Some of you might be interested in the Perks for Paras Scheme being run. It has been set up to send care packages to Paras serving in Afghanistan. If your interested in participating please contact
Tel: 01728 452210
E-mail: ginny.besly@virgin.net
The parcels should weigh no more than 2kg and are sent free via BFPO. More details can be obtained from Ginny, but suggestions for content are: Longlife cake such as fruitcake or gingerbread (specially if it's homemade), biscuits, anything in a plastic tube, vacuum pack or tin to supplement basic rations, anything to cheer up boring food such as dried herbs and spicy sauces, stock cubes, teabags for hard water, condensed milk, processed cheese, cheese straws, twiglets, fish paste, honey, chutney, dried fruit and nuts, cereal bars, boiled sweets, chewing gum, magazines (Nuts, Zoo and FHM are apparently the most popular), paperback books, books of puzzles, candles, lip salve, shower gel, moisturiser, wet wipes, medicated talc, cotton socks.
Friends of St. Michael's
Beautiful Brantham Photographic Competition
First Prize: Digital Camera (Generously donated by Braiswick Photographic)
The best 12 pictures to be printed as the Beautiful Brantham Calendar 2009(publication November 2008)
Entry Fee: £1 per picture.
Each print to be a min. 6" x 8", mounted, and with an optional title.
(Name etc. to be placed on the back. Labels supplied on entry)
Please submit at St. Michael's Church 9.00-10.00 am.
Saturday 27 September
Exhibition from 2.00 pm- 4.00 pm
Everyone welcome. Teas and Raffle.
Enquiries to Richard Lewis 393127
All proceeds in aid of Friends of St. Michael's
Grants available from Sustainable Development Fund For the fourth year running, the Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Project are offering grants to community groups and organisations promoting and achieving sustainable development in the Dedham Vale (AONB). "The Sustainable Development Fund is an excellent pump-priming resource for projects that might not otherwise see the light of day," said Katherine Blake, Project Manager. "We're particularly keen to discuss ideas with people at an early stage, and help them through the application process."
Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, for projects that can run until the end of March 2009, up to a total of £60,000. The first meeting of the Fund panel is in mid-August. Previous projects funded by the Dedham Vale AONB Sustainable Development Fund include the Village Green Team's Say No to Plastic Bags campaign, East Feast, and poplar felling to restore the views across the Dedham Vale.
The Sustainable Development Fund was established by the government in 2005 as a way of enabling Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to support sustainable development initiatives by local communities and organisations. The 1987 Brundtland Report defined sustainable development as 'meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.' Projects submitted should have beneficial impacts on the environment, the local economy, and the local community.
For more information please contact the Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Project on 01473 264263.
Tim Yeo, MP for South Suffolk, took a leaf out of the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Stour Valley Project's tree when he launched the Ancient Tree Hunt at the Hadleigh Show on Saturday 17th May.
The Project is looking for help in identifying ancient trees in the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. "There are hundreds of ancient trees in the Dedham Vale - but we don't know where they are," says Emma Black, Community Officer for the Project. "They are part of our heritage, and like ancient buildings, need our protection. We want to measure and record them, and we welcome help from the public in locating them."
Tim Yeo said," As a long-standing environmentalist who has campaigned on behalf of many local initiatives, I am pleased to be supporting this search for ancient trees which are so much part of the Dedham Vale landscape."
The Ancient Tree Hunt is a national project led by the Woodland Trust in partnership with the Ancient Tree Forum and the Tree Register of the British Isles. They have already recorded 15,710 trees, of which 1,400 have been verified as ancient. Ancient trees can live up to 5,000 years, and the UK has more ancient trees than any other country in northern Europe.
DEER AND ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
You're driving along a familiar road, it's a pitch black night and raining, suddenly a large animal runs in front of your path, what do you do? This happened to me twice in one week last December on the A137 near the Orwell Bridge end. In my case I braked and fortunately missed the animal concerned which was a deer but a lot of motorists are not so fortunate. It has become more and more common to see dead deer lying on the grass verge of the A137 and after hearing of three such incidents in one weekend in May, I decided to do some research. Suffolk Wildlife gave me the telephone number of Dave Hooton at the Deer Initiative.
A project that has been set up is the Deer Collisions project, I believe this started in 2003 and in East Anglia focuses on hotspots. DEFRA estimates there may be up to 74,000 vehicle collisions involving deer annually in the UK. This study works with the Highways Agency , the Scottish Executive, the Woodland trust, the National Forest Company and the Deer Study and Resource Centre and has been funded to set up a national system for recording information on deer related road traffic accidents . Not only do they monitor road collisions, but also trial ways of discouraging deer on the roads. They also advise the Highways Agency when new roads are built.
Dave Hooton said that deer numbers have increased because the conditions have been right and the food has been good. The times of the year when there is likely to be more deer movement are May, when the young leave their mothers, and October, November and December when the stags are rutting. The times when they are most likely to move are sunset to just after sunrise.
So what is the advice is given to road users: Do take note of wild animal warning signs, Note the times and months of the year when they are more likely to venture on roads, Be aware that further deer may well cross after the ones you have noticed, after dark, do use full beams when there is no opposing traffic. The headlight beam will illuminate the eyes of deer on or near a roadside and provide greater driver reaction time BUT when a deer or other animal is noted on the road dim your headlights as they may freeze. Don't over swerve to avoid hitting a deer but if it means hitting the animal try to maintain control of your vehicle. Only brake sharply and stop if there is no danger of being hit by following traffic. Report injured deer to the police. Suffolk Police has a scheme in place for dealing with injured deer on our roads. Not only will the animal be suffering but a large wild animal on the road is likely to pose a danger to road users.
Be aware that a deer is a large wild animal and if injured could hurt you. You can report any deer accidents on the website of the deer initiative, there is a special form.
n.b. Dave Hooton is always willing to give talks to groups and on radio. If anyone is interested I have his telephone number.
Sue Grant
01206 394289
