The Bulletin
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Updates from West Berkshire Council
As you will know, the government requires the abolition of
district councils and their re-organisation into larger
councils. The proposal for West Berkshire Council is laid out
here. Also, the new Local Plan Review
Adoption Statement is viewable
here and the Sustainability Appraisal /
Strategic Environmental Assessment relating to the Local Plan
is
here.
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 are putting together a presentation showing Inkpen’s
role during the crusades.
Up until Victorian times, our church, St Michael’s and All
Angels, housed three effigies of crusaders but two of them
were thrown out as they didn’t fit in with the new style of
the church. We don’t know where the two missing effigies have
gone to but are very keen to find out. Again, your help with
this is pivotal. We believe one of these effigies was of a
Spanish crusader but are not sure of the third. The effigy
that remains within the church is believed to be that of Roger
de Inkpen who is supposedly buried in the crypt – something
that has been sealed for a great may years.
You can get a feel for what St Michael’s looked like in the
past, by looking at the images on
https://history.inkpenvillage.co.uk/pics.html. Ham church
didn’t get the same severe Victorian make-over as Inkpen’s St.
Michael’s, so retains a more original look.
If you would like to help us with our work on the Crusades,
and specifically, Inkpen’s role, do get in touch at
info@inkpenhistory.uk.
In the coming months we’ll be trying to sort a plan to start
excavating an area at the top of the hill, near the crossroads
above the church. Last year there was insufficient interest in
this project but hopefully, this year there will be more
people, with more spare time to help, and an interest in
digging into Inkpen’s past. We are also seeking professional
guidance to ensure that the dig is done correctly. Again,
please contact us at info@inkpenhistory.uk if you would like
to take part. It is worth remembering that every area of
Inkpen that was scanned by archaeologists back in 2022/2023
showed buried archaeology.
So far, we have had responses from 6 people who are interested
in helping. We need at least four more. If we don’t do this
work now, the opportunity to do it in the future may not
exist. Thanks for your interest and for any help you can
provide.
POP-IN CAFE
Spring starts again this March. It
may not feel much like it right now, except the days are
getting noticeably longer. Soon the warmer weather will
arrive. Time to come out of hibernation. But for some, the
loneliness will continue. The front door will stay closed.
Please help us. If you know of someone near to where you live
that might appreciate a knock on the door, a friendly word,
please try and bring them along to the Pop-In Café. Apart from
the obvious tea, coffee, cake etc., there are no demands. They
can join in and make friends if and when they want.
Also, if you are a carer or someone being cared for you will
be most welcome. Stay as long as you want, just give us a try.
We next meet on the 5th March, then on the 19th. The April
dates are the 2nd and 16th. That’s the first and third
Thursdays of each month, between 10 and 12:30 at the Inkpen
playing field pavilion. There’s plenty of car parking space,
and a disabled toilet along with all of the usual facilities.
You don’t have to pay for anything although donations are a
help.
We hope to welcome you.
INKPEN AND DISTRICT STARGAZERS
On the 11th February, we had a very successful visit to the
Marlborough College astronomical facility. It was a great
evening and I think everyone enjoyed the opportunity. This is
part of our relationship building with both Marlborough College
and Newbury Astro.
As part of our combined group activities, we have begun to
monitor the quality of our night sky. This is a measure of how
clearly we can see astronomical objects, which in turn can be
related to climate change. This is important work which links
into an international framework of groups also measuring sky
quality. The results are to be analysed by experts and used in
support of government proposals on climate change. If you would
like to help us with this work, please email us at
climate.inkpen@outlook.com.
If you would like to join our group, you can find us at the
Inkpen pavilion on the second Wednesday of each month, from 7:30
pm, or email us. This month we meet on the 11th of March.
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.
We have a newly formed climate group. The website is
http://climate.inkpenvillage.co.uk.
If you have a look, you’ll see that we have collected data on
moths, trees, bird sightings and beetles, as well as data on
the weather. This data enables us to see what changes are
taking place locally and the pace of those changes. If you
have any data, new or historic, on local climate related
events or know of someone with an interest in this, then
please get in touch with us.
We want to bring all local
data together in one place and make sure that it doesn’t get
lost. Email us at
inkpen-climate@outlook.com.
In the autumn, we’ll hold a meeting so that all of you that
are concerned about climate change can meet and help us to get
properly organised. Keep an eye on the website. Thank you.
THE NORTH WESSEX DOWNS
Over the Christmas break, the Inkpen History Society put
together a set of descriptions of the historic environment for
each, and hopefully every, parish within the North Wessex
Downs National Landscape. These are temporarily held at
nwd.inkpenvillage.co.uk. Please have a look and if you find
any errors, notify us at climate.inkpenvillage.co.uk. Your
help in getting these historic environment descriptions right
in every detail, is important and much appreciated.
Work continues to relate each parish to all the others, in
terms of terrain and historic highlights etc. so that we can
clearly see how the landscape influenced the different
historic eras. This work will also be added to this website.
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.
