Heritage Wardens
Coleorton Parish have two Heritage Wardens - John MacDonald and Rob Oldham. John is involved with various projects with the Swannington Heritage Trust and will work with the Council on the future plans for Coleorton Wood.
Rob Oldham is a retired academic, previously based at De Montfort University in Leicester, where he worked in ecology, especially in respect of amphibians. He continues to study amphibians in Coleorton, especially the common toad and the crested newt. He served as secretary of the Coleorton Millennium Committee and is interested in developing a trail in the parish building on the Mining Heritage Trail, incorporating historical and natural history features.
John Macdonald has recently retired from running his own consultancy business, where he was involved in the food manufacturing industry. John and his family have lived in Coleorton for nearly 20 years. A keen genealogist, John likes to research into the history and heritage of family members to understand “what life was like when they were alive”. John is a member of the RSPB and has always had a keen interest in natural history and the countryside.
Rob and John’s primary interest is to develop a heritage trail for Coleorton, which could be based on the Mining Heritage Trail: “We intend to include points of interest which relate to both historical heritage and natural history heritage. This is a project that is at a very early stage so we are very interested in receiving information from any people who may wish to contribute. We are also interested in getting other Coleorton villagers involved and if anyone has information that relates either to the history of the village, or to the natural history of the area, we would be very pleased to hear from you.”
email heritagewarden@coleorton.org.uk
About heritage Wardens in Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Council’s Community Heritage Initiative (CHI) project works with communities to encourage people to record and celebrate the biodiversity and natural heritage of their local area. They run a Heritage Warden Network made up of volunteers who monitor and conserve the natural heritage of Leicestershire’s countryside and landscape.
A Heritage Warden might gather information from local people about areas of the environment that are important to them, co-ordinate the mapping of different wildlife habitats and heritage features, act as a voice on heritage protection in each parish, liaise and network with various interested groups and bodies, bring a natural heritage slant to Village Appraisals or Village Design Statements, be a source of information and assist with community education in natural heritage issues.
Wardens have access to:
- comprehensive training via the Natural History and Heritage Information Sessions programme monthly newsletters informing them of current surveys, relevant training courses and opportunities for funding
- the opportunity to borrow field equipment
- records about their parish held in the Leicestershire Biological Records Centre at Holly Hayes
To find out more about the Community Heritage Initiative and the Heritage Warden Network, visit the web site:
http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/community/history_heritage/hne_team/celebrating_wildlife.htm
or contact the Parish Council.
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