The spells need time to work, action required!

[Venutius]

On Friday the 22nd October and Saturday the 23rd, a group of twenty or so modern-day pilgrims will be re-enacting a 5,000 year old journey, returning a Neolithic stone axe to the ancient henge capital of Thornborough. The axe originally came from Scotland and was deposited unused in a bog near the henges during the Neolithic period (circa 3,000BC).

We are making this epic journey of 20 miles from Catterick to Boroughbridge against the worst of Yorkshire's weather and stiff opposition from Britain's fourth largest global conglomerate, Anglo American Plc, in the hope that the Thornborough Henges can be saved from quarrying.

Anglo American's subsidiary Tarmac Northern Ltd announced plans to quarry the land surrounding the henges, despite this land containing the remains of ancient kings and queens (or whatever we called our most important people back then). The first part of this plan, Ladybridge, is the focus for a current planning application. If granted, within twenty years the henges will have lost all the land surrounding them, the archaeology destroyed.

The event has already stirred the greatest ever media attention. Four newspaper reporters are planning to accompany the group, TV, Radio and yet more newspapers will be meeting the walkers en route and covering the story for the two days of the event.

The timing could not be better, for next Wednesday at 9.48 BBC1 will be showing the henges in their full glory in the Yorkshire region as part of the "British Isles: A Natural History" series.

However, there are always ways of making it even more successful.

We are asking for you to show your support by asking your favourite radio station to play a dedication to us. We are Heritage Action, we are making a pilgrimage to the Thornborough Henges to show the world what a truly amazing place they are - Britain's largest ancient ritual site.

Those of you who are more zealous may like to contact more than one radio station. Please pass this message on to friends and show us support. After all we are going to get very wet and dirty so that one of Britain's most important sites can saved for everyone's future.

National stations such as Radio 1 and 5 are preferred, don’t forget digital!

Thanks

George

PS, I'd appreciate it if you kept this on top of the thread list, I'll be doing the walk myself so will not be around.

[Djinn]

:bumpsmili

Can't help you with the radio station, tho....

[DraconisArcanus]

Do you have any links or web sites to point us to so we can talk inteligently to our local media?

Peace and good luck!

[Venutius]

Heritage Action Media Release - 19th October 2004

Ancient footsteps retraced by henge protestors

A 5,000 year old ceremony is to be recreated this week as campaigners carry an ancient ceremonial axe through Yorkshire's "Sacred Vale" to Thornborough.

"The area between Catterick and Boroughbridge can claim to be Britain's first great religious and ceremonial centre" said George Chaplin of Heritage Action. "It contains Britain's largest concentration of prehistoric henges, vast circular earthworks that were used as ceremonial meeting places. We are staging a march through this "Sacred Vale" to highlight that the area is an immensely important part of our local and national heritage and that plans to quarry the surrounding archaeology are akin to vandalism."

The trek will take place on Friday and Saturday 22nd and 23rd of October and takes in all of the original ancient ritual landscape - seven mighty henges and a giant stone row, as well as many other monuments that line the route. The route focuses on the mile-long triple henge monument at Thornborough, the location of a bitter battle between protestors and quarry firm Tarmac.

The marchers will carry with them a prehistoric stone axe that last travelled the route five millennia ago. The axe was originally brought from Scotland, and was deposited in a ritual location close to Thornborough.

"We believe it's vitally important that the Sacred Vale is recognised for what it is" said Mr Chaplin. "It's not just important to Yorkshire, it's important to Britain. If the destruction of the surroundings of any of these monuments is allowed to continue it would be a national disgrace, not just a Yorkshire one. We hope that by setting up this heritage trail people can be given the chance to explore this little known but supremely important landscape. The more people that get to know about it the more chance there is that it will be saved".