Category: Green Spaces

Their latest newsletter can be seen here

Hillingdon Council has invested £88,000 to acquire a further 30 acres of ancient semi-natural woodland in Ruislip Woods, to manage and protect for future generations to enjoy.

The council worked with Ruislip Woods Trust to acquire Copse Wood, which will become part of the council-owned Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve. The nature reserve consists of 726 acres and constitutes 10 per cent of ancient, semi-natural woodland in Greater London.

Further information at https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/article/6023/Council-protects-ancient-woodland-for-future-generations

From 1st October HOAC will be forced to close as the Centre finally succumbs to the advancing HS2 project. HOAC will continue to exist, they have the funding in place to relocate and will return. There will however be a period of time that they will be unable to operate.

Further information:  https://www.hoac.net/hoac-closure/

The Fore St Bridge Coat-of-Arms – When was it Removed? LB Hillingdon Archives have put out a call on social media here…. facebook.com/HillingdonHeritage

LGBC E-NEWSLETTER JULY 2020

Most of us are suffering from this prolonged hot and dry spell so spare a thought for the young trees our Council have planted.  We have noticed a few saplings with leaves turning brown through dehydration.

The Council does have a contractor to look after watering but as you can imagine they are quite stretched at the moment.

Can we appeal to those green-fingered residents who happen to have a young tree outside of their property to ” adopt” this tree and help to keep it alive during dry weather.  Most of these have a green hydration bag attached. If you could give these a couple of watering cans of buckets of water every few days it would be a great help.

Thank you

The Open Spaces Society held their virtual AGM on July 9th consisting of the minimum statutory business and with all voting by proxy. We saw a similar number of participants using the online voting facility as voted by post in previous years. There are a number of significant changes to the board and the draft minutes with all of the detail from the event are on our website. https://www.oss.org.uk/agm2020-2/

Thank you to all of our members who adapted with us to make our 2020 virtual AGM a success.  AGM 2020 We held our virtual AGM on July 9th consisting of the minimum statutory business and with all voting by proxy. We saw a similar number of participants using the online voting facility as voted by post in previous years. There are a number of significant changes to the board and the draft minutes with all of the detail from the event are on our website. Read the full AGM story Our Campaigning Works! One of our members, Andrew Osborne of Faversham in Kent, has played a crucial role in saving a public footpath from being deleted from Kent County Council’s definitive map of public paths Read about the challenge he faced here. Saving Open Spaces The book is currently out of print but available now to read on our website, so there is no need to miss our general secretary Kate Ashbrook’s narrative that charts the society’s activities over the years. Read at your leisure here. More than 50 supporters have subscribed to the society’s You Tube channel and over 200 have watched our new legacy video already.  If you haven’t already, click here to watch it now, we think you are in for a treat. Find out how to show your support on You Tube Covid-19 We continue to post Welsh and English government updates here on our website. To stay safe, stay legal and stay informed refer to this page regularly as the guidance changes frequently. Stay informed about the outdoors. Supporting the work of the Open Spaces Society We couldn’t keep fighting to protect commons, greens, open spaces and public paths without our members. We rely on member subscriptions to fund our work and provide a mandate for action.Many thanks for your continuing support. Tell me more about gifting membership P.S. A member from the Midlands told us recently, ‘you are part of a noble effort to preserve the heritage of our divine British countryside’. What do we fight for?  |  Can we help you?  |  What can you do?  |  Need to know more? Our mailing address is: Open Spaces Society 25a Bell Street Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 2BA United KingdomAdd us to your address book

Following many messages from residents, Cllr. Puddifoot has announced that the Lido Beach will be closed, once again, from Monday 1st June.

No date, or criteria for any future re-opening, have, as yet been confirmed.

The latest Green Belt Newsletter is attached here:  LGBC E-NEWSLETTER MAY 2020

It is a very busy time at the moment for our feathered friends. Watching house sparrows and starlings visit their nests under the eaves of my roof has become one of my favourite pastimes. Constantly flying in and out, to feed their chicks; do they ever rest?

The best part is when you spot a fluffy baby bird, just about to fledge. I consider myself very fortunate to have them here, since both birds are red-listed as a species of high conservation concern.

The UK house sparrow (the other species of sparrow in the UK is the tree sparrow), has declined by around 70% from 1977 to 2008.

It’s not all bad news though – more recent surveys suggest that numbers are once again on the increase in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In terms of identification, male house sparrows look a little smarter than the females, with their black bibs and white cheeks.

As for the starling, research shows a decrease in numbers by about 66% from the mid seventies. In the summer, their glossy black plumage shimmers with a purplish-green wash. They also have yellow beaks. In winter their plumage is spotted with beige.

Starlings are known for murmurations – when large numbers of starlings flock together – diving and swooping, forming immense patterns in the sky.

Today, the best places to see murmurations are in more rural areas such as Middleton Moor- Derbyshire, Brighton’s derelict west pier and Gretna Green in Scotland.

Have you got sparrows or starlings in your garden or street?

Indoors Activity

Why not join in with the RSPB bird watching challenge – https://www.rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/for-families/family-wild-challenge/activities/go-birdwatching/.

Outdoors Activity

Or, make a home for starlings – https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/give-nature-a-home-in-your-garden/garden-activities/createacosystarlinghome/

Diana Williams, local resident who helps with ‘Classroon in the Woods’