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An occasional look at life on Selkirk Hill
The committee of the Selkirk Hill Management Group (SHMG) were deeply troubled by recent news that a local man and his daughter had been involved in an accident while sledging on Selkirk Hill.
The Hill is a popular destination for sledging fans during winter months when a covering of snow allows this popular pastime to flourish.
There are several obvious places that are ideal for sledging, and although no sledging activities can be 100 per cent guaranteed to be without some risk, we do not know of any similar injuries in recent times other than a few bumps, scrapes and bruises.
However, taken on a national basis, the staff of any fracture clinic would probably confirm that there are risks involved. This tends to illustrate a wide variety of sledging styles, which range from a gentle downwards glide to a serious attempt to qualify for the Darwin Award.
It was unfortunate the sledgers collided with a bench placed there for the comfort of Hill visitors, and in many cases in memory of happy times spent on The Hill by people who have passed on. It could just as easily been a tree or a large rock, examples of both being common to the area; it could also have been another human being, an eventuality that might well have increased the casualty list.
It might be an easy move for some to clamour for some form of bench cull or similar. One might also expect spurious references to complex legislation understood by only a tiny fraction of those who delight in referring to it. But none of that detracts from the need for all individuals to “gang warily” when out and about.
We believe The Hill is there for the people of Selkirk and others to use as they see fit, which means we keep rules, boundaries, fences and signs to an absolute minimum, preferring to rely on the abundance of commonsense we see on a day-to-day basis.
The SHMG take great care in their efforts to provide Hill users with a pleasant, safe and enjoyable experience on each visit, but it takes only a few minutes’ deliberation to realise there will be events no amount of foresight can predict.
At a time when weather permits, the SHMG will survey the range of fixtures on the Hill with a view to identifying any possible hazard to users. When benches etc are sited on The Hill, all relevant factors are taken into account, and there are many. That said, our primary consideration would always be safety, maybe closely followed by the benefit offered by whatever is installed.
The SHMG wish to record their sympathy to the injured parties after their misfortune, and wish them a speedy and full recovery. There will be more snow soon.
JB
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Weather for Selkirk
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 10 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
