The Whashton Parish Meeting Committee hopes that you are all well and enjoying getting out and about this spring. The green and the bank into the village are looking lovely with the spring blossom and bulbs which are flowering.
100 Club update:
We still have some numbers available for purchase. You can join anytime during the year and just pay a proportional amount.
Anyone interested in purchasing a number for the monthly 100 club draw can do so by contacting:
Richard Osborne (rg.osborne777@gmail.com)
Richie Smith (rdspainting@btinternet.com)
2023 winners of 100 club: - well done and thank you for supporting the parish!
January draw: 52 Matthew & Rachel Lawson, 25 Emma Smith, 46 Dirk Pittaway.
February Draw: 57 Stephen Braithwaite, 27 Adi Mac, 80 Graham and Hazel Dickinson
March Draw: 52 Matthew & Rachel Lawson,57 Steven Braithwaite, 20 Theresa Brown
April Draw:71 Emma Smith, 50 Alison Pittaway, 36 Sue Amery
May Draw: 22 Cherry Mains, 67 Steven Waite, 45 Michael Guy
Coronation Tea Party.
A message from Kathryn & Hazel:
A very big thank you to everyone of the fifty parishioners who joined us for the Coronation Tea Party - all your help and support was very much appreciated, and we were truly blessed with the weather!
We've plenty of Pimm's left over so please 'SAVE THE DATE' for a BBQ on the Village Green on
Saturday 1st July. Invitations will be dropped through your door in a few weeks’ time.
If the weather is dry we plan to open up the quoits pitches and have a social on Thursday evenings at 7pm. Everyone is welcome, whether you want to play or not. Bring along a chair and a drink and let's just have a bit of fun!
Defibrillator information. Thanks to Kathryn Guy for this recent updated information.
In times of long waiting times for ambulances the caller would always advise to get a defib in your locality if the patient was suffering from any of the following:
Difficulty breathing, Chest Pains, Stroke/seizure, A bad break, Diabetes
As there is a possibility that the patient could go into cardiac arrest.
Whashton Parish -Carbon Net Zero and Biodiversity Projects. Lizzie Rumble Biodiversity Project Coordinator.
Light bulb replacement scheme.
We would like to invite households to participate in a scheme to replace normal lightbulbs with more energy efficient ones.
As you can see the savings can be worthwhile.
To participate simply send an email with how many bulbs in your home would need replacing, the wattage and fixing eg screw or bayonet.
This guide will help you identify what is what.
I will then total the requests – get an estimate of costs from buying in bulk and then apply for a grant to cover the exact costs.
If you wish to participate all returns need to be with me by 1 JUNE 2023 5pm.
As some of you will be aware we had a major incident in our local river system recently. Please see article below;
No Mow May’: UK gardeners urged to let wildflowers and grass grow .Helena Horton Fri 28 Apr 2023
Public asked to put away lawnmowers next month to deliver big gains for nature and the climate
Common bird's-foot trefoil (yellow) among a plethora of other plants in a garden. The plant is a rich source of food for 140 different insect species Photograph: Trevor Dines/Plantlife/PA
A top 10 of the most common plants in British lawns has been revealed as conservationists urge gardeners to let their grass grow for the month of May.
Scientists at the charity Plantlife are asking the public to look out for wildflowers and other plants in their lawns as they put their lawnmowers away for a campaign labelled “No Mow May”.
The 10 most common plants recorded during the campaign last year were daisies, creeping buttercup, yellow rattle, common bird’s-foot trefoil, field forget-me-not, meadow buttercup, white clover, common mouse-ear, oxeye daisy and dandelion.
Plant campaigners were pleased about the proliferation of yellow rattle on British lawns, as the semi-parasitic plant possesses an unrivalled ability to act as “nature’s lawnmower”, reducing coarser grasses and allowing more delicate wildflowers to flourish.
They said the appearance of common bird’s-foot trefoil on lawns was great news for other wildlife, as it was a rich source of food for 140 insect species.
Nicola Hutchinson, the director of conservation at Plantlife, said: “Wild plants and fungi are the foundation of life and shape the world we live in. However, one in five British wildflowers is under threat and we need to urgently address and arrest the losses.
“With an estimated 23m gardens in the UK, how lawns are tended makes a huge difference to the prospects for wild plants and other wildlife. The simple action of taking the mower out of action for May can deliver big gains for nature, communities and the climate, so we are encouraging all to liberate lawns as never before.”
Plantlife also said mowing the lawn less could help reduce the carbon footprint of British gardens.
The charity estimated that Britain’s lawns could be cut as many as 30m times a year under a weekly regime. This would be equivalent to the consumption of 45m litres of petrol, resulting in 80,000 tonnes of annual carbon dioxide emissions – or the combined carbon footprint of about 10,000 average households.
Holmedale Community Nature Project.
Hi Holmedale and Barningham Parishioners,
We would like to hear your views to help us decide if and how we can create a local community nature project.
SURVEY DEADLINE 15th May 2023
Firstly, who are we?
We are a group of local representatives (there are a few of us from each Parish) who have expressed an interest in exploring what we can do for nature and more specifically biodiversity and the community locally.
What do we mean by biodiversity?
Biodiversity (short for biological diversity) is a term that describes the variety of plant, bacteria and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat or area. A higher level of biodiversity (i.e. a wider range of animals, plants, bacteria etc.) is usually considered to be important and desirable, because it can be seen as a measure of the health of nature.
The UK is one of the most biodiversity depleted countries in Europe. This is not a good thing for us as humans as it impacts the food we grow, the quality of water, the natural environment and other resources. There is also strong evidence that connecting with nature is good for our health and wellbeing.
How did this start? Some background information.
Sally Zaranko had the idea to set up a biodiversity project for Whashton (see our Parish website) and asked the parish if anyone would like to help.
I (Lizzie Rumble) said I would like to be involved. Shortly after our Parish chair was approached at the golf club by National Highways asking if they could support a biodiversity project at the golf club however at the time the understanding was that they were only interested in supporting big projects.
So Sally and I thought a project in Whashton would be too small but that maybe a Holmedale project would be considered big enough. We had an initial open meeting in February that was attended by about 40 people from the parishes. At the meeting there were lots of great ideas for nature and also for the community.
At a further meeting with National Highways, it became clear that there was funding for all sorts of projects. The spending deadline for National Highways is April 2025. However, we could look to apply for funding from other organisations depending on what the project becomes about and timeframes.
So yes personally I would love to do a biodiversity project that will benefit nature and increase biodiversity with the knock on benefits for us as residents, landowners, farmers and businesses in Holmedale. But that’s just my view, what matters to you about where we live and work?This is a community project so what we would like to know is what is important to you and if you would like Holmedale to have a project and what you would like the project to be.
Please follow the link on the email to complete the survey to share your views or complete a paper copy to return to your local representative. There are comment boxes at the end of each question to give you the opportunity to share your thoughts, positive and negative.
SURVEY DEADLINE 15th May 2023
Thank you for your support
Lizzie
Ravensworth Nurseries - Thank you.
Ravensworth Nurseries have again generously donated bulbs and plants to us. Sally collected the plants and will plant them – she will give folks an email to help if they are available.
WANTED: New Clerk for the parish.
For personal reasons, family commitments and professional opportunities which have arisen in recent weeks, I am resigning as Clerk to Whashton Parish as from the 21 June 2023 meeting.
It has a been a privilege to be able to give something back to the village over my term as clerk and I will continue to support the parish in other ways. I thank you for all your support over the last few years - it has been great.
I intend to continue to monitor and help maintain the wilder areas of the parish and support Lizzie in all her Net Carbon and biodiversity projects.
Should anyone be interested in this very worthwhile role, supporting the Parish, please contact Ian Mains as soon as possible.
Richie Smith has also resigned from the Committee and we need a replacement to represent that part of the Parish, so please consider standing for this position.
Whashton Parish Website:
We have a new website www.whashtonparish.co.uk We hope that you are finding it easy to navigate and that all residents can find their way around the site, and it is a one stop shop for information relating to the Parish. All newsletters, minutes and updates are available on there . You will notice the quarterly publication of the newsletters and the 4 meetings per year of the committee. Don’t forget Whashton Wildlife have a Facebook page for information too.
Meeting dates;
21 June 2023 – AGAR – finance review for year
4th October 2023 – Finance plan for 2024
All meetings at Ravensworth Village Hall 7pm
Newsletters will be quarterly and sent via email and be on the website and hand delivered in some cases. Please check your SPAM box and ‘allow’ any emails in there from me, so you get all parish correspondence into your in box in future.
Newsletters to be released quarterly to include minutes;
Q3 August -Summer
Q4 November – Autumn
Sally . May 11th 2023
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