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He’s climbed active volcanoes in Ecuador, fought off poisonous spiders and hidden from wild lions in Africa, and was almost killed while mountaineering in South America but now Yorkshireman Paul Cook is facing his toughest challenge yet. As senior ranger at Robin Hood’s legendary home Sherwood Forest he is fighting to win the People’s £50 Million Lottery contest. If successful the cash will restore Sherwood to its former glory, and ensure the forest is around for another 1000 years. But does Paul really believe the famous outlaw came from Nottingham?
The word “ranger” conjures up images of forests, wild frontiers and hi-ho Silver. But Paul Cook is a very down to earth type of bloke. “I’ve loved the outdoors all my life,” says the quietly spoken 39 year old from Aston, South Yorks. “As a kid we never had a foreign holiday. We used to go for family camping trips on farms in Scotland and Wales. I can remember getting lost in the middle of nowhere for days. Brilliant stuff.”
As you might expect from someone who spends all his working life outdoors in all weathers Paul Cook certainly isn’t afraid of being his own man. During his younger years he spent his holidays getting himself into places no sane person would venture. “I climbed six active volcanoes in Ecuador including Tungurahua.” He says, in a matter of fact tone. “It blows every 75 years or so. No one told me that when I was there in 1995 it was 75 years since the last eruption. I only found out when I came down. Two years afterwards it erupted again.”
And when it comes to his social life Paul has never been one for propping up bars or shimmying across dancefloors. “I met my wife through our shared love of badgers. We both belonged to badger groups and met at a badger conference. We got talking and soon found out we had lots of other interests in common. We both play drums for instance. We each have a drum kit at home although they’ve been put up in the loft since our baby daughter was born.”
His wife, a vet, now works at a practice in Dinnington, South Yorks. Originally from Surrey, she moved north when Paul was made senior ranger at Sherwood Forest in 2005.
Paul says, “I used to visit Sherwood with my granddad when I was a kid and I’ve always loved the place. I jumped at the chance to be the senior ranger there.”
Now he has a key role in helping Sherwood to transform itself and protect the forest for future generations. He is part of the team fighting to win a huge slice of BIG Lottery funding in the People’s £50 Million Lottery contest.
But why does Sherwood need £50m? Paul explains, “For centuries Sherwood has been plundered for it’s timber – for the ships that fought off the Spanish Armada and lofty cathedrals. It has become fragmented by farming, industry, mining and building. Now the biggest and oldest oaks – some up to 1000 years old – are coming to the end of their lives, and we have a generation gap.
“In addition, we need to try to link up all the outlying fragments with a massive replanting scheme – up to a quarter of a million oak trees, covering a total area of over 700 acres (the equivalent of 400 football pitches). We have also put together a plan to reconnect and engage people with the forest. The biggest linked network of pathways in Europe – 156 miles – for cyclists and Doncaster through the forest with Lincoln, Chesterfield, Derby and Nottingham.
“We desperately need to win this competition to help secure the forest for future generations. If we win, the forest will be around for another 1000 years, which is more than can be said for any of the other bids., walkers and riders will connect Sheffield
“We are up against very strong competition from bids based in the South, so we need the support of the people in the North if we want the lottery funding, we are campaigning hard to ensure that this funding comes to Sherwood Forest As some of our competitors have already seen the benefit of significant lottery funding, we are fighting hard to ensure that this time the funding comes to our part of the country.
“Sherwood is really at the heart of the country, both geographically and spiritually. It is part of our national heritage, it is free and it is something everyone in the country can enjoy. Nearly half of the population of England live within 100kms of Sherwood.”
It was his love of the outdoor life led Paul to join the Territorial Army as a young man. During an exercise in the deserts of Kenya he had to fight off poisonous spiders and hide from lions.
“There were four of us in this trench firing across a gully when a pride of lions came through and we got the order to cease fire. It was quite a sight seeing these lions but I only saw them from a second because he all ducked into the trench so they wouldn’t see us. I wasn’t afraid of the lions it was the poisonous spiders which I was more concerned with. Because it’s hot in the desert they like to climb into the trench for shade. One of us has to watch out for them all the time. It was incredibly stressful. One bite from them could kill a man.”
But Paul’s most serious brush with death came on yet another climbing expedition – this time in Argentina.
“It was on a mountain called Aconcagua – the highest in the Americas at 22,000 feet. I was with a mate, Mark Anderson and we were on our way down, roped to each other, when we both fell 200 metres down the side of the mountain.
“I was knocked out but came to hanging upside down with bright red blood all over the snow around me. I shuddered when I realised the blood was mine. As I had fallen I had put an axe through my goggles. I almost lost my eye. Luckily for me Mark wasn’t injured and was able to get help. If he’d been hurt and unable to help me I could have bled to death.”
It was perhaps after this accident, and meeting his wife, that Paul decided to devote himself to the less dangerous but still satisfyingly physical life of a park ranger. He spent more than a dozen years at country parks in the south of England before coming home to Yorkshire and the job at Sherwood Forest in 2005.
“I’m happier than ever now. Everyday in the forest is a joy. This is a fantastic habitat and a unique ecology. To be charged with maintaining and preserving it is a real privilege.”
But what about Sherwood’s most famous resident? Does Paul really believe Robin Hood came from Nottinghamshire?
“Speaking as a Yorkshireman myself I do like to think Robin was a fellow Yorkshireman. His origins have always been disputed. What isn’t disputed is his association with Sherwood Forest and I’m proud to be following in his footsteps as a Yorkshireman here in Sherwood. The legend of Robin dates back to around 1140. Back then Sherwood Forest went all the way from Nottingham in the south to Sheffield and Rotherham in the north.
“Then the Great North Road ran north to south through England, through the Forest, and is the site of the A1 now. That would have been busy with horse drawn traffic in Robin’s day. It’s easy to imagine Robin and his bandits hiding in the oaks by the road side and jumping out to rob travellers passing through. He was a robber, a highwayman if you like. But he didn’t keep all his spoils himself he shared them out with local folk in Sherwood. You could say he was a robber with a generous Yorkshireman’s heart.
“Robin will always be connected to Nottingham because of the Sheriff of Nottingham but you have to remember that back then the Sheriff’s jurisdiction would have gone all the way up to places like Sheffield and Rotherham.
“I want to urge everyone to vote for Sherwood, be they from Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire or beyond. What we have here is the greatest of all legends and a fantastic heritage.
“Equally as important as the legend of Robin is the natural habitat and the ecology of Sherwood Forest.
“This is a fantastic park. It’s closer to Yorkshire than it is to Nottingham so both counties can enjoy it. Not only that but when visitors come, as they do, from all over the world, it benefits the economies of both counties.
“So vote for Sherwood and make this Yorkshireman very happy – not to mention that other ancient Yorkshireman, Robin Hood.”
Online voting starts 9 am on Monday 26th November at http://www.thepeoples50million.org.uk/. Phone voting from 9 am on Friday 7th December until 12 noon on Monday 10th December. Sign up for a reminder to vote at http://www.robinhood.co.uk/ or text ROBIN to 81025.