As the festive season approaches and the days get shorter and darker, it's a wonderful time to reflect on this years’ successes at Enstone Eco as we cozy by the fire. We also want to say a really big thank you to everyone who has supported us during 2024. This includes ENCON and The Co-operative Supermarket Community Fund which have donated funding so we have been able to implement our plans and develop new projects - we couldn't have done it without you!
Riverfly Monitoring in Enstone
Our dedicated volunteers have been actively participating in riverfly monitoring to assess the health of our local waterways. By studying the presence and diversity of riverfly species, we can gauge water quality and detect early signs of pollution. This ongoing project is crucial for maintaining the ecological balance of our rivers. For more details, visit our recent blog post - https://www.enstone-eco.co.uk/post/riverfly-monitoring-in-enstone
Volunteer Opportunities
Our projects thrive on community involvement. Whether you're interested in surveying plants and butterflies, riverfly monitoring, cutting undergrowth, maintaining the school garden, and clearing grass cuttings or other eco-friendly activities, we welcome your participation. To express your interest, please email enstoneeco@gmail.com to be added to our volunteer lists so that we can alert you to more frequent events!
Enstone Garden Club: Wildflower Talk Recap
In conjunction with Enstone Garden Club, over 20 people attended the Wildflower Talk delivered by Ecologist Craig Blackwel in October, which was a great success. Craig’s expertise showed through when he gave lots of tips and shared his personal and professional experience of planting wildflowers in his own garden and in much larger wildflower meadows across Oxfordshire. Attendees took wildflower seeds away which had been provided free by Enstone Eco, so they could try creating a wildflower patch in their own gardens. We will be catching up with them again in the summer to see how they got on. Watch this space!
Enstone Parish Council - Biodiversity Plan
The Parish Council have recently implemented a biodiversity plan following changes in guidance from the government. Enstone Eco supported the Parish Council in this process and contributed to the plan. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Parish Council for their support and work to enhance biodiversity opportunities in the Parish. The plan can be found here.
Wildflower Sowing
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us to help with seeding the land at the crossroads and with the permission of St Kenelm's, in the old churchyard too. We are now one step closer to seeing a vibrant display of wildflowers bloom next year!
Seasonal Activities: Winter Walks
Winter offers a unique opportunity to experience the beauty of Enstone's footpaths. Next year, we will be mapping out some of the great walks available in the area. In the meantime, this holiday if you need some space away, want some fresh air or exercise, or simply want to start the New Year strong, take a look at what the parish has to offer along public footpaths. Here are some photos from an early morning walk taken on the Enstone-Cleveley footpath in November.
Spotlight on Dawn!
This quarter, we shine a light on Dawn, a passionate volunteer at Enstone Eco!
What inspired you to get involved with Enstone Eco?
I've always had a keen interest in Biology and Biodiversity following my uni studies in Applied Biology. I read an article in the Ensign in 2022 from Enstone Eco about their next meeting and decided to go along and get involved. This was a perfect way to move forward after working with the Eco Warriors at Enstone Primary School, get to meet new people in the village and spend more time exploring nature.
What’s your favourite local spot to connect with nature?
There are several great places including: A walk through the trees at Windy Hill looking for Fungi; exploring the pathways in the churchyard - a tranquil place to look for birds & butterflies; and taking time to notice the lake at Heythrop Park always reveals something new! Further afield there are butterflies to be found on the Wigwell Nature Reserve and wonderful plants in the Oxford Botanic Gardens and Arboretum.
Which environmental issue are you most passionate about?
Preserving Butterflies and bees and encouraging their habitats.
What small change do you believe everyone can make to help the environment?
Garden in a wildlife friendly manner to help the bees, butterflies, hedgehogs, birds, and don’t forget to look after the worms! Let some of your garden grow wild to provide habitats and food for all stages of the lifecycles. Plant some wildflowers and try to have flowers throughout the season. Take time to notice what you’ve got in the garden or along the verge, record the species on the iNaturalist app or take part in a citizen science project like the Big Garden Birdwatch or Big Butterfly Count.Tell your friends and Enstone Eco about the amazing creatures in our Parish.
Can you share a recent eco-friendly habit you’ve adopted?
I’ve made a Hoverfly lagoon out of a plastic milk bottle to increase pollinators in my garden, you could make one too. Hoverfly Lagoons | Buzz Club. Following the Wild flower Meadow talk by Craig Blackwell, I was lucky enough to get some free seed and I’ve been preparing the ground and planting.
What’s one book or documentary on the environment that you’d recommend?
My favourite book this year has been Where the Wild Flowers grow by Leif Bersweden - a journey around Britain and Ireland by bicycle, exploring wild plants whilst noting how climate change, habitat destruction and decline in pollinators are affecting plant life. This was a fascinating read which I didn’t want to come to an end! It helped me to learn and take time to notice more species around us at home and whilst on holiday. It also made a good link to the work Enstone Eco has been doing on Wild flower meadow creation and using iNaturalist to survey and record species as part of the Community Action Group Oxfordshire Project. Work will continue on these in 2025, check our the Enstone Eco website for more info.
How do you like to spend time outdoors in Enstone?
It’s great to get out walking on the local footpaths, and walking generally, rather than taking the car. Kicking through the golden leaves, following crispy paths looking for Plants/Fungi/Birds and butterflies along the way is great fun! I love the circular walk through Fulwell to Cleveley and up along the bridle way to Church Enstone and back across the wonderful wetland area we know as 'The planks'.
What’s a memorable experience you’ve had while volunteering with Enstone Eco?
I've had a lot of fun learning about the Riverfly species on a training course with Tony Bostock from The Riverfly Partnership held at Heythrop Park and since then helping to set up a location to monitor the River Glyme. The creatures are just amazing with their tiny gills and different characteristics, well worth a look! Analysing the kick sample in the separation tray is very exciting to see the different species and also observe the excitement of the others in the group being so passionate about our findings! The Riverfly are indicators of water quality and it is good to be part of our group in Enstone and feed our data into a UK wide monitoring scheme. It is very pleasing that we have identified 7 out of 8 target groups. My favourite are the Flat Bodied Stone Clingers - Heptageniidae! You might have seen us walking around the village with our special kick sample net. Why not join us for our monthly volunteering sessions? There's always something new to learn!
If you could implement one environmental policy in Enstone, what would it be?
Protect and enhance our biodiversity. I’m looking forward to Oxfordshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy being finalised in 2025. Its a coordinated strategy for nature's recovery which can help wildlife to flourish, improve the quality of our air and water, and mitigate the impacts of climate change. It's part of a new series of strategies that cover the whole of England, helping deliver on the 2021 Environment Act. This will help us to focus on biodiversity priorities in and around Enstone.
What advice would you give to someone looking to get more involved in environmental conservation?
Come along to our next volunteering event or meeting and join the fun! Check out the EE website Enstone Eco, Wild Oxfordshire Community Groups , Be part of Team Wilder | Berks Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust
Wishing you all a joyful and eco-friendly holiday season.
Warm regards,
The Enstone Eco Team
Comments