Latest news with #NeilSkelton
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Rare chance to visit abandoned village after residents banned from returning
The village of Imber in Wiltshire has remained uninhabited since 1943, when residents were given just 47 days' notice to leave behind their homes - to which they never returned A 'lost' village in Wiltshire which saw all residents forced out of their homes more than 80 years ago and has been abandoned ever since will be opened to the public for just one day this summer. Imber, an uninhabited village on Salisbury Plain, was evacuated in 1943 and the villagers were removed so American troops could use the land to train for the D-Day landings. Residents were given just 47 days' notice to leave their homes and the village remains a training ground for urban warfare all these years later. The blacksmith, Albert Nash, was said to have died from a broken heart after having to leave his beloved home. Now, decades later, the village is opened up to the public on select days each year. Visitors can travel to Imber and step back in time to the ghost town, which is still uninhabited. However, over the years, the number of days on which the village is open to the public has been reduced. Neil Skelton, custodian of St Giles Church and the Ministry of Defence 's main liaison for access to Imber said: 'The reason for this restriction is that visitors have been ignoring the instructions regarding trespassing in the restricted areas in Imber village. Skelton said going into restricted areas in the village 'puts the individual at risk of injury or even death as there can be unexploded ordnance in those areas'. This year, the village will be open on August 16, and to get there you must take the ImberBus from Warminster. The buses leave approximately every 10-15 minutes between 9.30am-5pm and tickets cost £10 for adults and £2 for children. You cannot pre-book a seat on the bus and so visitors should simply turn up and pay the conductor on the bus, or buy a ticket from the ticket booth outside Warminster Station on the day. During the open day, the main attraction will be the 16th century St Giles' Church, which is the only building open to the public. There are almost no facilities, according to the ImberBus website, which means no shops, no permanent toilets, no electricity, and no phone signal. All other buildings and areas are 'strictly out of bounds to the general public', with trespassers risking prosecution and injury, a warning explains. For those keen to learn more about Imber's history, there will be an exhibition in the Athaneum Theatre in Warminster, and an art exhibition in the Library. The first time the open day took place was in September 2009 and it quickly became an annual event. In 2023, 28 buses were in operation and almost £35,000 was raised for the Imber Church fund, the Royal British Legion, and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Daily Record
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Galloway resident fears fighting windfarm proposals is impacting his health
A Galloway resident fears fighting against windfarm proposals is having an impact on his health. May 2 marks the final day people can submit representations regarding the proposed Blair Hill development near Newton Stewart. It's one of a number of wind farm developments – as well as a potential solar farm – that Hands Off Our Hills has been opposing. And one of the group's admin Neil Skelton, who lives in Bargrennan, said: 'We had no phone signal for three weeks, then we had the fires and we have this as well. There doesn't seem to be any respite. 'They're currently building an extension at Kilgallioch and there's roadworks all the time. 'It just seems to me that you don't have time to get over one thing before the next thing is hitting you and that to me just isn't sustainable – for me as a business and for all the other people I speak to. 'It's not just from windfarms, although it's a big part of it. 'We've got four, including the solar park. In a remote area like this, fighting one windfarm is bad but we're fighting these and a solar park on top of it. 'For the likes of me that's heavily involved with it, I've just had to give up everything else for two years and it's now having serious consequences. 'I've had mental health issues, which I've never had before. If everybody facing a windfarm is having similar effects to me it's quite an impact.' RES is proposing to build turbines as tall as 250m tall at Blair Hill. It had originally intended to build 22 turbines but when it submitted its application to the Scottish Government's energy consents unit, the proposal had been scaled back to 14. Hands Off Our Hills is against the proposal, as well as separate developments at Glenvernoch and Balunton near Glentrool and Shennanton near Kirkcowan. They are also opposed to Challoch Solar Park near Newton Stewart. The Scottish Government will make a decision on Blair Hill as the capacity is more than 90MW. Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway. When RES submitted their planning application in February, development project manager Sarah McArthur said: 'We are delighted to have reached this milestone in the Blair Hill Wind Farm project and would like to thank everyone who participated in our public consultations in October 2023 and May 2024. 'The feedback we received from both the community and statutory consultees has been instrumental in shaping the final design of the wind farm. "As part of our development plans, we propose to create a signposted, accessible heritage trail that will guide visitors through the site's historical features, unlocking the rich archaeological heritage for the local community and tourists to the area alike.' Submissions regarding the Blair Hill proposal can be made at until May 2.
