor. Only one in 10, a total of 11 per cent of the 2,348 people questioned, said they saw the much-loved mammal regularly in their gardens. But almost half, 48 per cent, had never seen one. Just 29 per cent of people taking part in the wildlife survey for BBC Gardener’s World Magazine had seen a hedgehog in their garden in the last year, down from 32 per cent the previous year. The hedgehog continues to see its numbers drop, with populations thought to have fallen by 30 per cent since 2003 to less than
Report by Jordan Reynolds newsroom@shropshirestar.co.uk
a million in the UK – down from estimated populations of 36 million in the 1950s. When asked which one UK species they would like to save from extinction, 52 per cent of people said hedgehogs, beating other at-risk British species such as the sparrow, puffin, mistle thrush and hairy footed bumblebee. Fay Vass, chief executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, which is based in Ludlow, said: “It’s certainly sad to hear but not that surprising. Since the year 2000 there has been a decline by half in rural areas. “We are calling for people to make holes
in their fences, that is a really important message. Miss Vass continued: “The best food is hedgehog food, or a meaty cat or dog food and they’re actually lactose intolerant, so no milk just plain water. She added: “Reducing or eliminating pesticides or any chemicals in gardens is best, because if there’s no bugs or beasties they’re going to get hungry.” Lucy Hall, BBC Gardener’s World editor, said: “The muchloved, humble hog is among gar-
deners’ most appealing natural allies, but they’re disappearing on our watch. “If we act collectively now, we can still help save the species for future generations, but time is running out.” Miss Vass urged people to add to a national project online called Hedgehog Street where sightings of hedgehogs can be logged and a note of any road kill can be made at http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/
County farmer visits villagers who are helped by scheme
Seeing project work SVR worker to give talk on line under African skies
A railway volunteer will be giving a talk on the history of the line. Rangers from the Severn Valley Country Park will welcome volunteer David Skitt to talk about the railway from its birth in 1862, to its closure in 1962 during the Dr Beeching era and its subsequent preservation and future plans. The talk will be held in the visitor centre at the attraction in Alveley, near Bridgnorth, on March 10 starting at 7.30pm. The talk will also include an illustrated journey along the line from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth highlighting interesting features along the way. Mr Skitt will also be explaining about signalling and the token system which helps the heritage railway work safely. Tickets to the illustrated talk are £4 for adults and £2 for children. Tickets include a hot drink and biscuits. Places are limited so people are advised to call early on (01746) 781192 to book.
Challenge ahead for apprentices at JLR
Jaguar Land Rover, which has its engine manufacturing centre at the i54 to the north of Wolverhampton, has launched a scheme which matches skilled employees to specific community challenges. It is part of its employee volunteering programme which sees about 10,000 JLR workers give more than 115,000 hours of community volunteering a year. A team of apprentices joined forces with Remap, a national charity which matches skilled volunteers, including engineers and technicians, with individuals affected by disability to help them develop equipment which overcomes specific problems. JLR’s programme is intended to make a positive impact on the lives of 12 million people by 2020. The company encourages its employees to support team projects to make a positive difference in its local communities. It releases employees for up to two days a year to support team community projects and school education visits and events.
Hall has blooming good plans for spring
Spring is in full bloom at Shugborough Hall with new chicks and golden daffodils. The Staffordshire tourist attraction is putting on a host of traditional Easter activities including egg hunt and trails between March 25 and April 6. One of the most popular activities at the estate during the Easter schedule is the chance to meet the newborn animals at the farm. Visitors can help to bottle feed some of the lambs and watch as staff milk the goats. For £2, children of all ages can follow an Easter egg trail around the gardens of the estate where there will be something hidden in several secret corners and the chance to receive a suitably chocolatey treat. Easter trails for families will also be clearly marked in The Mansion House, Servants’ Quarters and Farm – setting the task for younger visitors to find the hidden bunnies, chicks and ducks. Shugborough is open from March 18 until October 21. For opening times and more details visit shugborough.org.uk
FACT OF THE DAY Anyone exposed to a vacuum will not explode, as often happens in movies, and are likely to be able to survive for at least a couple of minutes, but holding the breath will cause the lungs to expand and cause damage.
Shropshire farmer SAM GRAY left her smallholding near Church Stretton to learn more about farming in Africa.
AFTER many days of travel I have finally arrived in some of the most rural parts of south east Africa. I have come here from my small farm in Shropshire under the guidance of Self Help Africa to understand what it is like to be a self-sufficient smallholder under much hotter skies.
I have been visiting numerous beneficiaries of SHA projects around Balaka, all of which are so far off road it means driving on dirt tracks crisscrossed with deep gullies and exposed boulders caused by last year’s rains. As tracks become walkways edged with grass at least 3ft high meant only for bikes and walkers, the reality of what it means to live in rural Malawi becomes apparent. Situated south of Lake Malawi but too far away to benefit from the fresh water source, Balaka is flat and by far the hottest and driest place I have ever experienced with temperatures in the fields of more than 40C. This is meant to be the rainy season. These particular Balaka village projects are relatively new to SHA as the work got off the ground in October last year. Nevertheless, what I have seen and experienced here will stay with me a lifetime and change the way I see farming and the Third World forever.
Sam Gray has been welcomed into numerous villages in Malawi with great warmth – and singing, chanting, laughter and hugs
Gratitude
It is important to understand that SHA does not give, give, give to the villagers they teach. They train and provide support structures for rural communities. The benefits of this approach are uplifting to say the least and reinforce my beliefs about self-sufficiency. So much gratitude and empowerment instead of greed. This past week I have been introduced and welcomed into numerous villages with a warmth I could never have anticipated – singing, chanting, laughter and hugs. They have allowed me to see first-hand what SHA is doing to help them and how and why it is already working even after just a few months. Conservation is the key word. The conservation of crops, trees, fuel and of course money. The villagers showed me how, with the help of SHA, they build composting sites and use the manure to feed the roots of their maize, taking great pride in demonstrating the difference in quality of crops compared to those planted using their original methods. As an outsider I can see first hand that there is a huge dependency on maizel as it is used in Nsima, a staple food in the diet. This is already recognised by SHA who are distributing alternative sweet potato vines and cassava cuttings to encourage other more drought-resistant food sources. Deforestation across Malawi as a whole has been a very topical issue as trees are being cut down for firewood and or charcoal making. The introduction by SHA of nurseries
Sam helps the Malawian Forestry Department’s tree planting launch within the villages so they can grow and replant new trees is part of a cultural, political and social movement to bring back the trees that have been lost across the country. So much so that the making of charcoal with Malawian trees has been made illegal as 10 times more trees are required than firewood. As I understand it the large majority of people cherish their country’s trees and apportion much of the reason why the rains are changing down to unchecked deforestation. It was therefore a great honour for me to be invited by the Malawian Forestry Department to plant a tree at their annual tree planting launch. An organised village banking system set up by SHA allows for all the beneficiaries to start saving and growing a micro economy that is sustainable for them as a community. The money grows as they get better prices for their crops, improved financial skills and are introduced to better buying and selling systems. Meeting under the shade of a tree, I was humbled to see that there is an agreed obligatory contribution made at the start of every session that is put aside to help those within the village that suffer a bereavement or sudden loss of some kind.
Shropshire pig farmer Sam Gray is in Africa
Through my translator I was asked if we had village banks in England and when I had to say no they offered to come over and teach us how to set them up. Maybe not such a bad idea! It is very apparent when entering these villages it is all about survival, food, housing, growing for the future. What I witnessed was hope and a plan that is being fully embraced. One very small step at a time.
Imagine
Becoming more efficient and conserving the environment are key to this entire area. The lack of tools and machinery hit home. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like to work this much-cultivated land with only wooden tools and hands, especially in this suffocating heat. Subsistence farming is life and takes up every working day for both men and women. Agriculture is the only industry that many of them will get to experience but the relationship between SHA and their beneficiaries is a wonderful sight to see. I leave this area with a sense of hope that things will improve for these people. Poverty and wealth are relative but survival can only be sustained with knowledge in
these ever-changing conditions. It should also be noted that many of these people have been self sufficient for a very long time, I was particularly interested to see that the majority of elderly people I saw in the entire Balaka district were living in the rural villages. According to my new friends in the local SHA office, this is quite right. It is not unusual to reach 100 years old or more. Farming all their lives keeps their bodies strong. They do not and could not over eat and life is stress free from the attachment to anything but family and friends. I cannot thank SHA enough for what it has shown me and the organisation and preparation that I now see has been involved in taking me to these areas. As a group it works willingly and kindly with some of the most extraordinary people I have ever had the good fortune to meet. As I now move to Karonga in northern Malawi to visit projects that are five years down the line, I am excited to see how these same agricultural changes may have improved the lives of their local villagers. So far this has been an extraordinarily eye-opening journey in a beautiful country with incredible people and although a very long way from my small farm in Shropshire, I definitely have plans to come back.