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Worcester Environmental Group September 2021 Newsletter

Hello <<First Name>>
We hope this email finds you well. August has been an amazing month with many exciting developments you can read about below. And we have many more opportunities through September for you to #getworcesterbuzzing.
Before we do that, however, we would like to remind you of what our Charity Commission objectives are:

1. To promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of Worcester and surrounding environs by promoting biological diversity.

2. To advance the education of the public in the subject of the natural environment and biodiversity of Worcester and surrounding environs.
   

What we achieved in August 2021

It’s been a really positive month with many new milestones. Here’s a few:

• We had a stall at the Worcester Show for the first time. We had an amazing experience with both Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and the local RSPB group giving us a hand. Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers and visitors for making it such a special day. A big thanks to Worcestershire Wildlife Trust for so generously providing us with the equipment and literature to make it such a memorable experience.

• We made lots of wildlife boxes with many volunteers working hard in the Building Block in August and started to ship out bat, bird and bug boxes to the allotments in Battenhall and many more ready to put in other allotments and green spaces around Worcester.

• Our new treasurer, Alan Spencer, has gone off with a bang with many new features to keep our finances in order.

• We have three new trustees, Jonathan Hildred, Caitlin Wakefield and Clancy Radley and we very much look forward to The WEG being able to achieve even more to make Worcester an even better place in the future.

• Worcester City Council have now decided to extend the native meadow wildflower verges and green spaces all over the city in the next few years due to the popularity of Dugdale Drive Verge Pilot Project with residents. This is really good news. We will have many more pollinators, bats and birds due to this positive direction the Council is taking.

• We had a delightful guided nature walk with Worcester Baptist Church from Samsome Walk, through The Arboretum and along the canal. It’s astonishing how much nature there is right under our noses if we stop, look and listen.

• We are now part of Worcester Grassroots Alliance, a group of local charities and non-profits who will work together to make Worcester a place where we can thrive together with nature.

• We have now started collaborating with Platform Housing Group with lots of exciting projects ahead to enhance biodiversity in Worcester.

• Worcester City Council have now cut and collected in all the meadow wildflower verges and grassland areas citywide. This should result in an increase in our native wildflowers in years to come. Did you know we have lost 97% of our native wildflower meadows since the end of WWII? It feels really good that we are doing something really positive in Worcester to reverse this decline.

• We spoke to the Worcester City Council Policy and Resources Committee and asked them to budget for more cut and collect grass machines in the future in order to roll out this beneficial regime throughout the city.

• We are collaborating with a new group that plan to rewild land on the outskirts of Worcester. This will mean more wildlife corridors leading into and joining up with the developments in the city. Such very good news for wildlife and our community.

What’s coming up in September:

We need all the help we can get to #getworcesterbuzzing. Can you help? We can make a big difference together.

• Thurs, Sept 2nd from 9am to 5pm - Making wildlife boxes at the Building Block.

• Thurs, Sept 9th from 9am to 5pm - Making wildlife boxes at the Building Block

• Tues, Sept 21st from 10am to 1pm - Taking care of Trotshill Community Orchard

• Thurs, Sept 23rd from 9am to 5pm - Making wildlife boxes at the Building Block

• Sun, Sept 26th from 10am to 1pm - Taking care of Trotshill Community Orchard

• Thurs, Sept 30th from 9am to 5pm - Making wildlife boxes at the Building Block

Did you know that more than two hundred species of invertebrates have been recorded on the much maligned common ragwort?