www.sows-on-mendip.com

sows-on-mendip was the web page for "SAVE OUR WARDENS SERVICE on MENDIP"

For over 25 years we have benefited from an excellent Warden Service upon the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Somerset.
The Two Wardens give the A.O.N.B - a first rate Public Profile and delivery.
I wish to place on record both my personal, and what I know to be the view of many Mendip A.O.N.B residents-our thanks and congratulations for the above average service provided by the Senior Warden Les DAVIES and his deputy Tina BATH.

These two have given freely of their advice and been generous of their time on many occasions, displaying warmth and friendly welcome to all of those whom they meet in the course of their A.O.N.B Role. The Senior Warden's tireless efforts resulted in official recognition by the award of an M.B.E.
The deputy Warden has worked in all winds and weathers training many a volunteer in the skills of dry-stone walling or hedge laying.Tina BATH's dedication and sheer dogged hard work recently culminated in her coming top of the National Ladies Championship for Hedge Laying, a hard won, but well deserved victory.


SOWS wish to thank all of the 3000+ people who had signed or pledged support, and those who kindly hosted it at The Hunters Lodge Inn, the New Inn,Priddy, The Red Lion Inn, Draycott, CRS Builders Merchants, Cheddar. New Inn, Blagdon.East & West Harptree Village Stores. Cave & Climb Outdoor pursuits,Cheddar. Priddy Farm Shop. The Burrington Arms & Cafe. Lilypool Cafe, Shipham. The Blue Bowl Inn, West Harptree. Draycott Post Office, The Strawberry Special PH,Draycott, Dental Surgery Harptree, and the "Gorge Outdoors", Cheddar.

The Mid-Somerset Newspaper Group rendered first rate press support throughout this campaign.The Western Daily Press have also gave superb press coverage by Tina Rowe,and a further petition. BBC Radio Somerset ran a live interview Sat 3rd January, available on their website

Many conservation groups supported SOWS, and were joined by more than ten concerned Parish Councils.

CHEDDAR PARISH COUNCIL as a AONB Partnership Member had formally called for an emergency meeting, in order that the AONB could try to justify and be questioned on their action (Friday 9th. January 2009), and as a direct result this was held on the 4th. February 2009 at UBLEY VILLAGE HALL.

A.O.N.B Manager Sarah Jackson had stated to SOWS that she did NOT want the existing style of Warden left on the Mendip Hills,in its present form as did not accord with the all important "Management Plan".

Les Davies and Tina Bath deserved much further praise for their silent dignified composure throughout the various meetings which they had been instructed to attend, they will be remembered for years to come.


As of Tuesday 31st. March 2009, the Mendips became a poorer place, Les Davies and Tina Bath as Mendip Wardens are no more, this indeed was a "BLACK TUESDAY" , and will serve as a reminder of the folly and lack of credibility of those who made the decision to remove the Wardens from the Mendips.


AONB Manager Sarah Jackson also suggested to an AONB Partnership meeting in March 2009 at Bleadon- that perhaps a 'thinning down' of Partnership Members might be a useful consideration, USEFULL TO WHOM ??? Do NOT ATTEMPT to disenfranchise Parish Councils , you may just be about to reawaken that sleeping dragon!!


SOWS will remain fervent supporters of the AONB Service

SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL have now upheld SOWS appeal for information requested and refused under the Freedom of Information Act, and have furnished us with these details, though to our amazement, they have CENSORED all the names, though a little detective works clearly reveals the disarray and poor management at local level, as in one set of papers 'no redundancies' were going to take place, and a month later Redundancies were again the order of the day! . Never have SOWS seen such poorly kept notes of such important meetings, this is a clear default in the local management and a clear or rather totally unclear manner to deal with 'financial' and staff matters that are their duty to strictly record and impart to the taxpayer!!!


The first May Bank Holiday, and indeed later Bank Holidays during the last year, saw several bemused walkers looking around the 'Extinct Wardens Office' at Charterhouse trying to get that usual help and advice from the two Wardens, but sadly with only Office Hours and Office staff occasionally manning the site they stood NO CHANCE!!..is this the "Service" that we can now expect from the A.O.N.B, perhaps they should remove the name "Service"???

In November 2009, we noted with amusement that indeed the Mendip A.O.N.B appeard to have taken our comment to heart !!!! - they appear to have actually dumped the term 'service' and often now refer to themselves as the 'A.O.N.B Unit'.

As at the 17th.June, THE NEW POST was filled!!! the AONB Management have "U TURNED" on the idea to call the role 'warden' and Andy Mallender will be known as a "Project Officer" , - (S.O.W.S wish him every success in what will be a challenging role)...So ..we are NOT keeping the 'Warden' On the Hill, as stated by SOWS throughout this campaign?!

So, at least SOWS told the truth, on April 1st..A suitable day!? - There were and will no longer be ANY wardens on the Hill!

The A.O.N.B Service recently issued a circulation stating that an outside body will be asked to gather consultations and submit proposals upon the Managers suggestions that the Partnership Group could be 'thinned down' (As mentioned above) For that role, the successful applicants learnt that £3,000 was available!!!

Since that time, SOWS have found that the chosen Consultant has put forward a figure of over £9, 0 0 0 for the works !!!
That would have kept a warden going for nearly six months!!!!

Despite SOWS writing to the A.O.N.B service and asking that they be allowed to comment, we have sadly been excluded from this.

Indeed, SOWS were publically drummed out of a recent meeting with 'interested parties and the Consultant' held at Coombe Lodge ,Blagdon,is this the much banduiied about promise of the A.O.N.B service to now again actively enagage with the public......We think not!. And in January 2010, this year, SOWS were accused of being backward looking, this is obviously a trait being aquired by others with great speed!!

So as we know you are reading this page frequently...............

SOWS will give The A.O.N.B Management that advice FOR FREE , LEAVE THE A.O.N.B PARTNERSHIP COMMITTEE ALONE !!, Though sadly now, too late to save the tax and rate payer some £9,000!.

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Spring is now raising its cheery face, and its nearlty twelve months now since we lost the two excellent Wardens, The Charterhouse centre still seems deserted, and many miss the cheery welcome that we all received from Les and Tina either at the old Wardens office or out and about on the Hill!

2010 VIEW:
"There is in fact now clear and visable evidence that with the culling of the Wardens, Fly tipping is at an all time high upon the Mendips, certainly Off road damage to Blackdown is running at worrying levels, ALL OF THIS WAS CONTROLLED when Les Davies and Tina Bath did their regular patrols. Who does it now? A few well meaning but easily ignored Voiunteers, which also sadly and largely does not include those hardy and rugged individuals who supported the Wardens, the A.O.N.B Voluntary Rangers, many of whom retired early to show their disgust at the treatment of Les and Tina".

A chance meeting with local Police Officers this week (March 8th 2010), and they were open in expressing theior sadness in the loss of communication and the demise of the Warden Service. They addmitted that their role had become more difficult now without that sterling service that both Les and Tina gave!.

Negotiations to move the A.O.N.B office to Callow Rock Quarry Offices - and share the building with the Somerset Wildlife Team who themselves have moved there from Chancellors Farm, Priddy - had stalled during November 2009, however the move looks as if it is now likely to occur soon in mid 2010.

The the four remaining purely administration officers who survived the 'wardens cull' are still expected to move there. SOWS questions that with no perceived public access encouraged to the Mendip AONB offices, further monies might be saved if in fact they were removed to one on the local council offices, or to County Hall at Taunton. It would save on mileage costs, transport and ensure close management oversight by the funding partners and closer communication between other council departments.

I am not sure what eulogy would match the departed Wardens Les and Tina's talent, drive and dedication, to those who helped and supported the SOWS Campaign, a heartfelt THANK YOU!

Both Les and Tina could still be seen upon the hill this wet and windy Winter and are both still as keen as mustard in their respective self employment's managing orchards, giving lectures, dry stone wall building and hedge laying.

Their keenness and humour in the face of adversity is a pleasure to see, and it underlines the loss to the Mendip Hills A.O.N.B and the general public who formerly would have had the opportunity to attend their skill displays and training days.

SOWS do wish however, to record their gratitude to Barry James Esq, Group Manager, Environment Directorate, Somerset County Council, for his willingness to have engaged in dialogue.

However, our position in mid 2009 was made untenable due to pressure being brought to bear on us, suggesting that if a 'softening' of the SOWS website did not occur, then the Mendip AONB would write to Cheddar Parish Council stating that they felt they could not work with Nigel Taylor as one of the two Parish Councils representatives. We are a 'free speech society' or so we thought, but obviously there is a cost to that 'freedom of speech' and the cost in this case was too high!There is a word for this...............!

Interestingly, Nigel Taylor undertook some rock consultancy works with the Malvern Hills Conservators, working with one of their Wardens.The Malverns Conservators and local Councils are an area and management that fully appreciates the need for Wardens, and who in fact are about to increase their three full time wardens to four!!

The warden role in the Malverns is almost identical to the excellent service that Les and Tina gave on Mendip. The BBC Countryfile presented a 'focus' article on the service, and local councillors appeared giving praise to their wardens, and adding that their presence assisted in a greet income generation to the local community, a figure in excess of several million pounds.

SO WHAT WORTH WHERE OUR MENDIP WARDENS in such a bigger area??? It is a pity that this was not taken into consideration by those local authority members and council staff made their fateful decision, most especially in the light of their 10 year plan which is supposed to benefit both the local and more distant populace.

To Tina and Les, from all on or around the Mendips, Good Luck, Good Fortune and Good Tidings, we are moving swiftly towards April 2010,itself a sad anniversary as it was the time last year when SOWS first learnt and exposed the covert plans orchestrated for the demise of their posts!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~S T O P P R E S S ~~~~~~~~~~
David Haffey, Consultant to the AONB has just issued his first discussion document, entitled "Mendip Hills AONB Partnership Review..Issues and Options Paper" 7th.January 2010.
..........and the nearly 5,000 of you who have visited this site, may be amused at his insulting demeanour when he describes "SOWS" AS A 'MINORITY VOICE'...So now you have it officially from the expert, ....YOU DON'T COUNT.......And he has the gall to accuse us of being disruptive and backward looking.

Why did he not want to meet with us?, yet he has met several other Individuals, many of those who have 'special interest, nay even financial interest' in these matters?.

We have three distinct emails verifying both our interest and requesting we be allowed to participate in this review.

Mr Haffey ..Can we ask you, 'are you afraid to hear critical comments, some of which we hold to be constructive and supportive of a forward moving Partnership'?.

It does amuse us however that reading your otherwise constructive and seemingly researched report, you in fact now report many facts and concerns that originally were voiced by SOWS!!

YOU HAVE THE TEMERITY TO CHALLENGE OUR AVOWED PROMISE THAT WE SUPPORT the A.O.N.B,

On what basis do you put that in print? You won't speak with us!

You make a written allegation that several parts of this webpage are innaccurate or misleading...

WE CHALLENGE YOU to explain what and why, we can evidence every statement we make, indeed in many cases can prove certain facts in writing.

Is this the old adage...."The truth hurts??"

It is now Mid March 2010, and not only have any of our detractors NOT contacted us, even the AONB Management have failed tio reply to emails sent to them. It appears as if their policy is now an attempt to 'isolate' SOWS.......and this from a FIVE STAR Authority.....Well...enough said?. Perhaps the Ombudsman may have a view upon this??




Nigel Taylor,

Tuesday 9th.March 2010
01934-742626 or Mobile 07860-227815