Monthly Digest – Apr 2024 – Kidlington Eco Group

Coming Up…

Want to know what ecological things are going on locally over the next month or two?

Well here you go then!:

April 2024
⑳	Park Hill Monthly Garden Work Party \| Sat 20th Apr, 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! This will feed into and overlap with…
⑳	Earth Day Party \| Sat 20th Apr, 11am – 2pm\| Park Hill Recreation Ground (OX5 2DA) – The Cherwell Collective is planning a party to celebrate Earth Day! There will be a larder and cafe as well as some eco activities to participate in. Earth Day is a global campaign to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040.
㉖	Bio Blitz / City Nature Challenge \| 26th – 29th Apr \| 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.
㉙	Canal Towpath Survey & Litter Pick \| Mon 29th Apr, time TBC \| Kidlington Canal – As part of *KEG’s Water Week* plans we’re planning to conduct an initial tow path survey and litter pick. We want to aid the Canal & Rivers Trust with their dream to set up a Kidlington Towpath Taskforce in the coming months. For more information get in touch at kidlingtonecogroup@gmail.com
May 2024
①	Kidlington Gardening Society Talk \| Weds 1st May, 7.30pm \| Exeter Hall, small hall (OX5 1AB) – Our speaker Robert Longstaff will be talking on the topic: ‘No-dig gardening’. More info here!
②	KEG Meeting \| Thurs 2nd May, 1pm \| Exeter Hall, small hall (OX5 1AB) – Join representatives of different local eco groups and enthusiasts to connect, communicate and collaborate.
③	The Big River Watch \| 3rd – 6th May \| A river near you! – As part of *KEG’s Water Week* we’re encouraging people to take part in The Rivers Trust’s Big River Watch. ‘Whether you’re a swimmer or a paddler, an angler or a rambler, a wildlife spotter or a sit-and-watch-er, Big River Watch is a chance to be part of the movement improving our freshwater spaces. In just three easy steps, you can contribute to a national data set that will help us build a picture of river health across the country.’ To find out more visit the Rivers Trust website here.
④	St Mary’s Fields Work Party \| Sat 4th May, 10am-12pm \| St Mary’s carpark (OX52AZ) – Join the team of volunteers working on some summer tasks to encourage nature and monitor river quality as part of *KEG’s Water Week*. Also enjoy a well-earned slice of Julia or Rosie’s homemade cake at half time!
④	KGS Plant and Cake Sale \| Sat 4th May, 10am-12pm\| Exeter Hall, small hall (OX5 1AB) – Does what it says on the (cake) tin! Come along for Kidlington Gardening Society’s annual plant and cake sale – furnish your garden with beautiful plants and your stomach with tasty treats, all while supporting a local institution that reaches back to 1860!
⑤	Enjoy the Dawn Chorus, St Mary’s Fields \| Sun 5th May, 4.45am\| St Mary’s carpark (OX52AZ) – Get up with the lark and join us for this early morning stroll through the growing soundscape of a dawn chorus! We’ll be trying to identify the calls of the birds from the first tweet to the final chirp! To find out more or let us know you’re coming click here.
⑦	Warburg Memorial Lecture: ‘Ancient Oaks in The English Landscape’ \| Tues 7th May, 8pm \| Exeter Hall (OX5 1AB) – Join us for this lecture hosted by the Ashmolean and Natural History Society of Oxfordshire (ANHSO) and BBOWT. High Park is part of Blenheim Park near Woodstock. This strictly private area has the greatest concentration of large ancient oaks in Europe. Aljos Farjon FLS, our speaker, recorded these oaks for the Ancient Tree Inventory (ATI) and organised a comprehensive survey of the biodiversity of the site. Join us as he shares some of his findings. Admission is free. For more information please see the ANHSO event page here.
⑪	Kidlington Eco Fair \| Sat 11th May, 10am-2pm\| Lyne Rd Green, Lyne Rd (OX5 1AE) (OX5 2DA) – We’re planning to host an eco bonanza with eco stalls, activities, and give aways! Watch this space for more info.
⑱	Park Hill Monthly Garden Work Party \| Sat 18th 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!
⑱	The Ark Cafe \| Sat 18th May, 2.30 – 4.30pm \| Kidlington Baptist Church, High St (OX5 2DS) – Come along and join us for this eco-themed all age cafe event with tasty treats, story-telling, green crafts and a free plant give away!

Local Eco News

Some headlines since the last update…

Earth Hour – Was celebrated in the Park Hill Recreation copse on the 20th April. A firepit and marshmallows marked the grand finale of a pleasant wildlife walk in the dark, between the trees! Rhiannon pointed out scarlet elf cups and lords and ladies along the way, as well as explained hazel coppicing and why making Dumbledore’s elder wand would indeed have been a feat only Death was capable of!

The Village Refill – Were you aware that Yarnton Garden Centre on Sandy lane (Kidlington, OX5 1PA) now hosts a refilling station, i.e. a business for whom the reduction of unnecessary plastic and waste is essential to it’s M.O.? The store hosts everything from frozen croissants, to shampoo. Next time you’re in the neighbourhood why not swing by? A little closer to home The Crafters Emporium in the Kidlington Centre also has a refill station.

It’s Spring Planting Season – at the various veg growing projects around the village. Here’s a bit of tatty sowing at the Park Hill Rec. Why not get involved with one of the teams manning Kidlington’s local green spaces by coming along to one of the above work parties or contacting Ruth via our contact page?

And finally – here are some of the flowers that have popped up on the new coronation garden over the last few weeks. There have even been some fritillaries!