LOCKDOWN –although things might have eased slightly – Richmondshire remains very high for Covid cases – please take care of each other and ask if you require any help or assistance with anything.
There are a number of articles this month to keep you informed of village matters and general articles of interest.
Whashton Parish Meeting Committee - minutes of Mays Zoom Meeting are attached.
Our next committee meeting will be on 2 June 2021 at 4.00pm. If you would like anything to be raised and discussed, please send agenda item to Sally by 26th May– any issues will be reported in the next Newsletter.
Whashton Parish - Net Zero Carbon Footprint Project and Survey.
Thank you to the 21 households who returned their energy surveys. It is striking to note the lack of any cavity wall insulation in most of the properties due to the age and nature of the stone build.
11 properties use oil
6 use calor gas
2 biomass boiler
1 ground source heat pump
4 solar panels.
We will be using this information to try and get some grant money to help address the vision of getting to net zero for carbon emissions for the village. Attached to the end of this newsletter is an invitation to join Richmond Climate change Partnership and be trained as an Energy Ambassador. If anyone has the time to do this, please let me know so we can advertise your expertise in the next newsletter and support you in supporting the village.
Richmondshire Climate Change Partnership Groups.
John and I have attended several zoom meetings and are part of fairly active email groups, the partnership now has a website: It can be found at www.richmondshireclimateaction.org which you can access for information.
Sally is part of ;
Richmondshire Climate Action Group, Rural Land and Biodiversity Workstream
What are we all about?
The Rural Land and Biodiversity Group is the name given to a strand of activity being undertaken by the Richmondshire Climate Action Group; a collective of businesses, community groups and residents who aim to support the planning and delivery of improvements to environmentally friendly land management across the District, as an integral part of helping the council to work towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
The Partnership has been formed in response to the council declaring an Environment and Climate Emergency in 2019. Its objectives and activities are supported by the council, and although independent, councillors and officers participate in most of the Partnership’s workstreams.
To achieve its net zero ambition, the Rural Land and Biodiversity Group is keen to work with and involve a wide range of stakeholders who have an interest in, or an impact upon, land management, farming and the promotion of biodiversity.
In the first instance, the Partnership aims to publish an action plan by 31st October 2021, which will set out a roadmap of projects designed to contribute to the 2030 net-zero carbon target, and a methodology for promoting the District’s biodiversity.
Our work is voluntary, but together, we hope that the Rural Land and Biodiversity Group will:
· Identify, share and replicate existing examples of good practice from across Richmondshire
and from other areas
· Connect with and help promote national and regional programmes designed to improve ecology, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and regenerate habitat
· Support local and national agencies in the delivery of programmes designed to serve our collective objectives
· Develop our own initiatives, in conjunction with local stakeholders, to deliver significant improvements in our rural land stewardship, greenhouse gas emission performance and biodiversity
· Provide a vehicle to bid for grant and third party funding for large and small scale projects designed to achieve the Partnership’s aims
If you are interested in joining the group, please contact us at info@richmondshireclimateaction.org
We will be delighted to hear from you.
Johns Group is about looking at community involvement/engagement and behaviour change with an emphasis on small scale community based projects that are easily replicable across the RDC area .The idea is that local projects will help register with people that things, in which they can participate, can be done that will make a positive contribution -inertia rather than unwillingness is the hurdle to engagement
The Group is also looking at waste minimisation both from the point of what type and volumes of waste are produced ,and by whom, across RDC as well as levels of recycling. RDC is well down the recycling league table for like size authorities but we need to understand the statistical impact of low levels of green waste collection(pretty obvious in this area !) but more subtle issues such as % of holiday homes/lets which evidentially do not recycle.
Examples of the local projects that are being evidenced are wilding/non mowing of areas ,tree and hedgerow planting ,litter collection ,nesting boxes ,wildlife surveys. There is also interest in providing advice about domestic energy usage and how that might be reduced and/or made less carbon reliant .
Defibrillator Training. – names have been passed onto Brian Kay at Kirby Hill who will be touch with training dates as soon as he knows.
Village improvements.
Further donations of plants from Ravensworth Nurseries have helped to add more coverage to Bobby’s Bank and helped to fill the tulip bins now repurposed as flower bins on the triangle. John and Trevor will be preparing new bases for the seats which are going onto the green area for all to enjoy.
A bid has been put in to RDC to improve the current street lighting for the village.
“With respect to the opportunity to request new streetlights as seen on RDC website – would it be possible to use our bid to upgrade existing lights to solar powered ones in keeping with our aim to be Net Zero Carbon as a village? Solar power would be more beneficial for the pollinators and insects who are affected by LED lighting.
Also, could we swop the position of one of the lights? It is currently on a pole in the front garden of Ashford Cottage and doesn’t afford any particular benefit to residents there. If it was to be relocated on the telegraph pole actually on the lane it would be beneficial to vehicles and pedestrians using Hagg Lane.
We do not need any additional lighting but feel that this would be most beneficial and cost effective”. I will let you know in subsequent newsletters if we have been successful
Water leak -update – we have been actively pursuing some action regarding the water leak on the bank as you enter the village. We have contacted Yorkshire water on at least 3 separate occasions, and they have passed the issue to highways. The last piece of correspondence regarding this which I received this week stated “ The local Highways Officer is continuing to monitor the running water just to ensure that the volume does not increase. It is however anticipated that it will probably cease of its own accord in due course and as such no interventionary works are proposed at the present time. “
I am also continuing to monitor and will continue to pester on your behalf.
Whashton Wildlife Meeting and call for volunteers; Monday 24th May 10.00am Meet by the shed!
Please can we get together for a short meeting to update action plan and set some short-term objectives before getting stuck into some more practical jobs. Names to me beforehand so I can circulate an agenda for the meeting and a jobs list!!
Whashton Wildlife Group (WWG)
Swift nest boxes – we now have potentially 4 nesting sites for the swifts in the village – Robs roof under the tiles and nest boxes on Kathryns Guys, Christine at Hill House and ours at Ashford Cottage. The swifts arrived back yesterday – 1 May.
If anyone else would be interested in purchasing these boxes, priced at £15 per box please contact Rob on robclipsham@icloud.com
KEEP THE DATE
Summer PICNIC on the green August bank holiday Sunday 3.00pm. (Sunday 29th August)
Whashton History; Anyone interested in taking this on - please let me know.
Thank you to Grahame and Hazel and Ian for these old photos of the village – it’s great to see some of it is still recognisable.
Ian and Cherry have shared this more detailed view of the courtyard -
Any more lovely old photos out there?
Please send along so we can share them.
Clerk to Whashton Parish Meeting
Comments