Internet and Crossword

Emergency alerts

EMERGENCY alerts is a new service from the UK government, which will warn you if there’s a danger to life nearby. It should be launched soon.

In an emergency, your phone or tablet will receive an alert with advice about how to stay safe.

Emergency alerts are broadcast from mobile phone masts. Every compatible mobile phone or tablet in range will receive an alert. The government does not need your phone number to send you an alert. Your phone or tablet may make a loud siren-like sound, even if it’s set on silent, vibrate or read out the alert. The sound and vibration will last for about ten seconds.

You should then stop what you’re doing (find somewhere safe to stop before using your phone or tablet) and follow the instructions in the alert. Sometimes an alert will include a phone number or a link to the GOV.UK website for more information.

They did some test alerts earlier this year.

If you want to see an alert again, you can find current alerts and past alerts at gov.uk/alerts or on your phone or tablet – just search Alerts on android or Find Alerts on iPhone.

You may get alerts about severe flooding; fires; extreme weather; public health emergencies.

Emergency alerts will only be sent by the emergency services or Government departments, agencies and public bodies that deal with emergencies

Although that all sounds a bit scary, the chances of this happening are really low, but necessary if one of them does arise.

Submitted for I.T. for the Terrified by Lynne Duckett. Although we have stopped our one-to-one tuition, we will continue with this column to keep the name alive. This article is for guidance only, and the opinion of the writer. I.T. for the Terrified - it4ttcvh@gmail.com

The Mendip Mindbender

ACROSS

1 Economic system of private business in competition, free of state control (4,10) 10 Ladies’ jewelled ornamental headband (5) 11 American prospectors’ term for a loan advanced against a share in any profits (9) 12 A thankful village seven miles north of Taunton (7) 13 Christian name of a previous prime minister (7) 14 Set fire to, portable battery powered lamp (5) 16 Highest point on the

Quantocks (5,4) 19 The sink in the bathroom (9) 20 Former gold coin used in

European countries (5) 22 Village, three miles north of

Shepton Mallet, that once had a brewery producing ‘Invalid

Stout’ (7) 25 Of data that is presented in columns (7) 27 Complex, complicated or convoluted (9) 28 Basic monetary unit of India (5) 29 Gentleman who will replace

Annie Maw as Lord

Lieutenant of Somerset in

November (8,6)

DOWN

2 Maintains once more (9) 3 The Greek muse of erotic poetry (5) 4 People who are active after dark (5,4) 5 Act up like Stromboli (5) 6 Owned and controlled by the devil (9) 7 This setter’s mature depiction (5) 8 Moorfields Hospital, London

EC1 has this sort of depository (3,4) 9 Village by the mouth of the river Parrett with surrounding marshes looked after by

Wildlife and Wetlands Trust (6) 15 Condition of having been bred from two different animals or plants (9) 17 Extends, draws out or protracts (9) 18 Fast growing evergreen

Australian trees (9) 19 Treatment of the whole person not just the illness (alternate spelling) (7) 21 Aim for what the integrator has returned (6) 23 No up in sauce boat (5) 24 Depart on holiday (5) 26 Stultified, tunnelled (5)

By greendandelion Clues in italics are cryptic

This month’s solution can be found on page 85

Somerset poppies return

TWO thousand metal-stemmed poppies will once again be planted at The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens in Wells this year, in time for Remembrance weekend in November.

Originally, 2,989 poppies were made by local school children in 2018 –one to mark each serviceman lost from Somerset during WWI. Some were sold to raise money for SSAFA and the Wells Branch of the Royal British Legion.

After the original project finished it was agreed that the palace should retain 2,000 poppies in order to continue to display them inside the grounds, as they had been taken to heart by local people. Each year since, they have moved to a different location in the gardens and this year the poppies will be on display from November 5th-20th on the palace moat bank.

The poppies will be put in place by Dan Vidler, who conceived the idea. l A Remembrance Service will also be held at the Bishop’s Chapel on Friday, 11th November. All are welcome.

The palace poppies will return in November

Airport appeal

THECo-ordinating Committee of Bristol Airport Action Network (BAANcc) will be arguing in the High Court that the decision to allow Bristol Airport to expand was not lawful.

Estelle Dehon (King’s Counsel, who with Leigh Day solicitors is acting for BAANcc) has identified six areas where they consider that the decision making process was unlawful.

BAANcc were successful in getting the case heard at Bristol based on the high level of interest from local people in Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and B&NES.

Of the 11,000 comments on the original application, 77% were against expansion, but when drilled down to local responses, 84% of those who objected were from North Somerset and 93% were from the Chew Valley. These are the communities beneath the flight path

North Somerset Council turned down the original application, but Bristol Airport successfully appealed the decision.

The public are being invited to join a vigil outside the Bristol Civil Justice Centre in Bristol during the hearing on November 8th and 9th, 9am-4pm.

Community fridge feeling the squeeze

Fridge volunteer Justin with trustee Miranda; Justin was preparing the doors to be decorated with a mural

TRUSTEES of the Glastonbury Community Fridge project are appealing for new suppliers of food as the cost-of-living crisis hits their levels of stock.

A large proportion of the foodstuff comes from local supermarkets who, until recently, were donating surplus discounted lines which could no longer be sold at the end of the day. But the trustees say families feeling the squeeze are now buying more and more discounted food.

The fridge and larder are based outside Glastonbury Town Hall and are open from 9am-4pm every day of the year. The trustees are also appealing for more volunteers – known as “fridge guaradians” – to join them. The project was founded by Gina TyWharton in 2020 to reduce the amount of food going Fresh vegetables are always in demand to landfill and to help people struggling with the costs of food.

Supplies of perishable foodstuffs are complemented by donations from allotment holders, offering people who use the fridge the chance to enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables. Trustee Miranda Millan said: “The crisis is definitely affecting us in terms of the amount of food we can collect or which is donated.”

One visitor said she uses the fridge regularly to support her daughter who is having issues with benefits. Another travels each Thursday morning from his home in Compton Dundon. Users are limited to five items each. The fridge project is also linked to a scheme in the High Street where people can donate items such as tinned food which have a long shelf-life.

For details, find the Glastonbury Community Fridge on Facebook

Carbon –footprints we all leave

EVERYBODYand every business has a carbon footprint. The Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Farming in Protected Landscapes team are offering farm businesses within the AONB the opportunity to apply for up to £1,500 to help them understand and reduce their carbon footprint.

Generally, carbon is used as shorthand for greenhouse gases, the various gases that include carbon dioxide and methane which trap heat and warm the Earth’s atmosphere. These gases have led to changes in the climate, and the effects are now becoming noticeable here.

A carbon footprint (strictly speaking it should be greenhouse gas footprint) is the amount of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of an individual or organisation. We all have a carbon footprint.

As we live in a fossil fuel based economy and the use of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it is very difficult at present not to have a carbon footprint. Net zero carbon is a method where although a business has a carbon footprint, this footprint can be reduced by providing greenhouse gas absorbers. The classic greenhouse gas absorbers are trees. But trees are not the only ones. Grassland that has been undisturbed for decades is also excellent at storing carbon in its soil. Wet peatlands are also superb at storing carbon.

So, what’s this got to do with farming and the Mendip Hills? Well, it can be easy to forget that farms are businesses. Within the Mendip Hills AONB there are something like 240 farm businesses contributing to the economy, providing employment and income as well as food and produce. Farming has shaped the landscape for centuries and is part of what makes the Mendip Hills AONB landscape so special. Farming is in an almost unique position to tackle climate change and the industry has recognised it has an important role to play. Farming is reliant upon one thing more than any other, land. Land is required for food production but it is also vital in the fight against climate change, be that for solar farms, tree planting or improving the carbon stores in soil.

So how can a farm business know their carbon footprint and work towards reducing it? Well, to get an accurate measure of the carbon footprint is very difficult. But, and this is an important but, an accurate measure of a carbon footprint is currently not the most important thing. A measure of how a carbon footprint changes has most value.

So long as the way you measure a carbon footprint stays the same, you can measure change. And it is the change, working towards net carbon zero, that is vitally important. To measure change a farm business can use a Farm Carbon Calculator. A Farm Carbon Calculator is an internet-based tool that is specifically designed to help collect and record carbon data and calculate a farm’s carbon footprint.

The Mendip Hills AONB Farming in Protected Landscapes team are offering farm businesses that farm within the AONB boundary the opportunity to apply for up to £1,500 towards tailored one-to-one advice from a Farm Carbon Calculator Advisor to start their journey towards reducing their carbon footprint. If you don’t understand your carbons, you can’t control your carbons. And by cutting your carbons you can cut the costs to your farm business.

Contact the Mendip Hills AONB Farming in Protected Landscapes Team for more information

Celebrating 50 years of farming on the Mendip Hills

There are 237 farms, 39 are over 100ha. In 2021 there were 152 farmers as part of the 576 people employed on farms. In the same year there were 14,000 cattle in the AONB and 38,000 sheep. These farmers and other land managers care for the nature reserves that cover a quarter of the AONB.

Megan Godley Farming Engagement Officer Farming in Protected Landscapes Mendip Hills AONB Charterhouse Centre, BS40 7XR Office telephone: 01761 462338 Email: megan@mendiphillsaonb.org.uk www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk