Concerns about Fate of Wildlife
Camberley,
TO BE SOLD TO
A DEVELOPER
It’s been kept quiet but news is leaking out.
This could spell disaster for the wildlife
You should know about this if you are planning
a
“Spiritual” stay at the Tekels Park
Guest House.
Part of Tekels Park has been designated a
‘Site of Nature Conservation Interest’ (SNCI).
Unfortunately this designation carries no
statutory protection.
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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
Badgers have been resident in Tekels Park
for centuries and any development will certainly affect their foraging area on
which they depend.
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Anger & Dismay
Badgers have been resident in Tekels
Park
for centuries and
their prospects are now bleak.
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.
Tekels Park was purchased for the
Theosophical Society in
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Tekels Park’s consecrated church also sold
Theosophists worldwide were stunned to hear
that a church which was founded by
Theosophists and had served the needs of
Christians within the Theosophical movement
for decades was simply being ditched.
Dedicated to St
Francis of
the Patron Saint of Animals and the Environment
The Liberal
Catholic Church has been meeting at the St Francis Church in Tekels Park since it was registered as a
place of worship in 1931. It appears that the congregation will only be able to
worship at their own church courtesy of the developer.
The Liberal
Catholic Church was established by a
member of the
Theosophical Society in 1915
and remains an integral part of the
Theosophical Movement to this day.
The St Francis Church
St Francis Church
is a Locally and not a
The finance for the St Francis church
building came from a personal donation by Josephine Chambres,
who was a long standing member of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) 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 Tekels Park Guest House website and many may still arrive there
oblivious to the situation.
Madeleine Leslie-Smith
Madeleine Leslie-Smith,
a long-term resident of Tekels Park wrote 'A personal recollection' in 1996.
She commented: “Tekels Park is in reality a mini Nature reserve
... It is up to us to preserve it from encroachment so that it may increasingly
become a centre of Peace and dynamic spirituality”
Barbara
MacDonald (
Young
people giving their time voluntarily to
conservation projects at Tekels Park
probably
thought
that they were helping to ensure
the
future of the Park as a sanctuary
for
wildlife.
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 resident Richard Bayly, who grew up at Tekels Park, wrote in 2004 ”From an early
age I was able to wander the estate in safety. There was a stream and a lake, a
pond, a field, and plenty of woodland. An abundance of flora and fauna to
investigate; sometimes too much to take in for a small person” (Insight Magazine Winter 2004)
Richard Bayly
still lives at
A member of the
Committee, Barbara MacDonald wrote in 2004
“the pond has a colony of newts and several species of bat
can be seen skimming over the pond”
(Insight Magazine Winter 2004)
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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.
Tekels Park is owned by;
The Theosophical Society in England (Adyar)
London W1U-8EA
Tel 0207 563 9817
Please note that there is more than one Theosophical
Society. Only the Theosophical Society with its headquarters at Gloucester
Place, London is connected to Tekels Park. This is generally known as the
Theosophical Society (Adyar) as its international headquarters are in Adyar,
India.
The Theosophical Society administers the Tekels
Park Estate through a limited company
The Tekels Park Estate Limited
4-6 Church Road, Burgess Hill,
RH15 9AE,
Members of the Theosophical Society in
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TO BE SOLD TO
A DEVELOPER
Tekels Park & The Loch Ness
Monster
Future
of Tekels Park Badgers Now in Doubt