Griff Rhys Jones to highlight Oswestry hill fort campaign
Campaigners fighting plans to build homes near an Iron Age hill fort will see their cause featured on television.
Comedian turned explorer Griff Rhys Jones filmed an episode of Griff's Great Britain in Shropshire.
On the programme he calls into Chirk and the South Shropshire Hills. He also visits Oswestry hill fort where he talks to members of the campaign group Hands Off Old Oswestry Hillfort, which is protesting about house building on the hinterland of the ancient monument.
Member Diana Baur was one of those who welcomed Griff to Oswestry last summer for filming for the programme, which will be shown on Monday at 8pm on ITV.
She said: "Griff was really interested and enthusiastic about Oswestry's campaign to protect the setting of Old Oswestry hill fort from housing development.
"He talked to the children about why they liked the hill fort and what it meant to them."
During the filming a group of children and adults created four banners using methods that would have been used by Iron Age people that lived on the hill fort.
Ms Baur said: "The children and some adults printed their handprints and prints of Iron Age tools on to the banners using bio-degradable clay slips that had been coloured with natural ochres.
"Griff joined in and added his hand print."
The banners are on display in Hermon Chapel, Oswestry, and the one with Griff's hand print on is included in the artists hugging the hill fort exhibition at The Willow Gallery. The exhibition runs until May 21.
The latest series followed Griff's last series, A Great Welsh Adventure, shown last year in which he was set a series of challenges. "I loved the challenges in my Welsh adventure," he said.
"They got me frightened, exhilarated, entertained or wet on the way – so I went back for more. It was an interesting mission in itself extending the idea to the whole of Britain."
Griff is an accomplished comedy actor on both stage and screen, and a regular presenter of literary and heritage programmes.
Last weekend about 300 supporters of the hill fort gathered there in a Valentine's Day Hug-a-Hillfort spectacle.
