The Bulletin
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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 next month 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.
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
New Year resolutions may be out of
fashion but no matter the time of year, it’s always good to make
new friends and renew acquaintances. Well, that’s what the
Pop-In Cafe is all about. In February we are holding the cafe on
the 5th and 19th, that’s the first and third Thursday of the
month and in March it’s exactly the same, the 5th and the 19th.
Do come along. Bring a friend if you can. As always, there’s
coffee, tea (of many types) and hot chocolate, plus, cake and
cakes and a truly friendly atmosphere.
There’s no charge, although donations are very welcome, and you
can sit on your own if you want, or join in and chat with
others. The topics are whatever you want them to be.
We are particularly keen to welcome carers and those being cared
for. We support Dementia UK and other charities and where we can
we will help those needing assistance, to find it. It’s the
first step that’s the hardest and we’re here to make that an
easy step to make.
So remember, the cafe is on the first and third Thursdays of the
month, between 10 and 12:30 at the Inkpen playing field
pavilion. If you come by car, there’s plenty of parking. If
you’re seeking a walk, the pavilion is a great place to start
from and end up at. We hope to see you there.
INKPEN AND DISTRICT STARGAZERS
We meet every second Wednesday of the month, 7:30 pm at the
Inkpen playing field pavilion. Our track record of picking dry
evenings with clear skies is not great, but we are always happy
to meet, particularly when such a rare event does occur. Subs
are £3 for a one-off visit or £15 for a year (June to June).
We’re a group of mixed abilities, happy to share experience and
equipment.
In February, on the 11th, we are visiting the Marlborough
College astronomical facility. If you are interested in joining
us, email us at climate.inkpenvillage.co.uk. Numbers are limited
so first come first served.
As part of our group’s activities, we’ve teamed up with both the
Newbury and Marlborough astronomical societies to monitor the
quality of the night sky (which determines how clearly we can
see astronomical objects). This is really important work which
plugs in to an international framework and helps us monitor the
way in which our climate is changing, the way in which new
developments impact light pollution and the relationship between
climate warming and overcast/rainy nights. We are especially
pleased to have new members come along and help us with this
work.
So as a reminder, we’re at the Inkpen pavilion on the second
Wednesday of each month, from 7:30 pm. If you want to come and
join us at the Marlborough observatory, get in touch asap at
climate.inkpenvillage.co.uk.
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.
