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Somerset Environmental
and Ecological News
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Belated Happy New Year to you all.
You may be aware that due to spiralling social care costs, Somerset Council is facing a financial emergency. We want to reassure you that we remain focussed on our vision for a greener more sustainable Somerset. The climate team has recently come together to refresh our climate strategy, and to identify clear and realistic goals, which will include redoubling our efforts to gain external funding.
This month we’ve launched a Local Nature Recovery Strategy consultation to hear your views on what and where nature matters to you most. We’ve secured £9.6m of Government funding to deliver phosphate mitigation measures. The Taunton Woolaway project for 26 sustainable homes is nearing completion and we are supporting The Woodland Trust to offer free trees for schools and communities, and thanks to external funding from the National Lottery Heritage fund we are welcoming a new engagement ranger to improve the visitor experience at Ham Hill Country Park.
Read on for what’s happening in our communities, eco events, grants, and we’ve got a great carbon calculator tool, which helps us all to see the impact our lifestyle has on the earth, and how we can make changes in our personal lives to reduce the reduce our effects on global warming.
Best eco wishes
The Climate Team
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Our countryside rangers at Ham Hill have recently taken delivery of a new Tramper, an off-road mobility vehicle, which will help less-mobile visitors to explore the site. We have had a Tramper at Ham Hill for many years, but with external funding, have been able to upgrade to a newer one. We will donate the old one to our friends at Carymoor Environmental Centre to help their visitors who need help with access.
The Tramper will be available to hire from the spring, once we have defined the right routes for visitors to follow.
Ham Hill is waiting for you. Visit Ham Hill Country Park explore this stunning wildlife haven centred around an Iron Age hillfort with far reaching views across Somerset. check their events section to see what’s on especially for February half term.
Leading on from the national State of Nature Report issued last September, the Somerset Wildlife Trust has issued the first ever State of Nature report for Somerset. A comprehensive overview of the county’s landscapes, it highlights trends in species, quality of habitats and the pressures wildlife is facing.
- Somerset has lost over 5% of its total grassland habitats.
- Butterfly distribution has declined by over 330 square miles over 30 years
- Lapwing records have declined to worrying levels.
- The number of ‘Good’ quality rivers in Somerset has decreased.
- Non-native invasive species cover has increased by 260%.
- Only 36% of the 128 Sites of Special Scientific Importance in Somerset were assessed as favourable.
- Somerset’s 45-mile coastline, and the species that call it home, were found to be under threat.
Following national trends, the report shows clearly that Somerset’s ecosystems have been impacted by climate change, changes in land management, development and pollution; and invasive species and diseases are further threatening habitats.
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 Credit: Philip Formby/Woodland Trust Media Library
Schools and communities across Somerset are being urged to help re-tree the county by taking advantage of an offer from the Woodland Trust.
The Trust is giving away hundreds of thousands of trees, with deliveries in March and November for planting. Applications for Autumn 2024 delivery opened on 15th January and will close as soon as all the trees are allocated, so act quickly to get your trees ready, as this offer will be run on a first come first served basis, for next planting season.
For more information visit Woodland Trust website. The free tree packs have been generously funded by lead partners Sainsbury’s, Lloyds Bank, OVO Energy, Bank of Scotland and Sofology.
The application process is simple, and Somerset Council’s Defra-funded Woodland Creation Officers can help with advice and guidance on hedgerow and tree planting – before or after an application has been submitted. You can email James and Craig at james.chapman@somerset.gov.uk and craig.daters@somerset.gov.uk
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Parish Environment champion Kristina wrote to tell us about how she made her dream of having a forest food garden come true.
She told us "After 7 years of searching, I acquired an acre of land between Westport and Barrington, that would become my dream food forest garden, and host a variety of trees and shrubs that would encourage a diverse eco-system and provide food.
Read more
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Congratulations to Penny White who has been voted Volunteer of the Year for 2023 by the Mendip Hills National Landscape team. Penny was chosen because of her dedication and enthusiasm for the Mendip Hills. She’s currently a regular at the weekly Nature Recovery task days, is part of the drystone walling group, and has recently become a full member of the National Landscape’s Volunteer Ranger team, joining a team of almost 40 brilliant volunteer rangers. Penny will play a key role in promoting and protecting Mendip as well as being the first point of contact for many visitors to the area.
The Nature Recovery volunteers meet weekly, to carry out coppicing, grassland maintenance, scrub clearing, and many other tasks that enhance and protect the landscape and the species that call it home. Volunteers also get involved in surveys and monitoring wildlife and visitors, plus special projects to build bat and bird nest boxes.
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We have secured £9.6m of Government funding to deliver phosphate mitigation measures which will unlock the delivery of new homes across the area and provide for long term nature recovery.
The award comes after the Council working in partnership with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), Plymouth University, Salinity Solutions, and Dorset Council, submitted a bid to the Government’s Nutrient Mitigation Fund.
The funding will be used to expand the Council’s existing phosphate credit scheme and deliver both interim and long-term phosphate mitigation measures including the use of new energy efficient water processing technology trialled at the Fivehead Wastewater Treatment Works near Taunton earlier this year.
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 Tell us why and where nature matters to you.
We are working on a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Somerset. This will provide a single vision for nature recovery and set out local priorities and opportunities for nature.
Want to get involved?
If you can, please have your say and share the survey with others, so we can hear from as many Somerset residents as possible, and ensure this new strategy meets the needs of communities, farmers, businesses, and above all, our precious wildlife.
We know many of you have already completed the survey, and we send a huge thank you for taking the time to care.
Phase A of the North Taunton Woolaway Project (NTWP) is nearing completion and an opening ceremony with special guests took place, to celebrate the milestone.
So far, the Council’s regeneration scheme has replaced 26 Woolaway homes, which the Government designated as defective, with 47 new, more sustainable homes for tenants.
The properties benefit from energy efficiency measures such as solar panels, triple glazed windows and air source heat pumps, which will allow tenants to live in highly insulated buildings, have lower energy bills and produce less carbon emissions.
The upgraded homes also consist of many thoughtful ecological measures, which provide habitats and support wildlife species, contributing to the biodiversity of the area. Ecology measures include bat boxes, swift bricks, nest cups, bee bricks, hedgehog holes and bat roosting provisions.
A ceremony took place at the site with guests including the Leader of Somerset Council, Cllr Bill Revans, Lead Member for Communities, Housing and Culture, Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, other key Members, Council Officers, as well as representatives from contractors, Equans, Homes England and tenants.
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We are delighted to welcome Jasmine Ely into the Ham Hill ranger team as an Engagement Ranger. This post is fully funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund for three years. Jasmine’s role will be to work with visitors, volunteers, and the local community to help people be more involved at Ham Hill. Jasmine will also be helping to tell the story of Ham Hill’s rich history, through events, activities, and school visits. If you want to get involved or would like Jasmine to deliver a guided walk or activity with your group, please contact Jasmine by emailing her at: Jasmine.Ely@somerset.gov.uk or call 01935 823617.
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 Thank you to everyone who turned out last Saturday (27 January) to help with the community tree planting event at Pitt Wood, Ham Hill. Good weather and a keen bunch of volunteers meant a further 410 native trees have been planted in the wood. We send another big thank you to the Friends of Ham Hill group, who once again secured funding for the trees. We couldn't do this without them or our wonderful volunteers.
 Community volunteers and Somerset Council staff braved the cold earlier this month to help plant trees and a wildlife hedge at Norton Fitzwarren Playing Field, a new community facility that was developed using Section 106 funding from the nearby St Modwen development.
Have you made a resolution to save money or help the environment this year? Did you know that getting your stuff fixed or reusing your items is often the simplest way to reduce your carbon footprint?
In Somerset we're lucky to have a growing network of community repairers.
We also have a new CAG Somerset (Community Action Group) who are working with Fixy and Somerset’s repair network. Somerset’s volunteer-run repair groups are a great place to go for advice and help with fixing your things.
There are loads of groups right across Somerset.
Get started on your repair and reuse journey by:
Repair events can bring people together and offer practical help when commercial repair costs are rising. Many small repairs are easy to do with a little know-how, lots of help can be found online, and plenty of people in your community have useful skills.
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We can all reduce plastic waste and save money by ditching the disposables, and have a positive impact on the environment and our wallets!
If you're curious about how to switch to reusable care products, join us to find out more about making the swap. Our waste colleagues we will be at the following libraires from 10am - 2pm throughout February:
Bridgwater Library - Thursday 8 February
Yeovil Library - Tuesday 13 February
Taunton Library - Wednesday 14 February
Minehead Library - Thursday 15 February
Glastonbury Library - Saturday 17 February
Join us for an event dedicated to reusable hygiene products. Learn about the advantages of using reusable period pads, nappies and incontinence products which can have a positive impact on both the environment and your wallet. Everyone is welcome. Ditch the disposables. Save money. Protect the planet
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Check out all the other brilliant eco events happening across Somerset. Click on the Events Calendar button below to find out what's on.
If you tell us about your own eco events, we can plug those for your too!
Contact us at climateemergency@somerset.gov.uk
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The Bees’ Needs Champions Awards 2024 is open for applications until 12 May. Defra gives Bees’ Needs Champion awards to people and organisations who have done inspiring things (big and small), to help pollinators thrive. This could include creating a wildflower patch, educating the local community, or taking special measures to help pollinators on farms or in and around workplaces.
Find out more Bees’ Needs week 2024.
5 simple actions that anyone can take to help pollinators:
- Grow more nectar rich flowers, shrubs and trees. Using window or balcony boxes are good options if you don’t have a garden.
- Let patches of garden and land grow wild.
- Cut grass less often.
- Do not disturb insect nests and hibernation spots.
- Think carefully about whether to use pesticides.
Our Countryside Manager Rachael Whaites was delighted to receive a Bee Champion award in 2018 (at former South Somerset District Council) on behalf of the Ham Hill Countryside Rangers. Their work with the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust involved alternating hay meadow cuts in the flat fields, to encourage late flowering plants to thrive and provide food for pollinators that appear later in the year, in particular the rare Shrill Carder bee that has a stronghold in south Somerset.
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 Visit our Grants and funding page to see what see what opportunities are available for your community environmental project.
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One of the classic books on self-sufficiency and eco living by John Seymour, who for over 40 years has inspired and motivated thousands of people to make more eco-friendly choices to enrich their lives and live sustainably. Now, his bestselling self-sufficiency book offers step-by-step instructions on all things environment-friendly, from preserving your harvest to living off land, this survival guide has it all. Read the reviews here.
Available in at all good book sellers.
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Climate change can be stopped, and the solutions could help us all. Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Mary Portas urge government to act, and save us money at the same time. They try and find answers to questions such as why are our homes so expensive to heat? Why is cheap on-shore wind energy being blocked? Why are housebuilders not making our homes better quality and energy efficient?
Watch on Channel 4 catch up
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The council’s ground maintenance and housing teams have collaborated to promote biodiversity in naturalised green spaces around Taunton by welcoming new residents of the creepy crawly kind. On days when adverse weather has prevented business as usual ground maintenance, they’ve built bug hotels using recycled pallets, branches, logs, wood chip, and bricks to attract beneficial insects and pollinators to the area. The bug hotels at Blenheim Road, Newton Road, and Grange Walk in Taunton will provide a haven for insects and other minibeasts to shelter, hide from predators, and raise their young. Residents are supporting the encouragement of these new neighbours and we hope that the Grange Walk bug hotel sparks interest for the children at nearby Priorswood Primary School.
Be a habitat hero. If you have some space, large or small why not make your own bug hotel?
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Please do share this newsletter on your social media platforms and websites and forward to friends. Just click on share or the social media icons at the foot of the page. Let's share the love!
Remember, this is your newsletter, and we want to hear about the great environmental work happening where you live, or what you do to make a difference every day with your brilliant eco hacks and tips.
You can make suggestions about what you would like to see more of in future and have your say on previous stories and topics.
We would love to hear from you.
Get in touch at climateemergency@somerset.gov.uk.
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