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Powys County Times
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Princess Anne and Martin Clunes at Royal Welsh Show
HORSE lovers are in for a real treat at this year's Royal Welsh Show, with two famous faces attending the summer showpiece in Powys. Self-confessed horse fanatic Princess Anne will be coming to the event's opening day in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, while beloved British actor Martin Clunes will be judging the Royal Welsh Supreme Horse Championship, one of the events that brings down the curtain on the show, on its final day. With a little more than a week to go until the Royal Welsh Show begins, activity in and around Builth is building. The show takes place from Monday to Thursday, July 21-24. 'In just two weeks, the 2025 Royal Welsh Supreme Horse Championship will take centre stage in the main ring, and we're thrilled to have actor and horseman Martin Clunes as our judge,' said the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) in a post on its Facebook page this week. 'This prestigious event celebrates the very best of equine excellence. As president of the British Horse Society, Martin brings passion, warmth and a genuine love for horses to the role.' Martin told the BBC: 'I'm slightly nervous, but one thing's for sure, I'll have a smile from ear to ear the whole day.' The Supreme Horse Championship takes place on Thursday at 4.50pm. Known for her love of horses and an equestrian career which saw her compete in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, it will be Princess Anne's seventh visit to the Royal Welsh Show, with her first back in 1981 and her last in 2022. The Princess Royal, the king's sister, will visit the show on the opening day, attending in her capacity as president of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC). Her Royal Highness will participate in the RASC's AGM, held at this year's show, and will then tour the showground. Her return reflects her ongoing support for agriculture and rural life. 'We are absolutely thrilled that the Princess Royal will be joining us at this year's Royal Welsh Show,' said Aled Rhys Jones, chief executive of the RWAS. 'Her Royal Highness has long been a passionate advocate for agriculture and rural communities. 'We look forward to sharing with her the many highlights of this year's event, including the exciting innovations and developments that have taken place since her last visit.' The RWAS has also this week published details of its new map of the showground, which features for the first time the Heavy Horse Village. 'Freshly designed by Mwydro, a creative business based in Caernarfon, this year's map brings a bold new look while still guiding you to all your show favourites, and something brand new,' said the society. 'Say hello to the Heavy Horse Village, a new addition for 2025 alongside the traditions you know and love. 'Whether you're heading straight for the main ring or the cheese stalls, it's all here. 'Pick one up on arrival – or study it now if you like to plan your route down to the ice cream van.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Northern Heights trail open for riders
May 19—ROCHESTER — It's early on an unseasonably cool Sunday morning in May but the trail at Northern Heights Park in northeast Rochester is already seeing traffic. Dog walkers and mountain bikers pass Alec Tackmann as he's giving a tour of the recently completed project. "I remember when we ran the machines here to cut the trail here for the first time," Tackmann said Sunday, May 18, 2025. Although city parks department staff helped with clearing debris and trash from the woods, most of the work and trail planning was done by volunteers from the Rochester Active Sports Club. Even after clearing roots and debris the trail was loose at first, surrounded by bare dirt where buckthorn, honey suckle and other invasive plants had been. Now the trail is packed, almost smooth in parts, and plants and ferns grow up to the trail's edge. "It's really nice to see it look like this," said Tackmann, a RASC board member and volunteer. Some plants filled in naturally such as Jack in the pulpit flowers. Others were added by Tackmann and RASC trail builder Scott Hogen, who both personally planted more than three dozen ferns alongside the trail. Two bridges made from deck wood and utility poles and a wooden boardwalk span portions of the ravine and keep the trail at "easy" difficulty level for use and help prevent erosion. Benches along the trail, painted by different artists and volunteers, offer hillside views of the woods. Overall, it took three months of work, two in the fall and one in the spring, and about $17,000 in funding to make the approximately 1.4-mile Northern Heights Park Trail a reality. The dirt trail loop is designed for walkers and mountain bike riders. "All that considered, this trail was pretty cheap," Tackmann said. The project plan received some opposition from neighbors. Now Tackmann sees some of the people who spoke against it publicly using the trail. "This is a good proof of concept now," Tackmann said. Concerns included erosion, crowding, people parking in the neighborhood and noise. However in about a month of use, none of those problems have yet appeared. However trash, invasive species and dead trees have been removed from the previously undeveloped wooded city parkland. "This is a nice trail, it's nice and wide, it's easy," said Margot Zerrudo, of Kasson, who rode on the trail Sunday morning with her husband Kim Zerrudo. Kim tried the trail on his own a few weeks ago and thought it would be a fun ride for the couple. The couple used to live in Rochester and would go out of town in order to access soft trails for mountain biking. "This is great for Rochester to have this," Kim said. The trail was designed by Joshua Rebennack, an environmental engineer and mountain biking trail volunteer based in central Minnesota who helped design part of the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trail. It fits in a small space but was designed so that it doesn't feel small. Changes in elevation make some of the switch backs hard to see from the trail giving the appearance of uninterrupted woods. Work is ongoing. Some buckthorn debris and downed trees still need to be removed. Tackmann said he comes to the trail about twice a week to check on it and volunteers from the RASC rotate trail maintenance work days. However, trail users are already doing their share, Tackmann said. He pointed to a tree that fell across the trail that now sits along the side of the trail. He had found the trail blocked by the tree and called the city Parks Department to cut up the log. By the time staff assessed the job, a group of trail users had moved the tree. "Some of the maintenance is going to happen organically," Tackmann said.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Weaselhead preservation group seeks nocturnal sanctuary status for Calgary's only 'delta'
An environmental preservation group wants to keep the park dark to support the birds and the bees. The Weaselhead Glenmore Park Preservation Society is working with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) to obtain nocturnal sanctuary status for the Weaselhead Flats, according to a local naturalist. Such a designation would recognize the importance of maintaining dark skies for the variety of wildlife within in the flats, said Sara Jordan-McLachlan, a representative of the Weaselhead preservation society. At an event to recognize World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, she told Postmedia the preservation society will first have to submit an application to the RASC, before the two organizations collaborate on a joint application to the city. 'We'll need city approval so it's about working with the city as well to make sure they're on board, because ultimately, it's their park to manage,' she said. 'They would give us the approval to designate that as a nocturnal sanctuary and then we'd be in charge of managing it.' The Weaselhead Flats are a natural area, located in southwest Calgary, at the mouth of where the Elbow River flows into the Glenmore Reservoir. The flats are technically Calgary's only 'delta' — a geographical landform created where a river slows as it spills into a standing body of water. In the case of the Weaselhead, when the river reaches the flats, it deposits sand and gravel to create a network of bars, channels and marshes. While the flats have a special protected-area status that prohibits development, the Weaselhead doesn't currently have a nocturnal sanctuary designation as part of its habitat management plan, according to Jordan-McLachlan. She noted there have been some rumblings about adding lighting fixtures to the cycling and walking path that cuts through the flats, which she warns would be harmful for birds and other wildlife. 'That's our biggest challenge — keeping that dark,' she said. 'But otherwise, no development can happen in that area.' A park in the Calgary region that currently has nocturnal sanctuary status is the Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation Area, located just south of city limits in Foothills County. The sprawling area received nocturnal preserve designation in 2015, according to the RASC's website. There are numerous ecological benefits to keeping a natural area devoid of artificial light, said Jordan-McLachlan, who is also a representative of Bird Friendly Calgary. Through her involvement with the local avian advocacy group, Jordan-McLachlan has advocated for stronger protection for birds during the spring and fall migratory seasons, such as educating residents of high-rises to turn off their lights at night to help prevent window strikes. McLachlan-Johnson said Bird Friendly Calgary hasn't formally lobbied the city to enact a lights-out policy or bylaw, which is a measure that some U.S. cities, like Baltimore and Chicago, have introduced. Instead, their advocacy has focused on education. 'A lot of people have the perception that lights mean safety,' she said. 'It's working on these different issues to realize the lights are not actually providing that safety. They're increasing light pollution which affects our circadian rhythms in addition to harming migratory birds that try to use the night sky to navigate. 'There are a lot of different facets to it and a lot of education and political will that is needed.' sstrasser@
Calgary Herald
11-05-2025
- General
- Calgary Herald
Weaselhead preservation group seeks nocturnal sanctuary status for Calgary's only 'delta'
An environmental preservation group wants to keep the park dark to support the birds and the bees. Article content Article content The Weaselhead Glenmore Park Preservation Society is working with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) to obtain nocturnal sanctuary status for the Weaselhead Flats, according to a local naturalist. Article content Such a designation would recognize the importance of maintaining dark skies for the variety of wildlife within in the flats, said Sara Jordan-McLachlan, a representative of the Weaselhead preservation society. Article content Article content At an event to recognize World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, she told Postmedia the preservation society will first have to submit an application to the RASC, before the two organizations collaborate on a joint application to the city. Article content Article content 'We'll need city approval so it's about working with the city as well to make sure they're on board, because ultimately, it's their park to manage,' she said. Article content 'They would give us the approval to designate that as a nocturnal sanctuary and then we'd be in charge of managing it.' The flats are technically Calgary's only 'delta' — a geographical landform created where a river slows as it spills into a standing body of water. In the case of the Weaselhead, when the river reaches the flats, it deposits sand and gravel to create a network of bars, channels and marshes. Article content While the flats have a special protected-area status that prohibits development, the Weaselhead doesn't currently have a nocturnal sanctuary designation as part of its habitat management plan, according to Jordan-McLachlan. Article content Article content She noted there have been some rumblings about adding lighting fixtures to the cycling and walking path that cuts through the flats, which she warns would be harmful for birds and other wildlife. Article content 'That's our biggest challenge — keeping that dark,' she said. 'But otherwise, no development can happen in that area.' Article content A park in the Calgary region that currently has nocturnal sanctuary status is the Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation Area, located just south of city limits in Foothills County. The sprawling area received nocturnal preserve designation in 2015, according to the RASC's website. Article content There are numerous ecological benefits to keeping a natural area devoid of artificial light, said Jordan-McLachlan, who is also a representative of Bird Friendly Calgary. Article content Through her involvement with the local avian advocacy group, Jordan-McLachlan has advocated for stronger protection for birds during the spring and fall migratory seasons, such as educating residents of high-rises to turn off their lights at night to help prevent window strikes.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Roger Muirhead, veteran of El Alamein, the invasion of Sicily and the Normandy landings
Roger Muirhead, who has died a few days short of his 104th birthday, was awarded campaign medals for his Army service in North Africa, Italy, Normandy and Burma. Roger Hedderwick Muirhead was born in Scotland on April 17 1921. His father, Brigadier Sir John Spencer Muirhead, DSO, MC, served in both world wars, and taught Roman law at Glasgow University. His great-grandfather, James Hedderwick, founded and published The Citizen, Glasgow's evening newspaper. He was educated at Fettes and enlisted in the Army in 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War. Commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC), he joined his unit, part of 151st Brigade, British 50th (Northumbrian) Division at El Alamein, Egypt, in September 1942. He commanded a platoon in the Second Battle of El Alamein, the turning point of the North Africa campaign, and in the Battle of the Mareth Line. In July 1943, he commanded an ammunition platoon in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. He and his men embarked from Port Said on a passenger liner before transferring to a landing craft. He landed south of Capo Murro di Porco. There was little opposition but he was involved in a skirmish in the dark with American paratroopers who had landed in the wrong place. He said afterwards that he narrowly escaped being shot. A merchant ship which he saw being bombed was carrying all the alcohol for the Officers' Mess. He was the Messing Officer and had spent all the funds for its purchase in Alexandria. After the fighting, he took some of his men to the top of Mount Etna and they camped there for the night. The next morning, a German bomber came over them, flying very low, pursued by an RAF fighter. Muirhead and his platoon crossed to mainland Italy with their lorries and moved up to Bari on the Adriatic coast before returning to England in December to re-equip and train for the Normandy landings. He landed at Arromanches on August 12 1944. Within a few days he was hospitalised with a recurrence of malaria and it was October before he was able to rejoin his unit, part of an anti-aircraft brigade, at Terneuzen in the Netherlands, on the southern shore of the western Scheldt Estuary. He took part in the battle to open up the Scheldt between the strategically vital port of Antwerp and the North Sea to enable shipping to bring supplies to the Allies. He came across 20 Canadian Army three-ton lorries. They were under-employed and he commandeered them for several weeks before returning them to their base. The 21st Army Group was badly in need of infantry officers to replace casualties. Muirhead was posted to the Isle of Man to re-train but in May 1945 he volunteered to serve with the RASC in the Far East. He was based at Comilla in Assam (now Bangladesh), a transit camp for the 14th Army in Burma, before moving to Rangoon. In August, the Japanese surrendered and for the next nine months he managed a British Military Government food supply depot at Teluk Anson in Perak State, Malaya. In August 1946, he was demobilised in the rank of captain. He went up to Glasgow University to read law but he could not stand listening to lectures in Roman law by his father; after two terms, he emigrated to Canada. He returned to Britain in 1949 and went to the Royal (Dick) Veterinary College, Edinburgh, as a mature student. For 20 years he served as a veterinary officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (Maff). Following extensive research, he played a notable part in the identification of tuberculosis in badgers as a cause of bovine TB and in demonstrating how transmission of the bacteria could be eliminated by controlling the movements of these animals. In 1972, his findings were published in the State Veterinary Journal. In 1975, he was part of a team that went to Malta to deal with an outbreak of foot and mouth disease and, in April 2001 Maff asked him to help with the British foot and mouth crisis. Aged 80, he worked on farms full-time for six months. On his retirement, he was appointed MBE for his services to agriculture. Settled in a village in Gloucestershire, he enjoyed walking his dogs and adding to his considerable knowledge of old motor cars. In his later years, he was cared for by his business partner, Peter Robertson, and subsequently by Peter's son, Jay. Roger Muirhead, born April 17 1921, died April 11 2025 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
