A View from the Hill -  CUCKOOS 

As I write this, spring is here and with it we have wonderful varying hues of green on the trees, flowers, both wild and in the garden showing themselves off, and the flying community (birds, bees, mayflies etc.) making the most of everything.  It is all so uplifting, especially when the sun shines.  But! I have not heard a cuckoo here or anywhere this year. I have written before about the scarcity of cuckoos and I do miss them.  
They have always been an integral part of spring.  Now I am looking for a positive side to their loss. Surely, native song birds are rearing more of their own young?  Without a cuckoo in the nest more hatchlings have a chance to fledge which must help our local bird populations.  I
have not heard of any evidence of this but, using common sense, it must be so.  I hope so.  Songbirds suffer enough as it is from other birds plundering their nests (along with squirrels and stoats).  So maybe it is a price worth paying, no cuckoo song (which is very monotonous after all) for more of our own songbirds. 

Peter Lockwood

Campaign to start a new bus service between Ross-on-Wye, Newent and Ledbury

 

The proposed route will serve villages including Kilcot, Gorsley, Upton Bishop and Phocle Green to connect them with Ross-on-Wye, Newent and Ledbury.

A campaign has been set up to raise £250,000 to Start a New Bus Service Between Ross-on-Wye, Newent and Ledbury

Buses4Us is a community action group working for better public transport in North West Gloucestershire and South Herefordshire.

For over 70 years the towns of Ross-on-Wye, Newent and Ledbury, and the surrounding villages, were linked by regular public transport services.

In February 2022 our transport links were cut with minimal notice. Our bus services had been in place for so long that they were part of the local infrastructure. People relied on them for work, school, shopping and just living their daily lives.

 

Though the government has provided large “Bus Improvement” grants to some counties recently, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire have not benefitted, so we can’t rely on our county councils alone to replace our lost bus services.

 

At buses4us we believe good public transport is vital for communities and for climate.

So we are working to put back proper public transport for our little bit of the world.

We aim to break the downward spiral of diminishing bus services and declining passenger numbers in our communities by raising funds and working with local authorities, businesses and communities to restore the bus service between Newent, Ross on Wye and Ledbury. We aim to have a regular, 7 days a week service, that meets the needs of previous bus users and encourages new passengers to choose the bus over private cars for more journeys.

 

We’ll then work to publicise and promote the new route and drive passenger up-take with a clear “Use it or Lose it” message.

 

With support from local councils and local businesses, we have successfully arranged a shopper bus service to offer a lifeline to residents in villages left with little or no public transport.

 

We are now looking to raise £250,000 to restore the regular bus link between our three towns and we would very much welcome your support.

 

 

 

Visit the website to find out more: www.buses4us.org

Get in contact if you would like to get involved: hello@buses4us.org

Visit or share the ‘Just giving’ page to donate:

www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/buses4us?utm_id=2&utm_term=3P7BVnXvW

 

New Bus Service already up and running: Use it or lose it!

Bus 632

A new shopper service has started on Wednesdays and Fridays to connect Tillers Green, Dymock, Newent, Gorsley and Kilcot, operated  by Newent Community Transport.

 

The service connects at Newent with the 32 onward service to Gloucester.

 

This bus service has been set up by the Buses4us community action group to help to fill the gap left by the withdrawal of the 32/132 bus services between Newent, Ross and Ledbury.

 

It is a 26 week pilot service paid for with support from local councils and local businesses. The service can only continue beyond the pilot period if plenty of people use it. So please, hop on board and enjoy the ride!

 

Paper copies of the timetable are now available.

The timetable can also be found by searching on Traveline.

 

Newent Community Transport:

click here to contact

 

You may have seen news about this new service in the press/media recently. This bus may or may not be helpful to you personally, but please spread the word, as it can continue to run it if plenty of people are using it. For more information about Buses4Us go to www.buses4us.org

OPEN GARDENS DAY – JULY 2ND
Do you like to look around other people’s gardens and get new ideas. 
4/5 gardens will be open in Aston Ingham village on Saturday July 2nd from 
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Tickets are £5 per person on the day (children are free) for all of the gardens and can be bought at the village hall where you can also park and then visit the gardens on foot (a map will be provided). There will also be drinks and delicious baked goodies available in the hall at any point in your visit, as well as a plant sale. Aston Ingham Church will be open on the day for visitors too.

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

​Committee

Chairman: Ernst Zillekens

Secretary: Jonquil Dodd

Treasurer: Roger Davies

Outings Coordinator: Valerie Boxley

Chris Barnett

John Foley

Meetings of the Linton & District History Society take place on the first Wednesday of each month, except for January, June, and September, in the Linton Village Hall at 7 for 7.30 p.m. Further information can be found on the Linton & District History Society Facebook page and on the Linton & District History Society section under ‘Clubs and Societies’ on the Linton Village Hall website www.lintonvillage.com

Forthcoming Talks:

6th July 2022 Fiona Morrison – The Brighton Pavilion

3rd August 2022 Ernst Zillekens – German ‘Unification‘

5th October 2022 Chris Barnett – James Gillroy - Master of Georgian Cartoonists

2nd November 2022 Jonquil Dodd and Roger Davies – Not just a Name ON A Plaque

The life and death of Norman Day

7th December 2022 Roger Williams – The Music Hall

1st February 2023 Lt.Col Ian Gumm – The Battle of Tewksburry

1st March 2023 Philip Bowen Tolstoy

19th Century Russia

5th April 2023 Annual General Meeting

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ADVANCED NOTICE OF THIS SPECIAL EVENT :  

VIOLETTE SZABO CELEBRATION

The date: Sunday 10th July 2022 - The venue :  The Park in Wormelow The time : 1.30 pm The Procession will commence at 1.30 & the Parade will be led by a Highland Piper; it is hoped that Virginia McKenna who played the part of Violette in the film ‘Carve her name with Pride‘, now aged 91 will also attend. The Parade will ‘fall out‘ at the gate of ‘Cartref’, Tump Lane, Wormelow, Herefordshire HR2 8HN, the home of Rosemary Rigby, the Curator of the Violette Museum.

 The Parade will then pause at the Rosemary Rigby Millenium Green, where the wonderful winning Violette Szabo race horse and jockey will lead them to Violette’s Museum.The Violette Szabo Race Horse won at Beverley on Violette’s birthday 26th June last year at 7-1.To honour the great Violette Szabo the RAF are planning a very special fly-past for her at 3pm.Parking is always difficult but it is hoped that guests will have the privilege of parking in the big field behind Ms Rigby’s house.  Special donations are urgently needed to help achieve the Project of creating a Reading Room at a cost of £25,000

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LINTON PARISH COUNCIL CLIMATE GROUP 

Easy Energy Saving Ideas for the Home: 
Stop Wasting Your Money and Help Save The Planet.

The cost of living crisis, and especially the 50%+ rise in home energy bills makes us think about how we can cut down on our energy use. Cutting our energy use has the dual benefits of cutting our costs and helping us reduce carbon emissions. Martin Lewis in his 90 tips to save money (April 2022) also lists many of these points. Although energy saving has been around for years there are some really good new innovations.
Top Tip: Lights.
    Use LED bulbs. The range of LED bulbs available has increased and the cost has dropped. Check that ALL the bulbs in your home are LED. 
    Turn off lights. Think about which lights you actually need to switch on, and don’t forget to switch them off when you leave the room.
    Use motion sensors outside and in hallways and on landings to ensure lighting comes on when needed but isn’t left on all night.
    Clean your windows so they let in the maximum amount of sunlight.
Top Tip: Reduce your energy consumption.
    Turn off standby switches where possible.
    Use an energy monitor to find out which appliances use more energy.
    Plan your cooking. Fill the oven when you switch it on and don’t bother preheating it for more than a few minutes. Create one pot meals on the hob or using a slow cooker or Wonderbag: https://www.wonderbagworld.com 
    Use a solar charger to charge phones, laptops and tablets.
Top Tip:  Heating Water 
    Showers & baths; take less of both and spend less time in your shower. Beware of the idea that a shower uses less water than a bath – it depends on your shower. If you have a power shower with a large rainfall or waterfall style head, you will use a lot of hot water. An eco or water saving shower head will reduce the amount of hot water you use while still giving a great shower.
    Only boil the amount of water you need for drinks or when cooking.
    Add more lagging to your hot water tank, especially if it’s an older tank.

Look out for more energy saving ideas in September. We would love to hear from you if you have any energy saving tips that don’t cost much to put in place. Email lintonclimategroup@gmail.com so we can share your ideas with everyone or to be added to our mailing list to receive newsletters and information about our events.