By Phil Reddall, West Midlands YBNP RO – Last Sunday saw West Midlands Young BNP members, along with parents and grandparents, take part in an English Pride Ramble in the Shropshire hills to celebrate both springtime and the forthcoming day of St George, England’s patron saint.

Sunday morning dawned dry and bright, with the sun’s rays quickly warming Shropshire to the point where t-shirts were the order of the day. The group met up early and proceeded to an area of outstanding natural beauty for a short hike, stopping for photographs and a packed lunch.

Conversation evolved from the weather into tales of local folklore, including an Arthurian legend regarding a giant magical fish that supposedly guards Edric’s sword at Bomere Pool; the Devil’s Chair, where a thunderstorm is sure to occur should a mortal seat himself upon Satan’s throne; and the Seven Whistlers — six birds which fly together looking for their lost companion. If found, however, the world is said to end.

As the walk continued, conversation turned to the Christian celebration of Easter and the ancient traditions surrounding Ostara, which both revere rebirth — a reawakening of human spirit and the forces of nature.

In times gone by the first new green shoots, which pushed their way through the previously winter-compacted soil, marked a time when our people could step out from their shelters and look forward to warmer days, the sowing of seeds and the celebration of new life.

It is easy to forget in this modern age that our ancestors’ lives were governed by the seasons, but if we are to stay strong as a people our vision must not become clouded by materialism, easy living and nonsensical, destructive celebrity gossip.

Thus, the agenda for the Young BNP is to ensure that our children attain a healthy balance which includes physical exercise and excursions into the countryside and wilderness. Only by direct experience can our youth understand what the term ‘Land and People’ really means. By leaving behind Xbox and television and coming into contact with the soil, the wind, the rain, the sunshine and the animals and birds, our young folk will see something which past generations saw — a nation of which to be proud.