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
Additional audio tracks have been added to the history website,
history.inkpenvillage.co.uk, alongside a further written
commentary on the sinking of the Bismarck. We have further
scrapbooks and photos to add and are hoping to add even more
audio tracks. If you remember Inkpen and district as it was
during or immediately after WW2, then please get in touch, we’d
love to hear from you.
We could also do with some help scanning photographs and
transcribing handwritten text. Please get in touch via
inkpen-climate@outlook.com if you think you can help.
We will have another attempt at starting some proper
archaeology, (a dig on an Inkpen site) in late March / early
April 2026. The site that we are hoping to dig is thought to be
a late Saxon, early Medieval site with links to the crusades. If
you think you might be interested, please email us, as above,
and we’ll keep you posted. The dig is likely to last for a
minimum of several weeks. We will try and get a trained
archaeologist to organise the dig so that we don’t damage the
site.
POP-IN CAFE
During October we put all our café donations into a pot, and we
will be sending that money off to Dementia UK. If you missed the
October cafés and would like to add a donation, come to our
first café Thursday of November, on the 6th, and we’ll add it to
what we already have. Thanks to all who have donated. We've
raised £80 so far.
|
There
are a lot of people locally that suffer from Dementia,
and we very much want to support them in any way we can.
If you wish, you can get a badge from Dementia UK to
wear and show your support and understanding for those
with dementia. |
The November Pop-In Cafe dates are Thursday 6th and 20th. All
are welcome and we really do mean all. In December we’ll be open
on the 4th and 18th. In January there will only be one café
since the first Thursday is on New Year’s Day, but we’ll be open
on January, Thursday the 15th.
Come and join us. Here’s what AI has to say about the café:
Socializing
is important because it improves mental and physical health by
reducing loneliness and stress, and it boosts cognitive
function. It fosters a sense of belonging and purpose, helps
in personal growth and the development of social skills, and
can even contribute to a longer lifespan.
Inkpen and district Stargazers
Our next meeting is on the second Wednesday of November, which I
think is the 12th. All are welcome. It’s £15 for annual membership
(June to June) or £3 per person for a single visit. We are hoping
that we will be able to do actual stargazing on the 12th but will
have to pray a bit harder for this.
At the November meeting we’re hoping to look at space-time and
include a little bit about black holes. However, if the weather is
good for observing, then we’ll postpone the talk to a later date
and concentrate of investigating the night sky, hopefully looking
at whatever planets are there to see.
If you would like to come and join our group then please email us
at inkpen-climate@outlook.com
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.
North Wessex Downs
Some of the legal protection that we have now benefitted from
for several years, for our part of the North Wessex Downs is
under threat.
Please help us. Support the retention of the duty on relevant
authorities to ‘seek to further’ the purposes of Protected
Landscapes. As you will be aware, this strengthened duty came
into force in late 2023 through an amendment to section 85 of
the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
We are extremely concerned by the credible reports received by
the National Landscapes Association and National Parks England
that the Government is now considering legislation to repeal the
strengthened section 85 duty.
The previous duty, to have regard for the purposes of
designation, was less clear and not well understood by
stakeholders. The strengthened duty was supported by the
recommendations of the Glover Review (2019) and very widely
welcomed. Weakening it would seriously harm the level of
protection extended to the North Wessex Downs National Landscape
(NWDNL), and all our National Parks and National Landscapes
(AONBs).
Repealing the strengthened section 85 duty would make it harder
for the Government to achieve its goals for nature recovery,
climate mitigation, flood prevention, water quality and public
access in protected landscapes. The natural beauty of the NWDNL
is greatly valued by the communities who live in and around the
protected landscape as a resource for restoration, health and
wellbeing.
We urge you to raise awareness of the threat to protected
landscapes posed by the proposed change and add your voice to
support retaining the strengthened section 85 duty.
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.
