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Amazing!
Just when you were writing this email, we were making our first pilgrimage to Alice's Meadow to see our plot (no. 287)! We had exactly the same experience - a young woman appeared on her bike and asked if she could help us. We explained and said we wondered if many other people had been on the same mission - she said no. We asked if she knew the story of the campaign and said she did, in a bored tone of voice! Like you, we were sad that there was no form of display board to explain the significance of the field.
We then went on to have a short walk on Otmoor and spotted quite an array of birds and insects, which of course would have been homeless if the motorway had gone ahead.
The thought also crossed our minds that it would be good to meet the other landowners, and as you say, the 25th anniversary of the sale of the plots would be very appropriate. Our documents say August 24 1983, by the way. We'd definitely be up for any get together, although living in Poole it would be difficult for us to do anything practical to help arrange an event. Do keep us posted!
Best wishes,
Carol Peacock
-------Original Message-------
Hi All
I took a trip out Swindon way recently (to attend the opening of the
Westmill Wind Farm) and took a diversion on the way home to Alice's
Meadow, as it was some 25 years or so now since I'd been there to the
party (of which I have the vaguest memories. Was anyone in the group
there too?
I found my plots in the corner of the field and was reliving some fond
recollections of times past when I noticed a young lady of about 18
years of age watching me from the road. I quickly realised that she
had something to do with the two horses grazing in the field, and that
my presence there was causing her alarm (did she think me a crazed
axe-murderer, I wandered?). So I strolled across to her and introduced
myself, and explained my reasons for being there, in order that I
might reassure her of my intentions. "Did she know of the history of
the field?", I asked. There was an evident lack of knowledge, and so I
gave a very brief outline of the FoE campaign of all those years ago.
There was no real response in the matter from her, just a sort of
surly resentment, and so I left to go back to my car, a few yards away
along the lane. As I walked across the road, I noticed, coming from
the opposite direction to my car, an older woman who was making her
way to join the young horse-fettler. As I sat in my car with the door
wide open I clearly heard older woman say to horse fettler-girl "What
did he want?". The reply was not clear, but evidently expressed a
disdainful sentiment, which elicited from the older person a similarly
disdainful tone.
I could not hear the words used, but the tone said it all. It left me
saddened. Having driven up the M40 to get to the area earlier that
day, as I sat there in my car, I was struck by the enormity of the
damage that would have been done to the area, had that road been
driven through Otmoor and in between the villages of Fencott and
Murcott, as I believe was the intended route. The lives of the people
there would have been ruined and the area devastated. There was, from
those two people at least, no appreciation at all evident. How sad
that so soon after the event, there is only one pathetic little Parish
Council notice there and that the inspired action of Wheatley Friends
of the Earth and William Weston seemed to have never been fully
appreciated.
I notice that the dates on the planning documents that I have (24th
September 1983), suggest that this year it will be 25 years since the
meadow was sold off! Surely there must soon be a cause for
celebration? Would anyone agree? There is a pub in one of the nearby
villages, I think it was Murcott. Would anyone fancy getting together
on an appropriate date to celebrate the fact that they helped to make
a success of one of the most innovative anti - road protests ever? Can
anyone suggest a suitable date for such an event? I don't know when
the original route was abandoned. Perhaps that could be a good date?
Perhaps we can interest those (apparently)rather disinterested locals
as well and get them involved?
Please let me know what your thoughts are.
Tim Beesley
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