Minutes of a meeting of the Ryburgh Wildlife Group Committee held at Stone House on October 9th 2023
Present Mike Rundle (Chair), David Cooling, Neil Dandy, Nick Parsons, Barley Wilson, Ian Wilson, Gill Waldron.
1) Minutes of the meeting on October 9th were approved.
2) Matters arising
a) Both the bulb give-away and the work party clearing paths and mending wildlife hotel in the community woodland were agreed to have been successful.
b) The website remains difficult to access from searching, can be accessed by using the complete name. Tim Colman to be asked to join Google search – Mike
c) QR codes can be used without cost, Ian will write the explanation about the management plan for the railway line and discuss with Tom Cook their use to give information for walkers.
3) Financial Report the current account stands at £2817.26. Mike earlier circulated accounts which were approved.
4) Membership Report Currently stands at 67 with 5 known to be renewing .
5) Steve’s 18th November talk. Annex booked from 6, talk is advertised from 7.15 for 7.30. Set up 6.30. all available. Wine and nibbles will be bought from the shop Mike. Glasses? (not discussed). Advertised in latest newsletter, members asked to notify David or Gill, so far only 2 members have done so. It was agreed that posters will be put up through the village, Gill, and a reminder email sent out David.
6) Pollinator Pathway
a) The bug hotel has been very well received and some good comments are in facebook. A neighbour of Ian’s, David Reeve, has made a frame and Ian will bring two to the community café on Saturday 11th for filling, as well as prepared bamboo lengths and other materials such as pine cones.
b) Barley has arranged a meeting with two NWT community outreach workers (new personnel to us) on Thursday November 30th at 10.30. It was decided not to invite neighbouring interested parties in order to avoid dilution and too big a spread. There was discussion about our content for the meeting, and it was decided that we should focus on school links, to support school based projects which link with pollination, to suggest our involvement with NWT initiatives. Also to obtain heat map information. In addition, advice/input from NWT for advocacy with land owners on topics such as access, hedge policies would be a useful topic and perhaps to consider whether we could link to their recently established Children and Nature Appeal in order to help provide activities for young people from the village. We might also suggest helping them with an event which brought together local groups, apparently a current object of the wildlife trust movement. Results from the meeting might help us inform and explain our vision, so that the plan to approach local groups for individual explanation will be deferred until after that meeting.
7) Vision After discussion of the timing and circulation of the vision statement, it was decided that the ‘Vision letter’ should be emailed to the membership in January (David) together with notice of the AGM, discussed at the AGM and then a general statement would be produced after the members had considered it. The plan to approach local groups for individual explanation will be deferred until after that meeting.
8) Annual General Meeting It was decided that the AGM would be combined with a quiz, and held in the Memorial hall, with food. Friday 2nd February.
9) Any Other Business
a) Ian reported that the Norfolk Rivers Trust propose sampling the
Wensum in two places, the bridge, and by the Maltings outflow, to monitor pollution. A
definite decision about sites etc will be made in a meeting on November 28th.
b) The memorial pear tree whose condition caused concern to the donor is recovering but
the agreement continues to plant another from RWG funds. This will be done in the lower
temperatures of December. Neil will report back to the donor.
c) There is some confusion about who set up the group’s facebook page, David will contact
Nick (who had just left the meeting ) to enquire whether he knows.
10) Date of next meeting Monday January 8th , 7.00pm at Stone House.