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
We are planning to meet on the 24th April, 7:30pm, at the Inkpen Pavilion. You’re welcome to join us. Make a note on your calendar. The entrance fee is £2 and includes a cuppa. We’re planning to discuss Inkpen’s role during the crusades and we’ll discuss the way in which our dig at the cross-roads above St. Michael’s church will proceed.

The dig is expected to last over the spring and summer months. It’s not too late to join the group, just email us at enquiries@inkpenhistory.uk. It’ll be fun!!!

If you would like to help us with our work on the Crusades, and specifically, Inkpen’s role, do get in touch at enquiries@inkpenhistory.uk.

It’s worth remembering that every area of Inkpen that was scanned by archaeologists back in 2022/2023 showed buried archaeology.

So far, we have had responses from 8 people who are interested in helping. We need at least five more. If we don’t do this excavation now, the opportunity to do it in the future may be lost for ever.

POP-IN CAFE

There’ll be hot-cross buns to mark Easter, and cake, what could be more inviting?

Now, we’re properly into Spring. Spring symbolises renewal, a transition from winter's dormancy to vibrant life. According to Google, spring marks a strong desire to engage in social activities, spend time outdoors, and welcome change. That’s exactly what the Pop-In café is all about. Come and meet others, make new friends, hopefully, sit outside in the warm sun, relax and enjoy.

You can help us too. If you know of someone near to you that might appreciate some company, a friendly word, bring them to the Pop-In Café. They will be most welcome. Apart from the obvious tea, coffee, cake etc., there are no demands. They can join in and make friends if and when they want.

Also, if you are a carer or someone being cared for, you are very welcome. Stay as long as you like. Try it. We hope to welcome you.

INKPEN AND DISTRICT STARGAZERS

Our March meeting was most memorable for being the first since last September when the sky was clear enough for us to actually see stars, and Jupiter too. No clouds, no rain! Needless to say, it clouded over as our meeting ended. Anyway, we’re hoping for even better stargazing in April. Want to give it a try? Come and take a look.

Using the Inkpen playing field for stargazing is perfect. It’s dark (no street lights or developments) and it provides a good all-round visibility.

We’ve now started our Sky Quality Measurement (SQM) work in earnest, covering Inkpen, Kintbury and Shalbourne. This is important work and you are welcome to come and join in. We work as part of a team with Marlborough College and Newbury Astro. Our measurements go to be analysed by ‘experts’ and used in support of government proposals on climate change. If you would like to help us, get in touch, email us at climate.inkpen@outlook.com.

Our group meets at the Inkpen pavilion are on the second Wednesday of each month, from 7:30 pm. The next meeting is on the 8th of April, and the May meeting will be on the 13th.

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.

THE NORTH WESSEX DOWNS
To see the latest news and events, click here.  Gill Haggarty, Chair of our Council of Partners, took Ben Prater from BBC Radio Wiltshire on a tour to help raise awareness of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, and encourage more people to visit. This week features a light hearted introduction to Wilton Windmill with volunteer John Herbert - listen in at around 8.50, or catch previous episodes talking to farmer Josef Bowles near Chiseldon from March 9th at around 8.20.

Over the Christmas break, the Inkpen History Society put together a set of descriptions of the historic environment for each, and hopefully every, parish within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. These are temporarily held at nwd.inkpenvillage.co.uk. Please have a look and if you find any errors, notify us at climate.inkpenvillage.co.uk. Your help in getting these historic environment descriptions right in every detail, is important and much appreciated.

Work continues to relate each parish to all the others, in terms of terrain and historic highlights etc. so that we can clearly see how the landscape influenced the different historic eras. This work will also be added to this website.

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.