HERE are some words I put together in the form of a poem in 1998, and which I would be most happy for you to print in the Review, written to express my love and admiration for the wonderful and beautiful countryside I was born in, and fortunate enough to have lived in all my life.

I truly believe it would be a tragedy and monumental mistake to sell off all or any part of this most precious place, a place which in my poem I have called: 'A Forest rare.'

This Forest rare,

With wooded vales and hillside,

carpets of green

and flowers of many hues.

The mighty oaks

The beech, the elm, the elder

The willow, lime

And many firs and pines.

The silver streams,

And rushing, tumbling waters,

The ponds and pools

So deep, so clear, so still

The spreading chestnut

In its flowering splendour

The silver birch

Sycamore, holly, ash and yew.

This place was made

For all of us to savour,

The beauty of

Its shady forest trails

This place was made

For each of us to cherish

The flora, fauna,

And its lovely views.

This place so rich

A jewel beyond distinction,

This place so rich

In beauty, grace and peace

This Forest rare

A place of natural beauty

A gift from God,

A gem beyond compare.

Neville Edmunds, Berry Hill.