News

Local people got together again on November 23rd to discuss ideas for how on a local level we can take action to combat climate change and enhance our enviornment. Everyone squeezed into the shelter on Ackerlls Hill, where Jacqi Hodgson runs the Rewilding Ackerlls Field project. Many thanks to Jude Allen, a UN accredited climate change teacher and co-founder of Soil Voices for providing this resume of discussions:

Everyone introduced themselves and then we set up a loose agenda. Jacqi gave an overview of the rewilding project at Ackerll’s Field, to include tree-planting, ponds, bees and reinstating ancient hedgerows according to the 1834 Tithe map. The wildlife in the area has already shown a noticeable increase, and she has offered to do a tour in the daylight. Jon Morris (Parish Council chairman) talked about the Littlehempston woodland project, and we looked at a map showing how there will be a continuous wildlife corridor from the other side of the A381, via Pine Ridge, linking to Jacqi’s field. We also discussed the cycle path. There is a promising option to link the security of the path to the solar farm that is being developed by South West Water.

People were invited to propose projects that would be of benefit to the community. There were a number of ideas, but for ease we narrowed the proposals down into two initial main focus areas that we felt were achievable in the near future.

1. Gardening in a regenerative way for wildlife, carbon capture and soil improvement.
Jacqi proposed that the Parish Council print out a ‘Gardening for Wildlife’ booklet written by John Nightingale. Jon is going to ask the Parish Council if funding can be made available for enough copies to be delivered with the Parish News. We will have a launch night to promote the handout – the location is to be confirmed.

2. Energy saving and efficiency
Many people suggested we have a number of strategies towards enabling and improving energy saving measures in our homes. It was noted that many people, especially those who are less tech-savvy, lack both knowledge and confidence when deciding who to trust and what path to take. We considered mini-tours of energy efficient homes in the parish; understanding when and how air-source heat pumps can help; grant advice for insulation and solar panels. Apparently Sustainable Staverton has a device that can measure heat loss from homes.

Good contacts are the Climate Hub in the Mansion, Totnes; Plymouth Community Energy; and Dartmoor Energy. Jon is finding out more on this front.

The next meeting will be held shortly after the Parish Council meeting in January – the date is to be confirmed. Assuming Jon can secure funding for printing the gardening booklet, the focus will be the arrangement of a celebratory launch event.

Remember this? Local sculptor Bruce Kirby created a much admired sculpture park outside the church for the Littlehempston 2012 Craft Fair and some of us have his work gracing our gardens. He also cleaned up the World War One memorial stone in the church porch and carefully restored the lettering.

This coming week, Bruce’s work will be on show at Birdwood House from Sunday 5th to Saturday 11th November from 10am to 4.45pm daily. A geology graduate, Bruce combines this knowledge with his skills as a stonemason, and his sculptural work is frequently based upon the geology seen in the rocks both locally and abroad. His climbing skills have allowed him to investigate quartz in the Himalayas …. and the ochre stained cliffs and caves below Berry Head.

Bruce says: “The vast geological time scale contrasted with the seconds it takes to make a mark with a single strike of a chisel is hard to comprehend. Stone is an amazing natural material that has huge variety depending upon how it was formed. The colour and texture along with any features such as fossils or sedimentary structures tell a story from millions of years ago. An example of this might be the cracked, dried up mud and fragile, but perfectly preserved casts of salt crystals as the puddle dried out, millions of years ago. Each fragment of rock is incredibly old and has a vast history before any carving takes place.”

His work can also be seen on display at the London Contemporary Art Gallery in London and The Sculpture Park in Farnham.

The Tally Ho was packed last month when Littlehempston Folk entertained with a great selection of songs – there was singing in Latin (Gaudete) and Zulu (Bambela meaning Hold On), of love triangles (Jolene), home comings (Mingulay Boat Song) and murderous brothers (Bruton Town). All agreed it was the “best gig yet” and worth all the practice! And over £300 was raised for charity including Operation Imprezza – a charity in Kenya that gives children who can’t afford school fees the chance to learn. A big thank you to Cat and Jon who run the choir and to Kelly and Mike at the Tally for helping us rock!