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SEEN
Somerset Environmental
and Ecological News
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Welcome to the July edition of SEEN.
Highlights this month are:
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Root for Somerset. Make your trees count!
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Rare butterfly seen on Exmoor
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New partnership to boost heat pump installation
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Free trees for communities and schools
Wishing you all an amazing August. Enjoy!
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![Root for Somerset . make your trees count poster. A female crouched down beside a newly planted tree](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/UKSC/2024/07/9887775/5599601/tree-planting-register-poster-jpeg_crop.jpg)
Somerset Council is calling out to anyone who has recently planted or plans to plant trees, to ‘root for Somerset’ and add them to the Somerset Tree Planting Register.
As part of the 10-year Somerset Tree Strategy launched last June, developed with partners like the Woodland Trust and the Environment Agency, the goal is to get the county’s tree coverage to at least the national average of 13% by 2033.
The Somerset Tree Planting Register will help us track these important tree-planting goals.
How you can help: We know some great tree-planting schemes are happening across Somerset by parishes, community groups, schools, businesses, farmers, and individuals. The Somerset Tree Planting Register celebrates these efforts. Putting your trees on the map not only helps us monitor progress and make informed decisions about future focus areas but will also provide valuable information to support external funding opportunities.
Can we count on you? Make your new trees count and put them on the map, visit The Somerset Tree Planting Register. We are interested in trees planted since October 2023. It takes less than five minutes.
Spread the word. If you know someone who has recently planted new trees, please encourage them to add them to the Somerset Tree Planting Register.
If you are planning to plant trees and need expert advice. Contact our Woodland Creation officers at woodlandcreation@somerset.gov.uk.
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![Presenters of BBC Countryfile at Montacute House](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/UKSC/2024/07/9887917/5599602/bbc-country-file-at-montacute-house_crop.jpg) Montacute House near Yeovil was recently featured on BBC Countryfile, when Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor explored the estate to see how its 270 acres of woodland, parkland and formal gardens are managed to support some of our rarest creatures. Margherita met retired school teacher Mike Ratsey, who's dedicated his life to protecting UK snail species and helps him reintroduce the rare Roman snail to the estate grounds. She also sees how the estate is seeking to entice great crested newts to its ponds, and Matt got busy creating habitats for rare bats. If you missed it, you can watch the episode on BBC i-player. Just click on the image above.
One of the rarest species butterflies in the UK, the Heath Fritillary, has been spotted at a new location on Exmoor National Park land at Ashton Cleave about 8km west of Hawkcombe Woods.
The Exmoor team have been engaged in a long-term project to restore oak coppice in Hawkcombe Wood National Nature Reserve near Porlock to help the recovery of this nationally rare butterfly, also traditionally known as the “woodmans follower" because of its habit of occupying recently coppiced areas. It has been breeding successfully in Hawkcombe for a few years.
The first butterfly this year was spotted by a holiday maker in the area, they sent their findings to Butterly Conservation who work in partnership with Exmoor National Park Authority.
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We love Chard Reservoir Local Nature Reserve and our proud of our team of rangers and amazing volunteers who look after it. This wonderful haven for nature is there for all to enjoy.
You can see it in its full splendour through this stunning video created by Warner Vision. Check it out at Visit South Somerset website and find out about all the brilliant events happening this summer. Start planning your visit now!
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There is still time for Somerset schools and community groups to order FREE trees.
We’ve teamed up with the Woodland Trust to bring you their FREE Trees for Schools and Communities programme along with expert help from our woodland creation team.
Apply before 26 August through The Woodland Trust to get your free trees delivered in November.
Unlock the power of trees for your school or community. As we plant, so we grow.
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Our Ham Hill rangers and Monday volunteers would like to say a big thank you to the team from RNAS Yeovilton, who came for a day of dry-stone walling. As part of their team building day at Ham Hill, the group helped with the construction of the wall at the edge of Butchers’ Hill, which is part of a restoration project being carried out by the regular Monday walling volunteer team.
Interested? The Ham Hill team welcome corporate volunteer groups to help with a number of tasks, including scrub clearance in the winter and dry stone walling. Visit the Ham Hill webpage or contact countryside@somerset.gov.uk
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In August, wild grass areas buzz with life and come alive with natural wonders. Look out for vibrant Oxeye daisies, Knapweed, and Betony in full bloom and tall grasses like Meadow Fescue and wavy hair grass. False Oat grass has now turned the verges a golden colour. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators are flitting among the flowers, ensuring their survival. Birds are also feasting on grass and wildflower seeds, making the most of abundant food that will help them through the coming colder months.
If you are one of the brilliant peeps leaving it longer, our natural environment specialist Barbra recommends these jobs for August to help you balance the grasses and allow wildflowers to thrive.
- If possible, cut some areas of long grass but not all at the same time. Perhaps target areas that may be flopping over access areas or blocking visibility.
- Leave some areas longer to give wildlife a chance to move to another area and complete their life cycles. Longer grass provides continued cover and shelter for invertebrates, birds and small mammals.
- The cut areas will regrow and potentially provide a second flush of flowers and growth in September if the weather is agreeable.
- Creating a mosaic of different grass heights benefits a wider range of plants and animals.
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Thank you to SEEN reader Helen Shattock for getting in touch to tell us she has devoted her entire back garden to wild space and is being rewarded with a wildlife haven.
Helen told us: “Despite being on an estate, our neighbourhood is exceptionally quiet (absolute bliss) and now we’ve created an established wild space, we are seeing more wildlife than ever. We are seeing lots more butterflies and other pollinators and being visited by hedgehogs and now have two resident squirrels. We see foxes visiting the close at night, but they haven’t yet ventured into our garden that we know of. I would recommend having a wild area to anyone who loves to connect with nature. It’s good for the soul and having such beauty outside our door brings a daily dose of the feel-good factor.”
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Retrofit Somerset project led by Somerset Climate Action Network in collaboration with Somerset Council has recently launched a partnership with green tech company Thermly to trial a heat pump ready scheme.
The scheme could help up to 40,000 homeowners install heat pumps through a pilot online suitability assessment which makes it quick and easy to work out if a heat pump is a suitable option for their home and connect them with local heat pump installers.
It can help people take advantage of £7,500 in government funding available to support installations – with Thermly also offering an additional £1,000 bonus to the first twenty viable homes in Somerset to install a heat pump.
Retrofit Somerset is initially focussing on homes in rural locations in the southeast of Somerset with plans to eventually roll out the scheme across the county.
Interested homeowners in southeast Somerset can find out if their home is suitable for a heat pump at the Thermly website. Terms and conditions apply which include a list of the current scheme’s viable locations in the area.
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Zipp Mobility e-scooter trials in Taunton, Minehead and Yeovil, which have run successfully since 2020, have been halted by the operator due to an unexpected supplier issue.The trials were due to continue until the end of May 2026. Zipp Mobility is reviewing the situation to consider next steps. Whilst the service is suspended the scooters are being removed from town centres and users have been messaged through push notifications via the user app.
For clarification the Zwings brand in Yeovil is now part of Zipp Mobility. The intention is for all scooters across the three towns to move towards the same branding.
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![A view of a net zero road in the Somerset countryside](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/UKSC/2024/07/9888600/live-lab-net-zero-road_original.jpg)
We’re working with Cornwall and Hampshire County councils as part of the ‘Wessex Net Zero Corridors Live Lab’ partnership to deliver an innovative project that seeks to decarbonise the maintenance of local roads.
Known as ‘Wessex Live Labs 2’, the project aims to create the UK’s first net-zero emission roads and integral to these aims is the use of circular or ‘doughnut’ economics to carefully balance the impact on our environment and communities. This includes transforming the materials and products we use, plants we use, how we deliver services and where and when we deliver them to have the best impact on our world around us.
The Wessex Live Labs team recently attended the Adept Live Labs 2 Expo in Birmingham to share knowledge around donut economics and you can see the team at work in their LinkedIn video.
In this month's Highways Magazine, circular economics has been featured explaining the new direction for economics in highways. Find out more about their research and findings on pages 34 and 35 of the Highways Magazine.
A contract to upgrade to energy efficient lighting on Somerset’s roads has been signed by Somerset Council.
VolkerHighways Ltd will provide an eight-year maintenance contract covering all the council’s street lights, lighted signs, bollards and other electrical equipment on highways and public open spaces across the county.
Somerset Council has 59,593 lighted assets to look after, consisting of street lights, illuminated signs and bollards. Of these, nearly 66 per cent have already been changed to greener and more efficient LED lighting. VolkerHighways will support the Council in its aim to convert all its lighting LED by the end of their contract, if possible, which will help the Council to lower our carbon footprint.
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![A montage of the teams awarded green flags in 2024](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/UKSC/2024/07/9888622/5599610/blue-gradient-header-banner-5_crop.jpg) Somerset Council is thrilled to announce that Ham Hill, Yeovil Country Park, Wellington Park, and Blenheim Gardens in Minehead have been awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award for 2024.
Special Recognition goes to Ham Hill Country Park and Wellington Park for retaining their Green Heritage Site Accreditation, supported by Historic England, for their exceptional management of historic features. Ham Hill is an ancient Iron Age hillfort, and Wellington Gardens is a Grade II listed former Edwardian Park established in 1927.
We've begun work on a game-changing green link between Taunton Railway Station and the town’s riverside.
The northern section of the Firepool Boulevard will provide a walking and cycling route from the recently revamped station, past the new Innovation Centre and connect Trenchard Way to Canal Road, with the project aiming to continue the route to Vivary Park.
As well as the space for walkers and cyclists, the route will feature seating, green spaces and rain gardens for people to stop and relax.
The boulevard will be a safe, green throughfare for people travelling from the north of the town towards the centre – including thousands of cricket fans heading for the Somerset County Cricket Ground from the station – transforming residents' and visitors' travel into town and encouraging active and sustainable travel options, with all the health and environmental benefits that come with it.
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Sunday 4 August 10am - 4pm
Horner Wood located on Exmoor near Minehead in Somerset, is a remarkable National Nature Reserve covering 818 acres. It stands as one of the UK’s largest ancient oak woodlands. Its lush expanse is home to hundreds of species of trees, including some rare varieties, as well as an abundance of lichens that thrive on both the ancient trees and decaying wood.
You are invited to discover what makes it a temperate rainforest and learn how to assess its rainforest features.
This special unique event includes all day activities for the family including woodland and wildlife, water and mini beast fun.
Join FREE rainforest walking talks with Plantlife's rainforest guru Angie Cruse.
Check out our events calendar for more information.
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There are many more brilliant eco events happening across Somerset this summer. Click on the Events Calendar button below to find out what's on and let us know about your eco events at climateemergency@somerset.gov.uk so we can share it for you.
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Yeovil Town Council is looking for a full time Biodiversity Ranger to champion wildlife and help visitors engage with nature at the Green Flag Award winning Yeovil Country Park. You will need a passion for nature, broad practical skills and demonstrable experience in surveying and stewardship of protected species.
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Yeovil Town Council is looking for a full time Biodiversity Ranger to champion wildlife and help visitors engage with nature at the Green Flag Award winning Yeovil Country Park. You will need a passion for nature, broad practical skills and demonstrable experience in surveying and stewardship of protected species.
We are continuing to help businesses to reduce their carbon emissions and, in turn, save money on their energy costs through the extension of two pioneering schemes.
Launched in October, the ‘Go Green Scheme’ and the ‘Somerset Green Business Grant Scheme’ were introduced to offer businesses practical help and financial support to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. The schemes have been funded from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Local Growth Fund.
If you are a local business, you might be able to get help to reduce your company's carbon footprint. Check out the Go Green Scheme and Somerset Green Business Grant Scheme that are empowering Somerset businesses to go greener.
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The Community Power tariff from Co-op Energy is a unique offering that focuses on providing 100% renewable electricity sourced directly from community energy projects across the UK.
Community energy projects and local energy groups bring together like-minded locals to invest in planet-saving projects. Whether it's solar panels on neighbourhood rooftops or wind turbines in farmland fields, these projects are owned and run by the communities they power.
Profits go towards local initiatives and more renewable energy enters the grid.
Some key features of the Community Power tariff:
- 100% Renewable Electricity from community-owned renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, hydro projects and solar panels.
- A portion of the profits is reinvested into local community initiatives.
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For every new customer, £10 is contributed to the Powering Communities Fund, supporting community energy groups and projects.
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Community energy generators receive a fair price for the electricity they produce, encouraging more local renewable energy production.
This tariff aims to foster a decentralised energy market where communities can generate, use, and sell renewable energy locally, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and supporting sustainable development at a local level.
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![a glass full of money with a tree shoot growing from it](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/UKSC/2023/07/7950995/grants-funding-image_original.jpg) Visit our Grants and funding page to see what see what opportunities are available for your community environmental projects.
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Don’t chuck it out before checking out if it can be mended.
Somerset is lucky to have a large network of volunteer-run repair groups which bring people together and offer practical help. When you get something repaired, you not only extend the life of your items - making them more environmentally friendly, but it can save you money too. It's also a great way meet new people and learn how to mend things yourself.
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![A hand touching the bark of a tree](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/UKSC/2023/08/8123297/4937242/get-in-touch-croppedl_crop.png)
Please do share this newsletter on your social media platforms and websites or send it to a friend. All you need to do is click on the share icon at the foot of the page to 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 earlier stories and topics.
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