FOR
Spiritual Home
Sanctuary for Wildlife
YES
Camberley,
is being
sold
to a developer
________________
Haven’t heard ?
That seems to be the idea
& you’ll be lucky to find anyone involved in
the sale who’ll talk about it.
In fact, try finding someone involved in the
sale.
It looks like a case of
Quick!
Quick!
before
anyone has a chance to argue,
come
up with alternatives or,
in
some cases, even hear about it.
The decision to
sell is reportedly
Who’s seen them ?
a wildlife
sanctuary but, although kept quiet, news of
the sale to a developer is leaking out and has
prompted
many to raise serious concerns about the fate
of the
Tekels Park
Deer 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.
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What Could This Mean ?
A Deer in the Snow
Concerns are 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
Part of Tekels Park is designated as
a ‘Site of Nature Conservation Interest’ (SNCI). Unfortunately this designation
carries no statutory protection.
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.
The
Tekels Park Badger Website
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Anger & Dismay
Now that the decision to sell
Tekels Park
is becoming known
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 Tekels Park
to the Theosophical Movement.
“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
Tekels Park was purchased
for the Theosophical Society in
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
Located on the
Place of
worship of the Liberal Catholic Church
Disquiet
amongst Liberal Catholic Church
Members over
loss of control of the building
Selling the
Gift
The St Francis Church building was a
gift from Liberal Catholic Church member, Josephine Chambres
in 1931. The building was registered as a place of worship by the Liberal
Catholic church the following year. The
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.
Any agreement
by the congregation to use the church, after it is sold, will be extremely
difficult to enforce. In the event of any dispute the church would have the
choice of engaging in costly and prolonged legal process or find a new church.
The St Francis Church congregation could find themselves with no place to
worship after nearly 70 years. The congregation thought that this was their
church and many see the sale as an act of betrayal.
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.
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 Tekels Park
management.
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)
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The
____________________
Who’s Behind the
(or who will admit to
being behind the sale ?)
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 Tekels Park to a
developer will affect the wildlife and St Francis
Church, it is
easy to see why the Tekels Park
management have tried to keep it quiet.
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