Group to protect Oswestry hill-fort revived

A group launched to protect an Iron Age hill-fort in Shropshire is being revived to ensure it is protected for generations to come.

Campaigners are relaunching the Old Oswestry Landscape and Archaeology Project to look after the monument, which is in the guardianship of English Heritage.

It is seen as one of the most important hill-forts in Europe and campaigners say the project group will be key to making sure its landscape and plantlife are preserved.

Volunteer Maggie Rowlands said: "We are keen to get this group going again for various reasons. We are looking for people interested in walks, talks and recording and monitoring, particularly of the plants and wildlife.

"It is a project run by Oswestry History and Archaeology Group, but involves lots more interests than that. It began in 2007 as part of Oswestry Borough Council's Old Oswestry Visitor Improvements Project and currently runs the annual and very successful archaeology seminar in October. However the time seems right to get something more going again.

"We used to run walks and had two Iron Age Festivals before the Oswestry Borough Council project ended. English Heritage are employing new contractors for the hill-fort so our group will be there to help preserve the hill-fort for the future and bring up any concerns. The hill-fort is also home to many important plants so our group will be recording and monitoring them."

She said the project could be used to highlight concerns about plans to build homes close to the hill-fort under Shropshire Council's SAMDev development proposals.

The project will be involved with walks events from the hill-fort as part of Oswestry's Heritage Open Weekend celebrations on September 6 to 9. To get in-volved with the group, call (01691) 773197.