Field work

I spotted the sign on the gate as we drove by and wondered what it was all about. The  answer, I subsequently learnt, is that two local village primary schools have been working on a project called Perci Ni/Our Fields to discover and record the traditional field names in their communities. They visited the National Library of Wales to look at tithe maps, they explored local footpaths and they talked to farmers about stories and memories associated with the countryside they live in. Then they made a map (extra). All the research was bilingual, the field names being Welsh. The one pictured, Perc Uchlaw y Feidr, means Upper Lane Field.

As well as recording vanishing history the project focussed on the changing nature of our countryside, the loss of biodiversity and the threat posed by climate change. The project was made possible by money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. What a wonderful opportunity,  producing a brilliant result. All schools should be enabled to do something similar.