Sherbrook Valley After the Fire
Devastated to see the scale of the fire damage across Sherbrook Valley on Cannock Chase today.
I was devastated to see the fire damage in Sherbrook Valley on Cannock Chase today. From a distance, the surviving purple heather and green woodland still look familiar. Then the blackened ground comes into view and the true scale of what has been lost becomes painfully clear.
A shocking sight
Sherbrook Valley is one of those places I know well through walking, riding Torque and photographing the changing face of Cannock Chase. Seeing so much of it reduced to black earth and ash was genuinely upsetting.
The photographs show the contrast more clearly than words can: scorched ground in the foreground, surviving heather and woodland beyond, and a vast sky hanging over it all. It is a beautiful landscape carrying a terrible scar.
Give the Chase room to recover
Heathland is resilient, but recovery needs time and care. Please respect every closure and instruction from the rangers and emergency services, keep away from damaged areas and leave the ground undisturbed. What looks cold may still conceal heat, and fragile wildlife will already be under enormous pressure.
In dry weather, the smallest careless act can have consequences far beyond the moment. Take litter home, never discard cigarettes or glass, and do not use barbecues or light fires on the Chase.
Cannock Chase will recover—but today, Sherbrook Valley looks wounded.
The green will return
Cannock Chase has survived storms, disease, war and fire. Nature will begin its patient work again, and in time green shoots will push through the blackened ground. I hope these photographs become a record not only of the damage, but of the starting point for Sherbrook Valley's recovery.
Today, though, it is simply heartbreaking to see a place loved by so many people looking like this.