Save the date!

Eco activities for your calendar over the next 2 months…

APRIL
15	Park Hill Monthly Work Party | Sat 15 Apr, 10am – 12pm| Park Hill Recreation Ground Garden Open Day (OX5 2DA) – Come and muck in with other volunteers as we maintain and enrich this community green space and Harvest@Home project!
	Community Litter Pick | Sat 15 Apr, 10am – 12pm | Meet at Exeter Hall (OA5 1AB) – Have a spare hour or two? Come join a team of volunteers to clean up and make our village sparkle as part of the ‘Great British Spring Clean’. The Parish Council will be providing all the equipment you’ll need.
21	The Big One: Rally for Peace, Climate, Life | Fri 21st Apr | Houses of Parliament, London – A number of eco organisations and groups are hoping to surround the Houses of Parliament with 100,000 people. It’s being billed as a family-friendly, non-law breaking, see-you-there kind of demonstration.
22	Planting Party & Earth Day | Sat 22nd April, 11am – 2pm | Park Hill Recreation Ground, Kidlington (OX5 2DA) – Join Cherwell Collective for food, fun and a chance to help plant a permanent living sculpture in the shape of a unicorn for the Coronation. Bring along a recommended plant* and/or turn up to help. * Creeping thyme, outdoor succulents e.g. sedums (stonecrops), creeping phlox, aubrieta, ephedra (sea grape), violas, or any other low growing evergreen plants (with or without flowers)
28	Bio Blitz / City Nature Challenge | 28th Apr – 1st May | Everywhere! – Join the epic, global mission to record as much wildlife as possible to help conservation efforts. No expertise needed, simply download the iNaturalist app and start recording your nature sightings no matter how big or small! Recording species at Park Hill Copse and St Mary’s Field will also greatly hep and contribute to local conservation efforts in Kidlington.
30	Junior Park Run | Sun 30th Apr, 9am | Park Hill Recreation Ground, Kidlington (OX5 2DA) – This is a trial run (pun intended!) but the hope is for this to be the first of many. It involves a 2km run for the whole family. 4-14yr olds can register via the website (select ‘Park Hill Recreation Ground junior parkrun’) – but anyone can take part.
(No Mow) MAY
3	Kidlington Gardening Society Talk | Weds 3rd May, 7.30pm | Exeter Hall, small hall (OA5 1AB) –  The monthly talk – watch this space for more info.
6	St Mary’s Fields Work Party | Sat 6th May, 10am-12pm | St Mary’s carpark (OX52AZ) – Join the team of volunteers working on some Summer tasks to encourage nature. Also enjoy a well-earned slice of Julia or Rosie’s homemade cake at half time!
7	Coronation Big Lunch | Sun 7th May, 11am-2pm | Exeter Hall (OA5 1AB) – Join the Cherwell Collective in celebrating King Charles III’s Coronation at this Big Lunch for the community! There will be loads of food, live music, and fun for all ages. Weather permitting, we will picnic together outside so feel free to bring along your favourite picnic blankets and camping chairs. No booking necessary. Please share with any friends and family who may be interested. Hope to see you all there!
8	Big Help Out | Mon 8th May, 11am-2pm | Park Hill Recreation Ground (OX5 2DA) – Join Cherwell Collective for the Coronations ‘Big Help Out’ day including the official unveiling of the Unicorn living sculpture
13	Gardening Society Plant and Cake Sale | Sat 13th May, 10am-12pm, Exeter Hall, small hall  (OA5 1AB) – Does exactly what it says on the tin… the cake tin.
	Evening Bird Chorus Walk | Sat 13th May, 8pm? (TBC) | St Mary’s carpark (OX52AZ) – Save the date and tune in to hear the sweet music of our feathery neighbours. More info to follow!
20	Cherwell Collective Spring Wellbeing Fayre | Sat 20th May | Exeter Hall (OA5 1AB)  – Save the date and watch this space!
	Park Hill Monthly Work Party | Sat 20 May, 10am – 12pm| Park Hill Recreation Ground (OX5 2DA) – Come and muck in with other volunteers as we maintain and enrich this community green space and Harvest@Home project!

Local Eco News

Some headlines since the last update…

• Earth Hour Nature Walk – On the 25 March many around the world switched their lights off for an hour as part of the international Earth Hour initiative, in solidarity with the natural world. Here in Kidlington over 30 people gathered to celebrate the hour by going on a nature walk over St Mary’s Fields, taking in a number of trees of interest; a whispered look up at the Tawny owl box which is inhabited for a second year running; a look at the new ‘butterfly ride’ which volunteers had cleared a few months before; and a final stop at a firepit beneath a peeping moon for hot chocolates and toasted marshmallows.

• Kidlington Hedgehog Highway and Patchwork Nature Reserve Projects – Some of you will have seen the news about the new Hedgehog Highway project underway. For more information please see the webpage about this Wild Kidlington initiative. We also want to start mapping land given to encouraging wildlife and biodiversity, and to begin developing a ‘patchwork nature reserve’. Both projects are in embryo – so if you would like to join the team and help shape them please get in touch with Rhiannon our Wild Kidlington officer at kidlington@wildoxfordshire.org.uk. Alternatively if you already have a hedgehog gap and / or a dedicated wildlife spot in your garden please fill in Rhiannon’s survey here.

If you have any local eco news or events to feed in to our next monthly digest please email: kidlingtonecogroup@gmail.com

Our next KEG meeting is on Thurs 8th June (no meeting on 4th May as its local elections day), 1pm @ Exeter Hall (in the small hall).

It’s going to be a single item strategic meeting as we reflect on our visit from Thame Green Living and consider how we might use their framework to co-ordinate our efforts to see Kidlington become a greener place – feel free to join us!