Latest news with #BradgateParkTrust
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Yahoo
Police visit over mushroom picking alarms forager
A woman says police overreacted by trying to ban her from a park over allegations she was illegally foraging for mushrooms. Louise Gather said a police officer came to her home and attempted to issue her with a community resolution report after she visited Bradgate Park, in Leicestershire, in search of magpie inkcaps - a rare kind of fungi. It follows a complaint by the Bradgate Park Trust, which runs the park, that Mrs Gather picked mushrooms illegally because it is a designated site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The 38-year-old insisted she had not picked any mushrooms during her visit in November, and that Leicestershire Police's actions had been "a bit excessive". Mrs Gather, from Derby, revealed details of the community resolution order on TikTok this week. Under the terms of the community resolution report, an informal agreement between a complainant and an alleged offender, Mrs Gather was told she would not face prosecution or get a criminal record if she stuck to its terms. These also included her agreeing not to take items from the park in the future, and that she would look into what an SSSI is. However, police have subsequently admitted that the order was not valid because the officer dealing with the case mistakenly got her husband to sign the agreement, rather than her. Mrs Gather said the first time she became aware of any problem was on 25 November, when an officer from Leicestershire Police came to her home and said a complaint had been made. She said: "It seems someone had followed me, taken pictures of my car registration and passed them on to police. "I was out when [the officer] came but my husband was home - and he thought I'd been in a car accident or something. "The police officer was pretty good about it - I think he just wanted to get it sorted as quickly as possible - but he got my husband to sign something, which was an informal agreement that I don't go back to the park - so he'd go. "It turns out that was a mistake and the officer's boss phoned me on Thursday to say it had been rescinded. He was very, very apologetic. "The whole thing feels a bit silly. I don't think much common sense has been used. "I was a bit excessive to send a policeman to my house - especially as I didn't pick anything from the park. "I understand Bradgate Park is an SSSI. Why would I want to do anything to harm that environment?" "I do sometimes forage, usually for wild garlic and wild leeks," said Mrs Gather. "And on that day I was looking for magpie inkcaps, which are quite rare, and I had been tipped off they were growing there. "My interest in fungi started a few years ago. I started to notice them while I was walking the dog then I'd go home and look them up. It moved on from there. "Magpie inkcaps were on my mushroom bucket list. Occasionally I do forage mushrooms, but on that day I didn't pick anything. "I spoke to a couple of volunteers and had a lovely conversation with them. "They told me where they thought I might find what I was looking for - and I did find them. "I had my foraging basket but I didn't put anything in it. I was happy - I was there about an hour and even had lunch in the cafe. "There were rangers buzzing about on their buggies. Nobody seemed to think anything was wrong at the time. Nobody asked to look in my basket." According to Leicestershire Police, the complainant said it was reported Mrs Gather had a small knife, which meant they did not feel able to approach her. She said: "I had my tiny mushroom foraging knife. That's all. It has a lock blade but I don't think I even got it out." A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police said a report of a woman picking mushrooms had been received, and added: "Inquiries were carried out into the report and an officer visited the woman's home address, where a community resolution was issued in relation to the offence. "Bradgate Park is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), which is covered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Nature Conservation Act 2004. "The park is of high conservation value and should be protected as part of his heritage. "The removal of any item from the park is an offence and officers will carry out inquiries into any reports of this nature which are made to us." The Bradgate Park Trust declined to comment. The Woodland Trust's guidelines on foraging say: Minimise damage and take only what you plan to consume Seek permission and look especially at sites of conservation importance Know what you are picking. Some species are rare, inedible or poisonous Know the law. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, it is illegal to dig up or remove wild plants (including algae, lichens and fungi) from the land on which it is growing without permission from the landowner or occupier Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Forager prepares for three-month wild food diet Can you survive on foraged food? Children taste-test food foraged with chef Leicestershire Police Bradgate Park Trust
BBC News
30-03-2025
- BBC News
Forager's alarm after police visit over mushroom picking claims
A woman says police overreacted by trying to ban her from a park over allegations she was illegally foraging for Gather said a police officer came to her home and attempted to issue her with a community resolution report after she visited Bradgate Park, in Leicestershire, in search of magpie inkcaps - a rare kind of follows a complaint by the Bradgate Park Trust, which runs the park, that Mrs Gather picked mushrooms illegally because it is a designated site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The 38-year-old insisted she had not picked any mushrooms during her visit in November, and that Leicestershire Police's actions had been "a bit excessive". Mrs Gather, from Derby, revealed details of the community resolution order on TikTok this week. Under the terms of the community resolution report, an informal agreement between a complainant and an alleged offender, Mrs Gather was told she would not face prosecution or get a criminal record if she stuck to its also included her agreeing not to take items from the park in the future, and that she would look into what an SSSI police have subsequently admitted that the order was not valid because the officer dealing with the case mistakenly got her husband to sign the agreement, rather than her. Mrs Gather said the first time she became aware of any problem was on 25 November, when an officer from Leicestershire Police came to her home and said a complaint had been said: "It seems someone had followed me, taken pictures of my car registration and passed them on to police."I was out when [the officer] came but my husband was home - and he thought I'd been in a car accident or something."The police officer was pretty good about it - I think he just wanted to get it sorted as quickly as possible - but he got my husband to sign something, which was an informal agreement that I don't go back to the park - so he'd go."It turns out that was a mistake and the officer's boss phoned me on Thursday to say it had been rescinded. He was very, very apologetic."The whole thing feels a bit silly. I don't think much common sense has been used."I was a bit excessive to send a policeman to my house - especially as I didn't pick anything from the park."I understand Bradgate Park is an SSSI. Why would I want to do anything to harm that environment?" 'Mushroom bucket list' "I do sometimes forage, usually for wild garlic and wild leeks," said Mrs Gather."And on that day I was looking for magpie inkcaps, which are quite rare, and I had been tipped off they were growing there."My interest in fungi started a few years ago. I started to notice them while I was walking the dog then I'd go home and look them up. It moved on from there."Magpie inkcaps were on my mushroom bucket list. Occasionally I do forage mushrooms, but on that day I didn't pick anything."I spoke to a couple of volunteers and had a lovely conversation with them."They told me where they thought I might find what I was looking for - and I did find them."I had my foraging basket but I didn't put anything in it. I was happy - I was there about an hour and even had lunch in the cafe."There were rangers buzzing about on their buggies. Nobody seemed to think anything was wrong at the time. Nobody asked to look in my basket."According to Leicestershire Police, the complainant said it was reported Mrs Gather had a small knife, which meant they did not feel able to approach said: "I had my tiny mushroom foraging knife. That's all. It has a lock blade but I don't think I even got it out." A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police said a report of a woman picking mushrooms had been received, and added: "Inquiries were carried out into the report and an officer visited the woman's home address, where a community resolution was issued in relation to the offence."Bradgate Park is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), which is covered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Nature Conservation Act 2004."The park is of high conservation value and should be protected as part of his heritage."The removal of any item from the park is an offence and officers will carry out inquiries into any reports of this nature which are made to us."The Bradgate Park Trust declined to comment. Foraging dos and don'ts The Woodland Trust's guidelines on foraging say:Minimise damage and take only what you plan to consumeSeek permission and look especially at sites of conservation importanceKnow what you are picking. Some species are rare, inedible or poisonousKnow the law. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, it is illegal to dig up or remove wild plants (including algae, lichens and fungi) from the land on which it is growing without permission from the landowner or occupier
BBC News
11-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Bradgate Park: How do you restore a 500-year-old Tudor chapel?
Fixing up a modern building can feel like a daunting enough prospect - but how do you set about restoring a crumbling 500-year-old Tudor chapel?"Very carefully, with a great deal of patience and attention to detail," says the man leading a £200,000 conservation project in conservator and restorer Dr David Carrington has been behind the work to renovate a chapel that forms part of the ruins of Bradgate House - the birthplace of England's Nine Days' Queen Lady Jane 60-year-old, who boasts four decades of experience in repairing historic structures, told the BBC there had been challenges since work began in February, but the project was 40% complete with a target finish date of June. Bradgate Park Trust, which is part-funding the project, said it hoped to start the second phase of repairs to the rest of the Tudor ruins, including the towers, in the summer at a cost of more than £700, of the 15th Century mansion, within Bradgate Park, in Newtown Linford, has fallen down but efforts are under way to preserve what still includes the chapel and a 400-year-old monument inside to Henry and Anne Grey, cousins of Lady Jane. James Dymond, the trust's director, said since Henry's death in 1614 the monument had become damaged over the requires extensive cleaning, including lifting the effigy of Anne from the monument to access the internal structure, which Mr Dymond said was "quite a lot of detailed, specialist work".He said significant work would take place to clean and restore a large window in the chapel and replace a metal grill on the outside, which had been damaged and weathered over the Dymond said the whole ceiling will also be replaced as it was in a dangerous condition, which would then allow public full access to the chapel. Dr Carrington, founder and director at Skillington Workshop Ltd which has been contracted to carry out the work, said his team was "very careful" with the monument, which took four weeks to restore."It's made of English alabaster and there are a 100 different pieces built into the core using little iron ties," he said."Over the centuries the iron has rusted and expanded, which then creates cracks in the monument."We have been very careful with the cleaning using hand tools - brushes, cotton wool swabs - as alabaster is such a soft stone." Dr Carrington said essential safety repairs and restoration work was under way at the chapel including masonry repairs to damaged and loose bricks and the only hand tools are being used for the delicate work, like chisels, modelling tools, hammers and brushes. "There are incomplete walls that are vulnerable and have been exposed to the weather and we need to secure those," he said."The challenge has been to source like-for-like materials to the brickwork - by size, colour, hardness and mortar."There's no cement involved because that wasn't used back then. It's traditional lime mortar, which is softer than modern mortar. We need to recreate it by using compatible materials."Different sands from different quarries make different mortar. It's trial and error to find the right recipe to make the new brickwork look the same as the old. "It took up to three weeks to get it right and we made over a dozen samples, little biscuits." Dr Carrington said he was confident the work carried out so far "wasn't obvious" to visitors, adding: "If we've done our job well, it should look like we've never been here."It should look the same as the original and not new and shiny."He added work to the damaged chapel ceiling is due to begin in April due a colony of bats - a legally protected species - in the roof space. The construction of Bradgate House began in about 1490 and was completed in the early 16th Century. It was the home of the Grey family for nearly 250 years. Lady Jane, a Protestant great-niece of Henry VIII, was born at the Grade II* listed monument in 1537 and became queen on 9 July was deposed by her Catholic cousin Mary I nine days later and executed, aged 17, in house was abandoned in 1719 following the death of the first Earl of Stamford but stood complete until about 1740 when it fell into ruin. It wasopened to the public in the England's heritage at risk surveyor Amanda White said Bradgate House was one of the earliest brick buildings in the county to have been built without defences."It was built on a grand scale and is an important medieval site, which demonstrates the wealth of those at the very highest level of late medieval society," she added.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Have your say on the dog lead rules for Bradgate Park
A spate of deer deaths blamed on dogs running loose in Bradgate Park has reignited the debate about when dogs should be kept on leads. Since 2016 it has been against the rules to let dogs run loose in parts of the park, with threat of a £100 fine. But that rule only covers about a quarter of the park. In the past month the park has seen four deer deaths caused by dogs, the Bradgate Park Trust said in a Facebook post on Thursday (February 13). The trust did not say where in the park the incidents occurred. But many people responding to the news called for dogs to be kept on their leads in all areas of the park from now on. READ MORE: Dogs to blame as four Bradgate Park deer die One person said: "Even the most well-behaved dog can revert back to its natural instinct to run and hunt when faced with wildlife. Keep them all on a lead. Fair for everyone and also safer." Many other people agreed. One added: "All dogs should be kept on leads as they will be unpredictable when they see the deer." Another said: "There's no need nowadays - we have extendable leads." We've put together a simple poll to ask our readers what they think. Should the current rule, with only specified areas being subject to the rule, continue? Or should dogs be kept on leads in all parts of the park? The alternative is that people make up their own minds about how well they can control their dogs with the owners of misbehaving dogs being banned? Let us no by completing the survey form below. The dog lead rules and fines were introduced after the winter of 2015 saw 30 dog attacks on deer. It has helped reduce the number of incidents but the past few weeks have seen more attacks and pursuits of deer. In the recent Facebook post, the Bradgate Park Trust said: "Attention dog owners, we've had multiple incidents recently where dogs have chased wildlife, resulting in the tragic death of four deer in just the past month! "A high-speed chase can stress and injure animals, sometimes fatally, especially when they are forced to flee for their lives. Be mindful of wildlife, especially in areas where deer are present. "Wildlife protection is a shared responsibility. If you're walking or letting your dog run off the lead in the upper area of the Park, please ensure they are kept under control at all times. Thank you for your cooperation."
BBC News
09-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Bradgate Park: Work to preserve ruins of Nine Days' Queen's home
A large-scale conservation project is under way to protect the ruins of the birthplace of England's Nine Days' Queen Lady Jane work at Bradgate House Ruins and Chapel near Newtown Linford in Leicestershire will cost almost £200, Dymond, director of the Bradgate Park Trust, said light touch repairs had been made to the site over the years but this was the first large-scale conservation project since the building was opened to the public in the first phase of work includes repairs to the windows, stone and mortar of the building, which Mr Dymond expects to be completed by June. Mr Dymond said: "This is phase one of what we hope to be an even bigger phase of repairs at the rest of the ruins probably later this year."This will be "an even bigger project beyond the chapel", he England provided a grant of £37,160 in 2023 which allowed the trust to carry out survey work which led to the current prosperity funding via Charnwood Borough Council is partly funding the works, along with a further grant of £71,000 from Historic trust is also putting in some of its own capital funds, with the total project cost just shy of £200,000. Lady Jane, a Protestant great-niece of Henry VIII, was born at the 15th Century Grade-II* listed scheduled monument in 1537 and became queen on 9 July was deposed by her Catholic cousin Mary I nine days later and then executed, aged 17, in 1554.A 400-year-old monument to Henry and Anne Grey, cousins of Lady Jane, is also being repaired and includes lifting the effigy of Anne from the monument to access the internal structure, which Mr Dymond said is "quite a lot of detailed, specialist work".He added: "We're hoping, subject to permissions and so on, to replace the whole ceiling because the ceiling's in a dangerous condition as well. "That's really important in terms of public access for the future because there are areas at the moment that are cordoned off."
