Food Waste

A recent survey in Warwickshire showed that people who used compostable caddy liners found recycling food waste a much more pleasant and less messy experience and were more likely to keep recycling.

Through Warwickshire County Council’s new partner, Biobag, you can order a pack of 150 liners for just £7.95 including postage and packing. The 6-roll / 150 bag pack is a year’s supply for most households.

Other pack sizes available – from 2 to 10 rolls.

This unbeatable deal is 50-60% cheaper than typical supermarket prices!

The one-size-fits-all 10-Litre bags will fit all sizes of caddies issued by participating Warwickshire districts and boroughs:

• North Warwickshire Borough Council
• Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council
• Stratford on Avon District Council
• Warwick District Council

These compostable caddy liners meet the EN 13432 standard and can be placed in your green wheeled bin. To find out more, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/kitchenwaste

To order your caddy liners, visit www.biobag-uk.com/warks or phone 01772 641348. Lines are open Monday – Friday: 10.00am – 4.00pm

To get your free kitchen caddy, please contact your local district / borough council.

Garden Waste

Low, low prices on ‘low-tech’ Warwickshire County Council is helping residents to start composting at home with the offer of a 330 Litre compost bin for just: £5 for anyone attending a one hour workshop where you will be shown how to get started with your new bin. £10 at selected local outlets £12.99 + delivery if ordered online or by phone. 220 Litre bins also available at just £9.99 + delivery. T&Cs apply.

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust are calling for help to record wild flowers and wildlife in local churchyards and cemeteries.

These are often rich in wild flowers but they have not been recorded since 1984 when the Women’s Institutes ran a nationwide survey.

Can you repeat this survey for us in 2017?

You can download a Churchyard & Cemetery Flowers and Wildlife Survey Form
from the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust website. At the end of October either post to the Warwickshire Biological Record Centre, Ecological Services, Warwickshire County Council, PO Box 43, Warwick, CV34 4SX, or scan and email to wbrc@warwickshire.gov.uk.

You could record butterflies at the same time, using Butterfly Conservation’s
Churchyard Butterfly Monitoring form.

For more information see this flyer:

• WWT Churchyard survey 2017

Just uncovered a stash of these beautiful postcards of Avon Dassett painted by the incomparable Mary Edgington in 2000. If anyone would like some please email the community website at info@avondassett.com. As many as you would like in return for a donation to charity.

Please see below the statement of persons nominated for the forthcoming Warwickshire County Council Elections for Kineton and Red Horse Ward (which includes Avon Dassett):

BALLANTYNE, Rob; 17 Glosters Green, Kineton, Warwick, CV35 0LT; Green Party

FILA, Edward Leslie; Primrose Cottage, Back Lane, Oxhill, CV35 0QN; UK Independence Party (UKIP)

JENKINS, Patrick Thomas; 41 Millholme Close, Southam, CV47 1FQ; Labour Party Candidate

STEELE, Laura Catherine; Forest Lodge, Bishops Hill, Lighthorne, Warwickshire, CV35 0BA; Liberal Democrats

WILLIAMS, Chris; 23 Meadow Way, Fenny Compton, Southam, CV47 2WD; The Conservative Party Candidate

Warwickshire County Council have published a useful information leaflet for the forthcoming elections on May 4th:

• WCC Election Leaflet 2017

Oxfordshire are consulting on healthcare arrangements which will affect residents of Avon Dassett given its proximity to services at the Horton Hospital. We are grateful to the new District Councillor for Red Horse Ward, John Feilding, who is asking that residents of Warwickshire on the border with Oxfordshire are given the chance to raise their views on the proposed changes. The full consultation website is: www.oxonhealthcaretransformation.nhs.uk

Phase 1

They are asking for views on proposed changes to the following:

Acute hospital services:

• Changing the way hospital beds are used and increasing care closer to home in Oxfordshire
• Planned care at the Horton Hospital  (this includes tests and treatment planned in advance and not emergency care)
• Acute stroke services at Oxford
• Critical care at the Horton Hospital (critical care helps people with life-threatening or very serious injuries and illnesses)
• Maternity services at the Horton Hospital including obstetrics and the Special Care baby Unit

This consultation concerns Phase 1 only.

The questionnaire may be filled in online here.

Phase 2

The next phase of consultation will invite views on proposed changes to the following services in Oxfordshire.

Acute hospital services:

• Accident and Emergency services in Oxfordshire
• Children’s Services
• Community Hospitals

Please take the opportunity to have your views heard by completing the questionnaire by midnight on 9 April 2017.

CROPREDY TENNIS CLUB – 2017 SEASON NEWS

Club nights are from 24 April (6.00pm onwards) on Mondays for all members and on Wednesdays for ladies only. Anyone interested in joining the club can come along to any club night to meet and play along with the other members before deciding to join the club.

Junior coaching will start on 28 April on Fridays from 4.14 to 5.15pm.  Coaching is provided by coaches from Banbury Tennis Academy.  It is open to members and non members – a great opportunity for juniors to try tennis before they join the club.  Discounted fees are offered to members.  Coaching application forms are downloadable from the Cropredy Tennis Club website.

2016 Events include

• Free junior taster session will be held on 7 May.  Open to members and non members.
• Club social event. An Open Afternoon will be held on 9 July from 2.00pm, for members and non members.  Come along and try some tennis – beginners and returners welcome.
• Free adult coaching sessions to be held during two Monday club nights in May and June.  Watch the club’s website for details

New members of all ages and abilities are welcome. Further information and contact details are on the club’s website: www.cropredytennisclub.co.uk

Do you know anyone with an interest in wild plants or who would like to learn more about them? As the weather warms and the days get longer we are looking for people to help us.

The National Plant Monitoring Scheme is helping us to understand what is happening to different habitats across the UK and is set to run for a number of years. The Scheme has been running for two survey seasons and over 900 volunteers have signed up and been out surveying. One of the reasons the scheme has enjoyed such good success in attracting volunteers is because of the support of local parish councils. Many of these volunteers are new to plant surveying and have found the scheme accessible, are enjoying taking part and are exploring places to close to them and finding out new things. Volunteers are supported by materials which are sent to them, online resources and free training courses.

Do you know somebody who enjoys being outside? There are still opportunities to get involved with the scheme as a volunteer. In fact the more volunteers we have the more information is generated allowing us to get an even better understanding of what is happening in the landscape.

Who we are and what we need:

This scheme is a partnership between Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI); JNCC; Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and Plantlife and is backed by the government. Volunteers are recruited and supported to survey 5 plots in a kilometre square close to where they live. The plots will be surveyed twice a year. The kilometre squares to monitor have been identified by stratified random sampling. The plants have been chosen as indicators of the health of individual habitats. There are 3 levels volunteers can participate at depending on confidence and knowledge and support will be provided both through training; web and telephone.

More help please:

Across Warwickshire there are still 19 squares available to survey.

For more information see the NPMS flyer:

• NPMS flyer

The live map on the NPMS website shows the squares that are available: http://www.npms.org.uk/square-near-me-public?dynamic-return_all_squares=true

We particularly need to promote the scheme in remote areas as well as areas contain including those with coastal and upland habitats.

To sign up please visit www.npms.org.uk or for further information please email support@npms.org.uk or phone 01722 342743.

Thank you for your support