A secret no more - Ludlow beauty spot's volunteers bid to raise its profile

Gallows Bank has been in existence since the time of public hangings, its position in relation to the town chosen so the gallows acted as a reminder and a deterrent for any would-be criminals.

Diane Lyle, of the Friends of Gallows Bank, says the committee has decided to raise its profile and encourage local people to join in.

She said: "These days, Gallows Bank offers a much gentler reminder, with just its name retained as part of its historical influence on Ludlow.

"It is a secret place which needs to be discovered and explored – which is why, at the recent annual general meeting, the Friends of Gallows Bank committee decided to try and raise its profile and encourage the residents of Ludlow to seek it out and add new blood to the small team of volunteers who have maintained it for the past 20 years."

The bank is Ludlow's second Millennium Green, making it the only town in England to have two.

The most well-known one is down by the River Teme along from the Linney and overlooked by Dinham Bridge and where the old swimming pool used to be.

Gallows Bank is far less well-known and far less visited, but it is well worth discovering, says Diane.

Lying to the east of the town, it offers spectacular views which, on a clear day, look as far as the Back Mountains and the Brecon Beacons and the sunsets from the top of the bank are breathtaking.

Occupying about 11 acres, the bank provides meadow pastures and footpaths which weave their way between wooded and open areas which, in turn, provide amazing and varied habitats for so much wildlife.

Diane said: "The bank glows with blossom in the springtime, is a colour canvas in the summer with the wildflowers, is heavy with blackberries and apples in the late summer and it adds to the autumn hues which surround it as winter approaches.

"Birds, butterflies and insects abound and the dawn and dusk choruses are spellbinding symphonies."

In the 20 years since Gallows Bank was awarded its Millennium Green status and the Friends organisation was set up, the bank has been tended and maintained by a tiny group of volunteers who continue to work quietly and tirelessly, mowing the paths, planting trees and shrubs, coppicing and pollarding existing trees, maintaining the underground springs and utilising them to create marsh and bog areas and establishing wildflower meadows.

This work has been funded by some successful grant applications and through donations but, because it is not owned by either Ludlow or Shropshire Council, there is no money automatically allocated.

Diane added; "Gallows Bank is a special space whether it’s covered in snow, which is a magnet for tobogganing and turns it into a Dickensian landscape, or bathed in sunshine, which is a magnet for picnicking and turns it into a memory from everyone’s childhood, or just somewhere to sit in contemplative quietude.

"So – come and discover Ludlow’s secret heart and if you fall in love with it and want to be a part of helping to keep that heart going, you can get in touch with the Gallows Bank team by going to their website or emailing direct on gallowsbank@gmail.com"