Plantlife’s annual call to lock up your lawnmowers and not mow your green spaces during May will provide a much-needed boost for wild plants and wildlife throughout summer.
Let wildflowers and long grasses grow in your lawn to provide a feast for pollinators, tackle pollution, reduce urban heat extremes, and lock away atmospheric carbon below ground.
It couldn’t be simpler. Lock up your mower over the month of May to provide a much-needed boost for wildlife throughout summer. You can choose not to mow some or all of your green space. Just sit back and watch the flowers grow.
Smaller plants such as daises, dandelion, selfheal and clover will get a chance to flower, providing a butterfly and bee buffet. You can continue to mow less and at different lengths and frequencies throughout the summer.
If you have already left all or part of your lawn unmown from the beginning of the season, that is great! This means that you have let a mini-meadow grow and are likely to have a much higher variety of flowers in your lawn if you choose to.
Don’t worry if you’ve not left your lawn unmown at all or have recently mown it – it’s committing to leaving your lawn, whether all of it or some of it, unmown for longer which is important.
Self-taught artist Alison Molan was thrilled to receive a letter from Her Majesty after sending her a quirky pup portrait
A letter of appreciation for her artwork from Her Majesty Queen Camilla was not something Farnham based artist, Alison, would have believed possible when setting up her business, Pup Goes The Easel last summer.
Alison tells us: “I recently sent one of my coronation-themed, Charlie cards and tea towels to Queen Camilla because I thought it would be fun to know that something from Farnham was being used at Highgrove House, Clarence House or even Buckingham Palace! The letter of thanks and praise from Her Majesty for my work was a real surprise and such a boost for my business.”
“The letter of thanks and praise from Her Majesty for my work was a real surprise”
Alison is a self-taught artist, who, in mid-life founded an exciting new creative business. She produces distinctive greeting cards, prints, tote bags and tea towels from her fun and vibrant paintings of pups. Her business was inspired by her family pet, a rescued Lurcher called Parker. “He was the sweetest pup and brought joy to our lives” says Alison. Having previously only painted her family’s pets, her family encouraged her to take what was “just a hobby” to the next level. So, she painted more pups (family and friends’ dogs were her muses) and, with a huge leap of faith, set up her small business.
Since last summer Alison has successfully sourced UK based, suppliers who ensure her products are of the highest quality and are sustainably made. She has sold her unique images as high-quality cards, prints and gifts through local and London markets and through her Etsy store. “Meeting customers and seeing their positive reactions to my artwork has been very uplifting”. Alison has sold her products locally at the Farnham Maltings Monthly Market and Esty Guildford. In London she has had success at the Crafty Fox Market the De Beauvoir Christmas Trail and the BBH International Women’s Day Market. “I look forward to attending other events in the future including Curated at the Dorking Halls and at Denbies Wine Estate as well as more markets in Farnham, Alton and Guildford.”
Setting up a creative business in mid-life has brought many challenges but it has also been exciting and inspiring. “I have thoroughly enjoyed creating products from my images that capture the essence and personality of a pup and love seeing customers interact with them.
“You can imagine how absolutely thrilled I was to get this fabulous letter from her and chuffed to bits that she likes my artwork. It has given me a real boost and I thought it was lovely of her to take the time of respond when she must have a million and one more pressing things to deal with at the moment!”
Alison’s next step is to collaborate with retailers so that she can reach a wider audience. Watch this space – who knows, Pup Goes The Easel may soon be ‘By Royal Appointment”!
Jack Wagstaff, Place Leader and Chief Officer for North West Surrey Health and Care Alliance shares how they are working together for better health, care and wellbeing for the benefit of the community
North West Surrey Health and Care Alliance recently held our first large-scale Community Day at the RHS Garden Wisley. The incredible setting intentionally set the tone for the type of environments we need around us to nurture our health and wellbeing.
More than 200 people living, working, running businesses, supporting vulnerable people and raising families in our communities joined us.
This was an opportunity to showcase everything from local recruitment opportunities to the progress we’re making joining up the delivery of health, care and wider wellbeing services. That included hearing about people like, Avis who has regained her confidence after a series of falls following support from our Urgent Community Response Team who helped her to remain independent in her own home. Watch Avis tell her story.
We also shared our work with borough councils, without whom it wouldn’t be possible to offer initiatives like our Step Down Service. This is supported accommodation for people who are medically fit but need additional help on discharge from hospital. For local residents Wendy and Darren this made all the difference. Hear more about Helen’s work.
As well sharing our progress, it was a chance for local people to tell us what it feels like to be on the receiving end of our work. The energy and positive feedback on the day was hugely motivating but what really struck me was just how active our residents want to be in improving their own health and wellbeing. Empowering people to take agency in this is the foundation of our work to develop neighbourhood teams. This follows recommendations from The Fuller Stocktake and our Critical 5 priorities, and means introducing multi-disciplinary teams to serve the needs of a defined footprint – with easy access to preventative support and tailored care when it’s needed.
Listening to the experiences of people from our communities and understanding their ideas for what a healthy and happy neighbourhood looks like opened up a different kind of dialogue about how we can influence the wider determinants of health. Considering transport and access, digital inequality, making it easier to navigate different services and liberating our community assets so they can take forward their own wellbeing initiatives, is all part of growing the neighbourhoods our residents want.
This is just the beginning of our work involve people in our communities, the voluntary and charity sector to build cohesive services and cultivate environments where our residents can thrive. Take a look at the highlights from the day in this short film. And if you’re interested in how we’ll be using the outputs of our discussions – keep an eye on our website or drop us a line.
Make a date for British Street Food Awards, Mark Bowen of Reading FC & a Sunday acoustic session
Blue Collar Corner, Reading’s street food and drinks arena in Hosier Street, is uncovering it’s roof terrace and preparing for summer with a packed line-up of events and DJs this month.
Events include two days of hosting the South Eastern heats of the British Street Food Awards, a Supporter Trust at Reading (STAR) evening with Mark Bowen and the Reading FC off field team plus live music.
“We can’t wait to bring British Street Food Awards to Blue Collar Corner on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th April” Glen Dinning of Blue Collar says, “We last hosted the Awards at Market Place in November 2020 where the quality and variety of food on offer was incredible. It’s so exciting to see future food trends – this is a chance to experience the very best of the British street food scene, vote for your favourites and support independent businesses.
“Variety of food is an ongoing theme here at Blue Collar Corner now with our four kitchens on short term rotations between two to four weeks each keeping the food option fresh and exciting.
“Our evenings with Brian McDermott in conversation last year were very special events. Glen continues “so we’re really happy to be welcoming more Reading FC related events on Wednesday 26th April when the Supporters Trust of Reading host an evening with Mark Bowen and the off field team.”
“We’ve uncovered our roof terrace and are getting the site summer ready” Glen continued, “Our live acoustic Sunday sessions have been a big hit recently. Our next of these will be the 19 Something Festival Launch on Sunday 23rd April, raising money for Age UK with stripped down live sets from a selection of local acts.”
This month you can enjoy:
Sat 18th Apr – British Street Food Awards + DJ Rob Wire + DJ Chris Gale Sun 19th Apr – British Street Food Awards Thu 20th Apr – Feel Good Thursdays w/ DJ Rich Sloman Fri 21st Apr – DJs Elle Cee & Kingpinn Sat 22nd Apr – Rum & Donuts DJs + DJ Arthur Sun 23th Apr – 19 Something Festival launch in aid of Age UK Wed 26th Apr – Supporters Trust at Reading w/ Mark Bowen & off field team Thu 27th Apr – Feel Good Thursdays w/ DJ Slippery People Fri 28th Apr – DJ Acronym Sat 29th Apr – DJ Mark Fitzpatrick + DJ Gilbert Sun 30th Apr – Rum & Donuts DJs + DJs Elle Cee & Kingpinn
For full info on Blue Collar’s April DJ sets and events (including their Cheese Feast event in Forbury on 28th-30th April), see blue.collar | Facebook | Linktree or follow their socials at @bluecollarfood.
Give them a quiet welcome, says Surrey Wildlife Trust
Starting this month, public access areas of Barossa nature reserve in Camberley will play host to a special band of black-and-white visitors – a 36-strong herd of native Belted Galloway cattle owned by Surrey Wildlife Trust.
During the spring and summer months, the steers play a vital role in keeping the site in good condition for nature by keeping vegetation including Molina grass under control, thus creating ideal habitat for species such as Nightjars, Dartford Warblers, Silver-studded Blue butterflies and a range of reptiles including Common Lizards and Adders.
With the animals set to arrive on 06 April, the Trust is reminding people not to be intimidated by the cows, but to treat them with respect. Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Conservation Grazing Manager Tamsin Harris says: “As well as being a popular spot for walkers Barossa is an important site for Surrey’s wonderful wildlife, and our cattle are helping keep the area special – but it’s important to remember that they are there to do a job, not to make friends. They are bred for a placid temperament but please don’t feed or pet them, remember to give them some space when walking past them and keep dogs under control.
“We hugely appreciate the support of local people in helping our herd stay happy.”
Conservation grazing is widely used by Surrey Wildlife Trust to manage wildlife habitat, whether it be grassland, woodland, wetland or scrub. It is less intrusive to wildlife than burning or cutting excess vegetation, and grazing animals can access areas which people and machinery can’t.
Many of the rare flora and fauna that exist within Surrey now relies on this type of management to survive, and Surrey has used cattle, goats, sheep and native Red Deer for these purposes on sites including Chobham Common, Quarry Hangers, Ash Ranges and Pirbright Ranges. Belted Galloway cattle originate from the lowlands of Scotland and are particularly suitable for grazing both heathland and chalk grassland thanks to their hearty appetites for course grasses and scrub as well as softer vegetation. Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Belted Galloway cattle are moved across multiple sites according to the season and the needs of each site. The 36 steers arriving at Barossa this month will remain on site until early November.
This year’s competition has opened with new categories and great prizes
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has opened its annual nature photography competition for 2023 with a host of new categories and prizes.
The charity is inviting nature lovers of all ages to send their shots of animals, plants, people and scenery at BBOWT nature reserves and in the community.
Anyone from a six-year-old with a camera phone to a seasoned professional can enter the contest which this year has new categories for pictures of plants, fungi, insects, mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. There is also a new category just for Urban Nature.
This year’s prizes include a top-of-the-range digital camera, an exclusive wildlife photography masterclass, and a high-quality canvas print of your winning photo. All winners will have their photo featured in the Trust’s 2024 calendar.
Rachel Levis, BBOWT Head of Events, said: “We’re so excited to be launching the contest again with these new wildlife categories. Last year we had so many fantastic photos of plants, animals and fungi at BBOWT nature reserves, and this year we really wanted a chance to celebrate all those ways of capturing our wonderful wildlife at its finest.
“I’m also really excited to be launching our Urban Nature category: as we’ve come to realise in recent years that we are in a nature and climate crisis, it’s also become clear that the solution has to be more nature everywhere – and that means looking after wildlife in our towns and cities as well. This category offers a brilliant chance to showcase and celebrate the species that are right under our noses – pollinating our window boxes, nesting under rooves and living in our gardens: these species can be just as important as the wildlife at nature reserves.”
Categories
All photographs must be taken on a BBOWT nature reserve except in the Team Wilder, Urban Nature, Children and Teens categories which must be taken in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire.
• Children (ages 6-11) – Photos matching any of the categories below • Teens (ages 12-17) – Photos matching any of the categories below. • Flora • Fungi • Insects and Arachnids • Birds • Mammals • Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish • Nature reserve Landscapes • Team Wilder – People are stepping forward from every sector of society to lead change in their fields and we welcome businesses, schools, politicians, and individuals as part of Team Wilder. If you’re taking action for nature right now, no matter how small the act is, you’re already a part of #teamWILDER. Send us your photos and show us what you are working on or have achieved already. • People in Nature • Urban Nature – Wildlife or nature in towns, cities and other urban settings.
Closing date for entries is Friday 1 September 2023.
Prizes
This year’s overall winner will receive:
• A top-of-the-range digital camera • Photography workshop with wildlife photographer Steve Gozdz from GG Wildlife Experiences • A high-quality A3 canvas print of your winning photo • Your photo featured in the 2024 BBOWT calendar • Certificate
Category winners will receive:
• Photography workshop with wildlife photographer Steve Gozdz from GG Wildlife Experiences • Your photo featured in the 2024 BBOWT calendar • A BBOWT cafe voucher • Certificate
The Children and Teen categories also have an additional prize: a bundle of nature books which will go to the school library of the winner (or to a school the winner nominates).
This year’s competition will be judged by a panel of three experts: Steve Gozdz is a professional wildlife photographer and founder of Berkshire-based GG Wildlife Experiences, which offers wildlife walks, experiences and photography classes; Ben Vanheems is the editor of BBOWT’s Wild Magazine and a wildlife gardener and Youtuber, and Lis Speight is BBOWT‘s head of communications.
Commenting on what he will be looking for in this year’s entries, Steve Gozdz said: “A great photo makes good use of light, composition and shows creativity. However, most importantly, I will be looking for images that capture ‘the moment’ that encompasses the beauty and essence of the subject matter of the environment.
“You don’t need a fancy camera: even a smart phone can produce some amazing images and give some very different perspectives. Don’t forget – the best camera you can have is the one in your hand.”
Need some inspiration?
Here are last years winners and runners up.
Teenagers Winner – Zachery Osbourne
Teenagers Runner Up – Lucy Colston
Team Wilder Winner – Helen Touchard-Paxton
Team Wilder Runner up – Peter Massam
People Winner – Peter Mohr
People Runner Up – Lorraine Clarke
Flora and Fauna Winner – Roy McDonald
Flora and Fauna Runner Up – Adrianna Bielobradek
Children Winner – Roly Lewis
Children Runner Up – Hayden Denham
The Trust is extremely grateful to GG Wildlife Experiences for sponsoring this year’s competition.
Sunday 2nd April is World Autism Awareness Day, national charity Dogs for Autism, based in Alton, Hampshire, shares the story of employee Lola and how dogs help her
As Autism Liaison Co-Ordinator for Dogs for Autism, Lola Bellarosa-Homer is often the first point of contact for the families the charity helps. She has always really enjoyed her role, but her recent autism diagnosis has meant she really understands why she absolutely loves her job and feels like she belongs at the charity.
“Getting the formal diagnosis meant everything, for the first time in my life I felt like I belonged,” is how Lola reacted to finding out her formal diagnosis.
After her son, who is now 17 years old, was diagnosed with autism and cognitive learning disabilities, Lola set about investing her time into learning about autism and how best she could support her son and help him navigate the world. For as long as she could remember she had felt like she hadn’t fitted in, and experienced huge anxiety and depression that led her to self-harm, from being a teenager until she met her husband. While there wasn’t a lightbulb moment, she realized that a lot of the questions she asked about herself were common questions that other autistic adults were having.
After a lot of research and thought, she decided she wanted to know whether she too was autistic, and after seven months of consultation she was given her formal diagnosis.
Describing how it feels to know she is autistic, Lola said: “I finally see the world in colour. It’s like someone put a key into a lock and opened something that had been shut away for 30 years.”
Lola sees being autistic as an overwhelmingly positive thing and is keen that other people know about all the strengths that her autism brings her. Perseverance and courage, which come from having to work so much harder to navigate the neurotypical world, are two of the qualities that she wants to pass on to her son and every other autistic person. She also needs an enormous amount of courage to face and resolve difficult situations; this enables her to be a huge help to the families Dogs for Autism work with and they know that the charity really understand and see the world from an autistic person’s point of view. It’s meant she’s been able to bring in new processes, flow charts and mind maps, which all help the charity provide more support to their partners.
CEO of Dogs for Autism, Hilary Armour, sees huge benefits in having an autistic person as part of any team. She added: “It’s a massively positive step for our families to have someone supporting them who really ‘gets’ autism. I would actively encourage any employer to include autistic people in their teams.”
Lola feels that her unique perspective is an advantage to her work and something that any company would benefit from. She wants to be champion for helping employers to understand that by making small changes in the workplace, autistic employees can bring creativity, enthusiasm, and a new vision to their role. She would love other employers to read this and realise how positive it can be to have an autistic or neurodiverse person in the workplace. By making some small changes, educating staff, being accepting and open to allowing an autistic person to process things in their own way, it really will make a difference to the lives of their autistic staff, as well as bringing new strengths to the workplace.
Four women are walking 100 miles carrying a rowing boat between them – the entire length of the South Downs Way – to raise awareness for women and girls in sport.
Victoria Monk (30), Ana Zigic (27), Ellie Reynolds (24) and Molly Green (26) aim to complete the walk within four days, over Easter Weekend.
Starting in Winchester and finishing in Eastbourne the foursome hope to break a world record for the longest distance travelled by foot, while carrying a boat.
The team of women hope this expedition will help shine a spotlight on the inequalities that exist for women in sport – in particular, the number of girls who drop out of sport when they reach puberty.
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‘Yesterday’s vehicles supporting today’s children’ is the simple message from the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs which is holding its charity Drive It Day on April 23rd
Vintage vehicles are taking part in Drive It Day on Sunday, 23rd April to raise awareness of the classic car movement in the UK and raise money for Childline.
Run by The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, a grouping of more than 450 clubs and museums with around 1,500 trade and individual supporters, Drive It Day offers enthusiasts and the public the opportunity to celebrate the One Thousand Mile Trial organised in 1900 to prove the viability of the new invention that was the motor car.
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State schools invited to nominate next generation of budding engineers
Calling for nominations for the Oxfordshire High Sheriff Young Engineer Awards!
The annual High Sheriff Young Engineer Awards are once again calling on Oxfordshire’s state schools to nominate the next generation of budding engineers.
State schools are invited to nominate students who have a passion for, and show great promise in, the fields of engineering, resistant materials and design technology. Prizes include £400 for the winning student in each category and £1,000 for the students’ respective school or college.
Now in their 13th year, the awards are sponsored by Abingdon & Witney College, The Engineering Trust and Lucy Group Ltd, a long-standing Oxford company that engineers smart electrics for the built environment. Applications must be submitted by Thursday 6th April and the top three students from each category will be invited to attend an awards ceremony on Monday 26th June at Abingdon & Witney College.
Commenting on this year’s awards Marea Brown, event organiser at Abingdon & Witney College, said: “The judging panel is increasingly inspired by the ingenuity of the nominated students and the rise in nominations for girls. Our aim is to help give talented youth a chance to ignite their interest in engineering, go on to reach their full career potential and help meet some of the world’s biggest challenges.”
