Another icy night and Andy B and Dave H have just been out to grit the hill. Unfortunately there’s a fair bit of runoff at various points on the hill still and Andy and Dave point out that by the time they came back it was icy again by the phone box. In their view the drive to work tomorrow could well be worse than today’s and that was bad. It looks as if the accident on the hill was shown on Spotlight so today was certainly not good. I hope those involved are alright. Despite this, no Secondary Routes will be done tomorrow. Anne Mayes
Gritting Update – Tues 17 Jan
Another icy night and a team of three have just been out to grit the hill. Unfortunately there’s a fair bit of runoff at various points on the hill which will probably freeze as they did today so care will still be needed. No Secondary Routes will be done tomorrow.
Our thanks go to Andy H, Andy B and a new member, Dave H for going out for us tonight. Anne Mayes
Gritting Update – Mon 16 Jan
I expect you’ve seen the warnings of ice for tonight and until 10 am tomorrow. Indeed this has warranted the promise of a rare gritting of the Secondary Routes tomorrow, but not until at least 8am so our thanks go to Andy H and Andy B for going out tonight to grit the hill. Anne Mayes
BRIDFORD PARISH COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA 9TH JANUARY 2023
Bridford Wildlife Warden Update
In our last post we asked for your views on our “Ecological Management Plan” for Bridford’s grass verges which was adopted by Bridford Parish Council in January 2022 and is up for review in January 2023.
Well many of you did respond and we received 11 responses, 10 by email and one Facebook comment. We were delighted that positive responses outnumbered negative ones by 10:1. It is very encouraging to know that there are many people in the village who are aware of the difficulties facing wildlife and who recognise the need to take action now to help even in small ways to redress this.
However we are also aware that although we only received one negative response, there will be others who also struggle to see the benefit of such a scheme in the countryside where we are surrounded by farmland and where we have some fantastic natural resources such as the Woodland Park and Rowden Valley Wood, and wonder what the point of it all is.
To them we would say that the biodiversity crisis that we currently face is not restricted to more built up areas and is being felt throughout the countryside also, due to a combination of factors including the intensification of agriculture. Historically, farming would have allowed for hay meadows which are a nectar rich source for insect pollinators and food source for birds and small mammals, but since the 1930s 97% of these have gone and for this reason the margins of land and what we do with them is important. Here in Bridford people who have lived here a long time have told us of a depletion in species such as hares, yellowhammers and house martins. Though this will be due to numerous causes, one of these is the lack of traditionally managed meadows.
Though the Bridford verges may seem like a small area, they can support a huge number of pollinating insects and will be part of a much larger patchwork of wildlife friendly areas. Many species struggle to travel far, so wildlife corridors are vital in fighting species depletion. We envisage the verges working with the Woodland park, wildlife friendly farms and gardens, creating corridors throughout the area.
So, thank you again to everyone who responded, and to Bridford Parish Council for their ongoing support. We would also also like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas as we look forward to 2023 and continuing to work with you all for the benefit of wildlife in Bridford. Contact us: [email protected].
Our Christmas picture is an original drawing by wildlife warden Lucy Smerdon.
Gritting Update – Fri 16 Dec
No one from The Team is going out tonight – Highways gritted the hill this morning. Anne Mayes
Gritting Update – Thurs 15 Dec
Tonight we have Joe and a mystery helper to thank for going out and gritting the whole route. The volunteers have already gone out more this month than they did in the whole winter last year . Hopefully Christmas will be mild. Anne Mayes
Gritting Update – Wed 14 Dec
Tonight, we discovered, by observation, that Highways had gritted the hill and were refilling the grit bins. I do ask that they tell us when they grit but they rarely do I’m afraid. Note that Highways only do the bus route, not up to the Farm. Anne Mayes
Gritting Update – Mon 12 Dec
our thanks to Matt and Colin for going out tonight. Fortunately the gritter held up but tonight’s problem may impact its use tomorrow. It always has to be washed out at the end of the run otherwise what’s left in the gritter sets solid and that’s the end of spreading. Unfortunately the tap and hose had frozen solid so it’s not been possible to clear it. Anne Mayes
Gritting Update – Sun 11 Dec
Mike spent the morning replacing the nylon engagement gear and Andy H and Dom took it out and have managed to grit the whole run. The gritter though developed another problem – never a dull moment for the Snow Team at the moment! A temporary repair with tape was made but the gritter is back in the critical care ward and we’ll have to hope that Mike can repair the latest fault. We really are very grateful to all our volunteers who are doing everything possible to keep the village moving. Anne Mayes