dates for your diary

Dementia Afternoon Club at Bembridge Methodist Hall, 73 Forelands Road, Bembridge from 2pm – 4pm. £5 per person (carers go free), this includes a selection of sandwiches, cakes, and tea and coffee. To confirm your attendance please call on 01983 218318 or email: iow@rightathome.co.uk (so we can ensure we order plenty of cake!)

Second Tuesday of every month (except August) 2pm – 4pm – Bembridge Belles Women’s Institute at Bembridge Village Hall, High Street, Bembridge PO35 5SN. Entertainment, refreshments and get to meet local women. You are welcome to come along to three meetings free of charge to see if you enjoy it. Please call 07856 248340 if you’d like to know more or just come along to a meeting!

Saturday 4th February - Friendship Coffee morning at Bembridge Village Hall from 10am – 12 noon. Come and meet others for coffee/tea and good company. Various stalls. Also 150 draw money goes to help Community Bus. There is a community bus that will pick people up from their homes and return if needed

Saturday 18th February – Indoor Car Boot Sale from 10am – 2pm at Brading Youth and Community Centre, Brading High Street.

Friday 24th February – Fun bingo Evening with a meal. Tickets £7 to include your food at Newport golf Club, St Georges Lane, Newport at 6.30pm. £2 per card to play. Raising funds for Vectis Radio. Tickets from tickets@vectisradio.fm

All event information was correct at time of print but could be subject to change at any time.

News Report from Jonathan Bacon - IW Councillor for Brading & St Helens. Tel 07973 872150 | Email: jonathan.bacon@iow.gov.uk sthelenscouncillor@gmail.com Cllr Jonathan Bacon

In my last report I commented on the aim to establish a Local Green Volunteers Group in St Helens, both to undertake particular projects but also to provide assistance for general maintenance work.

I am pleased to report that the group is now up and running and has already undertaken work in St Helens Churchyard. As mentioned before, the idea arose out of the ongoing project to undertake tree planting and establish wildflower meadows in the Village as well as looking at restoration of the Horseshoe Trail, however the potential for the group is much wider than this. It would be interesting to know what further ideas residents have for projects. Further it seems that there is no need why these projects need to be limited to ‘gardening’ type work and need only be limited by the skill set of the volunteers in the group.

One potential source of work and projects arises from the fact that St Helens Parish Council has now taken on the running of the Pavilion on the Green. The main aim in doing so is to ensure that the Pavilion will be able to continue to provide a resource and a base for sporting activity in the Village, however there is scope for a much wider use for the building. As such work needs to be undertaken to ensure the Pavilion is ready for the widest possible use and that may be something Volunteers can be involved in.

If you are interested in being a volunteer or if you have any ideas for projects, please contact me using the details above.

One question that is currently being asked a lot in the Village is about whether the Car Boot Sales that used to take place regularly through the summer months in the Village might be able to recommence. These were previously organised by the Sports Association, but they will be able to continue that role. As such this is something that will depend on new volunteers coming forward. At the moment we do not have people to organise sales for this year.

Lastly, I am sad to report that we have had a number of instances of vandalism in St Helens over the New Year period including the cutting of the Christmas tree lights. Such behaviour is fortunately rare in the Village, and it is unfortunate that it seems to have been directed at things such as the Tree and some of the elements of the Village of Angels. I hope it will not impact on whether people participate in such activities in the future. Through the Parish Council steps are being taken to contact appropriate Agencies so as to catch the culprits and prevent further instances of damage.

As both your Isle of Wight Councillor and a Parish Councillor I can be contacted at any time, and I will always respond to messages. I have set out my contact details above.

I have fixed dates for Surgeries for the new year in St Helens. These will continue to take place in the Pavilion. The next sessions will take place on the following dates (all starting at 10am) February 28th, March 28th and April 25th.

Tel: 07528 586683

Following on from last month’s article, I hope as many of you managed to take part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch at the end of January. I am continuing the bird theme in February while the majority of our insects are still in hibernation, although you are likely to see a butterfly on a sunny day towards the end of the month. I would love to hear from you if you see one, especially if you get a photo.

As the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Regional Representative, my role includes organising the national bird surveys on the Island and promoting the organisation’s events. We have a great event in February for you, the National Nest Box Week which runs from 1421 February.

Many of us are aware of how vital it is to feed our garden birds, but it’s also just as important that they have a suitable shelter and site for breeding. With natural habitats such as trees and hedgerows being lost to development and the increase in urban housing, some of our garden birds struggle to find a safe shelter to rear their young.

However, we can all do our bit to help so why not site a nest box in your garden or outdoor area, which will provide them with a clean, warm environment to lay their eggs and raise their chicks. You may find that birds use the box to roost in the winter.

There are some excellent bird boxes produced by CJ Wildlife who also have some great tips about where to install them and what type of box is best. www.nestboxweek.com

I am pleased to announce I have my first event of the year. The New Carnival Company are staging the IOW Dark Skies Festival at Isle of Wight Pearl on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th February from 3-8pm. The festival will feature, among other things, astronomy while I will be talking about moths, in my role as County Moth Recorder, and how the Island is a great place to see them with over 900 different species recorded here each year! Hope to see some of you there.