Commons Stories
Commons Stories is a collection of stories from four upland common regions across England: Dartmoor, the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District and the Shropshire Hills.
You’ll find written and photographic portraits of people, short videos, audio clips, and reflections on events through the year, as well as reflections on some of the challenges of building sustainable futures for people and landscape in these special places.
The collection is put together by somewhere nowhere duo, writer Harriet Fraser and photographer Rob Fraser, with contributions from commoners using GoPro cameras to capture snippets of their day-to-day lives on the farm and in the hills.
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Tom Lloyd, Longmynd Commoner
Upland farmer Tom Lloyd is secretary of the Longmynd Commoners Association, and with other commoners, grazes sheep on the Longmynd. Here he talks to Harriet Fraser about his experience of farming, the value of the heritage of commons in Shropshire, and collaborative work to care for this special place.
Poem: transition
Lambing is a time for seemingly endless chores, and, on occasions, some hands-on assistance for a lamb coming into the world. This poem by Harriet was inspired by her time with John Heighway, in the Shropshire Hills.
Lambing - joy and challenges
Lambing time is one of the most intense periods of the farming year. It comes with joy and many challenges. This post reflects on 24 hours in the thick of things, with John Heighway, who is a commoner on Clee Liberty Common, Shropshire Hills.
Matt Betton
Matt Betton has been contracted by the Our Upland Commons project to do some active shepherding on Stiperstones, to encourage sheep to graze more widely and in doing so, help to conserve and enhance the very special habitat that supports an abundance of bird and butterfly species.
Caring for Curlews
Curlews still live and breed on the edge of Long Mynd and around the Shropshire Hills but are threatened. Amanda Perkins from Curlew Country shares the story of years of conservation, and hope for the future.
Tess Hallet : Commoner, Shropshire Hills
An introduction to farmer Tess Hallet who has rights to graze her livestock on Stapeley Common in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Layered Lives on Clee Liberty Common
Hunting for butterflies, and feeding sheep … Harriet and Rob Fraser join a butterfly hunt on Clee Liberty Common, with Mike Williams from West Midlands Butterfly Conservation and then head out into the uplands of these Shropshire Hills with farmer John Heighway, to find out more about caring for this complex mosaic of landscape.
John Heighway : Commoner, Shropshire Hills
Introducing commoner John Heighway, who is a grazier on Clee Liberty Common in the Shropshire Hills
Simon Cooter : Senior Reserves Manager, Stiperstones
An introduction to Simon Cooter, Senior Reserve Manager at Stiperstones National Nature Reserve in the Shropshire Hills
