Exhibitions

Cowper & Newton Museum, Olney Three Hares Gallery – ‘Motoring Art’ by Guild of Motoring Artists Tuesday 1st – Wednesday 30th June 11.00 am - 4:30 pm (Last admission 3:30pm)

Free entry to the gallery only. Exhibition featuring work from a variety of motoring artists, with a special Sunday Opening on 13th June coinciding with an Olney Classic Car Club run to the Cowper & Newton Museum. (Online bookings and walk-ins if space). Tel 01234 711516 Market Place, Olney MK46 4AJ

cowperandnewtonmuseum.org.uk

The Higgins

Bedford

Under the Same

Sky - Until 27 June 2021

Explores artists’ depictions of the sky above and the local impact of the weather over time, and. Combining works by major artists including JMW Turner, Alfred Sisley, Paul Nash,

Edouard Manet and Eric Ravilious, with fi lm, images and local stories, culminating in a refl ection of our fascination with the weather and its effects on the world around us.

Tel 01234 718618 Castle Lane, Bedford MK40 3XD

www.thehigginsbedford.org.uk James Mellor Creative

The Eagle Gallery, Bedford Anthony MacKay Solo Show Wednesday 2nd June – Saturday 12th June

Inspired by the ups and downs of a recent family drama involving travelling through landscapes which changed in mood as the circumstances moved from despair and foreboding to relief and celebration. Tel 01234 346995 20 St Peter’s Street, Bedford Bespoke Cartoons & Corporate Copywriting

MK40 2NN for publications, websites, social media, www.eaglegalleryartists.co.uk presentations and conferences 44 www.jamesmellorcreative.com

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A Guide to The Seychelles Islands

Such beauty makes it hard to believe this is an actual destination.

Best Time to Go

The Seychelles are an ideal year-round destination. Temperatures rarely dropping below 24 degrees. Different times of the year are better suited depending on what you’re looking to do. October - March, average wind speeds are 8 to 12 knots. May - September - 10 to 20 knots - ideal conditions for sailing. April and October are usually wind-free and water temperatures around 29 degrees.

Flora & Fauna

Nowhere on Earth will you find such unique species such as the Coco-de-mer, and the jellyfish tree. Seychelles is home to 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the islands are a sanctuary for the rarest species on earth.

Things to do

Though ideal for relaxation and lazy days, there are also guided island tours with your own well-equipped car and tour guides and custom boat charters to the islands around Praslin. If you’re seeking an adrenaline rush, SMAC Adventures offers up zip-lining and rock climbing.

Night-Time

Turn up the tempo at Oxygen Night Club when the sun goes down. But a more low-key affair, The Boardwalk Bar & Grill, offers beautiful scenic views, perfect to relax with a cold beer.

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humble hedgerow The importance of the

The Forest of Marston Vale will be taking part in National Hedgerow Week celebrations from 29 May - 6 June 2021 – see marstonvale.org for details

The hedgerow is a quintessential part of the British landscape. Their origins go all the way back to the Bronze Age, when early farmers cleared woodland to make space for livestock and crops. Remnants of woodland were left around the edges of land to enclose animals and protect crops, and some of these ancient hedgerows still exist today.

Some hedgerows also formed naturally, when shrubs and trees gained a foothold on the unfarmed edges of cultivated land or in the damp, stony places that couldn’t be farmed. Many more hedgerows were planted to mark boundaries following the Enclosure Acts which began in the 17th century.

It’s estimated that there are almost 250,000 miles of ‘managed’ hedgerows in the UK, but we are losing thousands of miles each year to development, agriculture and a lack of management.

This is an alarming statistic for a number of reasons. A hedgerow is so much more than a simple field boundary. These green borders are a literal lifeline for wildlife, offering shelter, living accommodation and food within often inhospitable land surrounding them. They are the connecting links between larger habitats, such as woodlands, enabling wildlife to move from one place to another.

of wildlife. Look closely along the length of an old hedgerow and you’ll likely see many woody species thickly entwined together – such as hawthorn, blackthorn, spindle, holly, dog rose and crab apple. Scrambling through the woody growth you might discover wild honeysuckle, prickly bramble and ivy, with taller trees overtopping it like oak, field maple and beech. At the base of the hedge, thriving in the shelter it provides, you’ll often find an abundance of wildflowers such as bluebells, red campion, stitchwort and frothy cow parsley.

Many birds nest within the woody fortress of the hedge, enjoying the dense protection it provides. According to the RSPB, at least 30 bird species nest in hedgerows, including whitethroats, linnets, yellowhammers, dunnocks and song thrushes. Some 1,500 insect species have been recorded in species-rich hedgerows, from beetles that shelter in the tussocky undergrowth beneath the hedge to butterflies and moths that rely on them for food and breeding places.

Many mammals too depend on hedgerows for survival. The concentration of insects around hedgerows make them perfect hunting grounds for bats, and it is also known that they use hedges as a navigation aid as they travel through the landscape. Bats use echolocation to find their way, sending out sound waves and listening for their return as they bounce off objects in the landscape. In an otherwise open landscape such as farmland, the presence of hedgerows ensures they can find their way back to their roosting sites.

Hedgerows are vital for dormice too. These nocturnal mammals spend their lives climbing among the branches of trees and hedges, rarely coming down to the ground. Following their winter hibernation, they emerge in May to feast on hawthorn pollen and honeysuckle nectar, often venturing into dense hedgerows to find these delicacies. Summer breeding nests can be created in the dense, knotted branches near to the base of a hedge, and sustenance is sought from caterpillars, aphids and then juicy blackberries as the year progresses in autumn. It is not only wildlife that benefits from our hedgerows – they are an increasingly important tool in fighting the climate emergency. In addition to tree-planting, expanding our hedgerow network will help to absorb more atmospheric carbon, as well as protecting soils from erosion and filtering out pollution particles in the air that we breathe.

Looking after, or ‘managing’ our hedgerows, is crucial if we are to support the wildlife that depends on them. If unmanaged, they will become thinner at the base, losing the dense, protected structure that is valued by so many species.

Hedges that have become ‘gappy’ at the bottom can be rejuvenated by hedge laying. This is a traditional country skill that involves partially cutting through the woody stems at the base of the hedge, bending them and intertwining them, filling in any gaps and encouraging new growth.

There are many organisations offering advice on hedgerow management for wildlife, and a good starting point is Hedgelink (www.hedgelink.org.uk/).