| The Trust’s main activities for February |
| Our volunteer group has completed work on the Gorse Field, where the sculpture is to be sited, to improve the area of ancient grassland by clearing intrusive hawthorns and briars. The position for the sculpture has been marked out.
Work has also been progressing at the adjacent Hough Windmill. A new millers desk has been made and a skeleton working model of the mill has been completed. The mill is now being tidied up ready for the coming season.
The new advertising leaflet for the coming season is being distributed. |
| How has the project developed? |
Work has developed apace to produce the sculpture of the Horse and man, which will be sited next to our horse gin. The sculptors discussed with us the design of appropriate contempory clothing for the man. The method of mounting of the statue has been agreed and will be progressed in the next few weeks. The finished statue is now exposed to the atmosphere so that it will begin to rust, thus appearing more like a horse.
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Man and horse |
| Local events relating to the project |
| We encourage local History Groups to visit the Gorse Field and Mill and we are beginning to get bookings for group visits but more will be welcomed. Our volunteers have carried out work on the Gin to enable rotation to be freer for demonstration purposes. |
| We are now attempting to finalize plans for the unveiling of the sculpture on Sunday April 2nd that will coincide with the reopening event of the Mill for the season. |
| Working with Community Groups |
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Building the horse base
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We are active members of the Leicestershire Museums Forum and have selected our entry for this year’s Heritage competition. We hope to attract more visits through the Forum network. We will host the Forum’s AGM this year.
We continue to attract volunteers from other community groups to join our weekly, practical, landscape management working party and the larger monthly working party. Volunteers are made welcome.
We have liased with seconded teachers, in a pilot scheme through EMMLAC, to produce teaching packages for local school study groups. It is hoped these will be piloted this year.
A number of talks have been given to local school children and to local History Groups about the development of the mining landscape and local community.
Monthly meetings. We hold a monthly meeting at the village’s Fountain Inn for Friends of the Trust and we will be holding an information evening for our volunteers this week. |
| Information about the Trust |
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| Our website www.swannington-heritage.co.uk is kept reasonably up to date and attracts a commendable number of hits. We have produced our own leaflet because commercial producers of Tourism leaflets make no recognition of the fact that we make no charge for visits to any of our sites, preferring to receive donations from satisfied visitors. |
Man and horse before being exposed to the elements
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