Volunteers needed to maintain limeworks

Volunteers who maintain a former lime kiln site said the public may lose access to it if they cannot recruit more help.

The Llimeys consists of about five members who monitor flora and fauna at the former Llanymynech Limeworks and keep the area clean and tidy.

"If we don’t get more volunteers, the area will become overgrown, you won’t be able to see all of the buildings, the paths will overgrow," said Bob Cotter.

Operations at the site stopped in 1914. It has since been awarded local nature reserve status.

"We desperately need more people to come along, not just to do the maintenance, but also to help us with general administration," Mr Cotter said.

The site sits on the Shropshire/Welsh border and was derelict until it was purchased by Shropshire Council in 1970.

Large-scale conservation works were carried out from 2006 and since then the site has been maintained largely by the volunteers.

When the group began, there were 30 to 40 members, who carried out surveys to gather information on how their maintenance work was helping wildlife and plants.

"We need those updated, to understand how things are improving," said Mr Cotter.

"Sometimes we find that things have not been seen for several years, and all of a sudden you see that particular plant or that particular animal again," he added.

"We have to pick the jobs that we’re going to do because we’re such a small group of volunteers.

"Really our main aim here is to preserve this heritage for our future generations, so that’s why we need to encourage more people to come along."

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