Hello, i am the bottle digger pictured digging on Hearsall common in your recent article. I found the article very interesting although i am a little bit puzzled as to why anyone would object to our small excavation. People have been digging on the common for many years so this is nothing new. The common is public land and therefore we have as much right to be there as anyone walking their dog or indeed grazing their cattle! This has been backed up by the many police officers that have wandered over to check out what we have been doing over the past 6 or so months, digging a hole is not a crime!
I was also slightly dismayed to see you publish a picture of 'damaged grass' in the artical. Not only is this not where we have been digging it is not even remotely near! The area we have been digging is in wild pasture land that has its grass cut once or twice a year. It is not the main common which is kept neat and tidy. Never the less we have been very careful to ensure that we replace the turf and leave the area as we have found it after digging. We have filled in every hole and ensured the area is free from shards of glass or any other objects that may pose any danger to the public. Is is not in our interest to leave the place a mess and we are certainly not 'desecrating' anything!
Despite the slightly negative aspects of the article its great to see people taking an interest in what we are up to. We have had a huge number of people come over to see what we have been doing and most have been amazed to see what is hidden right below their feet. Its a great way for people (especially children) to learn about this history of Coventry and i am a great believer that history should be experienced in person rather then by simply reading a sterile text book!
It is a shame the council has expressed some disapproval towards our digging as myself and 'Dweeb' have been seriously considering asking them for help to set up an exhibition in the city of what we have found. It would be a great opportunity to share our finds with the rest of the community and go a long way to help dispel the ludicrous myth that bottle diggers are only out there to find bottles to sell on ebay!! Indeed would be interested to hear if the Telegraph would like to be involved in such a venture? The council have proven with their statement that it is highly unlikely they would even listen to a pair of amateurs but hopefully with the papers help we could organise a slightly more 'organised' excavation, a proper exhibition and probably several interesting articles too!
Alternatively we could just switch to using the common to get drunk and smoke drugs like some members of the public seem to prefer!
What a surprise, the press write write a hopelessly negative article, when they could have written a gem of a piece. Mind you, when you live in Coventry, everything's depressing I suppose.
What a surprise, the press write write a hopelessly negative article, when they could have written a gem of a piece. Mind you, when you live in Coventry, everything's depressing I suppose.
I bought a great Burger and (fairly) great chips at about midnight last night in Coventry - so its not all bad (just everything else that wasn't that Foleshill road Takeaway is)
What a surprise, the press write write a hopelessly negative article, when they could have written a gem of a piece. Mind you, when you live in Coventry, everything's depressing I suppose.