Bembridge & St Helens Area
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May 2021
Your Local Community Magazine
Curious cuckoos One of the most iconic sounds of spring is the call of the male cuckoo, the two notes heralding the changing seasons. Cuckoos will have just started to arrive in Britain after their long migration from Africa where they spend the majority of the year. They have a fascinating life cycle and cuckoos and their chicks and eggs are wonderfully adapted to parasitising the nest of other bird species. Just two of the 54 species of Old World cuckoo can be found in Europe and here we will take a closer look at the common cuckoo. Arrival In late February cuckoos will slowly begin their 10,000km journey to Britain, leaving the rainforests of central Africa where they have spent our autumn and winter. They will have been feeding up on the insects these forests provide ready for the 50-60 hour Saharan crossing which makes up one of the more perilous legs of their journey. Cuckoos make the crossing in one non-stop night flight and sadly many don’t make it to the other side. Cold temperatures, dust storms and high winds could all put bring their migration to a premature end. There are further obstacles for the cuckoos as they navigate their way through hunters in the Mediterranean and possible wet or cold weather on their passage.
Cuckoo © Andy Ames
The breeding season Once the cuckoos arrive at their destination (they breed across Europe) the most familiar part of their life cycle begins. Males can be spotted on open perches making their onomatopoeic call, while females have a less-famous bubbling call which they make as they search for a suitable nest. Each female will be adapted to parasitise the nest of a certain host bird, a trait they pass on to their chicks, forming distinct races. The reed warbler and the meadow pipit are the most common unwitting parents to cuckoos, but over 120 species have been recorded with cuckoo eggs in their nests. Cuckoo eggs have a thick shell so the egg can be quickly laid from above the nest while the parents are gone, and the cuckoo chick has a concave back to help roll other eggs out of the nest. They also have a large gape and loud calls, which trigger the parents to bring food despite the often odd appearance of a giant cuckoo chick squashed into a too-small nest being fed by tiny parents. But this harbinger of Spring is on the decline, on the UK red list of birds. An important factor is the increasingly unpredictable weather, which can play havoc with the cuckoos migration flight and their insect food sources. Cuckoos can be spotted on many of the Trust’s nature reserves – find your closest at www.hiwwt.org. uk/nature-reserves
W
elcome to the May issue of Island Magazines.
Another month has been and gone and the Government roadmap to bring us out of ‘lockdown’ is moving along and it’s good to see local businesses open their doors once again. One person I am really excited to see is my hairdresser... and I’m sure many of you can relate to how I am feeling. More restrictions are due to be lifted in May and we can also look forward to two bank holidays on the 3rd and 31st. These last few weeks have been a mix-match of weather conditions. Going from sunny days to frosty mornings and some places across the island even saw snow! There has been a constant chill to the air but hopefully as we enter May we can look forward to some glorious days. This magazine is free for readers to pick up and we rely upon local businesses to advertise in order for us to flourish and we would be really grateful if you could please tell your family, friends, work colleagues and local businesses about us. I hope you have a great May and I look forward to catching up with you again next month.
Debbie 07880 587 931 islandmagazines@gmail.com www.islandmagazines.co.uk facebook.com/islandmagazines twitter.com/islandmagazines Island Magazines Mailbox No 4, Unit B1 Whitecross Business Centre Whitecross Lane Shanklin, IOW, PO37 7EJ All information is correct at time of printing but may be subject to change.
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St Helens Parish Council
Phone: 07563 130185 | E-mail: clerk@sthelensiw.org.uk St Helens Parish Council continue to thank businesses and residents for their ongoing observance of the new Covid 19 guidance and hope the work of the community will enable a safe relaxation of the guidance, with local residents being able to get back to as normal a routine as possible. The Parish Council have allocated funds to continue the investment made in the Duver Toilets, which have re-opened in time for the May Bank Holidays.
have a Parish Council and in 1986 the first Parish Council was elected with a proper election being held! Here are the people elected. Top row Mick Dove, David Savory, Charlie Wines, Roy Toogood. Bottom Row Roy Hollis, Barbara Dyer, Paul Whitehall, Bill Bayley.
David Savory, Roy Hollis and Bill Bayley had been members of the old St Helens Association which had looked after village We are also mindful of the forthcoming affairs prior to the Parish Council. That local (County and Parish, as well as Police means that 2021 is the 35th Year that the & Crime Commissioner) elections, with the Village has had a PC - quite a record - and Polling Station at the Community Centre over the years many local men and women – we appreciate the work of volunteers have served the village so they all deserve at the Centre to ensure the venue is covid our thanks! compliant and ready for May: it appears the Parish Council elections will be uncontested, and more details will appear locally. Did you know that the Parish Council was first formed in 1986 so is 35 years old this year? Here is a photo of the first people elected and their names . In 1985 it was agreed that St Helens should 4
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St Helens Parish Council Thanks to all the local residents that have been in touch regarding issues in the Parish, and for understanding the limitations, particularly during the pandemic, and for the efforts to address issues directly or after contacting the appropriate agencies. We hope this keeps residents as informed as possible at this time and hope all take care and stay safe. St Helens Parish Council
Join the Diabetes Group Isle of Wight We support people with diabetes by: • Providing support and information for people with diabetes. • Providing a platform for discussion to raise awareness of diabetes on the island • Campaigning for excellence in the care of people with diabetes, providing a voice for them to be heard.
If you would like to support Free online May event: our group by volunteering, Dr Lawrence, St. Mary's Hospital consultant will be talking about become a current & future treatments for Diabetes & answering your questions. member or Date: 27th May 2021 sign up to Time: 7pm to 8pm receive our Guest Speaker: Dr Victor Lawrence, St.Mary's Hospital, IOW NHS Trust newsletters Joining details: Please email us for a Zoom Link at then please info@diabetesiow.org.uk email us. Questions: Please email any questions you have by 20th May 2021
Sign up via email or go direct to our website to read our regular newsletter and magazine. www.diabetesiow.org.uk diabetesiow E: info@diabetesiow.org.uk
Feline Welfare is a small but dedicated rescue centre on the Island and is run by Nikki Hazelgrove who works tirelessly rescuing, saving and rehoming cats and kittens across the Island. She is not a business but Registered Charity: 1084722 a registered charity and relies upon the generosity of locals to donate to help feed the residents and ensure they get medical treatment. Her special residents are looking for their ‘forever homes’ and here are just a few that want you to pick up the phone and call so you can come and meet them. You can find more details on their website www.felinewelfareiow.co.uk . Call anytime on 521778. Meet ‘Pepper’ and ‘Salem’. They are not related but when they both arrived at Feline Welfare they got on so well together and are now best friends and will need to stay together. They are happy, friendly and loving cats. ‘Butch’ came in as an unapproachable undoctored stray but has changed so much and although still nervous initially his foster parents Jane and Colin have turned his life round for him. He has a lovely personality and he is now ready to move into a loving, quiet and safe home. ‘Murphy’ arrived on Boxing Day. It was believed his owner had sadly passed away so he then adopted a couple quite close by for the following year. Their cats were not too happy with his visits so Nikki was asked if she could help. This lovely boy is looking for a quiet home, so no young children, and probably as an only cat, or maybe a friendly female cat who would be gentle with him. ‘Molly’, is 7 years old and is an affectionate little girl and is definitely looking for love of the human kind. Molly turned up recently and made no attempt to leave and owners can’t be traced. Molly will be better as either an only pet or with another friendly and gentle cat. She definitely wouldn’t like to be with a dog. ‘Mischief’ is such an adorable little character. She is 6 years young and such and very sweet and affectionate. She was living with another cat and a small cat-friendly dog so she can either go as the only pet – which she would LOVE – but Nikki may consider her going with one other pet in the family. If you can’t give a ‘forever home’ but would love to be a foster parent then Nikki would love you to contact her. A BIG SHOUT OUT for anyone who can donate to ‘Jeremy’ who has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia and dislocating knees. He needs surgery amounting to £4,500. PLEASE DONATE via their website or Facebook page.
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BEMBRIDGE PARISH COUNCIL Tel: 01983 874160 E: clerk@bembridgepc.org.uk
• Trading Standards are still receiving reports of phone calls from companies around home insulation, the caller will tell you they will visit and check out your home insulation in the roof and then offer you a one-time only deal for providing insulation – similarly calls about asbestos in your property, they will arrange to call and check your property Empress Queen Anchor The Empress Queen’s anchor has now been for asbestos and will almost certainly “find” some, they will then overcharge cleaned, preserved and sited by the Parish you for the removal and disposal of the Lengthsmen on the Coast Guard Green, non-existent asbestos - do not engage with overlooking the Empress Queens resting place. The information board produced by anyone who calls you out of the blue and the Village Partnership, Bembridge Heritage remember any work that these companies are likely to do will be over priced and of a and Parish Office will be sited once poor quality. completed by the Men in Sheds. Village Hall Restoration The restoration work on Bembridge Village Hall roof and gables has now finished and the results are amazing. The restoration of the windows and doors has now commenced, hopefully all complete by the time the Village Hall opens to the public.
Bembridge Friendship Circle Having received an IW Foundation grant of £10,000, generous donations including £1,000 from the Bembridge Calendar (Steve Warburton and Sienna Anderson), the sale of the old minibus and all the funds raised over the last few years, the Friendship Circle has been able to purchase a new minibus for £38,680. The new Community Minibus is on order and will be delivered, covid secure, in time for when life starts to get back to normal. Friendship Circle bags and tea towels are still available for sale from the Parish Office, and you can still join in with the 150-club monthly raffle. IWASP Scams Trading Standards have some more scams to warn you about. We have had reports from residents about the following but there will be others!
• Another common phone scam at the moment appears to come from National Insurance stating that your NI number has been compromised or suspended – this is a SCAM just hang up. • We have also received worrying reports that a scam text regarding the Census has started doing the rounds. It says there appears to be incorrect information on your completed census form to avoid a £1000 fine please click on the link they provide – this is a SCAM. The ONS states “You will never be issued with a fine by text message, on social media or by email. Our Cyber Intelligence team is scouring the web for phishing sites and taking them down. If you find a site that looks suspicious or receive text messages with links to sites asking for money related to the census, do not engage with them. continued over the page
BEMBRIDGE PARISH COUNCIL Report them to the Census 2021 Contact Centre by ringing 0800 141 2021”.
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Another useful tool is the free Which Scam Alert service that you can sign up to – just go to the following site, https:// campaigns.which.co.uk/scam-alertservice/ COVID 19 Bembridge Support Line For information on Shopping Deliveries, Local Hot Meal Deliveries, Prescription Deliveries, The Phone Buddy System or anything else you are concerned about, please call on 07724 401443. Next meeting of Bembridge Parish Council is Wednesday 19th May 2021, 7pm.
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