On 10th June about 20 of us including lots of younger people turned out to collect plastic spiral ‘tree’ guards from hedge plants and shrubs in Centenary (aka Millennium) Wood. These have got very old and brittle and are just breaking up and littering the woodland.

The task involved crouching and crawling beneath the trees! We collected three builders’ bags; they have been taken off for recycling. We also collected some of the canes for reuse too.

There are still lots left in the wood. Opinion was divided about whether to come back on a summer Saturday, or in the winter when they would be easier to spot but the ground would be muddier!

Thank you to William and Rachel for inspiring and organising this.

COMING UP…

Sat 20 June – Pollination Festival

At the Garden Centre, 9am-4pm

Jointly with the Environment Action Group, we’ll be running a stall about APollOW and pollinator conservation and counting. We still need a few more people to stand on the stall. If you can help, even for an hour, please get in touch. It’s a nice event and a great opportunity to spread the word about protecting pollinators – and SOW and the EAG – but we need help!

Sat 27 June – Village Day

Oakington Recreation Ground, 12:30 – about 4pm (event goes on until 10pm)

SOW will be running a stall at this event too, building bee hotels. We need some help with this too! If you’d like to be involved please get in touch.

Wed 8 July – Outdoor Nature Session including APollOW training

7:30pm – meet in the Community Orchard next to the Rec (NOT in the Church Hall!)

James Heywood will be demonstrating how to do a pollinator count – a brilliant opportunity to see it in practice and have a go yourself.

Are you ready for the next heatwave?

‘Get Ready for Heatwaves’ is a free live online talk on Tues 30th June at 7:30-8:30pm by Cambridge Carbon Footprint, a local charity taking positive action to tackle the causes of climate change.

You will hear advice on exterior shading, ventilation, personal cooling and the importance of insulation. We’re all aware of the measures we can take to reduce our contribution to climate change, but we also need to take action to protect ourselves from its consequences.

This talk will equip you with the information you need to take practical action before the next heatwave hits. Book using this link.