Avebury Residents’ Pack launched

Subject: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:42 pm

Gaz & Herald
Lord Avebury and Time Team's Phil Harding will be at the Avebury Day fete to help celebrate the launch of the Avebury World Heritage Site Residents' Pack'.

The launch will take place beside the banks of Avebury's 4,500-year-old henge on Saturday 19th July.

The pack is the first of its kind produced specifically for those who live within one of the UK's 27 World Heritage Sites.

The Residents' Pack is the result of two years hard work by a wide range of contributors.

In July 2006 the residents of the World Heritage Site were invited to appear in an aerial photograph standing in Avebury's world famous stone circle.

This photo marked the start of the Residents' Pack project.

The Pack is a limited edition designed to celebrate the unique values that make the World Heritage Site such a special place to live.

It includes a book made up of a collection of pieces by people with unique personal and professional insight into the area, including eminent archaeologists, local residents, farmers and pagans.

The accompanying leaflets provide practical information on the roles of the different organisations that look after the World Heritage Site and how residents can get involved.

The Pack has been sponsored by the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding National Beauty, English Heritage, the National Trust, Kennet District Council, the Henge Shop, the Council of British Archaeologists, the Wiltshire Heritage Museum and The Avebury Society.

Notes to editors: 1. The launch will take place at 4 pm on Avebury Sportsfield on Saturday, July 19th. After some short speeches by Lord Avebury and Phil Harding residents' will be invited to collect their packs. The Avebury Day fete itself begins at 12.30 pm.

2. Avebury and Stonehenge was inscribed on the World Heritage List for their outstanding prehistoric monuments in 1986. Avebury stone circle is the largest in Europe dating back to around 2,400 BC. The henge consists of a huge bank and ditch 1.3km in circumference. The stone circle is surrounded by outstanding ritual and funerary sites dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Other major monuments in the World Heritage Site include Windmill Hill, West Kennet long barrow, the Sanctuary, Silbury Hill, and the West Kennet and Beckhampton Avenues. Avebury and its landscape represent an incomparable testimony to prehistoric times.

3. The Avebury World Heritage Site covers 22.5 square kilometers of chalk downland and mixed arable fields which lie within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The ownership and management necessary to protect the wealth of archaeological features it contains, is shared between the National Trust, English Heritage, Natural England, farmers, landowners and householders.

For further information contact Sarah Simmonds the World Heritage Site Officer on 01380 734 820 or sarah.simmonds@kennet.gov.uk

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:27 pm

I just got home from a very good afternnon in Avebury. The launch was a big success and I had the pleasure of meeting several people from the forum:- Pete G, Bumbling B, Chance and Pointy Hat were all there!
Pointy Hat will be making a re-appearance on the forum soon (NT didn't like him posting, as he works for them...)
There's another open mic night in the Avebury Social Centre tonight, if anyone's around. Start 7.30 - bring own booze - quid to get in.

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:22 pm

Steve said
"I think June is here somewhere"
I asked "how will I recognise her?"
He replied "she has whitish hair"
which narrowed it down to half of the people on the field.
Sorry to have missed you June (if you were there)
Here's some photos.

Peter Tate gets on his old uniform he used to wear as Avebury Warden.

Time Teams and Avebury frequenter Phil Harding launches the residents pack

Lord Avebury (Eric Lubbock) makes a speech

Sarah Simmonds hands the first pack out

PeteG
Meanwhile a local is put in the stocks

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 471 Location : Wiltshire

Aahh, Steve has let the cat out of the bag about my hair (I usually where a cap). I like to think it is a stylish shade of silver brought about by the adventure of my journey through life (I'm proud of it anyway, its real).

Am very glad it all went well and good to see a picture of BB (I think I met him briefly a year or so ago in the Red Lion).

Sorry, I didn't get there Pete, I would love to have met you all. Am hoping to get out tomorrow morning before the weekend visitors, my map shows that the walk up to Windmill Hill is quite straight forward from Avebury Trusloe - and I've a new pair of walking shoes to scruff up.

(No, that picture is definitely not me, I don't do handbags).

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:56 pm

That BB has a lot to answer for with his Residents Pack
or Values & Voices as it was finaly named for some bizzare reason.
The biggest photo in the book on page 93 is mine but credited to the Bl00dy NT!
Wait till I see him again!

It was a good day with lots of old faces I haven't seen in a while.
Lots of local gossip to catch up on.
PeteG

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:10 pm

Joined : 19 Jan 2008 Posts : 215

Joined : 19 Jan 2008 Posts : 215

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:06 pm

I thought as much.
Lord A emailed thanking me for the dvd of the Silbury tunnel visit.
I sent him some proper photos for him to use on his weblog.

I think Peter Tate stole the show with his little dressing up act.

king

PeteG

Joined : 19 Jan 2008 Posts : 215

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:14 pm

I got lots of photos of you but I see you've already got a good one for your avatar today.

PeteG

Joined : 19 Jan 2008 Posts : 215

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:27 pm

Good idea. Don't mind if I do!

Rose, what did you think of the Residents pack I showed you yesterday?
PeteG

Joined : 18 Jan 2008 Posts : 154

Well, nice to see me and my family in it - I'll be working on trying to blag a copy!

My memory of the aim for this pack originally was so that if an Avebury Resident wanted to dig a hole in their garden, or found an artefact or saw a BT Engineer digging a hole without an accompanying Archeologist they would be able to look up who to call (Ghostbusters?!).

As far as I could see the only reference even vauguely related to these issues just said call the Council.

Lots of pretty pix, lots of blurb, shame about Terry and Gordon having such prominence!

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Sun Jul 20, 2008 6:06 pm

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:39 pm

so whats next BB?
Silburys all sorted, the Resident Pack is finished.
It looks like a camp site isn't going to happen so what are you going to spend your time on now?

Surely not the S word?
PeteG

Joined : 12 Jul 2008 Posts : 321

Is that a new cooking programme featuring Shiny. ?

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Mon Jul 21, 2008 12:02 am

Joined : 19 Jan 2008 Posts : 215

Joined : 18 Jan 2008 Posts : 154

Sorry BB, didn't mean to disparage your efforts.

Its a lovely pack to have. Well presented with some interesting writings by many people I know.

I spoke to a friend in the Village yesterday who said she thought it was lovely and will be going on her shelves for posterity.

Joined : 19 Jan 2008 Posts : 215

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:06 pm

TV archaeologist tells of his love for Avebury
from the Gaz & Herald

TV archaeologist Phil Harding from Channel 4's Time Team returned on Saturday to a Wiltshire monument that helped shape his career.

The former Marlborough Grammar School student was invited to help launch a new residents' pack for people living in Avebury and the surrounding World Heritage Site.

Each pack contains a book about the village with articles on the archaeology, history and natural history.

The original idea for the pack came from Avebury researcher Brian Edwards.

He discovered that many residents did not understand how the various organisations involved with the World Heritage Site worked.

In the book Values and Voices which has been edited by WHS officer Sarah Simmonds there is a forward written by Lord Avebury who attended the launch.

Lord Avebury's grandfather bought Avebury in 1875 to stall a building contractor who intended breaking up the stones for building materials and building houses with them.

He said: "My grandfather would have been delighted to be here today and he would have been amazed at the amount of work which has been done in Avebury in the World Heritage Site."

Peter Tate, formerly a National Trust custodian at Avebury for 20 years, returned to talk about his work and his love for the village.

He recalled a very young Phil Harding looking around the Avebury stones many years earlier and expressing an interest in their archaeology.

Mr Harding who lives near Salisbury, said: "Wiltshire, my beloved Wiltshire. It is in my blood, it is in my soul and I love this place to bits."

He said that although Stonehenge attracted many visitors it lacked being part of a community like Avebury.

Joined : 17 Jan 2008 Posts : 86

OH........RIGHT..............

Residents Pack Launched.............Not ..............Residents Packed Lunch.

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:39 pm

~~LOL~~

Smiles, nervously...

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Fri Jul 25, 2008 7:15 am

That event cost quite a lot to put on, you know.

There's no such thing as a free launch.

Joined : 17 Jan 2008 Posts : 86

Somebody'll dine out on that one.

Joined : 17 Jan 2008 Posts : 86

This pack............Is there anything in it of interest to us non-residents?

Subject: Re: Avebury Residents’ Pack launched Fri Jul 25, 2008 2:43 pm