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As the year progresses, there’s a noticeable chill in the air and we’re starting to look forward to Halloween, and coming back to a warm home after an evening of trick-or-treating. Here are our three steps for October. We hope you find them useful!
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A scary 18,000 tonnes of uneaten pumpkins are thrown away each year. If you don’t want to contribute to this pumpkin mountain, here are three tips on choosing and using your pumpkin this Halloween (from Hampshire Smart Living).
- Pick wisely! Smaller varieties are usually sweeter and tastier and come in a variety of fun colours, or you could try using squash instead if that’s what you prefer.
- Decorate rather than carve – use food safe decorations or materials that can easily be removed before cooking (we love these ideas from Hubbub). This will mean your pumpkin lasts longer, giving you more time to use it.
- When it comes to eating them, there’s a whole range of delicious recipes out there for inspiration, including from HCC's Education Catering team.
Bonus tip: Pumpkins will last longest in the fridge but will be alright in a cool area of your home if you don’t fancy eating them after they’ve spent a few days in the front porch!
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The Hampshire Forest Partnership’s tree and hedge planting funds are now open for applications for winter 2025/26.
There are three dedicated funding streams:
- 🍃 Linking Leaves – for community-led planting in public or shared spaces.
- 🌳 Shoots Along the Routes – for farmers and landowners.
- 🌱 Disease Resistant Elms - helping re-elm Hampshire.
The partnership has set up a simple form to check whether your project is eligible for funding.
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With colder weather and bigger energy bills on the way, now’s the time to think about making your home more energy efficient.
Whatever your goal: minimising energy bills, making your home warmer in winter, or earning money from selling energy back to the grid, get in touch with My Home Made Better.
For a one-to-one conversation and personalised advice, call 0800 804 8601 (9am-5pm Mon-Fri).
Volunteers from Energy Alton and PeCAN have been trained as My Home Made Better advisors so you can also access the service through their websites.
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