I AM privileged to have been born and bred in the Forest of Dean, the youngest of four children who were allowed the freedom to play with our friends in the woods unrestricted.

My father was a Freeminer and proud of it. He worked three shifts which was rather confusing for youngsters until they got used to Dad going and coming at different times.

Dad worked all his mining years at Cannop and on night shift would walk from home to Cannop through the woods by the light of the 'parish lantern'  that is the  full moon.

He walked as of right and was familiar with all the night life of the woods, worked a shift underground where men looked out for each other. No cut-throat atmosphere deep underground.

What has happened to those times?  I walk with my husband and two friends every Tuesday morning and we have wonderful walks in different locations around the area.

We have marvelled at the deer, herons, slow worms, butterflies and other creatures who share this area with us and we with them.

But things have changed greatly in this Forest of Dean we call home.

Our walks at Steam Mills lakes and surrounding area have been changed by unadulterated greed.  

High  fences have been erected to keep us out and anything that moves over or in the ground.

Trees have been cut down, moss has been removed, grass has been strimmed  to eradicate newts, slow worms and anything else that might move.

We have seen deer trying to find their way to water and terrified because their pathways are blocked.     No notices to say why we are barred and no one knows what's happening. Our walk today found more fences on our regular walk right along the side of the path and stretching far into the woodland.

We three ladies were horrified and our thoughts were as one of the concentration camps and seeing faces at the fences keeping them in. What a sickening feeling we had.

Is this what is going to happen on our free walks in the Forest?

All no-go areas to make the rich richer with no questions allowed to be asked, no  planning and no  thought of what is happening underground from years of mining, opencast and the dumping of waste.  

The millions spent on laying out the Linear Park, a joy to walk around and read the well-prepared information boards giving the history of the area – now all of little consequence.

Ask no questions, do as you are told. Remembering  our heritage, only for it to be wiped out.  

What would the old Foresters think if their privileges and rights had been taken from them.

No walks through the woods, no wildlife to observe. Is this really what the people of the Forest of Dean want?

My husband is the only caring  district councillor to put his time in to try and save our heritage.

I support no political party, belong to no organisation (Women's Institute, non-political).

But what we ladies saw today brought everything into perspective of what we will lose.

I was  taught  and believe that God made all things bright and beautiful and we human beings have not got the right to destroy what we should be protecting.

– Valerie Gardiner, Ruardean.