Latest NEW FROM NEWTON ENVIRONMENTAL WELLBEING GROUP
Newton Environmental Wellbeing Group Round Up
Many of you will already know about N.E.W. and the activities that we have been taking part in over the last couple of years since we were established. Despite the deluges, Spring is here and we thought it a great opportunity to tell everyone about our projects.
N.E.W. was established back in 2021 following a gathering interest and concern of local people to improve and protect our natural environment around Newton St. Cyres. How we treat our environment has a profound effect on our own lives now and into the future, and N.E.W. wants to be an effective and essential part of our thriving community.
To begin here is an Astonishment!
A 2022 study in Devon found that nearly a third of black bin waste is food waste, 79% of which is avoidable. It was found that 35% of all discarded food is still in its packaging! (from Devon County Council website 22 February 2024).
Come on us, we can do better!
N.E.W. was established back in 2021 following a gathering interest and concern of local people to improve and protect our natural environment around Newton St. Cyres. How we treat our environment has a profound effect on our own lives now and into the future, and N.E.W. wants to be an effective and essential part of our thriving community.
To begin here is an Astonishment!
A 2022 study in Devon found that nearly a third of black bin waste is food waste, 79% of which is avoidable. It was found that 35% of all discarded food is still in its packaging! (from Devon County Council website 22 February 2024).
Come on us, we can do better!
So what have we been doing over the past year….
2023 was a busy year for the community allotment with fantastic results and an abundance of produce to share with local people and namely the Adonai Kitchen. Come and get involved!
2023 was a busy year for the community allotment with fantastic results and an abundance of produce to share with local people and namely the Adonai Kitchen. Come and get involved!
SPRING
In the Spring of 2023 wildflower areas were established on the village green and a new orchard and wildflower area was created in Court Orchard for the community. These areas are now managed by N.E.W. and we hope for many apples and pears in coming years! Despite some unwanted mowing by the council in the last few weeks, we are hoping the wildflowers will bounce back!
Talking of apples
Talking of apples, in the autumn we held an apple pressing day at the Parish Hall, which was well attended with contributions of apples and apple presses from local people and from Moonridge Farm who also helped us with the pressing on the day. We lost count of how many bottles were made! |
N.E.W. began coppicing Hazel Woodland
Following correspondence and a request from the Quicke’s Estate, N.E.W. began coppicing an area of Hazel woodland to open up some areas to the light, which will help the plants on the woodland floor to grow, the Hazel to regenerate and increase biodiversity. Members have been learning new skills and this will be continued in the Autumn. A larger article about coppicing will follow later in the year letting you know how to come and have a go.
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N.E.W. members worked with Kingfisher Close earlier this year to mulch the trees that had been planted in the piece of land next to the school. Residents kindly made a donation to our projects in return.
We also continue to promote wildlife interests at the Parish Council meetings and campaign for the care or our Parish environment.We meet every other month, usually in the Beer Engine, and anyone can come along to find out more and contribute ideas.
We also continue to promote wildlife interests at the Parish Council meetings and campaign for the care or our Parish environment.We meet every other month, usually in the Beer Engine, and anyone can come along to find out more and contribute ideas.
Current highlights
Wildlife Gardens - A wildlife project for all … Are you up for the challenge? Did you know that the land area given over to gardens is more than four and a half times larger than that of national nature reserves? (The i paper 12th April 2024) So it is fitting that Devon Wildlife Trust has launched the Wildlife Garden Award to encourage everyone to make their gardens more wildlife friendly no matter how big or small. They are giving awards to anyone who can show that their garden is friendly to wildlife and earlier this month Newton St. Cyres got its first Wildlife Garden Award. N.E.W. would like to set a challenge to local people to see if our Parish can get 20 Awards this year. Are you up for it? It’s dead easy to apply. All you have to do is go to the Wilder Gardens website https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/wildlife-garden-award and fill out a form telling them what you have been doing in your garden for wildlife. N.E.W. and the Devon Wildlife Trust can offer advice and help to anyone who would like to get involved and make their garden a wildlife friendly place. |
- Do ‘No Mow May’ – easy! Just don’t mow your lawn in May and watch the biodiversity increase.
- Put up a bird feeder – you don’t have to spend lots of money as you can put out apples for black birds, make seed feeders from loo rolls or even make some bird food treats. Here is a website with lots of ideas https://www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-you-can-do/activities/feed-the-birds
- Put a saucer of water on the ground for hedgehogs and birds.
- Make a small wildlife pond in an old container with some rocks inside so that creatures can climb out and some oxygenating plants. Here’s a good how to guide: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-create-mini-pond
- Make a twig and dead wood pile in a corner for insects and small mammals to hide in.
- Plant some insect friendly flowers in a container or a patch in your garden. Now’s a good time to do this from seed which is far cheaper.
- Make a 13 x 13cm hole in the bottom of your fence for hedgehogs to pass from one garden to the other. Visit Devon Wildlife to find out how to do this https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/actions/how-create-hedgehog-hole
Let us know how you get on with your application.
We’d love new members to the N.E.W. family, so if you would like to get involved or find out more then please email [email protected] and we’ll let you know about our next meeting and how you can get involved.
Gill Melling on behalf of N.E.W.
We’d love new members to the N.E.W. family, so if you would like to get involved or find out more then please email [email protected] and we’ll let you know about our next meeting and how you can get involved.
Gill Melling on behalf of N.E.W.