Environment Group

Meeting on Wednesday 25 May 2018 At 8.00pm at the Plough & Harrow

Minutes

Present: Mark Collings, Sheila Collings, Adrian Haffegee, Annie Hill, Martyn Towle, Claire Wallen, Richard Wallen

1. Apologies: Amy Grandvoinet

2. Treasurer’s report: WEG has recently received a grant of £240 from Warfield Parish Council (conditions of funding noted), and also £518 as a good cause in the Forest Council Recycling Incentive Scheme.

Bank account £872.20

Cash £ 23.25

Total £895.45

3. Outstanding actions from previous meeting

a. Veteran Tree Survey at Hayley Green: WEG was refused permission by one of the landowners following a request by a resident. It was agreed not to pursue with the other landowners. Actions -Claire will request copies of Neighbourhood Plan environmental surveys from Warfield Parish Council

b. Council recycling good cause nomination: cheque received at presentation at Larks Hill, and letter of thanks sent. Actions -Claire to send letter of thanks to Warfield Parish Council for their grant

c. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): 53 members re-signed for the mailing list and 39 did not. In addition 5 new members signed up at the Bat Safari and a further 5 at the Flower Walk.

Actions

-Claire to add a disclaimer to the sign-in sheet, along the lines of ‘you do

this activity at your own risk’

4. Recent events a. Hedge maintenance: (10 March) 6 adults weeded and mulched a section of the hedge planted in 2014. More to do. b. Keep Britain Tidy Spring Clean: (rescheduled to 24 March due to snow) 11 adults and 3 children picked up 9 sacks of rubbish and 3 of recyclable material in and around Larks Hill. c. Bird box building: (15 April) 10 adults and 5 children made 12 bird boxes (one was purchased). d. Newt Survey: (20/21 April) 19 adults and 10 children attended. 13 great crested newts (3 male, 10 female) and 17 smooth newts counted. e. Bat Safari (Chelsea Fringe): (19 May) 21 adults and 6 children attended. Lots of bats around Westmorland Pond. f. Flowers of the Field Walk & Talk (Chelsea Fringe): (22 May) 10 adults and 1 child attended a very interesting event.

5. Agenda items a. Future events planning (to end/August 2018) i. Request for help – 1st Warfield Cubs: (Friday 15 June) With their environmental conservation badge. Catalina has agreed to help, 6pm-7.30pm, at Community Centre. Litter pick is easiest to organise with route along footpath to, and around, Westmorland Pond to avoid the litter pick route for the 2nd Bracknell Beavers on Monday 25 June. Actions -Sheila to confirm with Catalina and Rita Chauhan -Catalina to prepare talk about WEG -Annie to arrange litter collection

ii. Warfield Village Fete: (Saturday 9 June) Actions -Mark and Adrian to attempt repair of gazebo -Sheila to consider how we might anchor display board in case the weather is very windy (as last year) -Adrian to take picnic table and workbench, Sheila to take green table -Adrian to contact Vicki Painter re borrowing of table(s) -Chairs: Annie (2), Claire (2) -Sheila to provide risk assessment -Catalina to take ‘selfie’ frame -Sheila to email members re plastic bottles, tetrapaks, milk cartons -Loppers, secateurs: Claire, Adrian, Sheila -Polypropylene twine: Sheila to check -Annie to buy pens for pebble ‘painting’ -Old shirts etc: take some to offer as pens are permanent! (all) -Sheila to check contents of crate and re-stock if necessary -Sheila to discuss clothes peg animals with Catalina

iii. 2nd Bracknell Beavers litter picks: Monday 25 June @ 6pm (Whitegrove Library) – Claire Wednesday 27 June @ 6pm (Scout Hut, ) – who? Thursday 28 June @ 6pm ( Primary School) – Sheila Friday 29 June @ 6pm (Scout Hut, Bullbrook) – Annie Actions -Annie to confirm times/locations -Need one more volunteer for Wednesday 27th? -Annie to arrange rubbish collections

iv. Bat waterway survey – Friday 3 August Actions -Claire to request demo of Peersonic bat detector (Windsor)

v. Bird box erection phase 1 – Saturday 21 July Actions -Sheila to identify suitable locations -Sheila to buy stencils to mark boxes

b. Future events planning (September – December 2018) i. Bat walk – Saturday 8 September ii. Veteran tree survey – Saturday 6 October (pm) Actions -Catalina to identify suitable location for walk (Nuptown?)

iii. Meeting – Friday 28 September iv. Meadowbrook Montessori School litter pick – Thursday 11 October Actions -Sheila to confirm what refreshments are suitable with school -Sheila to request from Tesco

v. Meeting – Wednesday 14 November vi. Hedge planting – November Actions -Sheila to contact Ali Levy, BFC Ranger, regarding continuation of the 2014 hedge planting at Larks Hill

c. Budget planning: initial (major) purchases to include: i. Children’s gardening gloves (20 pairs) – in time for the Beavers litter picks in June, to be funded by our Parish Council Grant (Sheila) ii. Bat detector – a more sophisticated device which can identify bats itself, to be funded by the BFC recycling good cause donation (Claire) iii. Hi-vis armbands for children – for use during the next bat walk in September iv. Hedge – potentially trees plus guards, to be funded by the BFC recycling good cause donation (Sheila)

6. Any other business: a. It’s Your Neighbourhood 2018 judging to take place on Thursday 5 July at Larks Hill.

Actions -Claire to confirm time to Sheila (3pm)

b. Health & safety – the WEG first aid kit requires review, also need to consider a method of recording accidents.

Actions -Annie to review first aid kit -Annie to investigate accident books/sheets

c. WEG would like to thank Heather Brown who has donated a laminator to the Group. d. Claire and Sheila are attending the Bracknell Forest Green Spaces Forum on Tuesday 29 May.

7. Date next meeting: Wednesday 11 July (AGM) at 8pm

Actions

-Claire to request use of Whitegrove Community Centre

2018 WEG events calendar

Date Event Where Leader Fri 19th Jan Meeting Plough & Harrow pub 8:00pm Sun 21st Jan Rhododendron clearing – Westmorland Pavilion car 10.30-2.00 Hayley Green Wood park, RG42 3QP TBC Veteran Tree Survey Hayley Green (private land)

Wed 7th March Meeting Chairs’ House 8:00pm Sat 10th March Conservation Day – hedge Larks Hill car park, Harvest 10:30 am tidying Ride Sat 24th March (new Keep Britain Tidy Spring Larks Hill car park, Harvest date) 10.00am Clean Ride Sun 15th April Bird & Bat box building & Westmorland Pavilion car 10.00-12.00 erection – Hayley Green park, RG42 3QP Wood Fri 20 th (19:30) & Newt survey Thomas Lawrence Brickworks Sat 21th (7:30) April Newt Reserve Fri, 25th May Meeting Plough & Harrow pub 8:00pm Sat 19th May Chelsea Fringe - Batty Safari Westmorland Pavilion car 8.15pm-10.00pm park, RG42 3QP Sat June 9th Warfield Village Fete Memorial Ground Sheila 12.00-4.00pm Week of 25th June Litter picks x 4 2nd Bracknell Beavers Annie (M, W, Th F) Wed 11th July AGM Venue? 8.00pm Sat July 21st Nest box erection (phase 1) Sheila Fri August 3rd Bat waterway survey TBC Claire 8.30pm-9.30pm Sat 8th Sep Bat walk TBC Claire 7.30pm-9.15pm Fri, 28th Sept Meeting Plough & Harrow pub 8:00pm Sat 6th October Veteran tree survey TBC Catalina pm TBC Thu 11th Oct Meadowbrook Montessori Westmorland Pond Sheila 10.00-12.00 School litter pick November - TBC Hedge planting Larks Hill - TBC Sheila Wed 14th Nov Meeting Chair’s House 8:00pm December - TBC Christmas meal Venue?