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Wildlife Warden Update – FREE TREES AVAILABLE

January is a time for new beginnings.  We are heading back towards the longer days, the earth rich with autumn’s decaying foliage, ready to spring to life again with the first of the year’s flowers.  What better way to celebrate this time than with planting a tree!

We will be giving out free trees from 10am on Saturday 20 January at the Bridford Woodland Park.  These trees have been grown as part of the Devon Wildlife Trust Devon Treescapes project. The project is looking to get Devon’s communities, landowners and business involved in combating the threats to Devon’s trees, such as Ash Dieback. There will be a variety of trees available including crab apple, wild cherry, rowan, field maple, hazel, so whether you would like to plant a small hedge or just tuck one in the corner of your garden, please come along and pick a tree up.  The trees available are all great for UK wildlife whether this is through its flower’s pollen, it offering a leaf to nibble or nest on, or fruit for hungry birds and mammals.

Trees are available on a first come first served basis, and depending on how many people turn up we may be able to offer up to 20 trees per person.  We hope to see you there.  There is also a tree hub in Dunsford on 3rd February if you are unable to make the 20th January.  If you have any questions, please let us know at wildlifewarden@bridfordvillage.co.uk

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Gritting Update – Sat 9 Dec

A reminder that the Team is meeting up tomorrow and we’d welcome anyone who’d like to see what’s involved and, hopefully, join us. Since my last email we’ve lost another member who, because of his age, wishes to retire from active service. This means that we are two down on last winter. Both were helpers, not drivers.

However, we are seriously short of people who have a vehicle with a tow bar. People aren’t always available to go out – work, family commitments or illness – please consider offering to help to keep the hill safe to use. You never go out on your own, there’s always a helper.
We’re meeting up at Seven Acre Farm on Sunday Dec 10th at 11am for a recap and training session, do come and see if you could join us. Anne Mayes

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Gritting Update – Fri 1 Dec

Tonight it was Dom and Matt who teamed up to grit the hill for us so our grateful thanks to them for doing so. Another member of the team tested the hill for us this morning – at 05.15 and told the rest of us at 05.23! He said it was fine so I didn’t update everyone.

However, we are seriously short of people who have a vehicle with a tow bar. People aren’t always available to go out – work, family commitments or illness – please consider offering to help to keep the hill safe to use. You never go out on your own, there’s always a helper.
We’re meeting up at Seven Acre Farm on Sunday Dec 10th at 11am for a recap and training session, do come and see if you could join us. Anne Mayes

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Gritting Update – Thurs 30 Nov

 We are extremely grateful to Andy B and Joe – again – who braved the hill tonight to grit it. Those of us who either got up or tried to this pm will know how tricky it was. I left a meeting in Exeter two hours early just after 3pm – as usual much to the amusement of others who could see no reason to do so.
Despite all the grit Andy and Joe have spread, any more snow or run off may well leave icy patches, so please take care.
However, we are seriously short of people who have a vehicle with a tow bar. People aren’t always available to go out – work, family commitments or illness – please consider offering to help to keep the hill safe to use. You never go out on your own, there’s always a helper.
We’re meeting up at Seven Acre Farm on Sunday Dec 10th at 11am for a recap and training session, do come and see if you could join us. Anne Mayes

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Wildlife Warden Update

December’s wildlife challenge – let the ivy grow

Playing second fiddle to holly in the famous Christmas carol and often maligned for causing damage to trees, ivy should not be underestimated in terms of its importance for wildlife.  Though ivy can undermine a damaged tree, it should not cause an issue for a healthy one where it grows up and alongside it with the ivy’s roots in the soil.  The ivy clings to the tree reaching to the light so that it can flower.  The flowers and berries come at a vital time for insects and birds as they are available later than many others, so bridge the hunger gap.

Ivy flowers in autumn after many blooms are on the way out and on a bright day can be abuzz with bees, flies, wasps, hoverflies and late butterflies.  The berries that start forming before Christmas are ready to eat in January/ February and are a highly nutritious calorie packed meal at exactly the right time in the year when they are needed by birds and small mammals.  Blackbirds, blackcaps, thrushes and redwings will all flock to feast on bountiful ivy.  Other than that, has it any benefits?  Yes, many!  A dense thicket provides great nesting opportunity for birds and also hibernating habitat for insects.  Many caterpillars will eat the plant, including those of the holly blue butterfly and yellow-barred brindle moths.

I hope this convinces you of the qualities of ivy and this month’s challenge is if you see it in a tree or a hedge to let it grow, allowing it to provide all these benefits, or if you are looking for a climber in your garden consider planting some.  It is also, to my mind, a beautiful plant – if you have a lot of it, maybe celebrate it this Christmas by making a wreath out of some strands of it, possibly incorporating it into a Christmas wreath for the birds.

Tree hub- free trees available!

February’s challenge was to plant a tree.  We are now at a good time of year for planting trees again so if you have a little bit of space in your garden, or know someone who does and would like one, why not consider planting a tree that can provide pollen and a food source for years to come.  I am pleased to say that we will be running a tree hub on 20th January in the Woodland Park where we will be giving out free broadleaf tree whips. This is part of the Devon Wildlife Trust Saving Devon’s Treescapes scheme and thank you to David Price and The Bridford Trust for agreeing for us to run this from the Woodland Park.  There will be further details in January’s Unity.

wildlifewarden@bridfordvillage.co.uk

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Gritting Update – Wed 29 Nov

 Winter has arrived and two of our volunteers went out tonight to grit the hill. Our thanks to Joe and Andy H who braved the cold to do this for us. However, we are seriously short of people who have a vehicle with a tow bar. People aren’t always available to go out – work, family commitments or illness – please consider offering to help to keep the hill safe to use. You never go out on your own, there’s always a helper.
We’re meeting up at Seven Acre Farm on Sunday Dec 10th at 11am for a recap and training session, do come and see if you could join us.Anne Mayes

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Cheriton Bishop & Teign Valley Patient Group

YOUR PATIENT GROUP – GET INVOLVED!

The Patient Group (PG) provides a facility for two way communication between the practice and registered patients. The group can provide feedback to the practice on patient’s needs, concerns and suggestions, and can also constructively challenge how our healthcare is delivered. The group can also develop projects and events to promote good health and lifestyle practice and awareness.

The PG comprises volunteers registered with the practice and members of the professional team. It works very closely with the practice, but is an independent group. We meet 3 to 4 times a year and occasionally more frequently when projects are in progress. The group endeavours to have a membership which represents the population covered by the practice, both demographically and geographically.

The group has been running since 2011, but since the Covid lockdown of 2020 has not been active. We now wish to re-energise and restart the group, and we are looking for new group members. If you wish to be involved, contact Steve Colderick at colderick@btinternet.com to register your interest. Please tell us a little bit about yourself, and any particular areas of interest or skills (but these are not essential, a commitment to active involvement in the group is more important!). Responses by Friday 24th November, and we will contact respondees in early December.

 

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Bridford Parish Council Agenda November 2023

The Parish Council meeting is on Monday 13th November at 7pm in the Village Hall. The agenda includes

  1. Co-option to Council
  2. Public discussion
  3. Apologies for absence
  4. Declarations of interest
  5. District and councillors reports
  6. Chaiman’s report
  7. Minutes
  8. Village hall
  9. Planning
  10. Finance
  11. Budget
  12. Gritter volunteers
  13. Twinning road signage
  14. Policies
  15. Replacement clerk
  16. Clerks report

 

November agenda 2023