Stop and think about Wildlife near you!

The article below is written by George Millins from Great Waldingfield. It contains some excellent advice about what you can do to help wildlife living close to you:

At this gloomy, damp time in the year with so few daylight hours, most of us will hurry to the warmth and comfort of home - just pause for a moment, and spare a thought for all the wild creatures out there. As wild creatures they are certainly a lot tougher than our species and our chosen pets however, they not only need, but deserve some help and consideration from the species that has selfishly rendered most of their habitat inhospitable and incapable of sustaining much of our native wildlife through the coming months.

Amphibians, reptiles and the small hibernating mammals such as bats and hedgehogs are very vulnerable indeed, and will probably die if carelessly disturbed while in hibernation - it is worth mentioning again that as a result of declining numbers the hedgehog is now a 'Biodiversity Action Plan Species' (B.A.P. Species). So, as mentioned in previous articles, please be very watchful if you have a need to disturb compost heaps/bins, any hibernating amphibians or reptiles present will mostly be at the base close to the ground where the temperature is constantly low but normally frost free. Piles of branches and hedge cuttings will attract amphibians and hedgehogs, the latter may also occupy spaces under sheds and other outbuildings. Piles of rubble, slabs and even individual bricks and flat pieces of wood often provide a refuge for amphibians but they are likely to seek a better hibernaculum after the first frosts.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so if seen wandering during daylight hours it is probably a sick or wounded animal and will need care. Vets will usually treat wild creatures for free and most will have contacts experienced in the art of nursing hedgehogs back to health. Under weight hedgehogs will not survive hibernation and such animals may be seen at this time, any hedgehog found at this point in the year should be taken to a vet to be checked and weighed - it may well save their life. These animals have a rather fitful hibernation, so it is possible to find a healthy animal wandering after dark in mild conditions.

The following extracts illustrate the UK's failure to take adequate steps to reverse the decline in Great Crested Newt populations and habitats, which automatically indicates big problems for ALL our native amphibians - indeed wildlife in general.

- In 2005 European courts ruled against the UK for not adequately carrying out surveillance and monitoring of European Protected Species such as Great Crested Newt, this being a crucial aspect of G.C.N. conservation activity (Langton T. 2009).

- Up to an estimated third of UK GCN sites have disappeared since 1979. The 2010 UK GCN target to make replacement ponds has an estimated 95%+ shortfall. Less than 1% of UK breeding sites have designated protection (Langton T. 2009).

So, UK governments have an abysmal conservation record, pampering to the need and greed of the selfish, insensitive masses - how can the more caring among us help? In a practical way you can create wildlife habitats, even in small gardens - if two or three adjacent gardens allow a little space for wildlife it becomes a significant habitat. It is also very important politically to subscribe to a major conservation organisation such as the County Wildlife Trust, Froglife, British Trust for Ornithology or R.S.P.B. - contact details available on line or by request. The greater the membership of these organisation the greater their political clout.

A quick reminder to clean out bird boxes before the end of Jan 2010. As the keen observer will know, some birds will show an interest in a potential nest site well before egg laying.

George Millins 01787 374874 mob. 07534263629

Happy Birthday Uncle Dennis!

Nick and I have just recovered from what can only be described as a great knees-up on Saturday evening, to celebrate the 80th Birthday of my dear Uncle Dennis, pictured left.

Dennis shows no sign of flagging. Only a few years ago he cycled across Costa Rica..not a flat place...and plans for further trips are well developed. All Dennis's family, including his six children and eight grandchildren, are already looking forward to his 90th. Most of them, plus husbands etc. are shown below singing 'Always look on the bright side of life'.

Sudbury CAB opens information kiosk at Babergh

On Tuesday afternoon the Chairman of Babergh, Councillor Jennie Jenkins, cut the ribbon to open a 'self help' advice kiosk at Babergh's offices. This is the latest step in a long term partnership between Babergh and the Bureau.

The kiosk, which is supplied by Sudbury CAB, aims to help people who need information and who, for whatever reason, prefer not to make the trip to the Bureau at Belle Vue House. Many issues dealt with by advisors can be resolved by looking at the internet, but this is not always an option for people. According to research 30 percent of households have no internet access, and this facility should be particularly useful for them. Not every problem can be resolved in this way, but a client can often get a long away and at least receive some sort of suggestion regarding the next step.

The kiosk is particularly useful because it offers access to sites that have been chosen because they offer reliable and safe sources of information. It can be dangerous to go on line to resolve problems, particularly those related to money matters and debt, since many websites are commercial operations masquerading as information sites.

I went along in two capacities really. Firstly I have been working with Bob Southgate of Babergh, who is pictured third from the right in the picture above, to try to improve access to Babergh's services through the internet, and the kiosk certainly ticks a number of boxes in this respect.
Secondly I am a Director/Trustee of the Sudbury CAB and we are anxious to disseminate our services beyond the bureau in Sudbury and into the rest of the District.

In addition to Bob, the picture above shows a number of other Babergh officers who have been instrumental in organising the installation, including Mike Hammond, Deputy Chief executive of Babergh, (second from the left), Jennie Jenkins (seated at the terminal), the Chairman and Manager of the CAB, Jeremy Osborne and Ann Furlonger (standing immediately behind Jennie) and John Sayers and Nigel Bennett who are Suffolk County Council and Babergh's Trustee representatives on the CAB Board.

Pylon Alliance meet for a second time

On arrival the scene was strange and mysterious. A stream of muffled figures walked through the blustery night towards the remote barn. The door, open just a crack, threw a shaft of dim light onto the muddy ground. A burly man stood inside checking credentials. It felt like a scene from a novel about the Russian Revolution (apart of course from the steady stream of people carriers and shiny cars coming down the driveway).

Once inside the barn however it was clear that it was just a public meeting, the second held by the Groton Pylon Alliance which has been formed to try to co-ordinate responses to National Grid’s plans to march pylons across the countryside of South Suffolk.

Some 240 people were present, many of whom who had not gone to the previous gathering of the Group. There were representatives present from around 20 villages, 13 of whom have signed up to the Alliance. Representatives from Little Waldingfield and Great Waldingfield Parish Councils were there, as was Jeremy Pembroke, the Leader of Suffolk County Council (in a personal rather than official capacity). There too were representatives from other local groups, the Suffolk Preservation Society and also from ‘Suffolk Underground’, a group committed to the routing underground of electrical wiring.

The Alliance, which sees itself as a conservation group, is keen to be a constructive rather than nimbyish organisation. The aim is to try to present the electricity company with a united view about what is best for Suffolk. Jeremy Pembroke claimed that this is also the aim of the County, which, despite only being a consultee in the process, are taking a group of interested Councillors on a bus to see the four potential options for themselves. Representatives from the area around Dedham Vale, which is affected by routes 1 and 2, were also present and it seems that they themselves favour Route 2, with the important proviso that the wires that affect the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are hidden underground- an expensive option. This seems the favoured option of all present, who do not wish to see ‘virgin countryside’ destroyed by intrusive objects.

The planning authority is the new Government quango recently set up to decide large infrastructure issues, and, I notice, currently advertising for highly paid staff. In common with the County Council, Babergh is only a consultee. I was the only Babergh Councillor present, and heard Jeremy Pembroke call for the District and the County to co-operate in trying to form a combined view. I will be passing his message onto relevant people at Corks Lane. Unity is strength in these matters!

It is important that those who feel strongly put pen to paper and write to National Power. The Groton Pylon Alliance is urging people to do so, and also, if possible, to make a donation to the Alliance to help to hire legal and technical experts to assist with the campaign.

Further information can be found on the National Power website and also on
www.groton-pylon-alliance.co.uk

Safer Neighbourhood Team meetings open to the public.

Many of you will have seen our local PCSO’s around and about in the village. The acronym stands for Police Community Support Officer.

The West Babergh Safer Neighbourhood Team of which these officers form a part has made a real step forward in community communications in recent weeks by throwing open its monthly Tasking Meetings to the general public. In order to make the process more community lead I have been asked to take the chair of these meetings, which at present take place at the police station in Sudbury, but which may well move to more ‘neutral’ territory in due course.

The aim of the Tasking meetings is to hear from members of the community about the problems on which they feel that the Safer Neighbourhood Teams should be focussing, and then to set an action plan by prioritising these concerns. Progress made on previous actions is also reviewed.

There has been a lot of hostile comment about the PCSO’s since they were created some years ago. Some characterise them as ‘police-lite’ or claim that they represent ‘policing on the cheap’. People point to the fact that they have no powers of arrest and believe therefore that therefore that they can have no real value.

This, I think, massively misses the point. The Safer Neighbourhood personnel, some of whom are in fact police constables and sergeants with full police powers, are not the same policemen who respond to calls about crime, and they have a different function to perform. Their aim is not to run around arresting people but to try to prevent crime and anti social behaviour by working in the community. Listening to the concerns of local people, they try to engage with potential troublemakers at an early stage, and to make sure that existing troublemakers know that someone is keeping an eye on them. They are also involved in encouraging the Community Speedwatch programme, and concern themselves with issues such as under-age drinking, littering and drug taking. All of these matters are things that the public, when asked in surveys, claim to want to see addressed. The walk around Acton described on the blog recently was a Safer Neighbourhood initiative, and there will be another similar event in Great Waldingfield in early December.

The police are not the only people involved in the Safer Neighbourhood exercise. Babergh has community support officers who also attend the Tasking Meetings, as do representatives from the Fire Service and youth workers. It is already possible to point to some success stories in areas that have been prioritised and targeted by the Team.

The Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team covers 36 individual parishes around Sudbury, but does not include Sudbury and Cornard. I am hoping that representatives from the parish councils will come along to the meetings as often as they can, but the meeting is open to any member of the public who has a local problem that they wish to bring to the attention of the Team.

More information about Safer Neighbourhood Teams and future meetings and events can be found on the Suffolk Constabulary Website. Or go to:

http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/safersuffolk/

http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/SaferSuffolk/WestBabergh/

The first site gives information about Safer Neighbourhood Teams in general and the second information about the West Babergh team in particular.

First Friends Pre School, new building officially opens.

I was very honoured on Thursday to be asked to cut the red ribbon to mark the Official Opening of the new facility for the First Friends Pre School Nursery which stands alongside Great Waldingfield School.

Founded some 40 years ago by a mother who lived at Hole Farm, the Pre-school has gone from strength to strength. It could be said to have been the victim of its own success when it was asked to vacate the classroom at the school in January. The eviction was due to pressure on space from school age children, a good many of whom had come up from the nursery itself.

In a stupendous joint effort from the pre school's Leader, Ann Stone and staff, the County Council, builders,architects and others, the facility opened for business in early September, only eight or so months since notice to quit the school was received. The speed shown by everyone concerned can be illustrated by the fact that the architect submitted a planning application only two weeks after the first time he visited the site.

I wrote about the new building on the blog some weeks ago, but visiting again last week I was once again really impressed with it. The external grassed area has now also taken shape, and the whole structure is a perfect venue for the 43 children currently making their first friends and starting out on the wonderful journey that is education!

Legal wrangles defer Ganges decision

Yesterday I acted as a substitute on the Development Committee which I always find interesting. However, on this occasion, the meeting was really quite exciting due to the fact that the Committee was due to reach a decision on reserved matters (that is the detailed plans) for the HMS Ganges site at the tip of the Shotley peninsula. Outline planning permission for the site was granted several years ago.
The history of the Ganges site is very interesting, since, as its name would suggest, it was a training school for navy cadets for many years, and later a police training college. Its planning history is interesting too and not uncontroversial. At least two applications for outline planning permission have been submitted over the years and one decision by Babergh was rejected on appeal.
The site is at the end of a long and winding B road, and is also in a stunningly beautiful position surrounded by the habitat for rare species and overwintering birds. It is understandable therefore that the idea of building 400 or so houses and a nursing home here is controversial locally. However, as a ‘brown field site’ it is, theoretically, an acceptable place to build. Indeed it would be wrong to leave it in its current dilapidated state, so something needs to be done with it. Many residents from the villages of the Shotley peninsula were in the Council Chamber to observe, or to participate in, the proceedings. Many more had written letters objecting to the latest proposals and remarkably not one letter had been received in support of the scheme! Local Members from the Peninsula made impassioned speeches supporting local opposition.
The paperwork relating to the case was extensive and, having ploughed through this, I accompanied other Councillors last Thursday on a site visit to enable us to make a better-informed decision. The photographs above show the ceremonial mast, a relic of the naval era and now in a sad state of repair, the police station (much overgrown by buddleia) and the old officers’ mess and club.
In the event, having listened to all the reasons why the application should be rejected, legal issues too complex to expand on here, meant that proceedings were deferred while elucidation was sought from Babergh’s legal counsel. This means that my efforts to get on top of the complexities of the case were probably in vain since, unless the Committee Member for whom I was standing in is unable to make the next meeting, it will be he and not I who makes the final decision.
However, I was fascinated to be able to visit this historic site and also to observe a well orchestrated campaign of community opposition in action.