Guardians of Ilkley Moor - About us...

The Guardians Of Ilkley Moor, campaign to preserve the natural beauty of Ilkley Moor, an upland region in West Yorkshire, northern England. We also campaign to protect and preserve the many features of historical interest that are manifold on the great moor, which in itself, is a magical place of renown and splendour, needing no embellishment whatsoever. We need to keep it that way. The Guardians of Ilkley Moor has no links or association with commercial groups, or vested interest groups, that may seek reasons to bring change to the moor that many local people from all religious backgrounds rightly deem a "sacred landscape". As such it should be protected. Our Facebook group page is here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/goim123/

Please join and support our group - if only by adding your name, to tell those who are wanting to change the moor, that you do not approve.

We know that many antiquarians, and historians from all over the world, delight in visiting Ilkley moor. For many it is a spiritual place, where people of all faiths come to meditate in the peaceful surroundings. The moor has the largest concentration of Neolithic rock carvings in Western Europe, prehistoric stone circles and ancient tombs. We would like to see the moor remain unsullied, and kept in it’s magnificent wilderness state as far as possible. I also know that many visitors despair at the graffiti carved in rocks on the moor...so, how do you feel about this? -

http://www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/stanza-stones/

What is interesting about that link, is that we have discovered that there is no such organisation as the Pennine Heritage Task Force, which the person presenting evidence to the Parish council claims to be the chair of, here:

http://www.parishcouncil.ilkley.org/minutes/49-minutes/145-minutes-of-the-full-council-meeting-held-on-4th-april.html

If you feel alarmed or in any way find this disgusting abuse of the moor distasteful, please email or contact your local councillors and MP’s. You may also care to let the organisers of the Ilkley Literature Festival and Simon Armitage, have the benefit of your views.

http://www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/contact/

http://www.simonarmitage.com/

And please take a few moments to sign our e-petition below:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/15849

Guardians Of Ilkley Moor

I spent this morning writing to various orgs including the literature reps in the link you provided. I also went deeper into who had sponsored this event:-

I've written to Moira, Chair at this org, http://www.legacytrustuk.org/info/About_Staff-and-contacts/
who sponsored ''imove'' who sponsored the stanza project at Ilkley. I expressed amazement that funds desperately needed to support the Olympic aspirants should be diverted to desecrate my local landscape, when in return I ( along with millions of others not interested in corporate profiteering on the back of sport) have not objected to these people having my tax to pay for their hobby or spare time sporting pursuit.

I also found that the National Trust have diverted money to ''imove'' and the stanza project, when they are supposed to be using it to conserve the heritage and environment. I ''joined'' their petition to express amazement that while they don't want planning decentralised, they are a shining example of why we shouldn't give planning decisions to people like the NT who are supporting projects with little consultation of a wide diversity of views. You too can join in to express your ''support''for this amazing hypocritical poll at the NT:
https://nationaltrust.polldaddy.com/s/developing-for-people-not-profit

Can't find a link to anyone at ''imove'' to complain about their lack of consultation on this project....except I believe they are sponsored also by the Regional Dev Council who are about promoting ''big business'' in Yorkshire, which explains why they are moving into common land to ensure some future corporate takeover of Ilkley Moor sponsored and supported by Caroline Spelman who wants more turf for GM production...

Forgot to add that the reason I am disgusted is that this summer I visted Rydal in Grasmere where some standing stones decorate the ''secret garden'' and was dismayed to find some idiot had carved on the back of the best one, and now I have to look at what I think is a red indian chief,( well it does look like a red indian chief to me)) instead of my attention calmly resting on the nice soothing prehistoric rings on the back of the stone....!!

Apparently some people can't just appreciate the joys of nature, and the art of prehistory, they have to start imposing their interpretation on it of what we SHOULD be looking at instead!!

Sorry I forgot to add this and it is important in light of the fact that the independent architect Tom Lonsdale has managed to persuade the Ilkley Parish council that no damage has been done since his work in Cumbria.......The council might want to check his work in Cumbria because quite frankly if he is responsible for the NT car park carved map of the landscape around Grasmere and Rydal they might want to send him to Specsavers first.

The map is on the NT car park (notice the NT coming up again??)) at Rydal, and it is drawn/sculpted the wrong way around. The map is a mirror image of the landscape and if you tried to follow it you would get hopelessly lost. I guess Mr Lonsdale is dyslexic which isn't a problem, but it is if he is producing maps for public consumption, the wrong way around!!


I guess Mr Lonsdale is also the person responsible for the violation of the standing stone at Rydal ( the one with the new red indian sculpted on it)and needs to be caught up with fast before he carves up even more prehistoric monuments.

I don't live in Ilkley so not sure about protocols of writing to the chair person of the Parish Council who recently had their ''fears'' about Tom's work allayed by him (but not by finding out about the quality of his work in Cumbria it would seem) who is to be contacted at this address:

Cllr Heathcliffe Bowen

Chairman of Council

600 762 (tel number? not sure)

8 Woodlands Rise
Ilkley
LS29 9BU
email him at :-

heathcliffe.bowen@bradford.gov.uk

Tricia - You're an absolute gem of a lady!!!

Huge thanks for doing this. We may be able to forward you details of more groups & people to email tomorrow. A couple of folk on here have already been hard at work - though Dave might be best talking things over with y'.

We're on a fact-finding mission with members of another group tomorrow who have real issues with some of the Ilkley Moor stuff. Will keep y' informed!

atb - Paul