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.
CPRE
The latest
Campaign to Protect Rural England
newsletter is available
here.
The Hungerford and Kintbury Ward news can be found
here.
North Wessex Downs National Landscape
The North Wessex Downs National Landscape management
plan consultation, finished on the 30th of April. Nevertheless,
the management plan is still visible on their website at:
https://www.northwessexdowns.org.uk/our-work/management-plan/management-plan-review-2025/
A lot of this is perhaps a bit dry, but please have a look at
it, and at the policies at the bottom of the webpage. There are
numerous policies that we should perhaps be aware of and know
where to find them in future. They affect planning,
biodiversity, our local history, nature and the environment.
These policies will be signed-off by the government in November
this year, so they are not to do with some marginal pressure
group, they are government agreed and driven targets. They
affect You.
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
Now that the heat of the summer has subsided, we’re
thinking about an archaeological dig. We believe we’ve
identified an old well with connected buildings, but to be sure
we need to expose the area. We need about six people interested
in giving this a go, digging down carefully by up to a meter and
sifting through the soil that’s been removed. Do you think you
might be interested? Then email inkpen-climate@outlook.com.
We will ideally start mid-September, so there isn’t much time to
waste. On receipt of your email we will give you dates, tell you
what you need and how to prepare. This all depends on having
sufficient and able-bodied people to help. Thank you.
Finally, the https://history.inkpenvillage.co.uk/ website
continues to grow. We are continuing to add audio files and
wartime items. Do have a look, and if you think you might have
something to add, get in touch. Comments are also very welcome.
POP-IN CAFE
Following on from last month’s Pop-In Cafe, we sponsored a
fundraiser in aid of the National Axial Spondyloarthritis
Society. Bella Cox and her partner ran a marathon with the aim
of raising £3000 for this charity. They have nearly completed
their sponsorship target with 80 people contributing via
JustGiving. If anyone else would like to contribute, just check
out the JustGiving website.
In September the Pop-In Cafe aims to raise money for the Thames
Valley Air Ambulance and during October we will likewise
fundraise for Dementia UK, and that will conclude the Pop-In
cafe’s fundraising for 2025. Charitable contributions are taken
from donations made for refreshments. You won’t be asked to
give, it’s entirely up to you.
The Pop-In Cafe is open on the first and third Thursdays of each
month, between 10 am and 12:30 pm. It’s at the Inkpen Pavilion
on the playing field. In September, the opening dates are the
4th and 18th, and in October it’ll be the 2nd and the 16th. Make
a note in your diary/calendar. All are welcome and no-one is
pressured into contributing. Refreshments include tea, coffee
(both normal and de-caf) and hot chocolate. Cake and biscuits
are also available. Do come and join us, bring a friend. All are
welcome.
Inkpen and district Stargazers
We begin our stargazing season this September, on Wednesday
10th. There will be a talk for beginners, given by Steve Harris
from the Newbury Astro Society, starting at 7.30 in the Inkpen
pavilion. This will hopefully be followed by a bit of observing
(fingers crossed for clear skies).
We hope to have the Seestar S50 in action as well as the Vespera
Pro. Refreshments will be available as usual. Whether you’re a
signed-up member or just want to come and see what’s going on,
all are very welcome. Membership is £15 a year (June to June),
or £3 per a single event. Inkpen is situated within an area
known for its dark night sky and it is within the North Wessex
Downs. If you go out into the North Wessex Downs on a clear
night you can see lots of stars, nebula clusters and even a
galaxy or two. It’s a truly magical experience.
Astronomical groups are a great source of advice on stargazing
and equipment. Come and give it a go! If you can’t wait, have a
look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DVpxl5pOmw
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.
Inkpen Rights of Way Committee - Volunteer Secretary
Needed
The Inkpen Rights of Way Committee is one of the oldest groups
in Inkpen, formed over 30 years ago and represents a wide
variety of interests such as conservation, horse riding, nature
study as well as recreational walking and rambling.
The prime objective of the group is to ensure the Rights of Way
are maintained in a state which enables them to be used at all
times of the year as the paths are used not only for
recreational pleasure but also for those without transport who
need to make their way across the village. It is important to
continue to improve access for the less able as well as for the
able-bodied walkers/ramblers. The village is an historic and
important ancient landscape, and the footpaths are part of this
heritage.
Leaflets on the 5 charted walks around the village are available
from the committee or from displays at various points in the
village.
The Committee needs to urgently recruit a volunteer secretary to
start in September as the current post holder is standing down.
Please get in touch with the committee if anyone is interested
in joining the group or can fill the vacant post of Secretary –
please email:
gloriakeene@hotmail.com
.
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.
