Plea to show love for heritage by joining in hug at ancient Oswestry hillfort

The 3,000-year-old Iron Age monument will be the scene of a symbolic hug on Saturday as part of a campaign to protect the surrounding area from development.

And organisers are now urging more people to sign up before Saturday's event.

What started as a single event has gone national, with a social media campaign #hugyourheritage calling for the nation to join in by tweeting selfies with the "I love heritage" logo.

It has gained the support of museums around the country, including the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, Jane Austen's House in Hampshire, and the Historic Scotland agency.

Kate Clarke, of Oswestry, who is one of the campaigners, said: "History and heritage are important. We want people to show heritage some love in a protective hug at Old Oswestry Hillfort as planners target its ancient landscape for housing."

She added: "If you can't be there in person, pledge to join in through the hashtag #hugyourheritage and share a picture of you with your favourite heritage site, monument or building."

Participants are being asked to reserve their tweets at Thunderclap, the crowdspeaking platform which will mass-share the message on Valentine's Day at www.thunderclap.it/projects/22001-hug-your-her itage

The move comes as a Government inspector considers whether areas bordering the earthwork earmarked for housing should remain in Shropshire's future local development plan.

The hug will take place at 1pm and people are asked to meet at Gatacre playing fields in Oswestry for the short walk to the site. People should sign up to the event page on Facebook if possible.

Anyone interested in being a steward should call (01691) 652918.