Save the Stiperstones hollies

The Shropshire Wildlife Trust has a new campaign:

Two hundred or so ancient holly trees can be found scattered on the north-east edge of the Stiperstones. Some are thought to be three or four centuries old; perhaps no great age for an oak, but amazingly long-lived for holly. Cracked and gnarled, each of these trees has developed highly individual characteristics over their long lives.

The Hollies, as this bit of land has been known for centuries, is up for sale and Shropshire Wildlife Trust has the chance to buy it if we can raise sufficient funds in time. We've applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund and other grant making trusts, but it's by no means certain that they will award us funding. With lottery money being siphoned off to pay for the 2012 London Olympics there's a pretty tight lid on funding. So we're asking you to help us as much as you can.

See the video for more details - and some interesting local history.

The holly trees were used to feed livestock by the lead miners, who supplemented their incomes by farming the hillsides. Their smallholdings have long since been reclaimed by nature.