First published in the Shropshire Star on Friday September 21st 2007

Spam fritters on menu for new 'land girls'

Phil Wilson, from the Heavy Horse Experience at Horton, near Telford, with Claire Durbin and Bob the shire horse.

Kayleigh Traynor, Cheryl Archers, and Sarah Fuller chop trees as they find out what life was like as members of the land army in World War II.

By Lisa Rowley of the Shropshire Star

Young girls have taken a step back in time in Shropshire to experience what life was like as a member of the land army during the war years.

Corned beef hash, spam fritters and rabbit stew have all been on the menu for the group. The girls from the Daventry area of Northamptonshire arrived at the Heavy Horse Experience at Horton, near Telford, on Tuesday. The 15 to 20-year-olds were brought along to the county by the organisation, Connexions.

They have dressed up in the clothes land girls would have worn during World War Two and have been camping out during their stay.

The girls have been "enjoying" war time rations and taking part in various activities, including looking after heavy horses and timber felling.

The scheme has been funded by the National Lottery and Government.

Phil Wilson, who runs the Heavy Horse Experience and rents land from Hoo Farm, said: "They have all had a bad start in life or had problems at home.

Living

"They have been living as the women in the land army did." He said: "They have worked with the horses and they have been taken to the assault glider trust at RAF Shawbury.

"The idea is to illustrate the change in the role of women since World War Two when women went to work on the land."

The girls, who were leaving at lunchtime today, have already been to the Eden Camp in Yorkshire, which is a prisoner of war camp. They have also been joining in singing songs popular at the time.

Julia Bull, from the Connexions youth involvement team in Daventry, said: "My job is to give young people a voice. I work with young people not in education or employment or training. We are down here working with heavy horses and we are living on as near to the sort of diet that the land army girls would have been on."

Cheryl Archers takes a chop at a tree

Visitors from Daventry Kayleigh Traynor, Sarah Fuller, Cheryl Archers, Julia Bull and, front, Kerry White, Claire Durbin and Gemma Johnston- Smith take a break from work.

Kerry White with Bob

Pictures: Andrew Cunningham of the Shropshire Star

Copyright of and first published in the Shropshire Star on Friday September 21st 2007.

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