REPORTS TO CARL
FEBRUARY 2015
Several things have happened over the past few months.
A. FINANCE
CARL has very kindly made it possible for Go West to meet its expenses in 2015. Thank you.
B. WEB SITES
Go West now has two web sites:
1. A website for visitors to Worcestershire and the Borderlands.
This site replaces the old Teme Valley site which had become too expensive and too laborious to run. It is made up of three main sections
A section for visitors to the area. At the moment visitors can choose between two main visitor areas - The Teme Valley and the Pershore area. The Teme Valley pages incorporate (or will) nearly all the content of the old Teme Valley site.
A Time Traveller’s Guide. This is the guide book that was started by the children taking part in the Pershore Big Heritage Quest with luck and persistence it will grow into an indispensable guide for visitors to the area: it will also include important information for heritage detectives and includes a Gazetteer of Churches, a selection of old maps and plans and a series of articles in an Information Library.
A section called Play Heritage Detectives. This is, of course, the section that follows on and builds from the activities in the Pershore area over the past few years. It is being delivered so that this activity for families can be undertaken throughout Worcestershire and the borderlands. All the information needed will be available online, and some of the activities will be available on an app for smart phones.
At the moment two URLs feed the site -www.heritagedetectives.co.uk and www.worcestershiresopenchurches.net, a third is planned, there will also be links to the CARL website, the Diocesan web site and a Church Near You. When all is working well the plan is to invite welcoming churches around the diocese to join in
2. A website for people interested in the work of the heritage knights and the background to the visitor’s website. This site carries the URL www.heritageknights.org. It follows the development of the project, highlights how volunteers have been involved and invites people to stay in touch through a periodic newsletter. The site offers an archive of what we have done and information, help and ideas for anyone interested in using or developing heritage activities. It has sections for teachers and families to give them ideas and techniques for using the information provided in the Pay Heritage Detectives section in school and in the community.
THE TEME VALLEY
It is now 10 years since work started on the preparation of scripts to go on the story listening Posts in Teme Valley churches. Technology has moved on considerably since then but the boxes are still working and a new church is preparing to take the place in the Teme Valley Tour vacated by Stockton. The box has languished in an outhouse but I am delighted to say that it has been restored, research and recording is underway and it will shortly be placed in St. Edburga’s church in Leigh. This is a particularly exciting project because from Saxon times to the Reformation Pershore Abbey owned the land in the vast parish of Leigh. The great barn now owned by English Heritage belonged to the Abbey and the stories of Pershore and Leigh bring together the two area we have highlighted in our new visitor’s website!
Sandy Marchant
10/2/2015