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Yes, that's Saturday June the 3rd - not that many weeks to go before the Third Annual Stoke St Gregory ENVIROFAIR Make a note in your diary NOW - Serious Fun For All The Family If you came to the first two ENVIROFAIRS you only need to know that this one will be even bigger and better . Come back here to see the latest information as the programme develops. In fact, why not Bookmark this page or add it to your Favourites ? We will also be looking for volunteers to help make the day, so if you have an hour to spare please get in touch - envirostoke@yahoo.com The day's programme is still a 'work in progress', but one thing we can reveal is the return of the BIRDS I was busy doing something else last year but I'm not going to miss them this time! Their web site is HERE , so have a look at all the things they are up to, including their raptor rescue prgramme.We will let you know when they are going to be with us. Here are a couple of photos from last year's ENVIROFAIR. If you can't wait till June Sharandys are doing a mini tour. Here are their venues and dates: ENVIROFAIR 2021 Click HERE ENVIROFAIR 2022 Click HERE

Reusing Christmas Cards Please Don't Throw Away Your Christmas Cards! If you are keeping them to reuse them, make gift tags or tree decorations, that's great. Here's a link to start looking at how you might use them https://www.gathered.how/arts-crafts/upcycling/recycling-christmas-cards If you're not saving them yourself, please do put them in one of the boxes that will be round the village in the next few days. What Will Happen to Them? If you haven't already, we will take off all the personal greetings and that will go to a recycling centre. What happens next will depend on how many we collect. Some time around October we aim to hold at least one workshop on reusing cards on a new base, where people can choose designs for their own 2022 Christmas Cards, and make them there. We shall aim for a basic sized card of 12 cm x 12 cm. This will fit in a home made envelope made from scrap A4 paper - something else to start saving. Other sizes can be used for gift tags, coasters or decorations. Yet another thing to save are cereal packets. They are just about the right thickness and stiffness to make cards. More on this later when we see how many old cards we have. How Much Will It Cost? Hopefully, very nearly nothing. Apart from hiring a room for the workshop(s), the only material we should need to buy is adhesive - something like Pritt Stick for making envelopes, and some envelope gum that goes sticky when you wet it. If we end up with hundreds of cards for sale, we don't think charities should suffer because of our project. The idea is that if cards, or makings, are sold, any money received would be donated to a previously nominated local charity. ** Please Support Us**

Steering Group Page These pages do not contain personal or sensitive information and are not password protected, but there are no links from our main web site pages. They are designed to help steering group members to keep abreast of developments and hopefully keep information that may not have been saved or found its way into your diary. If other members express an interest in being involved in particular projects you may wish to direct them here. ​ Is there anything else useful that could go here? 2023 Project Plan - Click HERE (See below for informal descriptions) ​ COMING SOON: Grafting Workshop Andrew has ordered some apple tree root stock, but he is still awaiting delivery. This practical grafting demonstration will be held as soon as possible . Open to all SEG members, maximum of 15 people. The new grafts will be potted for planting in the autumn. Spinney Saturday 25th February – meet at 10 am to f inish off the winter work, and put up the new bird boxes. Bring a friend. ​ RECENT INFORMATION "inaturalist" - Identifying and recording wildlife in the parish . If you want to join in, the main site is HERE and you can download the "SEEK" app, which helps identify species, HERE Maybe a few of us could have a little practice session sometime? ​ PRESS DEADLINES Stoke News: c. 20th May 2023 Parish News: c. 6th March 2023 The Leveller: 25th February 2023 Please let Ian know in good time if you think there is something that should be included in our reports. ​ The following is a more informal description of what we have agreed to concentrate on in the coming months (February 202 3). More ideas, please about how they can best be developed via email or the WhatsApp group ​ Management of the Village Hall Spinney This is the second year of the long-term plan to improve the biodiversity of the Spinney – and to make it more attractive. Some coppicing and clearing of dead wood last year. This year plan to clear weeds and dead vegetation, some light coppicing and pruning, placement of bird boxes and feeders and min-beast hotel. Bulbs planted in autumn, looking forward to seeing some bluebells, snow drops and wood anemones. Bus-Stop Sprucing There are three bus stops in the village – Royal Oak, Woodhill Terrace and Polkesfield. The plan is to tidy and clean Woodhill Terrace bus stop and to repaint Royal Oak bus stop. Also plan to provide a public notice board in the bus stop and some solar-powered lighting. This work will make the bus stops more pleasant to use and encourage us to support our bus service. Telephone Box Refurbishment Thanks to the Parish Council, a few volunteers have cleaned and repainted our telephone box in Willey Road. SEG has now planted some shrubs and bulbs in the bank adjacent to the box. Now what to do? SEG will ensure the box is cleaned up again and made waterproof – we could use it as an information point or many other things. Have you any ideas how we could best utilise our only telephone box. Curload Nature Area We are working with a local resident who has a small area of wild ground and who would like SEG to undertake a little TLC to encourage wildlife. We need to prune some invasive vegetation, clean out a pond area (and make it accessible to wildlife) and generally do very little! We might even place a bench there so passers by can enjoy a little area of tranquillity. Envirofair23 We are now planning our third Environment Fair which will take place at The Village Hall on Saturday 3 June 2023. The format will be similar to last year but with lots more exhibits and things to do for young and old – we hope it doesn’t rain this year!! We will also have some talks and presentation, refreshments and activities to keep everyone busy all day. Who will commit to what? Benches We are aware that some of our community are less able to walk longer distances without a sit down. So we are making a plan of the village, and talking to landowners about siting some new benches around the village. This will encourage people to get fresh air and enjoy our environment in a carbon-free and sustainable way. Apple Pressing We live, of course, in an area where there are lots of delicious apples grown. There are apple trees everywhere and we hate to see their fruit go to waste. So this year we hope to borrow some equipment to press the apples and make some lovely, local apple juice. We will supply the equipment, bottles and labels, you supply the apples and take samples home. The date is dependent of the trees! It is likely to be September or October time – we will advertise the event as soon as we have a date. Colourful Verges Last autumn, SEG and village volunteers planted around 1000 bulbs in the village. We are looking forward to seeing how successful we have been when they pop up in the spring. Next autumn, we plan to do the same so over the years, our village will be really colourful – and we are including lots of native species to encourage bees and other pollinators to visit us! Where would you like to see some bulbs planted? Walkways and Paths This is an ongoing project where we are maintaining our local paths. We work closely with the County Footpaths Officer who has been a tremendous help liaising with landowners and getting fences and stiles fixed. We have also produced some guides for locals and visitors to better appreciate our countryside. More paths to explore and more to write about! Quarterly Talks This is a new project where we hope we can organise a quarterly talk or presentation on a theme close to the hearts of SEG members. They may be on local environment issues, or how to save energy, or bird spotting. Any number of subjects and possibilities. What would you like to hear about? Community Woodland Garden This is a long term project which starts with finding a small area of land within the community that could be used to establish a community-run woodland garden cum green space. Lots of possibilities – but land is the issue. SEG is working hard to find some land and after that, we will have a major project on our hands.

Wilder Gardens No Mow May is Plantlife’s annual campaign calling all garden owners and green space mana gers not to mow during May – l iberating your lawns and providing a space for nature. We’ve lost nearly 97% of flower rich meadows since the 1970’s and with them gone so is vital food needed by pollinators, like bees and butterflies. See their web site HERE A healthy lawn with some long grass and wildflowers benefits wildlife, tackles pollution and can even lock away carbon below ground – and best of all, to reap these benefits all you have to do is not mow your lawn in May! With over 20 million gardens in the UK, even the smallest grassy patches add up to a significant proportion of our land which, if managed properly, can deliver enormous gains for nature, communities and the climate. This is why Plantlife is calling for people to get involved with #NoMowMay and let wild plants get a head start on the summer. Whether or not you are up for No Mow May , and personally I do not like kneeling in long wet grass to weed the veg beds, there are plenty of other things you can do with your grassy areas. See more HERE The Wilder Gardening group (originally the Gardening for Wildlife group) was formed to provide support for those already enjoying wildlife gardening as well as to encourage others. They produce a newsletter and run occasional events for group members. But back to your lawn - mow in May or not? ‘Wildabout Gardens’ has produced a useful little booklet about what we can do with our own lawns, however often we mow. It's available HERE One of our local gardens open to the public has been rethinking its own approach to a ‘tidy garden’ based largely on the lack of staff during lockdown. Hestercome Gardens has been reviewing its approach to wildlife and their web site is available HERE Below is a quote from their web site: “last year has made me totally rethink the management of the gardens and made us realise what a position of power we were in to help wildlife. We had more seed heads from less maintenance, which meant there was more to feed on. We had goldfinches nesting in the roses in the formal garden because they had such a great food source nearby. We saw more butterflies, and the scarlet tiger moth, a striking red and black day flying moth, increased its numbers as we had left more green alkanet which is its caterpillars food source. We had no aphid problems as nature had its own soldiers here to deal with that. We had more slow worms because we weren’t being as tidy as normal so they had better habitats. We even saw stoats playing in the garden. The food source available to our rare Lesser Horseshoe Bats must have increased dramatically.” And finally . . . For over 20 years Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC) has been the main centre holding data on wildlife sightings, types of environments and geological information for Somerset. There are a lot of records to be kept. If you would like to get involved check out their web site HERE

BIODIVERSITY BACK to Themes Stoke Environment Group will be working towards: > Understanding the challenge > Undertaking nature surveys > Monitoring endangered species > Wildflower planting If you've had success (or failure) in creating a wild flower patch please get in touch envirostoke@yahoo.com > Developing and implementing solutions to support and increase biodiversity The term biodiversity describes the enormous variety of life on Earth. It can also refer to all of the species in one region, ecosystem, or even our own village. Biodiversity refers to every living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans.

(Quite) Good News Do you ever think “Why do I bother - we’re all doomed anyway?” Although there's a lot to be worried about when it comes to the climate and the environment, let’s not lose hope. We have to be aware of all the dreadful things happening on and to our planet, but we have to stay positive. Small achievements of our own and other people need to be recognised. This isn’t a ‘greenwash’ - it’s a statement of hope for the future generations. Plastic Bags T hey are everywhere - littering our streets, clogging up our rivers, and choking wildlife in the ocean. But after years of campaigning from environmental groups, many places have banned them entirely. Over 100 countries now have a full or partial ban on single-use plastic bags. Bangladesh became the first country to introduce a ban on plastic bags back in 2002. Globally, bans are imposed with various degrees of severity. In Kenya , manufacturing the bags - which clog the country’s infrastructure and cause flooding - can land you with up to four years in prison or a €36,000 fine. A range of polluting single-use plastics will be banned in England, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey announced in January. The ban will include single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers. This ban will be introduced from October 2023, allowing businesses time to prepare. According to estimates, England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery — most of which are plastic — and 721 million single-use plates per year, but only 10% are recycled. If 2.7 billion pieces of cutlery were lined up they would go round the world over eight and a half times (based on a 15cm piece of cutlery). See a more detailed discussion HERE Coal Although Cumbria’s new coal mine will emit fifteen times more methane than estimated by the developer, the last decade and more has seen a major reduction of coal usage. In 2010 the UK’s power supply was heavily dominated by fossil fuels, with coal alone generating almost a third of UK electricity. However, in just over a decade the UK’s power system has been transformed: coal now generates just over 2% of the UK’s electricity. See more HERE Beavers are making a comeback in London for the first time since they were hunted to extinction 400 years ago. They will be released in Ealing’s Paradise Fields – an eight-hectare site of woodland and wetlands minutes from Greenford Tube station – as part of a project to protect against urban flooding and create diverse wetland habitats . ​ See the full story HERE And don't forget - lots of things going on here in Stoke St Gregory. Think Global, Act Local. Come and see what's happening locally at the ENVIROFAIR on Saturday 3rd June See HERE

FOOD WASTE (Using All We Can) As UK households we waste 6.5 million tonnes of food every year, 4.5 million of which is edible. We’re not just talking egg shells or chicken bones. We mean the last few bites from my plate that I couldn’t quite manage, or bread crusts, or potato peelings – all stuff which could have been transformed into something delicious. "Love Food Hate Waste" (Web site HE RE ) is a very good starting point for anyone interested in reducing the amount of food they waste. As they point out: "The average family of four can save just over £60 per month by reducing their food waste. Whether you’re doing the food shop or ordering a meal at a restaurant, every decision is an opportunity to save food from the bin. If you don’t want a side salad , ask for your meal without it. If you won’t make good use of the extra portion, don’t be tempted by it. And if you can’t finish your main, ask for a doggy bag! Food is made to be loved, so that’s what we should do." The BBC 'Good Food' Section has some useful material on food waste (see HERE ) Reminding us that misshapen, marked, discoloured or oddly sized fruit and vegetables often don’t meet the standards of the marketplace (up to 20-40% are thrown away before even leaving the farm). There are suggestions and recipes to help avoid throwing away leftovers and surplus food. SOMERSET FOOD WASTE WEEK Somerset’s first Food Waste Week runs from 6th - 12th March 2023 - 7 days devoted to promoting the r eduction food waste and recycling anything that’s left. Last year more than 46,000 tonnes was collected from our kerbsides – roughly half of it in rubbish bins. About a quarter of the contents of the average Somerset refuse bin was wasted food – of that, a third could have been eaten and another third was thrown away still in its packaging. Starting Monday SWP will be promoting hints, tips and advice on how you can cut your food waste, covering: why it’s important buying better making the most of leftovers understanding food labelling savvy storage making the most of your fridge and freezer how to present food waste They want your ideas too. Whether it’s a lovely leftovers recipe, a clever storage hack, or a cunning approach to meal planning. Share them here for the chance to win a beeswax wrap to help with home food storage – made by Somerset bees (with help from the Somerset Beekeepers Association). Please get involved! There will be a dedicated information and guidance on the SWP website (Click HERE ) and plenty of posting on the @somersetwaste Facebook page. On Wednesday, 8 March, you can join them from 1-2pm for a live Facebook Q&A at the Community Council for Somerset’s Talking Café and will be there to answer all your food waste questions https://www.facebook.com/talkingcafesomerset/ Recycling is great, but reducing is even better! ​ Alternatively, send your ideas to us and we will put them together on this page ​ envirostoke@yahoo.com

FOOTPATHS - THE LEGAL STUFF BACK to Village Walks BACK to Footpaths & Footways BACK to Mobility & Transport Apart from the roads, the only Highways we have in Stoke are our Footpaths and the one ‘Byway Open to All Traffic’ - Pound Drove. There are no Bridleways in the parish. Also, there are no ‘Right to Roam’ Access Areas. Highways, which include footpaths, bridleways, restricted byways and byways open to all traffic, are protected by legislation under the Highways Act 1980 - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/contents Every Highway authority (in our case Somerset County Council) has a duty, set out under section 130 of the Highways Act, to: “assert and protect the rights of the public to the use and enjoyment of any highway for which they are the highway authority, including any roadside waste that forms part of it, and to prevent, as far as possible, the stopping up or obstruction of the highways in their area” Definitions Footpath This public right of way is meant for pedestrians only. Prams, pushchairs, mobility scooters or wheelchairs can also be used on a footpath, but there is no requirement to make access for them. Byway Open to All Traffic These byways are open to motorists, bicyclists, horseriders, motorcyclists and pedestrians. As with public tarmac road networks, motorists must ensure that they are legally authorised to use them (i.e. registered, taxed, insured and MoT’d). Footway The Highways Act defines it as "a way comprised in a highway which also comprises a carriageway, being a way over which the public have a right of way on foot only" . They are usually raised from the road and are normally known as pavements. Responsibilities Many landowners, both farmers and householders, have public footpaths running across their land, and the maintenance of these paths and liability for injury on them is often a cause for concern. The highway authority usually has the duty “to keep the surface in a safe condition and fit for the type of traffic which is ordinarily expected to use it” Any stile, gate or other similar structure across a footpath belongs to the landowner and must be maintained by the landowner in a safe condition, and to the standard of repair required to prevent unreasonable interference with the rights of persons using the path. If the path includes a bridge passing over a natural stream or obstacle, the bridge is part of the path therefore publicly maintainable. ​ The Occupiers Liability Acts do not apply to visitors using public rights of way. Therefore neither the Highway Authority nor the landowner is liable under the Acts to users of the path. Stiles and other structures are an exception as the landowner is liable for these. Regulations Footpaths on edge of a field must not be ploughed. Footpaths can be ploughed if they cross fields, but landowners must ensure that they restore footpaths after ploughing. A minimum width of 1 metre must be made available within 14 days of ploughing. If you walk a right of way footpath in a field, you must keep to the line of the path. You are not allowed to disturb or harm any wildlife found on a public right of way, and you should not drop or leave litter. If you are walking a dog, you must also make sure that it does not stray off legal lines of a public footpath, either into a field or an adjoining hedge. Also ensure that you clean up your dog mess, if your dog fouls a footpath. Somerset County Council have produced three very useful booklets about footpaths and rights of way: ​ GUIDE FOR DOG OWNERS & WALKERS - available HERE IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR LANDOWNERS WITH RIGHTS OF WAY - available HERE PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY ISSUES - available HERE

Click HERE for ENVIROFAIR Home Page Click HERE for full list of contributors Family Fun Lots of activities…. Playing, making and learning! Get mucky making Seed Bombs Get building… Bird Feeders Bird Boxes Bee Houses! Join in making & painting Plant Pots! Discover how bees make honey! Growing Minds – fun play through nature! Meet and learn all about Owls – watch them fly too! 1pm – 3pm

The Green Home BACK to Projects THE GREEN HOME: Small Steps to a Cleaner Home and Planet (see excerpt below) ​ Available now. Over a hundred copies sold, so get your order in quickly as many people are buying as stocking fillers. Priced at £2.50 (50p profit to Stoke Environment Group). Packed with tips and information, a toolbox that makes fixing those Eco problems easier and fun to do. Please contact me here or email: housego20@yahoo.com

Glut Recipes Autumn - Apples, Beans, Courgettes, Damsons, E?, F?, G? . . . This one originated in Diana Silk's kitchen. It came to us via Sally Morrice and then Karen Gormley . Sticking with courgettes, amongst other things, here is Sarah Evans' recipe for chutney. "The main ingredients of most chutneys are malt vinegar, soft brown sugar, raisins or sultanas and add whatever you have a glut of - courgettes, runner beans, beetroot, apples, pears, green tomatoes, etc. Guess other quantities as it starts to cook. " In fact you need to guess all the quantities, and guess how long it takes. If you would like a little help try this courgette chutney recipe HERE Susan Crabbe used a Gordon Ramsey recipe for Gazpacho - see HERE "This is what I made yesterday with my cucumber and tomato glut. Although, looking at the weather today, I would have been better off making hot tomato soup!" Dave Evans has a few more suggestions for using up the courgette glut. Seared Courgettes: Heat a griddle pan until very hot (maybe open all the windows first). Cut the courgettes into 5mm slices and lay on a large plate. Brush the tops of the slices with oil then put them oil side down on the griddle. Let them smoke until they are charred. Brush tops with oil and turn over. Cook until second side is charred. Season, and eat hot, or cool for a salad. Pan Fried Courgettes: Cut the courgettes into 5mm slices and lay on a large plate. Dust the topes with flour and wait for the flour to get absorbed by the veg liquid. Turn the slices over and dust again. Repeat until a crust has formed on the slices then fry in shallow fat on a medium heat. Alternatively, bake in a single layer in a moderate oven (around 180 degC). Grated Courgette: Grate the courgettes and freeze in boxes or bags. Use in winter soups and stews. Courgette Fritters: Grate the courgettes into a large bowl. Add any seasoning - salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, mint, etc. Add some plain flour and keep adding small amounts and stirring as the courgettes give up their juice, until you have the right consistency. Fry in shallow heat over moderate heat. [This works best if you use gram (chickpea) flour as it binds the mixture better.] The fritters are improved if you add some grated carrot or beetroot. Let's have some more recipes! What are we going to do with all those runner beans? envirostoke@yahoo.com

Beta Walks [BACK to Walks Page] This page has links to walk details that have not yet been finalised. If you are able to try any of them out please make note of anything that isn't clear, or additional hints for following the direction. Please send comments to Sarah Evans at envirostoke@yahoo.com Walk 9 - Click HERE This i s a walk that starts at the bottom of Red Hill (over the railway on the way to Curry Rivel) and takes in the Burton Monument Walk 8 Extension - Click HERE This takes you over the railway and to Stathe and back. This can also be done as a short circular walk from the end of North Drove on the Langport road Click HERE Walk 8 - Click HERE This is an update and uses a different type of map. Better or worse? ​