Category Archives: News

• ESC published yesterday a new planning Environmental Guidance Note Environment Guidance Note » East Suffolk Council setting out the council’s vision for future developments and offering guidance to developers, renovators, home improvers etc on positive actions for inclusion in projects to minimise the impact on the environment. Whilst it is advisory and non-binding, it provides developers and communities direction on the sorts of things the council would prefer to see and can be used/referred to in the course of informing the design of new developments, renovation of existing buildings, design and access statements, Neighbourhood Plans, comments made on planning applications, and general household maintenance.

• Across Suffolk, 13 different beach clean events took place during Great British Beach Clean. With the help of 85 fantastic volunteers supported by the Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB team, 1,400 metres of Suffolk’s beaches were surveyed by the volunteers who removed 31 bags of litter: Great British Beach Clean results – Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB

• The Suffolk Climate Change Partnership is currently partway through a series of workshops consulting a range of stakeholders in the course of the development of the Suffolk Climate Emergency Plan. As the workshops take place recordings are being made available here: Pledge to climate emergency declaration | Suffolk County Council  along with a summary of the wider context for this work. Feedback from the workshops will be used to guide the drafting of the Suffolk Climate Emergency Plan. If you would like to provide feedback on any of the themes, please download a comment form from the weblink above, complete and return to david.walton@suffolk.gov.uk.

Below is our report for this meeting. We would also like to discuss what ideas people would like to see in an action plan to help us become zero carbon by 2030. Don’t forget, our AGM meeting Friday 20th November 7pm, find out how to join us here.

AGM Secretaries’ Report 2020

We successfully planted and put protection round 17 fruit trees in Fen Meadow, Hall Farm Road, St. Andrews Place and Through Duncans over the winter.  Fen Meadow literally just before the March lockdown!  Thanks to everyone who helped plant and who is helping water and maintain the trees.  This is crucial for their survival.

We took the most money ever at our Christmas stall at the Christmas Fair.  We planned our annual Springclean in Melton and Woodbridge and were able to carry out 5 of the 7 litterpicks before the lockdown in March.

We created wildflower verges at Lime Kiln Quay and behind the swimming pool, encouraging local biodiversity, as well as plug planting at Hillyfields and the triangle at Through Duncans.  We’re talking to East Suffolk Council (“ESC”) about mowing rotas in these areas and are encouraging their “Pardon the weeds, we’re feeding the bees” project using the design borrowed from Corby Town Council.  We’re encouraging ESC to allow more wildflower verges and drawing attention to the need for wildflowers to help pollinators.

We recycled 2 old dinghies from Woodbridge Boatyard and planted them up outside the Longshed.  Deben Rotary funded the plants.

We continued to do surveys for our Wildlife Corridors programme helping to green vein the town alongside the efforts of Woodbridge Town Council in their parks and open spaces.  We continue to actively participate in the Climate Emergency Committee meetings producing a survey of hedges on Town Council land and details of our existing fruit trees already planted.  Ideas from the Transition Network webinars have also been passed on to the Town Council.

Covid-19 put paid to the Repair Cafe that we had been collaborating on with St Johns Church….we are still looking for ways to open up again safely.  Likewise our talks, films, and other social events such as litterpicking on the Deben.   Undeterred we set about making and distributing over 1,500 face masks, scrubs, visors, babies hats/mitts/jackets for Ipswich Hospital, the local care homes and Little St Johns Street Surgery with the help of Bev (https://www.bevsecoproducts.co.uk/), Gary and Linda (www.evdriver.co.uk).   We had a couple of seed and plant swaps as well during April lockdown.

August through to November saw some fruit harvesting for local food banks.  And October saw the start of our fruit tree maintenance as well as, we hope, planting at Orchard Close and Hall Farm Close this winter.  We advised the Management Committee of the Burness Rooms to plant up fruit trees and mount swift boxes.  Various members helped plant up the Woodbridge Library beds for the summer and have since help plant up for the winter.  On Market Day in October half-term a small team helped children plant acorns in pots and hopefully the resulting trees will be planted in 2-3 years’ time in Parklands Wood, Ufford.

Our fantastic communications team:  Jessica, Hilary, Ellie, Chris: are helping keep the public and our followers up to date in the press, freebies, Facebook, website, and Twitter.  We’ve had some brilliant poster designs from Sarah, Eva and more recently for our acorn planting event from Charlotte N and Dan.  And Jane was awarded the Woodbridge Potter Cup which is for an individual or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to the life or name of Woodbridge in the preceeding twelve months.

2019/20 has limited some of our activities but we have had considerable achievements and fun!  Hope all your lives have been enriched by our activities because we couldn’t do it without you!

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE (and pat yourself on the back as we’re socially distancing)!