 Photo credit: Matt Wilson
Hello,
This week Streetscene announced that more East Devon greenspaces have been 🐝designated as nature recovery areas.
If you're looking for free things to do this weekend, check out 🌊Sidmouth Sea Fest's family event on Saturday and visit Thelma Hulbert Gallery's 🎨'Paradise Found: New Visions of the Blackdown Hills' exhibition before it goes.
Keep reading for more news and updates from around East Devon...
 News and updates:
More East Devon greenspaces designated as nature recovery areas
 Future plans will see Streetscene expand the list of re-natured areas further, following consultation with local residents
This year, Streetscene have increased the number of greenspaces and verges where they're letting the grass grow between April and September to enable nature to flourish.
Allowing grass to grow at selected sites means less CO2 emissions caused by mowing, and more habitats for insects and wildlife. Enabling vegetation to flower provides essential nectar for bees and pollinators, aiding nature and biodiversity across the district. Carefully selected sites are balanced with more tightly mown areas that are maintained for safety, sport, recreation, and amenity purposes.
How's your No Mow May going?
 Birds are loving foraging in this unmown garden
Now we're over half way through No Mow May, we would love to see your garden if you took part. This is a low effort, high impact activity which can support our pollinators during the bee hungry gap. If you have been taking part and now your lawn is a riot of colour, please email us at environment@eastdevon.gov.uk, as we would love to see your pictures.
 A big thank you to Streetscene, who've been continuing clean-up operations to assist residents affected by flooding
East Devon supports National Hoarding Awareness Week
 Hoarding Awareness Week aims to raise the profile of hoarding, how to spot signs of the problem and how to get help
In January we highlighted the story of a resident who said they had regained their life after East Devon District Council, and other partners, stepped in to declutter their Seaton home after years of neglect had left the home filled with rubbish and without working heating.
In East Devon, officers are called in to help deal with more than a dozen hoarder and self-neglect cases, in privately rented and owned homes, a year. But the figure could be much higher as often family, friends and neighbours may be unaware of the true difficulties those who experience hoarding issues can face.
We'd also like to thank our hardworking Private Sector Housing team for:
- Going door to door to find out what help people need, and checking in with vulnerable residents, following last week's flash flooding.
- Informing Park Home residents about the support that they're entitled to with the cost of energy bills.
- Ensuring that visa applications using East Devon addresses are not from fake sponsors.
You can read more updates from the team here and you can contact them by email or by calling 01395 571572.
Sidmouth Sea Fest 2023 begins
 This year's festival theme is 'Driftwood & Thrift', reflecting its focus on community and the environment
Sidmouth Sea Fest 2023 kicks off today with the Friday Night Fundraiser from 4pm, with live bands, DJs and a bar, with local food. This'll be followed by the free family Sea Fest event on Saturday 20 May from 10am until 11pm, with arts and craft activities, storytelling, entertainment for all and lots of community groups, charity stalls and small food and trader stands.
Tickets still available: Comedy of Errors
 Thanks to the May sunshine for reminding us of glorious summer days and those warm evenings outside!
Why not pair those relaxing summer nights with a picnic, some fizz and some side-splitting theatre in stunning surroundings?
Rain or Shine Productions are bringing their UK summer tour of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors to Sidmouth and Exmouth! A story of comic confusion and chaotic capers, this hilarious masterpiece is not one to be missed.
For more information and to book your tickets, click the link for your chosen venue:
Latest news, consultations and newsletters
East Devon District Council hold regular consultations and also produce regular newsletters and news on different topics, in the last week we have issued the following which may be of interest:
Have your say:
 Council meetings dates
Over the next week the following East Devon District Council meetings are taking place. Any public meetings will be streamed live to the Council’s YouTube channel, and in the event of difficulties these will be streamed on our Facebook page instead.
22 May
24 May
 Be a super-recycler and be recycling sack savvy
 Help us to cut out contamination by only putting the items we can recycle from the kerb-side in your recycling sack.
Your sack should only be used to recycle the following packaging items:
- Mixed plastics (bottles, tubs, pots and trays)*
- Food tins and drinks cans*
- Foil wrap, foil food trays and empty aerosols
*Please wash and squash
Keeping contamination down means that we can more easily recycle the items we can collect and reduces the risk of a rejected load at the processing stage.
Have you downloaded our free East Devon App yet?
Join over 50,000 people using our smartphone app and get simple personalised recycling and waste collection reminders, the latest collection updates and you can tell us about any missed collections.
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 Thelma Hulbert Gallery
Last chance to see: Paradise Found: New Visions of the Blackdown Hills
 Dumpdon Hill by Stanislawa de Karlowska
It’s the last week of this popular exhibition that features new work by 36 artists, alongside original works by the Camden Towners. The contemporary artworks capture the same sites painted by The Camden Town Group in the beautiful Blackdown Hills AONB including scenes from Luppitt and Clayhidon.
It's both Naturally Healthy May and National Walking Month. Click on the following links for great ideas for walks, cycling, seeing wildlife and activities around Devon that will connect you with nature.
Jobs with East Devon's property maintenance contractor
Ian Williams currently have some fantastic opportunities, working in partnership with East Devon District Council, to maintain properties. Current vacancies include:
- Building Surveyor (Damp and Mould Specialist)
- Quantity Surveyor
- Resident Liaison Officer
- Painters & Decorators
- Electrician
- Multi Operative
Next edition
We plan to send out our next bulletin on Friday, 26 May 2023
Please forward this email to anyone you think would find it useful and encourage them to sign up.
You can also share this update on social media and in any online groups you're part of by using the view it as a web page link at the top of the page.
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