Pagans and druids could get time off work to celebrate solstices and equinoxes at Stonehenge

Pagans and druids could be allowed time off to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes at Stonehenge and Avebury, while nurses in West hospitals could be allowed to ask to pray for their patients as well as care for them, under new guidance for bosses published yesterday.


Need time off work to celebrate the solstice? New guidance suggests this should be possible for pagans and druids

The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s new document comes after a series of high-profile cases involving largely Christian workers disciplined or fired for claiming they were discriminated against because of their religion. but one lost those cases, but the new guidance follows that single victory, which involved a Christian woman working for British Airways being allowed to wear a cross. The EHRC’s guidance states that employers should respect the beliefs of their employees and “consider seriously” adapting work practices to suit those beliefs.
In practice, that could mean anything from allowing workers to wear Christian symbols to giving pagans time off at the time of the key dates in their calendars.

Thousands of pagans and druids flock to Stonehenge and Avebury for sunrise on December 21 and on June 21, with a regular turn-out at Avebury for a dozen or more pagan festivals throughout the year.
But the EHRC guidance was criticised yesterday for suggesting going even further in employers’ rights.
It states that vegetarians or vegans could legitimately refuse to handle meat, or even sit on leather chairs, while eco-warriors could refuse to fly in an aeroplane if their beliefs are that strong that they refuse on environmental grounds.
The guidance insists that such beliefs should be “more than an opinion or a viewpoint”, and should be “genuinely and sincerely held and worthy of respect in a democratic society”.
What the guidelines could also do is give greater weight to some employees requests for longer holidays – particularly Muslims to attend the Haj pilgrimage, or for other workers from around the world to return for festivals.
A recent case, which is still to be settled, involved Goan Indian workers at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon claiming, among other things, that bosses discriminated against them by not allowing them enough time off in one go to return to Goa for festivals.
The guidance document included a set of hypothetical situations, including that a Christian nurse should not be disciplined for asking a patient if they could pray for them – as long as it is made clear that there is no pressure on the patient to agree.
The EHRC says that requests for religious observance – like a Jew leaving early on a Friday or a Muslim praying five times a day – should be allowed if it does not adversely affect other team members.
Full story: http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Pagans-druids-time-work-celebrate-solstices/story-18653399-detail/story.html#axzz2Q2V3xqaN

Stonehenge Tour Guide

April Fool! 'Plans' to beam advertising onto Stonehenge circle at night

This morning TravelMail revealed a 'plan' for adverts to be projected onto Stonehenge in a bid to generate extra revenue for the prehistoric attraction. But of course, it was all in the spirit of April Fool's.
A new visitor centre is currently being built at the 5,000-year-old World Heritage site in a £27 million upgrade which aims to "restore a sense of dignity to the setting of one of the world’s most loved ancient monuments."
And we said advertising during the site's out-of-hours Stone Circle Access visits was one avenue officials were considering to create additional income.



Night falls: When it starts to get dark, could visitors be bombarded with adverts

The special one-hour experience occurs either early in the morning or late in the evening when a maximum of 26 people can enter the circle, set in the Wiltshire countryside. During regular opening hours visitors can only skirt the perimeter of the stone configuration.
We said proposals being discussed could see adverts projected onto the stones as night falls in a bid to take advantage of the increased footfall and joked that while talks were ongoing, officials said "nothing had been set in stone".
The clue was in our 'angry local', Allis Porof - a fictional name created from April Fool's - of the Stand up for the Stones conservation society, who 'said': "I just can't believe that a site so sacred is going to be desecrated in this way.

"A symbol of the ingenuity of our ancestors is being sacrificed on the altar of 21st century greed and consumerism."
However, it was true that the attraction's new visitor centre is set to open later this year with a raft of "environmental improvements" to follow next summer. The A344 will be closed as part of the upgrade, with traffic diverted.
A permanent exhibition will be on display to tell the story of the stones and test building work has begun on three Neolithic houses which will be part of an outdoor gallery.


English Heritage, which manages the site near Salisbury, says that the scheme "fulfils a long standing ambition to improve the facilities on offer to the many hundreds of thousands who visit each year."
Stonehenge is shrouded in mystery and its original meaning has been invariably attributed to a place of sun worship or burial, among other theories.
Experts have long tried to deduce exactly how these gigantic stones were brought to the site.
Despite the building work, the attraction is still open to visitors.

By Sebastian Lander http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Stonehenge tour Guide

Stonehenge Neolithic House Project

Gain exclusive access to the prototype Neolithic Houses currently under construction at Old Sarum Castle. Once mastered these houses, based on evidence recently discovered at Durrington Walls, will be reconstructed at Stonehenge as part of the new interpretation and visitors centre.

Meet Luke Winter, Manager of The Ancient Technology Centre and the volunteers taking on this challenge to discover the techniques and secrets of constructing these unique buildings.

Welcome drinks will be served on arrival. This event has been graded Moderate Access as there are some uneven paths on site. This event will take place mostly outdoors.

English Heritage Members' Only Event

• Date: Fri 24 May 2013
• Property:
  Old Sarum

• Time: 10am-12pm
• Suitable for: Adults

How to Book

Ticket are available to book from 10am on Tuesday 26 March by calling our dedicated ticket sales team on 0870 333 1183. (Mon-Fri 8.30am - 5.30pm & Sat 9am - 5pm)

Prices

Welcome refreshments are included.

Visit the English Heritage website: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/events/stonehenge-neolithic-house-project-os-24-may/
Stonehenge Tour Guide