There are still a few temporary jobs available to work on the elections. We need staff to work at polling stations, at the count and also opening postal votes. These are paid temporary jobs. Details of the sorts of roles and how to apply are available on our website.
Our pollinator patches are back this year. Over the next few months, you will see them again on Stourport Road near the fire station, a section of the central reservation near the bus depot in Kidderminster, a piece of the verge along Dunley Road in Stourport and the small park at Lingfield Crescent in Bewdley. The beds will contain a wide variety of wild flowers and grasses to attract all sorts of insects, bees and butterflies.
This is the second year of the trial which was planned in partnership with the Butterfly Conservation Trust and Friends of the Earth. These special areas will be clearly marked. They will be monitored to record the species they attract and impact they have. For the patches to thrive they only need to be cut once a year and this will be in the late summer/early autumn.
Wild verges
We are also aiming to increase the habitats available for pollinators by leaving some verges to flower. We are not seeding these areas but encouraging our locally native flora to thrive by changing the mowing regime. This will only be on verges where it is safe to leave them to grow longer. We will be letting them die back naturally too. This allows the insect species that have used the verges for reproduction to complete their life cycles and prepare for winter. It also means flowers and grasses can seed. Cutting them any earlier would cause more harm than good.
SustFest Wyre Forest is back at the end of the month, celebrating all things “greener, happier and healthier”. The two week-long event showcases organisations and businesses that support sustainability. If you would like to get involved and find out more about what you can do follow SustFest Wyre Forest on Facebook. It runs from Saturday 29 April to Sunday 14 May.
Each Wednesday we send out a job bulletin featuring all our latest vacancies. It’s easy to subscribe to this and all our other newsletters by visiting the subscribe page on our website.
There is not long left to take part in the Bewdley Housing Needs Survey. It is for people who live or who have lived in the town. The survey is to help us get a better understanding of housing needs. It closes at 5pm on Wednesday 12 April.
The Big Help Out is a unique initiative which is part of the King’s Coronation. It starts on Monday 8 May and is a chance for everybody to experience volunteering. You can find out more about opportunities in our area by visiting the Big Help Out website and downloading the app. Organisations and businesses can also visit the site to register opportunities and show their support.
If you have a cat, is it microchipped? New rules are coming into force from Saturday 10 June. They mean cats must be implanted with a microchip before they reach the age of 20 weeks and their contact details stored and kept up to date in a pet microchipping database. Owners found not to have microchipped their cat will have 21 days to have one implanted or may face a fine of up to £500.
If you are looking for something to do with the children during the Easter holidays, there are craft activities running on weekdays at the museum. They can have fun with lots of Easter and Coronation themed makes. There is no need to book. Sessions cost £6 per activity per child. Children must by supervised by a parent or carer at all times.
A wonderful collection of lino prints and etchings inspired by the natural environment will be on display in the Wyre Forest Gallery. The exhibition by printmaker Pauline Meade is running from Saturday 22 April until Sunday 21 May.
Coronation Fun
The museum will be joining in the Coronation celebrations. On Bank Holiday Monday – 8 May, there will be music in the gardens, thanks to Bewdley Concert Band, between 1pm and 3.45pm. Children’s entertainer, Andrew Healey will also be on site.
