SENS newsletter: April 2023
Have you seen our new poster? Please feel free to share far and wide!
If there’s anything you’d like added to the website, have items for the next newsletter, or you’d like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you!
Upcoming dates
– Volunteers needed for a ‘big cheque’ handover from Kendal Town Council to CRKC. Meet at 12pm on Wednesday 26th April and let ecarole.wood@hotmail.com know if you’ll be joining us.
– CRKC Planning Group meeting. Wednesday 19 April, 5 – 7 pm, Staveley Institute.
– Damson Orchard work party, Saturday 20th May, 10 am – 12 pm.
To keep up-to-date with events, there is now a calendar on the website homepage.
Contents
1. Coppicing day at Dorothy Farrer’s wood
2. Jack’s Corner refresh
3. Another successful apple grafting workshop
4. Repair Café returns
5. Community Ebikes update
6. Staveley School and the Green Place
7. River litter pick and other CRKC updates
8. Other items and partner news
9. Donate to our cause – support SENS!
1. Coppicing day at Dorothy Farrer’s wood
Cumbria Wildlife Trust hosted a coppicing day at Dorothy Farrer’s Woods and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. If you’re interested in Staveley conservation days in, see their website for upcoming dates.
2. Jack’s Corner Refresh
Have you noticed Jack’s Corner has had a refresh? The main planters received some fresh compost that was bought with our Community Lottery funding, and re-planted. Thanks to all involved for helping prepare this wonderful village asset for Spring.
3. Another Successful Apple Grafting Workshop
Our latest apple grafting session was a hit being fully booked with 20 enthusiastic attendees. We were introduced to the history of apple grafting and then given the ‘how-to’ of grafting apple trees. Andy, the instructor from South Lakes Orchard Group, then lets us all get on with it but was circulating to answer the inevitable questions that arose. He brought a huge variety of scions, root stocks and tools to do the job. There were even refreshments on a help-yourself basis during the practical stuff.
Overall the workshop was very well received and a worthwhile activity. We hope to hold another next year!
4. Repair Café Returns
We held another successful repair cafe at the end of March which, as always, was a hit. If you’ve got something that needs sewing or an electrical item on the blink, our fantastic fixers are on hand to complete those odd jobs. New volunteers would be most welcome, anyone who can fix stuff, please do get in touch. We hope to see you at the next one.
5. Community Ebikes – update
Our Spring into Spring 2-4-1 Membership offer is available now until the 30th of April. To obtain this offer, you and a friend or family member must sign up together to any of the 3 subscriptions on our website. You will then receive a refund for one of the memberships.
Thanks to everyone who completed our recent surveys. The feedback has been very useful and we are going to review our subscription rates on the basis of comments. Watch this space for a new series of summer membership rates!
We now have brand new panniers available to use on Reston (the ebike) for carrying your shopping and kit, thanks to the Together for our Planet Community Lottery fund. Find out more and sign up here.
Reston made an appearance at a few coffee mornings in March (for the Abbey and the WI). If you would like to book an ebike try-out for free for a local event / meeting please contact: hello@communityebikes.org
We were also at the Easter Egg hunt. A fun day and some good conversations at Jack’s Corner!
6. Staveley School Green Places project – video and training resources
Take a look at the video showcasing work from the school, and the end of project Toolkit. This is full of activity ideas on the project themes around green spaces: community and heritage/legacy, sharing and reflection activities, case Studies, and additional resources/sources of support.
7. River Litter Pick and other CRKC news
Next CRKC Planning Group meeting
Wednesday 19 April, 5.00-7.00 pm, in Staveley Institute. All welcome.
Volunteers please!
Volunteers wanted to be part of a photo line up for a ‘big cheque’ handover from Kendal Town Council: We’ll meet at 12pm on Wednesday 26th April at the new bridge next to Gooseholme park. It shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes to collect some photos to publicise their donation to CRKC. If you’re coming, please let ecarole.wood@hotmail.com know.
Are you a creative in need of a film idea?
Fancy making a film / video about the River Kent? Any creative productions would be welcome to help publicise the river and our campaign! Know a college student looking for a media project? Put them in touch!
Are you a fundraising extraordinaire with time to spare?
Fancy helping with fundraising – There’s a new potential funding source out that will match donations made – Save Our Wild Isles. If anyone is interested and has the skills to set this up we’d love to hear from you!
The litter pick on Sunday 2nd April, which involved walkers and boaters, proved really popular and even got a whole page in the Westmorland Gazette!
Thanks to everyone who took part, provided refreshments, offered lifts, took photos, organised the litter picking equipment etc. An amazing amount of litter was collected from the river and along either side of the river between Staveley and Burneside. Thank you to the council for the loan of the litter pickers and bags, to British Canoeing for the sponsorship to put on the event and to our ‘river’ partners – Lakeland Canoe Club, Save our Rivers, Trash Free Trails and Kent (Westmorland) Anglers for supporting too.
Publicity
Many thanks to Nicola and Phillip for offering their amazing photos of the river Kent for CRKC to use for free. Watch out for their pix in forthcoming publicity!
We have a new leaflet – please download and print and share as you wish.
Campaigning:
Sheila Adam was recently on BBC Radio Cumbria regarding the recent rejection of our bathing status application by DEFRA. Listen here from 3:06:17 – 3:16:00.
DEFRA has rejected our application, apparently because of small numbers bathing. This will impact on upland river sites more widely. DEFRA are about to issue revised guidance, and we are asking about timing and the arrangements for consultation. We will then link with other river groups to discuss our response.
EA published data on storm overflows on 31 March. UU does badly, and Staveley has one of the highest spill rates across England. We are analysing the data – watch this space.
Outcomes of fish kill inquiry: Pursued with Tim Farron MP – we’re still waiting for an outcome of the inquiry by the Environment Agency 2 years on.
Meetings:
This month we met with Sedgwick Parish Council to discuss their interest in the campaign.
8. Other items and partner news
– Access to the Damson Orchard – polite notice: Access to the Damson Orchard is only granted on pre-arranged, SENS work party days. The land and the field around the orchard is privately owned and not a part of the designated right of way to upper Elf Howe. We would appreciate the community’s cooperation in recognising that the Damson Orchard is not open access.
– Community Lottery Funding update: With the remaining monies from this grant, SENS has purchased a gazebo and a selection of children’s gardening tools for loan to the community for activities that fit our ethos. If you’d like to borrow either of these, please email: senstaveley@gmail.com
– Protect the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004: In 2015, Fish Legal won a landmark case that secured the public’s right to obtain environmental information from privatised water companies under the EIR 2004. If the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is enacted these regulations will be repealed, unless the Government preserves them. Sign the petition here.
– Please collect and bring the following items to be recycled at Staveley CE Primary School. Raise funds for the school and do your bit for the environment!
1) toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, floss packets, and related oral care packaging. 2) All brands and types of bread bags, including bagels, wraps, pitta etc. 3) Cheese packets, cheese nets, film lids from sliced cheese packets. 4) All brands of foil coffee bags. Donations can be placed in the outside storage unit which is located just up the steps from the car park, outside the infant building – access is 24/7. For more information, please visit www.terracycle.com.
– Four new electric car chargers are available in the centre of the Kendal! The 4 x 22kW charge points can be found at Stricklandgate House, Library Road, Kendal. These charge points have been installed in partnership with South Lakeland District Council.
– Pets at Home in Kendal have a recycling bin for your empty and clean food pouches to help reduce your Plastic Paw Print 🐾
– Warm spaces at The Institute, Staveley. Every Tuesday and Thursday from noon until 2 pm. Free hot drink and lunch available. Stay warm, chat with friends, meet new people, discover what’s going on, and maybe use one of the Community iPads. Feel free to share ideas about how the space could be used going forward.
– Read previous newsletters.
Got something for the newsletter or website? Email us: senstaveley@gmail.com.
9. SENS membership – donations welcome
We’re a volunteer-led organisation, relying on income from grants and contributions. While there is no obligation for anyone to make a contribution to SENS, any additional funds raised will help to pay for our core services such as annual website hosting fee, room bookings, printing and photocopying etc. as well as taking forward our key actions for the year. Any donation, however small, would be very well received. If you can consider setting up a standing order, either monthly or annually that would be ideal. SENS’ bank details are below. Please add your name as a reference.
– SENS
– The Co-operative Bank
– Account no: 65279669
– Sort Code: 08-92-99