imagine living on a small island,population of 92 (census of 2001). Bryher has an area of 327 acres - just over half a square mile (1.3 km²).each family has its own favorite part of the island used for picnics and recreation and some have been used as favorites for generations some to harvest bracken as bedding for their live stock, even the beaches were favored by certain islanders for collecting seaweed for fertilizing the land and before that for kelp for the production soap etc,on an island this size you need to make the most of every square inch, even some of the off shore islets and rocks would be made use of, today we still use the same spaces as our forbears but more for our leisure in the same way that mainlanders use their parks etc, now try to imagine those parks and outdoor spaces being taken away from you, how would you and your neighbours react?
In July 1986, the Isles of Scilly Environmental Trust was formed as a registered charity. it was seen as a way for the duchy of Cornwall to give something back to the islanders and a committee of Local people were in put in place to over see it, the rent to the duchy of Cornwall being a single daffodil., footpaths where maintained in some of the less accessible places and beaches were cleaned all for the good of the wildlife, tourist industry, and the community.. over the years it has been taken over by various outside agencies, their polices have driven the original board members away as they have ceased to regard to the wishes of the islanders.Meanwhile, we on Bryher had been carrying on with our everyday life's much the same as our ancestors had before us and unaware of the fate that the wildlife trust was planning for us on our little bit of land. In 2003 a note was sent round the island, The Trust was to hold a community meetings on Bryher to discuss land management, not at the Bryher Community centre but at the local pub which is run by a trustee of the wildlife trust,not all the community are made to feel/or feel welcome there, which is why a community centre is so important, its a sort of neutral territory, I'm told the a hand full of people attended that meeting (some may have just been going to the pub) maybe we should have all gone but its simply not our way,''laid back'' or ''apathetic''? well! either way,we are all self employed with busy lives.
One day Three ponies where brought to the island, sounds innocent enough doesn't it? and it was nice that a couple of locals got employed to look after them, we put our heads down and got on with our chores, before long a couple more ponies had arrived and some cattle, fencing started to go up including electric fencing and damage to the foot paths and headlands and erosion around the ancient prehistoric sites, where increasingly becoming apparent comments from holiday makers about the Electric fencing and unsightly storage area's where the trust left their materials, ropes, fence posts and wire, even an old bath thrown into the undergrowth.Horse riders where encountering gates and fences,the wild open unspoilt feeling of these areas where being destroyed.
A meeting was held, this time at the community centre and i think that the wildlife trust where taken by surprise at the strength of feeling amongst the gathered islanders, they suggested that the work party should be set up and that they would take our opinions into consideration
