Do Something Different Day at Subscription Rooms

"Do Something Different Day" was a volunteering event, held at Stroud Subscription Rooms on Friday 28th Feb 2014.

It highlights and promotes lots of different volunteer groups and organisations in the local area. When I went along the area was bustling with lots of people keen to know how they could help out. 

Chris Baxter from BBC Radio Glos was recording live from the event for his radio  show, and there seemed to be a great atmosphere with a lot of positivity from visitors and event organisers.

Whiteshill and Ruscombe Open Gardens

In May 2012 I organised the village open gardens through the NGS.

I first contacted them in Nov 2011 and said I would like to do something in Whiteshill and Ruscombe. A representative from the NGS then came and visited some gardens, including my own, to see if we were suitable and to the standard the NGS visitors would expect. 

The representative was very impressed and though it was such a lovely area with wonderful views. 

I then spent the next month going around the villages putting notices through doors asking for people to join the event. 

The open garden event took place in May and we had 13 gardens open, we also offered refreshments at a Ruscombe Chapel and 2 other gardens. 

The event was a great success, with more than 300 visitors, and raising £1075 for charity. 

Visitors loved the gardens and they were impressed with how gardeners had overcome the many challenges of gardening in our hillside locations.

Being a Guest on BBC Radio Glos with Manpreet Mellhi

In February I was asked to be guest on BBC Radio Glos with Manpreet Mellhi for her show "challenge Manpreet".

I talked about how I became a face painter and I showed Manpreet how to paint a simple butterfly design on herself. 

I have been a face painter since 2012 and I set up my business Bumble Bee Face Painting in 2013. 

I face paint for children's parties and public events. 

For more information please visit my Website 

http://bumblebeestroud.weebly.com 

Meeting with Glos Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl

As part of my work with GABS and Glos Wounded  Badger Patrol I was invited to a meeting at Gloucestershire Headquarters with Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl last week.

I am team leader of Glos WBP Legal Liaisons and along with other members of GABS, we met with members of Glos Police and Martin Surl to share and discuss our experiences of the Badger Cull Pilot. 

Afterwards PCC Martin Surl tweeted 

" Vanessa, thanks for coming to see us, tough issues I know, but let's keep the dialogue going".

Why our role at GABS Legal Liasions is still important

"The Independent Experts Panel (IEP) concluded that the cull was both ineffective and inhumane," says Tina Martin, head of GABS's Police Liaison Team, "but claims that there were no public safety issues are completely wrong." During the cull the group kept meticulous records of every incident that occurred during their nightly Wounded Badger Patrols.

"We sent through a specimen list of 26 crimes committed by cullers to the Police in January," continues Tina Martin. " including 5 firearms offences, multiple incidences of harassment and intimidation, wildlife crimes and culling on land without the owner's knowledge or consent. These, however, are just the tip of the iceberg." Of the many harassment incidents, six were committed by the same individual, a man whose attempts at intimidation became so commonplace the group started to refer to him as 'Mullet Man' due to his distinctive hair style.

"We are being frustrated by a very slow response from the police," continues Tina Martin. "We've had several meetings with them since last year and yet there has been very little progress with their investigations. We feel their whole approach to the cull was biased by an assumption that the protest would be 'unlawful', and this led them to completely ignore crimes committed by the cullers."

Some of these crimes happened right in front of officers, including the incident where live ammunition was left on a public footpath. "Not only was this a serious firearms offence but the shooter was acting alone," continues Tina Martin, "this being in direct breach of the safety conditions of the cull licence, which required that night shooters must have another person acting as a safety lookout. The officers on the ground actually led this individual to and from the site, but because they hadn't read the licence conditions they didn't even realise he was committing a crime until we pointed it out."

The GABS Police Liaison Team have reminded police that any breach of the cull licence leading to the death or capture of a badger constitutes a criminal offence under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. Equally, secretly adding roadkill badgers to the cull was not only an offence under the Act 1992 but also the criminal offence of fraud.

"Our protests and monitoring of the cull were entirely lawful," concludes Tina Martin, "and it is totally galling that we have uncovered such a wide range of criminal activity amongst the cullers as well as so many threats to public order and safety. The government has been completely irresponsible handing over the cull contract to a company hastily created by the NFU, who have conducted themselves in such an incompetent and dangerous way. However, we will not allow a slow response from the police to let the government get away with claiming the cull was safe, and we will be pursuing all these cases with the police until they are properly resolved."

Whiteshill and Ruscombe Snow Warden

I have been the Village Snow Warden for Whiteshill and Ruscombe for the last 4 years. My duties include liaising with Gloucestershire Highways and helping to coordinate volunteers.

We aim to organise work parties to help clear important areas including access to The School, Village Shop and vulnerable residents. 

To volunteer or for more information please email  nessprice@live.co.uk

http://www.stroudlife.co.uk/Friends-dig-Gloucestershire-moving/story-17938135-detail/story.html

Transition Stroud Edible Open Gardens

I have taken part in Transition Stroud's Edible Open Gardens for the last 3 years.

My husband and I open our garden to the public and we also run a Pig Keeping workshop. There were several gardens from Whiteshill that took part and the allotment also opened to public for the event.

Ruscombe Jubilee Phone Box Gallery and Circular Walk

To celebrate the Queens Jubilee, Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council renovated the Ruscombe phone box.

Councillor Chris Gardner organised the renovation work, which included re painting and lighting, and it is now a gallery. For information on sharing your art or any other request please contact Chris on phsc@tiscali.co.uk

June 5th 2012 saw the opening of the Jubilee Walk which goes through both Whiteshill and Ruscombe with 40 way markers that were designed by children of Whiteshill School. Please see the following link for the opening: http://stroudcommunity.tv/whiteshill-and-ruscombe-diamond-jubilee-walk-2012/

Stroud in Bloom Window Competition

In July I entered the Stroud in Bloom window competition for Assured Mobility where I work.

The theme this year was "edible gardens" and my display included lots of edible plants like tomatoes, beans and some lovely lettuce plants. They were planted in all sorts of recycled containers. 

I was so pleased to achieve a gold medal when the window was later judged. 

Nympsfield Wind Turbine Marks Milestone

The Nympsfield wind turbine, subject to a fierce five-year planning battle between local residents and planners and the Stroud-based renewable energy company Ecotricity, was sweet 16 on December 13th 2013. 

I am a Trustee of the farm that the Turbine is located on. My Uncle owned the farm when the Turbine was built and a Trust was set up after he died to continue our family's interest in the farm and Turbine. I am very interested in all kinds of renewable energy, and so it is important to me to be a stakeholders in the Nympsfield Wind Tutbine. 

Commissioned on Friday, December 13, 1996, the 60-metre Lynch Knoll turbine has, according to Ecotricity, generated over 15 million units (kWh) of electricity – enough to power 227 local homes every year and prevented almost 6,500 tonnes of CO₂from entering the atmosphere.

Lynch Knoll was one of the Britain’s earliest wind turbines and until only recently was the only one in Gloucestershire, before it was joined by a new companion at St Briavels near the Forest of Dean.

Whiteshill & Ruscombe Playing Field Improvements

The Whiteshill & Ruscombe playing field has undergone some improvements over the winter months and it now has a new fence and platform.

The project was funded by SITA Trust and Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council. The design was created by consultation with The Playing field Committee and Whiteshill School. 

To find out more information or to support Whiteshill and Ruscombe Playing Field

http://www.wrpc.org.uk/default.asp?pid=51

Working with GABS and it's Wounded Badger Patrol

As I am a great supporter of wildlife I decided to join The Wounded Badger Patrol group to help protect our native Badgers in Gloucestershire.

During the Pilot Badger Cull in late 2013 I took part in the patrols and since then I have become active in GABS (Gloucestershire against Badger Shooting) and I am now team leader of WBP Legal Liaison. 

During the Pilot Cull I was very honoured to meet Brian May, he came out with the Wounded Badger Patrol one night and he is a great supporter of the anti cull movement. 

We are winning the argument comprehensively with the public against killing badgers," says Nick Berry, one of the founders of GABS, "but there seems to be a lot of work still to do with our MPs." GABS is worried that government politicians are ignoring the science and the basic facts about culling in favour of politics and the narrow interests of core rural supporters. "All the science and wildlife organisations predicted this cull would fail," continues Nick Berry, "and now the government's own Independent Experts Panel (IEP) has condemned the cull as ineffective and inhumane. No amount of spin will alter the facts."

"Specious comparisons with other countries are irrelevant and highly misleading. Britain virtually eradicated bTB in the 1950s and 60s by cattle restrictions alone, without killing a single badger. This method has seen the current trend in infections reversed even before the current cull began. In Wales, where cattle controls are being combined with badger vaccination there has been a 23% drop in cattle infections, and we are determined that the same should happen in the rest of the UK."

GABS also point to the enormous cost of the cull compared to vaccination. "The current costs for culling are over £4,000 per badger whereas the estimates for a volunteer assisted vaccination programme are as low as £150 per badger," concludes Nick Berry. "Culling badgers is a huge diversion from the real causes and solutions to Bovine TB. The government needs to stop wasting our tax money on something that patently does not work and concentrate on what does work. Our MPs need to know that we will not tolerate this futile and expensive cull any longer."

To find out more information on GABS and The Wounded Badger Patrol 

http://www.glosagainstbadgershooting.org/home/4574170082

Whiteshill & Ruscombe is awarded Runner Up in Vibrant Village Awards 2012, Active and healthy community

On the evening of July 14th at Batsford Court, I was very honoured to accept the award for Runner up in the healthy and active community category, The judges were particularly impressed with the range of activities available in the community to ensure residents are kept in the best health. Examples included the jubilee walk and The village Playing Field.
This is the 2nd time I have entered the Village into the awards and last year we picked up Runner Up in Best Community Facility category for The Village Shop.