Talking Telford: 'True Salopians' and false claims
A person’s identity is a powerful thing. It’s the base from which we find our place in the world, it shapes the way we interact with others - and if we give in to our species' worst instincts, it’s a weapon to wield against those who are unlike us.
This time of year often brings with it thoughts of identity because for me, summer means a trip up the Wrekin - and a trip up the Wrekin means a journey through the Needle’s Eye, supposedly the only way for someone to become a ‘true Salopian’.
To explain: local folklore has it that you cannot be a proper Shropshire lad/lass/mon/monner unless you’ve squeezed through the Needle’s Eye, a severe cleft in the rock near the summit of the famous hill.
I only learned of this legend a few years ago, and have not been able to find any kind of definitive source for it. That’s often the way with folklore, and of course the ambiguity only adds to the mystique.
