NAILSEA
PEOPLE
Green peeps
Nailsea and District Horticultural Society, other environmentally-friendly 'green' groups, litter picking and fly-tipping and news about action on climate change all on this page...
2023
Saturday, March 4
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10am Nailsea Community Litter Heroes meet at 26 Somerset Square, Nailsea to collect rubbish bags, gloves and other gear. The February clean sweep was supported by members of the Rotary Club of Nailsea & Backwell, pictured
How green is my doctor's surgery?
In light of the climate crisis, employees across Tyntesfield Medical Group have come together to form a voluntary green team who communicate through virtual meetings.
Green team members have started initiatives like energy analysis, soft plastic recycling, cycling for home visits, and advertising how to recycle medication.
The next planned steps are to recycle inhalers, trial plant-based milk as an option for staff, and to swap their cleaning products to '0' waste alternatives.
Volunteers at each site take the plastics to their local participating supermarket for recycling.
The green team encourage you to do the same at home - put your food wrappers and crisp packets in a separate clear bin bag, and when it’s full, take them to a supermarket to prevent them from adding to landfill.
In Nailsea 26 Somerset Square has lots of recycling bins.
They even collect old mobile phones and tablets for recycling? Any condition. Simply drop them in Monday to Saturday 10am-12.30pm.
Unfortunately blister packs can no longer be recycled.
Here is the latest list we have:
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glasses (not cases)
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contact lenses and packaging
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pens
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felt tips
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highlighters
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correcting fluid
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BRITA water filters
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plastic toothbrushes
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toothpaste tubes
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Pringle tubes
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British and foreign stamps
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foreign coins (and notes) including obsolete currency
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old and broken jewellery.
Backwell Recycling Centre was saved from closure after North Somerset Council did a rethink following huge public protest on social media
PHOTO: From left at Tower House Medical Centre, Nailsea, are Dr Ed Mann, Kiara Jones and Dr Ed Griffiths, with two weeks of soft plastic recycling from one of the four sites.
Nailsea residents will soon be able to identify where their homes are losing heat so they can act to help the environment and reduce their energy bills.
The town council has invested £1,720 in a thermal imaging camera from Amazon to help residents reduce carbon emission from their homes.
The camera was a suggestion from residents following the Ask Nailsea consultation and was approved at the last town council meeting.
The council will be working with Nailsea Climate Action Group to help people in the community.
Town clerk Jo Duffy said: “Residents will be able to book an appointment for a group member to attend their property with the thermal imaging camera, which will show where heat loss is occurring.
“Anyone with a property identified with significant heat loss will then be given advice on changes they can make to help reduce the leakage and signposting will direct them to organisations that can help - including where they can apply for energy grants.”
Nailsea Town Council has been actively working on ways to reduce the town’s carbon footprint since 2019.
Mrs Duffy added: “Nailsea can reduce its emissions considerably if businesses, local organisations, residents and the town council all work to reduce their own emissions as well as coming together to look at collective ways we can do this.”
The camera has been purchased using some of the £50,000 put aside for smaller projects from Engine Lane Capital Receipts.
The heat is on
Improving our green access spaces costs
Improvements have been carried out to a shared bridleway in Nailsea to make is a safer for its users.
Work has been carried out to the Golden Valley Bridleway, which leads from Nailsea Park to Trendlewood Way.
The work, funded and organised by Nailsea Town Council, cost £1,485.60 and includes the filling in of pot holes and other surface repairs.
Five new posts have also been installed and new ‘shared bridleway’ signage has been put in place. It is hoped the new signage reminding users that the pathway is used by pedestrians, horse riders, runners and dog walkers, will help to make it a more pleasant space for all.
The path leads to Golden Valley Vets and it used by parents and children on route to Golden Valley Primary School.
Nailsea Town Council has also allotted £1,500 for the regeneration of Spilsbury Wood which had overgrowth problems. The council owns an acre of the Tickenham Ridge land.
The woodland is home to lots of local wildlife, and although no established setts there is evidence of visiting badgers.
Sadly, the effects of ash dieback has claimed many of the trees within the wood.
However, this has provided us with an opportunity to replant the area with mixed native species to complement the existing young hazel, yew, beech, sycamore, and spindle that are doing well there.
Any trees that are felled will be left as deadwood habitats.
GROUND ZERO: Bristol Airport Action Network is staging at rally on Saturday, February 4, from noon on College Green. A BAAN spokesman said: "Time to come together to show our support for people and planet and call for coherent planning laws that at the moment are out-dated in allowing a major carbon emitter like Bristol Airport."
2nd town green bid by council
Nailsea Town Council is urging residents to help it secure town green status for two pieces of land known as Trendlewood Community Park.
The land, on the west side of Trendlewood Way, either side of the road near the Farmhouse pub and restaurant, was sold by a London auction house earlier this year.
Despite Nailsea People applying to the Land Registry for the name of the purchaser it is still unknown and believed to be back on the market.
It is currently listed by McHugh & Co as Lot 140 to be auctioned on Thursday, December 8.
More details here https://www.onthemarket.com/details/12591155/.
Since the first freehold sale North Somerset Council has put a blanket TPO on all trees in the park.
Town clerk, Jo Duffy, said: “This area of land is extremely popular with members of the local community for all sorts of activities ranging from dog walking and running to picnicking and bird watching, with plenty in between - not to mention the community events that take place there.
"Nailsea Town Council wants it to remain available to the community and does not want to see the land developed, therefore it plans to submit a town green application to protect it.”
Town greens receive a considerable amount of protection under law and it is a criminal offence to undertake any act which interrupts the use of the area for exercise and recreation.
To enable the land to be registered as a Town Green, the council must prove it has been in use by the community for sports and pastimes for at least 20 years.
Jo added: “We need residents to demonstrate their support for the protection of this land and ask them to complete evidence forms to prove it has been in use by the community for more than 20 years “as of right”, without force, secrecy or permission.
"We need to act quickly to protect this land from any possible development, as if the new landowner submits a planning application before our application is processed our bid for it to become a Town Green will fail.”
Residents of all ages are invited to complete an evidence form, not just one per family but one for each family member who used to or still uses the park.
Evidence forms are available from No65 High Street, the Tithe Barn, or
TOWN GREEN: Gully off Trendlewood is a popular open space
downloaded from the town council website https://www.nailseatown.com/trendlewood-park-town-green-application
Photos taken of people enjoying Trendlewood Park, proving it has been used for 20 + years without exclusion, are also needed.
Time is of the essence so completed forms need to be returned to the council before Friday, December 23.
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An application in April 2022 to make the green slope between Nailsea and Backwell at The Perrings a 'town green' still hasn't been resolved after an objection by the land owners Persimmon. The site has been used as an open space since the development at The Perrings was built more than 40 years ago and the footpath is a shortcut to the railway station.
Has the rot set in?
Decaying wood and damp conditions has caused fungus to grow at the base of the sculpture on Nailsea village green.
Photographer Wendy Derrick spotted the mushroom like growth while out shopping on Saturday afternoon.
Sadly it is an indication of rot.
The towering oak tree which was a feature of Nailsea since the late 1800s was transformed into a new piece of art for the town in the summer of 2021.
Chainsaw sculptor Andy O’Neill created the woodland creatures’ artwork.
The oak tree on the village green on the High Street since 1897 had died and had to be removed.
Commissioned by Nailsea Town Council environment and leisure committee and allotted a budget of £2,500 work began on the project initiated by the then newly elected council vice-chairman Emily Miller in May last year.
Nailsea People Facebook reader Steve Lewis said: "I understand that fungi thrive on oaks in warm, humid conditions.
"Perhaps this particular fungal affliction could be treated with a proprietary fungicide and the sculpture also stabilised through installation of some form of discrete supporting structure, what say you Nailsea Town Council?"
And Mick Graham said: "I'm sure it can be saved - if Nailsea Town Council do something about it with an uncommon haste."
But Sally Nailsea said: "It was there last year too, it’s called nature, it does what it does."
Frederic Le Francais said: "Truffles, exciting news."
Pat Parle took the photo of similar fungus growing at the base of a tree on the Tyntesfield estate, thanks.
Read the story of the sculpture here https://www.nailseapeople.com/mighty-oak.
Where have all the trees gone
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
BEFORE
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AFTER
AFTER
Nailsea trees are disappearing at an alarming rate.
The re-wilding at Nailsea Park failed, the bungalow on the corner of Lodge Lane due for demolition has become an area of deforestation and diseased ash trees on the sheltered housing complex Bucklands Place have been cut down.
Resident Roger Smallshaw, of Redwood Close, said: “I'm afraid as far as Nailsea is concerned the rewilding is a fiasco as well as a total disaster.
“The disastrous failure rate of the ‘twiglets’ was because they were re-planted too young and small to expect survival without regular maintenance, attention and nurture, none of which happened.”
There are no saplings left on the open area - see photos.
Bucklands House manager Anne Scovell Hewetson said: “Following a tree survey, most of our ash trees will have to come down unfortunately due to ash dieback – a fungus called hymenoscyphus fraxineus.
“Some had to come down as a matter of urgency due to the proximity to footpaths and road crossing with regards to health and safety to the public.
“My homeowners have been quite upset at the removal of said trees and if anything, I am sure they would rather look out at trees rather than a road or roundabout.”
The property at the junction of Trendlewood Way and Lodge Lane is due to be replaced with two new detached homes.
Previously because of the foliage - see Google map image above - the bungalow wasn't visible from the road.
And after 100 years the mighty oak had to be cut on the village green and turned into a street art wildlife sculpture due to rot.
Unfortunately decaying wood and damp conditions has caused a black fungus to grow around the base of the sculpture on Nailsea village green.
Nailsea Town Council biannual tree survey is due to take place this month to look at the health of all trees growing on council land and advise on any remedial work needed.
North Somerset Council has successfully bid for £150,000 in funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund (WCAF). This will be used to plant 31,000 more trees across the area by December 2025, in addition to trees for privately owned woodland.
In the past couple of years, the council has planted 30,000 young trees across the area as part of its commitment to rewilding and tackling the climate emergency.
The new trees will contribute to the council's wider aim, as set out in its Green Infrastructure Strategy, to increase canopy cover across the area to help mitigate the effects of climate change.
This will also address some of the expected tree loss due to Ash Dieback disease.
The funding will support the creation of two new roles – Wildlife and Woodland Expansion Officers – dedicated to increasing tree planting capacity.
Once in post, the new team will help the council to deliver the planting of:
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20,000 new trees on public land,
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10,000 additional trees to aid natural flood management, and
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1,000 additional new trees alongside urban roads.
In addition, the team will work with private landowners to encourage them to plant trees on land they own.
The council estimates that an additional 40-60 hectares of woodland could be planted on private land alone.
The Defra fund is designed to provide financial support to accelerate the delivery of tree planting and woodland creation commitments.
North Somerset Council executive member for neighbourhoods and community services Mike Solomon is the Independent ward councillor for Hutton and Locking
He said: “We’re working hard to address the climate and nature emergency.
"I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the officers involved in securing this funding, which provides us with an opportunity to significantly boost our tree planting programme and expand on the success of our rewilding programme.
"This is key to delivering our ambitious Green Infrastructure Strategy.
“An important part of this will be the work we do with help from private landowners.
"This will be at locations we’ve highlighted where tree planting would improve quality of life, woodland connectivity, and flood risk alleviation.
"Our two new officers will be out talking to people from the summer and I urge anyone approached to do all they can to work with us on this.”
North Somerset Council executive member responsible for climate emergency Bridget Petty is the Green Party councillors for Backwell.
She said: “Tackling the climate and ecological emergencies is a key priority for the council.
"It’s vital not just in the longterm, but also important in the health, wellbeing and safety of our residents in the short term.
“Increasing the number of trees planted across North Somerset will help to make the area more resilient by purifying air, cooling our towns, combatting flooding, and all while enhancing the wellbeing of our residents and visitors.
“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to secure dedicated funds to help us make North Somerset greener and healthier.
"This is a real step forward in our ongoing work to tackle the climate emergency.”
Forestry Commission south west director James Fry said: “Trees make our local areas healthier and more pleasant places to be, helping to moderate temperatures, reduce pollution, decrease flood risk and improve people’s quality of life.
“Local Authorities, such as North Somerset Council, are uniquely placed to deliver the Government’s tree planting ambitions and we are proud to provide funding to support the trees the council will plant.”
To read more about the council’s strategy for tackling the climate emergency, visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/climatechange. More information about the council’s Green Infrastructure Strategy can be found on its website at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/greeninfrastructurestrategy.
31,000 more trees coming
Three years on, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 500 trees are being planted in public open spaces across North Somerset as memorial spaces for those who died.
The trees will all be planted in March at seven locations including Nailsea.
Every tree is a young specimen of a species native to the UK, with varieties including birch, oak, hornbeam, field maple, rowan, hazel, dogwood, crab apple and alder.
Each chosen space will have over 70 trees planted and include a sign to signify those who were lost during the pandemic.
It's hoped that the spaces may provide contemplative spaces for people to visit and remember those they've lost.
North Somerset Council deputy leader and the executive member for health Mike Bell is the Liberal Democrat ward councillor for Weston-super-Mare Central.
He said: "We felt it was important to do something to act as a lasting tribute to the people we lost during the pandemic.
“We felt that a living tribute and a series of contemplative spaces would be appropriate.
"There is tremendous power in nature, and we hope that people will find comfort and peace in these spaces.
“Some people will have lost loved ones, and everyone will have been affected in some way by their experiences during the pandemic.
“We hope that over the years our communities will get to see the trees mature and become part of the local landscape - a living memory to those we’ve lost.
"The pandemic was an incredibly challenging time for all our communities for many different reasons.
In memoriam: Pandemic planting
"As well as those we lost, people were isolated from friends and family, some worked under very difficult conditions, others were unable to work at all.
“Everyone was touched by it, and we saw the power of community spirit at its best.
"We hope that people will use these spaces to remember, to reflect and to benefit from the restorative power of nature."
However, sadly all the tree on Nailsea Park planted as part of the re-wilding scheme died due to lack of maintenance and vandalism.
The Woodland Trust' is offering free trees scheme for schools and community groups across the south west of England.
This is a chance to get saplings without charge and help to fight the climate and nature crisis.
A remarkable five million free trees planted across the United Kingdom since 2020 – by taking advantage of its latest tree-pack giveaway.
Applications for the charity’s ever-popular free tree-packs scheme are open now and schools and community groups are needed to push up the numbers of trees planted by 800,000 to reach a whopping five million.
Woodland Trust senior project lead Vicki Baddeley said: “We’re so proud of the numbers of free trees we’ve been able to give away, knowing they’ll be planted where they can really make a difference – in school grounds and out in the community.
“We’re in the grip of a climate and nature crisis which can’t be overcome without concerted action, so I’d urge every school or community group who can, to get involved and plant more trees!
“Applying is easy and all saplings are fully funded for those receiving the trees in our autumn delivery in November. All you need is time and a small piece of land to plant on.”
The last round of the Trust’s free tree-packs scheme in the spring of 2023 delivered a total of 540,630 saplings to 3,272 organisations across the UK, including 54,255 trees to 320 schools and community groups in the south west of England:
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Bristol – 3,495 trees to 29 organisations
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Cornwall – 10,065 trees to 62 organisations
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Devon – 13,500 trees to 81 organisations
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Gloucestershire – 4,785 trees to 36 organisations
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Somerset – 13,740 trees to 71 organisations
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Wiltshire – 8,670 trees to 41 organisations.
Free trees
Trees are one of our strongest defences against the climate and nature crisis.
Evidence shows they combat the devastating effects of flooding, pollution and extreme weather and temperatures.
They are the ultimate carbon stores.
They are essential havens for wildlife and people. And they make the planet a healthier, happier place for everyone.
The Woodland Trust is committed to planting another 50 million native trees across the UK by 2030 and is urging people to get behind our mission to plant more trees and help us create a greener world.
Vicki Baddeley added: “In just a few years, your trees will have grown big enough to lock away carbon and be a thriving habitat for wildlife.
"They’ll offer free shade and shelter and help make the community space or playground, and the people who have access to it, happier and healthier.
“It would be incredible if we can reach a total of five million since 2020 this year – what an achievement and contribution that would be.
"There’s no time like the present, so sign up and take advantage of the scheme.”
The Woodland Trust’s tree packs have been generously funded by lead partners Sainsbury's, Lloyds Bank, OVO Energy, Bank of Scotland and Sofology.
The UK’s largest woodland conservation charity has given away 13.9m trees since 2010.
"And if schools and communities can rise to the challenge and claim 800,000 saplings in the current round, that figure will be approaching a staggering 15m, an average of more than 1m every year.
SPRING SHOW: Nailsea Horticultural Society spring show traditionally a host of daffodils of many different hues is on Saturday, April 1, at Nailsea School. Doors open to the pubic from noon-5pm. There are nearly 200 classes and many trophies to be won. The golden daffodil featured was taken by Backwell photographer Cynthia Miller. To download the schedule with entry form click HERE