In 2023, our West Berkshire community embraced green energy through the Solar Together Berkshire initiative, run by IChoosr and West Berkshire Council.

With 214 rooftop solar installations completed, totalling 0.92 MW of panels, we’ve reduced the district’s carbon footprint by 178.4 tonnes per year. 85% of participants opted for battery storage, highlighting the community’s commitment to energy independence. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the scheme, reflected in an impressive 86% overall approval rating.

Solar Together Berkshire 2023 has been a shining success, moving us closer to a sustainable future. Let’s continue this momentum in 2024 and make our district a great example of green living!

Please register your interest for this summer’s upcoming scheme here: Solar Together | West Berkshire Council. Registration opens in June, however you can leave your details to be contacted once it's live.

Plantlife's ‘No Mow May’ encouraged everyone to leave the lawnmower behind and let gardens flourish throughout the month of May. By joining in, you've not just let your grass grow, you've nurtured a haven for pollinators like bees🐝 and butterflies 🦋.

Why not try raising your mower cut height 1 notch for the rest of the Summer?  

In the UK, 87% of households have gardens. That's a whopping 23 million potential havens for wildlife. By allowing areas of your lawn grass to grow wilder, you'll be creating big gains for local nature. 

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Even the smallest grassy patches left longer will be:

• Providing essential food and habitats. 
• Providing insects with some safe shade and protection away from the heat and predators.
• In hotter months you'll be protecting the soils and their inhabitants!

We've been onboard too by adjusting our cutting regime during May and early June, to support biodiversity across the district. Certain verges are being left uncut, allowing wildflowers like dandelions, daisies, and clover to bloom and attract early pollinators. Road junctions and some residential roads will need to be cut for safety reasons for sight lines for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

This effort supports our collaborative projects with Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), the local wildlife trust, which aims to preserve and enhance key rural countryside verges teeming with precious wildflower species.

With nearly 1 in 6 UK species (16.6%) now threatened with extinction and 41% of UK wildlife species facing decline, especially insects, every small action counts.   

So, let's raise awareness on the importance of supporting biodiversity!

Find out more here https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/ 

Plantlife’s No Mow Lawn Guide - Plantlife  Plantlife also recommend not cutting your lawn from the outside, inwards - as this can create a 'killing zone' near the centre where there's no escape from the mower for insects, slow worms, beetles, newts or frogs and voles.

State of Nature – Natural England (blog.gov.uk)

Our Berkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) is being developed as a blueprint for nature recovery action across the county. Join us for an interactive webinar to present a first look at the collaborative targets from responses to the workshops and survey. We will show the process  we are using to translate your priorities into a map of Berkshire, and hear your thoughts.

This webinar is a great opportunity to learn about the progress of our Berkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy, and to see the direction of where and how nature is being prioritised.

This will take place on Microsoft Teams on 11 June 6:30-8pm.

Sign up here: Berkshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy | RBWM Together

https://rbwmtogether.rbwm.gov.uk/berkshire-local-nature-recovery-strategy

(The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead are the Responsible Authority for our Berkshire LNRS. Bracknell, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire and Wokingham are supporting authorities with Natural England). 

Try taking the bus.

Buses are a relatively cheap and environmentally friendly way to travel around. As the weather improves you may wish to get out and about, so why not try the bus, you may be surprised by where you can go.

There have been a series of improvements made to local buses recently, including the following service enhancements:

• From May 2024 the service between Newbury and Basingstoke operated by Stagecoach is enhanced with a Sunday service and runs later in the evening Monday to Saturday.
• A new late evening service, operated by Newbury & District, between Newbury and Thatcham on Fridays and Saturdays called the 1e.
• Reading Buses Lime 2a has been extended to serve Mortimer every 2 hours on Sundays.
• Thames Travel’s X34 service now operates between Newbury and Harwell Campus/Didcot providing a link to employment and retail opportunities.
• West Berkshire Community Connect on-demand bus service connecting Northwest Downlands with Newbury, providing links to jobs, retail and opportunities.

The following have also been introduced:

• Wiltshire Connect is an on-demand and timetabled bus network operating between Marlborough and Hungerford.
• An early bird concessionary fare ticket has been introduced, allowing those with a valid concessionary bus pass to travel for discounted rates before 9:30am Monday to Friday.
• A Connect Group Day ticket is available allowing unlimited use for up to 4 people on valid routes.

Check out our district wide travel guide and West Berkshire Bus Route Map to find the bus routes and timetables.

These are updated on a regular basis.

Grove Pit Common – Leckhampstead

Our volunteers have spent many a task day working on this linear area of common land in order to maintain its ecological and recreational value.  Sadly, much of the woodland has died due to Dutch Elm Disease and some of the dead trees have and will continue to be systematically removed where they present a danger to users of the right of way running through the common.  In order to replace the trees being removed saplings of a range of varieties have been planted. 

With the annual “haloing” of invasive vegetation around to ensure space and light, many of these are now reaching a level of maturity providing new habitats for wildlife, which is wonderful to see.

Another positive achievement is the progress of a disease resistant elm tree that was planted in May 2015 which has now grown into a mature specimen of some size, as can be seen from the photograph.  Thankfully, it shows no signs of disease and is a welcome addition to land historically characterised by this species.  As the dead elms are removed there may be potential to introduce more of these disease resistant trees in order recreate the former habitat.

WBCS volunteer work parties operate on Tuesdays throughout the year. The tasks include woodland and common management, coppicing, hedge-laying and hedge/tree planting.  Please get in touch if you would like to join us or wish to get involved with our barn owl group: enquiries@westberkscountryside.org.uk  Website: www.westberkscountryside.org.uk

If you see a hedgehog near Purley, take a photo, and share it with info@purleysustainability.co.uk stating where you spotted them so Purley Sustainable Group (PSG) can build up their own gallery and local map.

The PSG website also has some useful hedgehog facts, links & information. 

The Home Upgrade Grant, HUG2, is a government funded grant scheme to fund energy-saving upgrades for residents with off-grid gas heating systems who are most likely to be impacted by high cost of their energy bills - You might be eligible.

This could help you to use less energy, reduce your carbon footprint and spend less on your energy bills.

It is increasingly acknowledged that gardens and green spaces are associated with better physical, social and mental health and wellbeing. The Nature for Health project in West Berkshire was set up with this in mind with the aim to develop and deliver greenspace and nature activities which will promote and improve physical and mental health and wellbeing. The project also aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness by engaging and enabling everyone to become a part of their local community.

With the sun finally starting to shine one way to get involved with this project is through the Community Kitchen Garden at Shaw House. There is a weekly session on a Thursday morning 10am until 12.30 where anyone is welcome to come along and get involved.

The project is also keen to work with more rural communities to look at setting up additional community gardens. If you are interested in getting involved with the garden at Shaw House or perhaps you would like to set up a new community garden please get in touch with Amy our Nature for Health Project Support Officer amy.bosley1@westberks.gov.uk

Veolia’s Sustainability Fund is back this year and offering up to £1,000 worth of funding (per project) to help support people across West Berkshire to improve the environment!

Veolia’s Sustainability Fund will support inspirational ideas that aim to make a positive change towards their local communities. The purpose of the fund is to support non-profit organisations, community groups or individuals that help transform their local community through enhancing biodiversity, promoting sustainable waste behaviours, protecting or preserving resources and the environment, or using recycled, reused or reclaimed materials.

If you have an idea to help improve your local community, visit veolia.co.uk/sustainability-fund before the 30th September to find out how you can bring your ideas to life.

Hungerford Environmental Action Team (HEAT) is pleased to announce a free EV Car Show event to help YOU make the change from a petrol or diesel vehicle to battery electric power.

Whether new or used, the choice of electric vehicles (EVs) available in 2024 is now better than ever. Whichever you choose, it opens up a world where the fuel can cost the equivalent of 20p per litre or less, no exhaust pollution is put into our local streets, and a small fraction of climate-damaging emissions are caused by your car or van. An EV is a great way to help reduce your personal carbon footprint.

Come along to find out more on Wednesday 26 June in the Hungerford Church Street car park and adjacent Hungerford Hub and Library, 7-9pm. The car park will be filled with locally-owned EVs with their owners who will be happy to discuss their experiences.

From 7:30pm there will be presentations and a question and answer panel inside the Hub explaining the advantages and practicalities of choosing and running an EV. 

On Thursday 20 June the whole of England are called to make a stand to help improve our air quality on Clean Air Day. 

This year the Public Protection Partnership (PPP) have sent information to all the schools in the area about idling and how you can help reduce the pollution by just turning off your engine whilst in a queue or waiting to pick someone up. 

Also the primary schools have all been sent information to run an assembly relating to Air Quality too. 

Thatcham Sunday 2 June

The Repair Café is returning to Thatcham at the Frank Hutchings Community Hall, RG18 4QH, 10am - 12.30pm

Newbury Sunday 30 June

Newbury event on Sunday 30 June at the Newbury Methodist Church Hall, RG14 1AN, 2.00 - 4.30pm

At both events, the Repair Café’s skilled volunteers will be ready and waiting for items needing repair to prolong the life of an item, thus reducing waste and saving visitors money too. Repairs are free, but donations are very welcome to help fund future events. Coffee and tea are also available while you wait for a suitable repairer to become available.

The volunteers can repair electrical items such as toasters and kettles; electronic gadgets and toys; garden and household tools; clothing, textiles and soft toys, and other general repairs such as wooden items and toys. Secateurs, scissors and other blades can be sharpened and advice given on IT and mobile phone issues.  The Repair Café estimates it has prevented about 350kg of waste going to waste-processing in its first 3 events.

Your item (clean please!) for repair should be portable by one person. The Repair Cafe can’t repair microwaves, petrol-driven items and gas appliances for safety reasons.

If in doubt as to whether the item is suitable to bring for repair, please email: NewburyThatchamRepairCafe@gmail.com

Please see the Repair Café Facebook page or its entry on the International Repair Café website for further information.

Friday 28 June, 6:30-8:00pm, West Berkshire Museum 

In support of Swift Awareness Week 2024.  A talk and walk by local bird expert, Ailsa Claybourn, about these amazing birds who are disappearing from our skies, and how we can help them.

Did you know they live almost entirely aerial lives, fly up to 2 million miles in an average lifetime, sleep with only half their brain at a time and bathe by flying through rain?

After a talk inside the Museum, Ailsa will take us to see swifts and their nest sites in a walk from West Berkshire Museum, along the canal and back through Westfields.

Friday 26 July, 9:30 - 10:15pm, West Berkshire Museum. 

A walk by local bat expert James Shipman. Did you know bats can live for up to 30 years? James explains where they live, how they fly in the dark, and why they are so important and protected by law.  After a brief talk outside the Museum, James will help us to see several species that emerge at dusk nearby (weather dependent).

The meeting point for this popular walk is at the front of West Berkshire Museum.  The event starts promptly in the evening at 9.30pm.

Thames 21 Rivers Trust's PlasticBlitz is back for 2024, starting on Sunday 22 June to Sunday 7 July.   

Many people associate plastic waste as being a problem primarily affecting the marine environment. In fact, 80% of this pollution passes through our rivers and streams on its way to the sea.  PlasticBlitz is an annual event that aims to engage many community groups and Environment Agency teams to take part in a simultaneous litter pick around their local rivers.  The River Pang, Kennet and Lambourn are connected to the River Thames, and the Thames flows to the sea, so we can all help turn off the Plastic Tap!

To register a group please scan QR code or visit Thames 21 Website.  Please note, groups require public liability insurance to take part and this event is not suitable for corporate groups.

To borrow litter picking equipment please contact West Berks Council Customer Services on 01635 551111 (Subject to availability). 

Our first Birds on the Balcony event was this month, and it was a roaring success. After biscuits, a warm drink, and a vibrant talk about the birds we could see from the balcony, we ventured out and found shelter by the café. We watched Common Terns in elegant flight, colourful Pochards swimming and diving, and a Swallow darting by, reminding us that May had truly begun.

Find out more about our next event, Summer Birds – Birds on the Balcony, Friday 28 June.

We also have additional events especially for adults - including Pond Dipping, an Owl Talk and Pellet Dissection. 

Pond Dipping (for adults) Wednesday 19 June, 10:00 - 11:30am

Come and join our learning officer to investigate our pond and improve your aquatic invertebrate ID skills.  

Owl Talk and Pellet Dissection (for adults) - Thursday  11 July 6:30 - 8:30pm

Meet the owls, hear from the expert, and take part in an owl pellet dissection workshop (for adults).

We would love to welcome you to the Nature Discovery Centre 

Categories include:

• Children (ages 6–11) *
• Teens (ages 12–17) *
• Birds
• Mammals
• Butterflies and other insects
• Our nature reserves
• Urban nature *
• Taking action for nature *
• Mobile phone photography

Photos must be taken on a BBOWT nature reserve. Exceptions (*) are the children, teens, urban nature, and taking action for nature categories which can be taken anywhere in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire.