Boosting local bio-diversity & tackling climate change; Recycle plastic waste; Inspiring bee-friendly Shaftesbury; Welcome a sustainable future; Other news in brief; Forthcoming meetings; National news. 

Boosting bio-diversity & tackling climate change

Lockdown has prevented any community work groups who might have wanted to tackle outdoor work collaboratively in the early spring weather, but some preparatory work has been able to take place and from April there will be additional possibilities.

Breach Common: 

Following a wildlife survey, Mariko & Mike from Darwin Ecology made suggestions for future management of this site. See the aims and details of the management plan and a report of the past year at https://www.planetshaftesbury.org/breachcommon  The Friends of Breach Common received a lot of encouragement when they carried out a consultation on this proposed work for 2021.  Since then John Rutter and a small band of socially-distanced helpers coppiced discrete areas of woodland to let in more light and encourage more diverse ground flora. With the help of a mini-digger and rake, some ponds have been deepened and small areas of rampant bramble scrub have been cleared. Water has returned to the pond areas and great crested newts are alive and well. After the end of lockdown, regular working groups will remove (digging by hand) remaining viable bramble roots in the areas tackled mechanically so that wider paths and some grassed areas are maintained this year. After that, by early summer, there'll be more work needed to manage the invasive himalayan balsam. To be kept in touch and receive invitations to join in these activities contact John Rutter at breachcommon@outlook.com

2021 Tree Planting: 

The Town Council and Shaftesbury Tree Group are partners for Shaftesbury's ambitious tree planting project. See details including maps of the planting plan at https://www.planetshaftesbury.org/treegroup  Owing to the covid safety regulations, the community planting events we had hoped for over this winter could not take place. Instead planting was restricted to a handful of volunteers and one of the Council’s Grounds Team, who started work on the 8th and finished this season's planting of all bare root trees on 17th March. The picture above shows local forester Robin Walter with his family bubble planting at Mampitts Cemetery. Let's hope that for the next season we can get together to carry out planting in other parts of the town!  Meanwhile, you can play a part by keeping an eye on the newly planted trees in Ash Close, Barton Hill Rec, Castle Hill, Cockrams and Mampitts Cemetery. Watch out for the new trees and hedgerows as you walk about the town!  Please let the Tree Group or Town Council know of any damage to them (birchbark@btinternet.com or enquiries@shaftesbury-tc.gov.uk). Also, please let them know if you'd like to help with watering in dry spells.

Recycle plastic waste: TerraCycle in Shaftesbury has a new home

Alison Harding was already collecting selected items for recycling and has now extended the range, taking over from Laura Haskell. Thank you to Alison and to Laura! Alison lives at 17 Pound Lane, SP7 8RZ and asks that her property and joint driveway of neighbours is respected and all carrier bags taken home for future reuse. The bins are open 24/7. Alison maintains two facebook pages  https://m.facebook.com/groups/624985834708968/?ref=group_browse  and  https://m.facebook.com/groups/1238160643017819/?ref=group_browse

TerraCycle cleans and processes waste that cannot normally be recycled through municipal collections, making pellets that are then used in benches, children's toys etc. Many different manufacturers have contracts with TerraCycle, enabling them to say their packaging is recyclable. Therefore the waste must be sorted according to the contracts TerraCycle has for specific brands, rather than according to the type of plastic. TerraCycle makes charitable donations for each Kg of acceptably sorted waste: Alison has agreed that donations for Shaftesbury's waste will go to the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance and to Kicks Count.

Here is a comprehensive list of the separate items Alison is collecting. She suggests we put the clean and dry pouches inside each other or a treat / biscuit bag to save space, but please avoid folding packets into triangles as that confuses TerraCycle's equipment. Except for Ferrero Rocher, each category here links through to the TerraCycle posters specifying items included (save this somewhere handy!).

Food & Drink: Bread bags  ; Cheese packaging  ; Kid’s food pouches  ; Lavazza Eco caps  ; Plastic ring carrier from cans 

Sweet & Savoury Snacks: Ferrero Rocher all packaging (except paper cups) ; Crisp packets ; Confectionery  ; Biscuits  ; Savoury snacks, nuts 

Pet Food: Pet food packaging (1) ; Pet food packaging (2) 

Home Cleaning: Dishwasher tablets etc  ; Air, home, laundry products 

Personal Care: Soap pumps, caps & tubes from Baylis & Harding, Carex  ; Dental care products  ; Burts Bees personal care 

Toys: Hasbro toys & games  

Talks to inspire bee-friendly Shaftesbury

Brigit Strawbridge Howard, Shaftesbury's 'bee-lady', is sharing her passion and knowledge through online talks designed to make sure that we can sustain the town's 'bee-friendly' status after her move to Cornwall this year. Ecologist Mariko Whyte has volunteered to act as a contact person for bee enthusiasts after Brigit's departure: mariko.h.whyte@gmail.com   For those who want one, Brigit's book 'Dancing with Bees' is available from http://beestrawbridge.blogspot.com/ 

Those who came along to the first talk found Brigit's enthusiasm infectious as she covered the importance of bees and other pollinators and talked about Honeybees. The talk was recorded: those who missed out can watch it at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OIu83fE9Y8  Future talks are on April 8th, May 13th and June 17th and will deal with the life cycles and habitat needs of Bumblebees and then Solitary bees, and finally look at the problems all bees face and what we can do in our gardens and open spaces to help them. You can see more details and book a place at Planet Shaftesbury's page on Eventbrite.

There is no charge for any of the sessions but if you'd like to make a £3 donation at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Brigit.S.Howard Brigit would be delighted!  

Shaftesbury Fringe welcomes the future

Plans are under way for Shaftesbury Fringe to return this year from 27th-30th August. Throughout the four days of this open-access arts festival, the Town Hall will be a showcase for all things linked to sustainable living. If you'd like to join a small group designing and managing this event please contact Georgie Faulkner-Bryant on georgiekirby@hotmail.co.uk

NEWS in BRIEF

Community farm launches Crowdfunder

Shaftesbury Homegrown has thrived on the edge of town for 12 years. It's seen many changes as volunteers with different interests have come and gone and as the range of activities has adapted. Growing Fruit and Vegetables. Bees. Chickens for eggs. These continue. But nowadays the sheep and lambs belong to a local shepherd who rents part of the land, and there are no pigs. Recent additions include the town's tree nursery and experiments with a wildlife camera. The pandemic also brought changes. Over the past year the farm has been described as a lifesaver by some of those who've been part of this collective effort to produce food as naturally and sustainably as they can. Additional work sessions were set up so that there were more safely-distanced opportunities for volunteers who wanted to join in. In turn, this made it possible to grow more food and now the group has launched a Crowdfunder to help them raise the money for a new polytunnel so that they can grow over an extended season. To support them head to https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/shaftesbury-homegrown-community-farm where the video provides an amusing blast from the past. To arrange a safe visit or to join in please call Helen on 07789845498.

Shaftesbury Cycle Loop 

It is hoped that signage for the new circular cycle route can be installed on 1st April. After that, Brie Logan, Business Manager at Shaftesbury Town Council, is asking us to try out the new route on foot or bicycle, giving feedback to help the council determine what works and what improvements could be made in advance of the route becoming more permanent after a trial period. You can pick up the cycle route at the foot of Gold Hill.  BrieLogan@shaftesbury-tc.gov.uk

Help local hedgehogs

Hedgehogs come out of hibernation in March/ April, so do keep your eyes open. To help them on their way take a look at these top tips and short video. If you’re tempted by spring tidying in the garden please be particularly careful using strimmers and lawn mowers. And do check any bonfire piles that have been around for a while, there may be a sleepy hedgehog who’s just not ready to come out yet. A group of us are coming together to promote a hedgehog-friendly Shaftesbury, see details at https://www.planetshaftesbury.org/hedgehoggroup.  If you want to join us, or just to let us know of any you've seen, please contact the group through Mariko, email mariko.h.whyte@gmail.com. If you find a hedgehog that needs emergency care please call Lucy on 07788666250. And to sign a petition to give hedgehogs greater protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act - click here https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/550379

Shaftesbury Town Council

In May we have both a by-election to fill a councillor vacancy in Shaftesbury West and a referendum on the Neighbourhood Plan. If you want to put yourself forward as a town councillor you need to get your nomination in by Thursday 8th April.

Green New Deal Dorset

Part of a national campaign to raise awareness of how appropriate investment in the right type of infrastructure, alongside proper funding for critical services such as health and care, can help solve both the climate and jobs / inequality crises we face. On Tuesday 23rd March the group will be sharing videos of those who have a unique story to tell; those leaving education looking for their first job, people laid off during the pandemic, people in carbon-intensive industries who want to retrain, people who work in low-carbon or socially useful jobs. To support the campaign, please follow “Green New Deal Dorset” on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and like, share and re-post the campaign videos on the day. 

Free masterclass for conscious businesses looking to grow

Lucy Barfoot of Coconut & Cotton believes that helping more conscious businesses like hers to succeed will help make the world a better place! Just 2 years ago Lucy used Nicole & James' 'Dream Client Method' to establish the Coconut & Cotton brand, described as 'earth conscious living'. Now she will be working alongside them to offer this masterclass for businesses, freelancers, professionals or people with a side hustle looking to grow.  They must be conscious or looking to become more conscious. Can be service or products based businesses. The masterclass is online at 11am on Wednesday 24th March. The link to sign up is: https://betsy-francis.mykajabi.com/free

Introducing Greener Gillingham

Greener Gillingham is a group set up in the North Dorset town towards the end of 2019. Attending Planet Shaftesbury meetings in the absence of any such group in our own town, three or four of us decided there was good reason to set up our own group, to "think global act local". Most of us continue to be in touch with Planet Shaftesbury as we do so. As a group of around 8 - 10 people, Greener Gillingham wanted to start some small projects with the aim of raising local awareness about climate and environment issues, to engage more people in our activities, and to add to and improve efforts to develop our town's biodiversity and open space management. We held several successful sessions collecting items for recycling. There were many volunteers for a Repair Café and we chose a starting date. We dreamed of an apple pressing day and sharing surplus garden produce in the autumn. Then the first Covid - 19 lockdown happened and both the active schemes closed.

Our numbers have doubled despite lockdown and we have been meeting monthly on Zoom. During the past months we have started to connect with our Town Council over management of open spaces, looked into incorporation and fund raising for our group, and made connections with local organisations and individuals working in an environmentally friendly way with land management. We want to develop links with the Gillingham Action for Nature Group.We are starting to plan tree planting (during the winter) and growing vegetables in public spaces this year, as they are projects which can be planned and carried out with any necessary Covid - related distancing. We are determined to shift the balance from planning and researching to active projects as soon as possible and look forward to new people joining us as we do so. Contact us at greenergillingham@gmail.com

Dorset Climate Action Network (Dorset CAN) 

This Dorset-wide network of environmental organisations, parish & town council representatives, and individuals has collated and submitted collective responses to Dorset Council's consultations on both its Strategy for the Climate & Ecological Emergency and its first draft Local Plan. Planet Shaftesbury is part of the network and any of our participants can join in at one of their new regular get-togethers on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 7pm. Join people from across Dorset who want to do something positive about the Climate & Ecological Emergency and help their communities to be more resilient. The monthly meetings will always be accessible from the Planet Shaftesbury homepage.  The first one on 24th March features a variety of speakers with different perspectives on positive ways of addressing the climate & ecological emergency - full details with the joining instructions on our website. You can also ask to be added to the list of those receiving newsletters and invitations by emailing dorsetcan@gmail.com  Dorset CAN doesn't yet have a website but is already on the lookout for descriptions of inspiring examples of relatively small-scale projects/initiatives happening anywhere in or near Dorset and designed to address any aspect of the climate and ecological emergency. This is an opportunity to promote some of the good things happening around north Dorset. Contact rachel.bodle@gmail.com for more details.

Forthcoming meetings

Planet Shaftesbury's website includes a range of upcoming events on its homepage, including webinars on Tiny Homes and the Circular Economy, talks and meetings hosted by Planet Shaftesbury and local campaigning organisations.

Our own short online meetings by Zoom have become a weekly habit and are on Thursdays, usually starting at 7.30pm. These replace the pre-pandemic monthly meetings at the Town Hall. After 11th April, physical meetings outdoors will become a possibility. Join in the discussion on the website Forum to help shape the pattern of future meetings https://www.planetshaftesbury.org/forum Keep an eye on the website for details of any revised arrangements as well as for information on special topics for discussion. 

National - selected news

• Most of the UK’s environmental protections stem from EU law and so could be changed as a result of Brexit. Greener UK is a coalition of 12 major environmental organisations that created a 'Risk Tracker' to show which policy areas are more secure, and which are most at risk, during the changes accompanying Brexit. They hoped the UK government would take advantage of the opportunity of restoring nature and our natural resources within a generation, as set out in their Greener UK vision. The Risk Tracker has been updated quarterly and looks at aspects from air pollution to waste, fisheries to farming, and climate to nature protection. The most recent review concluded that the ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to reverse environmental decline has not yet been seized. It's an accessible report, see it here https://greeneruk.org/risk-tracker

• A new study by the Met Office  examines the effect of climate change on the dairy and potato farming sectors over the next thirty to fifty years. The research found that heat stress in dairy cattle is projected to increase significantly in key dairy regions of the UK, particularly South Western England. See more here https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2021/dairy-cattle-and-potato-blight-research

• The Campaign for Better Transport has welcomed the government's National Bus Strategy announced this week, describing it as 'hugely ambitious' and containing 'many of the policies we have campaigned for over the years'. Find more detailed comment on their website https://bettertransport.org.uk/blog/buses/Can-the-new-National-Bus-Strategy-finally-save-our-buses

The next monthly newsletter will be distributed around mid-April. If you have news to share please send it to planetshaftesbury@gmail.com