The Bulletin
Get your copy of the latest Bulletin, click
here.
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.
