MAGNIFICENT
CAMBERLEY,
A SPIRITUAL RETREAT
A SANCTUARY FOR WILDLIFE
IS BEING SOLD
TO A DEVELOPER
So what about
The Tekels Park
Deer ?
Not a protected species and could be slaughtered
Resident for centuries but could starve to death
if their foraging area is reduced or destroyed.
Development could cut off their feeding routes
or access to water.
They
only have 50 acres to start with (small for
badgers),
enclosed on three sides by urban
development
and on one side by the M3 motorway
Legal Protection ?
Tekels Park
has been designated a
SITE OF NATURE CONSERVATION INTEREST
(SNCI)
This sounds impressive but unfortunately it
carries
NO STATUTORY PROTECTION
This gift from a church member and place of
worship since 1931 is also being sold and the
congregation will have to negotiate for
permission to worship there.
The people who decided
to sell Tekels Park ?
Try finding any.
Selling a sanctuary for wildlife to a developer
could turn Tekels Park into a death camp for
animals.
Management don’t want to talk about
this and are
now hard to find items.
It is difficult to see how the existence of
deer in
Tekels Park advertises
itself as a Spiritual Retreat and
a
wildlife sanctuary but news of the sale to a developer
has prompted many to raise serious concerns
about the
fate of
the Tekels Park Deer Badgers
and other wildlife.
Tekels Park is a 50 acre woodland estate near Camberley, Surrey, England,
It is owned by the Theosophical Society (Adyar) in England and has been a
Spiritual Centre since 1929. The sale to a developer is surrounded by secrecy
but news is now leaking out and many are unhappy.
Tekels Park has always been a great source of pride to members of the
Theosophical Society and this decision represents a fundamental change in
attitude by the leadership.
_______________
What Could This Mean ?
A Deer in the Snow
Concerns are now being raised about the fate of the deer and other
wildlife as Tekels Park
in Camberley,
Tekels Park is sanctuary for animal wildlife including deer, foxes,
squirrels, badgers, bats, newts and stoats, and for birdlife including sparrowhawks, woodpeckers, tawny owls and many more.
There are many species of trees including 3 types of redwood, ginkgo, eucalyptus,
red oak, tall magnolias and lebanese cedars.
The effect on the wildlife will be devastating and of particular concern
is the fate of the deer. Although afforded protection from cruelty under
As with badgers, any reduction in their foraging area
could mean starvation although in the case of deer, their plight would
be more obvious and some would have to be killed.
Part of
Badgers have been residents of
Badger setts are protected by law but there is
concern that development will destroy the badgers’ foraging area, on which they
depend.
Protection for badgers’ foraging area is less
clearly defined than for setts and developers can legally use heavy machinery
30 metres from the entrance to a sett and dig manually at 10 metres.
The minimum foraging area for a badger sett is
around 30 acres and as Tekels Park
is 50 acres surrounded by urban development and the M3 motorway, even a small
level of development could wipe out the badgers.
_______________
Anger & Dismay
There is widespread anger and dismay at
decision to sell Tekels Park
to a developer. The Theosophical movement is shocked to hear the news and many
of the English Society’s 200 members had no idea this was happening as the
leadership made no official announcement at the time the decision was taken. A
brief reference was made on page 21 of the last issue of the now defunct
Insight Magazine in February 2010 but this does not mention that the sale is to
a developer.
This quotation gives some idea of the
importance of
“I
know many people in the TS (Theosophical Society) and Theosophical Movement
think of
Theosophical
Society in
After some uncertainty, the 2010 Tekels
Park camp is due to go ahead even though the young people attending will
certainly be aware of the fate of the park and the inevitable impact on the
wildlife. Any agreement regarding the future use of
Although the Tekels Park Guest House is
still being used for Theosophical Society events, many now feel unable to stay
there, knowing what may now happen to the park and the wildlife. No mention is
made of the sale on the
Madeleine
Leslie-Smith, a long-term resident of
_______________
Dedicated to St Francis of Assisi
Located on the Tekels Park Estate
Place of worship of the Liberal Catholic Church
Disquiet
amongst Liberal Catholic Church
Members over
loss of control of the building
St Francis Church
St Francis Church
was registered as a place of worship in 1931 by the Liberal Catholic Church
The St Francis Church Altar
There is
disquiet amongst Liberal Catholic Church members that although St Francis
Church may not face demolition, they will only be allowed to use the building
courtesy of the new owner of Tekels Park
and that the building may be made available to other groups.
The Liberal
Catholic Church was founded by a member of the Theosophical Society in 1915 and
has remained an integral part of the Theosophical Movement.
Selling
the Gift
The St Francis
church building was a gift from Theosophical Society and Liberal Catholic
Church member Josephine Chambres in 1930. This is a
consecrated church.
St
Francis of
Patron
Saint of Animals and the Environment
St
Francis of
Born in
St
Francis is the Patron Saint of Animals and the
Environment.
These must have been important
considerations
in dedicating a church in his name
but
the association appears now to be inconvenient
to
the
The
Liberal Catholic Church
The Liberal
Catholic Church came into existence as the result of a complete re-organization
in 1915-16 of the Old Catholic Church in
(From the Statement of Principles
of The Liberal Catholic Church, eight edition, 1986)
______________
The
____________________
Who’s Behind the
The whole deal is shrouded in so much secrecy
that even the majority of the Theosophical Society’s actual card carrying
members don’t appear to know what is happening but here are some contact
points.
The Theosophical Society in
Tel 0207 563 9817
Please note that there is more than one
Theosophical Society. Only the Theosophical Society with its headquarters at
The Theosophical Society administers the
The Tekels Park Estate Limited
RH15 9AE,
It is reported on some newsboards
that the Tekels Park Estate Limited hope to get £6Million for the Estate.
When one looks at how the sale of
developer will affect the wildlife and St Francis
Church, it is easy to see why the
management have
tried to keep it quiet.
______________________
Future
of Tekels Park Badgers Now in Doubt
Concerns
about Tekels Park Wildlife
Tekels Park & The Loch Ness
Monster