Forum News November 2011

21/11/2011

News from Fulbourn Forum for community action

Hello All,

A rather belated thank you to everyone who helped with the successful Village Litter Pick on Sunday 23 October.  The weather was kind again (although a little windy!) and about 58 bags of litter were collected plus a few extraneous larger items.  Have a look at the attachment above to see the evidence!  It's amazing what 30 pairs of hands can achieve in a few hours.  Well done and special thanks to the children from the Primary School.  Many thanks also to those of you who regularly remove litter from our streets throughout the year.  This is a great help and very necessary.  Unfortunately the litter continues to appear so we shall be doing the same again in March next year.  Perhaps even more people seen out together clearing the rubbish will slowly help to get the message across to those responsible.

Saving the Fulbourn Swifts Project

It was very encouraging to hear that the Saving the Fulbourn Swifts project, led by Rob Mungovan, the SCDC Ecology Officer, has been awarded the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management Tony Bradshaw Best Practice Award 2011.  The continued interest of the local community was highlighted in the presentation.  The award was reported in The Times and on BBC Look East.  You will find more details in the attached poster and press release produced by South Cambridgeshire District Council.  Fulbourn Forum are keen to support this project and to encourage more potential nesting sites throughout the village.  To this end we are planning some publicity in the New Year on external swift nest boxes to promote their installation ahead of the arrival of the birds in April.  Suppliers of boxes are being investigated and we hope that some may be made in the village.  A presentation on the swifts to the Primary School is also being arranged.

Winter Work Parties on Fulbourn Fen Nature Reserve

One of the dates reported in our last News (19 October) has been changed.  The one that was to be on Sunday 1 January 2012 will now be on Sunday 8 January.  So the full list now reads:

Sunday 4 December 2011

Sunday 8 January 2012

Sunday 5 February 2012

Sunday 4 March 2012

Just turn up on the day, meeting at 10.00am at the car park at the end of Stonebridge Lane and finishing by lunchtime.  Even if you can just spare an hour it would be a great help.

Energy Monitors

The colder evenings and the thought of the approaching winter returns us to thinking about our energy use (and its cost) again.  Energy monitors are still available for loan from the library.  The monitor display is designed to encourage learning about how to use electricity efficiently, and to spot when and where we might be wasting it.  Combined with regular meter readings, this will help you save money.  The display shows what is happening right now, with the information being shown in £, KWh or CO2 emissions.  Full instructions for installation and use are provided, and assistance can be given if required.  An energy saving checklist is also provided.  31 households have taken advantage of the meters over the last two years and everyone who responded to our survey found them to be useful.  Why not give it a try!

And a final thought.  Fulbourn Forum is primarily concerned with the future of our village.  However, it is always important to understand our past and how we arrived at our present situation.   Fulbourn Village History Society has done a great job over the past ten years so have a look at their new website via the link for more information: www.fulbournhistory.org.uk/

Best wishes,

David Cottee
Secretary, Fulbourn Forum for community action
01223 880616

PS  Don't forget the Community Market on Saturday 10 December