A47 planned closure next month

Northamptonshire Highways are requiring to carry out carriageway retexturing works on the A43/A47 roundabout and section of the A47 between the Duddington roundabout and the Rutland county boundary.  To undertake these works safely will require that the roads are closed overnight from the 27^th August until the 2^nd September 2019 between 8pm and 6am. 

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Summer 2019 Turn up and play!

Children aged between 8 & 13 across the district will have a summer to remember as ENC teams up with Freedom Leisure and town/parish councils across the district to bring activities to local children from 5 – 23 August.

Wildlife notes from the Farm

Latest wildlife update from Nicholas Watts from Vine House Farm in Deeping St Nicholas…

Our wildlife has enjoyed the moist summer, certainly we had several Lapwings reared late that wouldn’t have been reared at all if it had been a dry summer. Blackbirds are still pulling worms out of lawns to feed nestlings and that doesn’t happen in a dry time.

Perhaps the biggest winner on the farm have been the Moorhens nesting on the ponds near the farmhouse. In the April newsletter, I talked about my dwindling population of Moorhens – three years ago we would have had 16 Moorhens wintering on the second pond, two years ago there were only 12 and last winter numbers were down to six. Total numbers wintering here do include birds from other ponds.

CHAPS – Final Call for Members & Guests

Palace Weekend seats are nearly fully booked. We ask any members and guests who wish to attend the evening premium events to book now to avoid disappointment.

Planning to be out & about this weekend?

Anyone planning to be out and about this weekend: The A607 at Kirby Bellars will be CLOSED all day this Sunday 11th. 6 am to 6 pm. Also…  at Fineshade Wood…

***SEVERE WEATHER WARNING!***

Unfortunately due to the warning in place from the met office we will be closing the trails and woodland for health and safety concern as of tomorrow Saturday 10th August 2019. Until further notice. We would strongly advise everyone not to walk in our woodlands during the high wind speeds.

Due to being summer, trees around the grounds are in full bloom and have a higher tendency to cause large branches to snap and fall or even fall down entirely.

As its our concern for the public’s safety we have chosen to close the wood. We apologise for any inconvenience. The Cafe, car park and Visitor centre facilities will remain open as usual.

Find lots of ideas for days out in the holidays

Are the younger family members driving you bonkers with “I’m bored!” and “I want…!” and you need some fresh ideas for keeping them entertained and interested?

Or would you just like to find a good film, or a lovely garden to visit?

It’s all here!

Keep your cat cool in a heatwave

Why weeds matter to pollinators

Pollinators are vital to humans in many ways

They help us farm food crops, boost our wellbeing by helping natural environments thrive, and help combat climate change as part of the lifecycle of CO2-absorbing plants.

Keep feeding the birds this summer

Keep Feeding During Summer One of the biggest myths about feeding garden birds is that it is not necessary to do so in the summer – this is untrue and summer is a period when birds actually require a plentiful food supply because the young are inexperienced at feeding so an easy food source greatly increases their chances of survival. The adults change all their feathers at this time – a process which requires a lot of energy and also leaves them vulnerable if they have to hunt around for food (the moulting of feathers leaves them less able to fly well).

Don’t forget to keep bird baths topped up Providing clean water for the birds in your garden is just as important as providing food, as birds require it for both drinking and bathing – the latter being essential to keep flight feathers in good condition. Many wildlife gardens will already have a bird bath, but these are often elevated on a stand and therefore not accessible to small mammals and especially hedgehogs. So having clean water at ground level is also important.

4 simple steps you can take to ‘bee’ a pollinator advocate

Bees’ Needs is an annual campaign headed up by Defra, with the aim of raising awareness of bees and other pollinators – and considering that bees and wildflowers go together like toast and honey, or black stripes with yellow stripes, we think it’s amazing.

AgeUk/Macmillan Village Ambassador

Could you be the link between your village and Macmillan?

Please register your interest and find out more by contacting Elaine or Barbara on 01572 821392

A meeting will then be held in September, date to be confirmed, to discuss rolling out this exciting new AgeUk/Macmillan initiative.