The Bulletin
To download your copy of the latest Bulletin click
here.
The Hungerford and Kintbury Ward news can be found
here.
The Circadian Rhythm
For millions of years life has been shaped by the world’s rhythmic
shifts of night and day. Many living things including plants,
animals and humans have Circadian Rhythms which are tailored to
the daily and seasonal changes that occur as the Earth rotates and
orbits.
These
regular natural changes in light and temperature help
living things respond to changes in their environment in
ways that conserve energy, help them find food and allow
them to grow and heal.
In humans and other mammals, the Circadian Rhythm controls
many fundamental bodily functions including: sleep/wake
patterns, core body temperature, the immune system,
metabolism, hormones, cognitive function and reaction to
stress. It also controls the biological clocks located in
organs and glands throughout the body commanded by a
‘master clock’ in the brain. In humans this is called the
suprachiasmatic nucleus.
In most adults and adolescents, the Circadian Rhythm
operates on a cycle that is slightly longer than 24 hours.
To maintain alignment with the 24-hour rotation of the
Earth, the body’s master clock has to adjust by about 12
to 18 minutes every day. For this reason, it also reacts
to environmental cues; the light and darkness cycle is the
most important and powerful of these. This triggers the
release of hormones in the brain and the delivery of
chemical signals to body tissues allowing the master clock
to time vital functions such as the conversion of food
into energy, fluctuations in body temperature and regular
sleep patterns. The biological clock in all animals is
critical. It helps them anticipate and maximise feeding
time and avoid predators and competition. Importantly, it
also times the physiological readiness for mating and
synchronises mating times. For hibernating animals like
hedgehogs, changes in light and temperature also prepares
them for winter. In other species preparation is needed
for drought or migration.
In order for our native wild animal and bird populations
to survive and thrive, it is essential to ensure that
dark periods of the day are respected, and the
Circadian Rhythm is not distorted by the use of
unnecessary artificial light at night. This is
particularly important for those often-invisible creatures
at the bottom of the food chain: insects. More about them
next month.
Kate Adams Tee and David Thomas in support of the North
Wessex Downs ‘Dark Skies’ initiative.
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Please give us a hand – Oak Trees in Inkpen
We need
your help to measure oak trees. Measuring tree
girths helps us to evaluate changes that have taken place in
Inkpen and enable future researchers to
evaluate the effect of
climate change on tree growth and distribution. This is work
of real value, be part of it. Go to
inkpenhistory.uk to find out more
Pop-In-Cafe - Apr 4th and 18th
Sorry for any confusion caused by our entry in last month’s
bulletin. The dates given were wrong (my fault). The café is
always the first and third Thursdays of the month, so in April,
that is the 4th and 18th and in May it’ll be the 2nd and 16th.
Opening time is 10am till 12:30 and it’s at the Inkpen playing
field pavilion. All are welcome. We have customers from 1 year old
to 90+. Do bring a friend if you can. Choose from coffee, tea or
hot chocolate (there’s even fruit squash or milk for our younger
customers), and there’s biscuits and cake too.
As the name suggests, you can pop in at any time during opening
hours and stay as long as you want. It’s all free, no obligations
at all, although donations do help us cover out costs. Come and
give us a try.
Going for a walk
If you want a breath of fresh air and some exercise, check out
the Inkpen
walks,
but keep your distance from others, that's at least 6 feet apart
in old money. If you feel that you should wear a face mask when
outdoors, then checkout the design given on the
News page.
On the news page this month there are a number of updates
including from the Inkpen Primary School and pre-school, from
the Playing field trust and Village Hall, and there's this
months Police Report .
Climate change issues.
The IMPFT, the playing field trust, is in the process
of installing solar panels and a key entry system. The trust,
chaired by Brian Cox, is aware of the need to reduce its carbon
footprint and is making what progress it can. The solar panels
are clearly there to reduce the trust's reliance on fossil fuel
energy, and to feed whatever extra is generated back into the
grid. The key entry system is there to make sure energy is only
consumed when the facilities are in use. Many of you are
choosing to adopt private energy saving measures - the trust is
focused on trying and do the same.
On a more global scale, England's hedgerows would stretch almost
ten times around the Earth if lined up end to end. That's
according to a new map - the most comprehensive to date - of
these historic features of the landscape. We need to protect our
hedgerows and the wildlife that relies on them.
Ecologists hope that new data will lead to better protections
for the much-loved lines of trees and shrubs that provide food
and shelter for wildlife, and store large amounts of carbon.
Laser scanning from the air reveals a total of 390,000 km of
hedges. The South West boasts the most hedgerows, led by
Cornwall. Surrey, Hampshire and
Berkshire are the counties
with the least - excluding big urban areas.
We are depending on renewables to help us get to net-zero carbon
emissions. If you'd like to see what contribution renewables are
making on a daily basis, have a look
here.
