MAY I say that I heartily agree with the author of 'Review Opinion' on April 24, so much so, that, whoever it may be, might also be interested in the enclosed article that I wrote in 1999, but never published.

I am a Forester, born and bred, and I have very strong feelings for my heritage. If the author wishes, I would welcome contact, as it sounds as if we are on the same wavelength as they say! – E. Louise Cook (Mrs), Llangrove, Ross-on-Wye.

"I am of it, but not in it, as such! From across the Wye, I am 'the onlooker seeing most of the game.' I view it with the eye and experience of age, something you cannot buy.

"The Forest of Dean had a heartbeat, which is now faltering. Its inhabitants were strong and resilient, and close to nature. Now, it is not so – it is in the process of being brutally raped, and as so, its atmosphere can never be the same. Soon, it will be as any other Forest, instead of the unique place it once was. Its air of timeless mystery has gone, and it will simply be no more than a collection of trees, instead of the beautiful and mysterious place it once was.

"You take a walk for peace and meditation, and what happens? Around a bend comes a horde of hell-bent cyclists, disturbing wildlife and nature lovers both. You may say it belongs to all, but that does not give you the right to destroy it.

"What place do stained glass windows and modern sculpture have in a Forest that is steeped in history? No place at all! And all it portrays is alien and synthetic. Can you not stand back and see this? We know the past, and have a vision of the future, and the present 'vision' is not in keeping. The Forest, the Forest Nelson and medieval England, is being destroyed, and it is sacrilege. Its heritage and traditions are being obliterated and will vanish as if it had never been.

"The so-called 'carers' of the Forest have been brought in from outside its boundaries – 'to care for the Forest?' Why? The Forest has managed without them for hundreds of years and made a damned good job of it – why does it need them now? Nature can manage herself and has done so for centuries – she needs no help. Without it, she made the Forest of Dean the beautiful place that it originally was!

"My first five years, isolated, and deep within the woods, at Kensley Lodge, near Speech House, instilled in me a love for the Forest, and gave to me, a feeling and a bonding for the woods themselves, that very few have been privileged to experience – the woods were my home, and everything within it replaced human contact.

"The Forest of Dean should be preserved, not raped. It is being robbed of its most precious heritage of timeless tranquility that has grown from ages past – once lost, it can never be replaced and I despair. Future generations will have no knowledge of its ancient beauty, and of how things once were." Eileen Louise Cook (February 2, 1999).