The Bulletin
Get your copy of the latest Bulletin, click
here.
CPRE
The latest
Campaign to Protect Rural England
newsletter is available
here.
The Hungerford and Kintbury Ward news can be found
here.
North Wessex Downs National Landscape
The North Wessex Downs National Landscape management
plan consultation, finished on the 30th of April. Nevertheless,
the management plan is still visible on their website at:
https://www.northwessexdowns.org.uk/our-work/management-plan/management-plan-review-2025/
A lot of this is perhaps a bit dry, but please have a look at
it, and at the policies at the bottom of the webpage. There are
numerous policies that we should perhaps be aware of and know
where to find them in future. They affect planning,
biodiversity, our local history, nature and the environment.
These policies will be signed-off by the government in November
this year, so they are not to do with some marginal pressure
group, they are government agreed and driven targets. They
affect You.
Switching off your Outside Lights
The North Wessex Downs NL ask people to switch off their outside
lights when they’re not absolutely necessary. Wildlife groups
ask the same. Neighbours living next to someone that keep their
outside lights on at night want the lights to go off and the
police tactfully suggest that leaving outside lights on simply
helps burglars. Switching off your outside lights helps the
environment and saves money.
Any suggestions about how to incentivise people to switch off
unnecessary outside lights would be gratefully received. Email
inkpen-climate@outlook.com.
Inkpen History Society
We continue to add to the history website
history.inkpenvillage.co.uk. There are a
few new audio tracks, courtesy of some of our more senior
residents, and other tracks are being processed. Some new maps
and documents have been added as well, but as the weather warms
up it’s time to get outside and do more practical things.
We expect that in June we will have another dowsing day. If you
haven’t tried dowsing then you are missing out. Earlier this
year a dowsing survey was performed revealing a building outline
and well. Now we move on to excavation to confirm or otherwise,
the existence of that building. This is primary archaeology and
we’ll need people with patience and a trowel to help us with the
excavation. If you think you can help with this then get in
touch, email us. The address is on our website. Come and help us
discover the past.
Dates and details of what we’ve got planned will be posted on
our website
history.inkpenvillage.co.uk
closer to the start of dowsing and excavation.
May Pop-In Café
I can’t believe how quickly the year is going. There are only 16
Pop-In café days left till next Christmas. Can you believe it?
In May the café is open on the 1st and 15th. It’s at the Inkpen
pavilion, 10am till 12:30pm. Sadly you will have missed April’s
hot-cross buns and simnel cake, but the range of cakes and
refreshments is always a magnet. Once tried, the café is must
thereafter.
If you are worried about gaining weight, then don’t. We have a
range of walks. Pick up a leaflet at the café or go on to the
inkpenvillage
walks website and pick a walk to suit you.
If you are wanting to enter the café dates on your calendar,
then it’s always the first and third Thursdays of each month,
same time, same place, but the range of cakes is not predictable
– you can only dream.
STARGAZERS
Well with all of the clear night skies on offer in March,
we’ve had a great time. The Seestar S50 that we acquired
(courtesy of the North Wessex Downs) at the beginning of the
year has been brilliant. We’ve also had more Northern Lights and
a partial eclipse of the Sun. There is a comet going around but
it is very low down and calls for a 5am wake up – no pictures
yet (surprisingly).
Our best images of April include the Owl nebula (M97) and the
Whirlpool galaxy (M50). The Whirlpool galaxy shows just what
happens when two spiral galaxies collide. If you’d like to come
and have a look at the night’s sky, get in touch with us. Full
details are on our website
http://stargazers.inkpenvillage.co.uk. We look forward to having
you come and join us.
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 .
Local Climate Group.
Most of us are aware that our climate has changed over
the years. It is becoming more erratic and more extreme. Nature
is struggling to know when to get going after its winter sleep,
but getting plants and animals to synchronise their behaviours
is much more of a problem. This March we’ve seen the dryest
start to the year in a long time, albeit we had a very wet
January and early February. In order for us to know how these
climatic changes are affecting us, we have to record them,
observe them and that is what this group is here to do. Please
come and join us, help us.
Our initial website is
http://climate.inkpenvillage.co.uk
You will find our email address at the bottom of that webpage.
Please get in touch. Let us know of your interests and concerns.
If you have taken an interest in birds, butterflies, plants,
bugs, whatever, we would like to hear from you. If you have
tracked wildlife or weather over the years or are just starting,
then this group is for you. Email us now!
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.
