Operation Bumblebee!
CHANGING farming practices have played a major role in the decline of the bumble bee, according to new research. The big drop in haymaking and the rise of silage is driving out the bees, whose numbers have declined by 60 per cent since 1970.
Most of the twenty or so species of bumblebee are in decline, and two have become extinct. Five bumble bee species are designated UK Biological Action Plan species, in recognition of their decline, with three more species scheduled for inclusion. Syngenta is investing heavily to
Bowlers forced to jack it in!
Outrage as digger tears up 120 year old green
BOWLERS watched in horror as a digger ripped their 120-year-old green to shreds. A land dispute over the rent of the club led to
the owner cutting a muddy swathe through the carefully trimmed lawn. Now members of the Rankiston Bowling Green in Ayrshire are seeing if they can take legal action against the vandalism. The land dispute over the former mining village’s only recreational facility has dragged on for years. Local woman Nicola Brown bought the land seven years ago and, despite the historic links, insisted she would sell to a developer. The shock tactics were deployed after the
reverse the fortunes of Britain’s bumblebees through the creation of a nationwide network of field margins rich in pollen and nectar. Operation Bumblebee aims to establish a patchwork of new habitat totalling 1,000 hectares, benefiting the bumblebees on 1,000,000 hectares of Britain’s land.
takes advantage of opportunities within set-aside and other environmental schemes for habitat creation designed to dovetail into Defra’s new agri- environment schemes. You can help by siting bumblebee
boxes around your facility. They are about the size of small bird boxes but have two compartments: one in which the queen breeds, which is filled with wood shavings, and one where the other bees live. Choose a sheltered, south-facing spot
to site bumblebee boxes. It should be warm but out of direct sunlight.
Syngenta’s Operation Bumblebee
bowlers in the former mining village ignored an ultimatum to leave the land. Nicola had demanded that they call a halt to their sport. But the bowlers carried on, saying they had paid their rent and rates on the club for months in advance. Another ultimatum was given which was also ignored. This time, JCB diggers ripped the hallowed
turf up and ended the bowling heritage as bemused and angry residents looked on. Club president John Boyle, 54, said: “We are
shocked and disgusted at this. We don’t know who instructed the JCBs. Nicola Brown says she has sold the land but won’t tell us who to, so we are in the dark.” “We have bowled happily in Rankiston for more than 100 years and this is a wretched way for things to end. “We regard this as an act of vandalism and an
insult to the community. Rankiston has practically nothing but the bowling and now that has been ripped from us." The bowling club offered £40,000 to buy back the land from Nicola but they were told she had received an offer of more than twice that.
Memorial garden for Groundsman
South Devon sports club remember their ‘one of a kind’
A SPORTS club has built a memorial garden for its ‘one of a kind’ groundsman who died of leukaemia in January.
Barry Gray, 63, worked at Cranford Sports Club in Exmouth, Devon, for six years and was popular among members and staff - many of whom visited him in hospital.
His wife Jean, 66, said: “When people die everybody says nice things about them, but with Barry it's all true. I was so lucky to have met him.”
“Even when he was unwell he was worried about letting the club down.”
When Barry died the club decided to build a memorial to show how much he was adored.
Manager Derrick Hough said: “Barry was well-respected and liked by all. A memorial garden seemed like a perfect idea.”
Jean often accompanied Barry to work and was married to him for seventeen years.
She has visited the garden with friends but finds it too painful to visit it alone.
She said: “The garden is proof of how lovely he was.”
Paul running for charity
Rolawn’s Managing Director competing in Gobi Desert Ultra Marathon for childrens charity
PAUL Dawson, Managing Director of Rolawn Limited, Europe’s largest turf grower and leading topsoil distributor, based at Elvington near York, is competing in the Gobi Desert (China) ultra-marathon. Commencing on 17th June, the Gobi March is a self-supported footrace across 150 miles (250 kilometres) of Gobi Desert in China. The race consists of six stages, lasting seven days, with distances ranging from 10 to 50 miles per stage. Competitors are required to be fully self-supported throughout the event and must carry all their own food, gear and clothing which they need to complete the 150 mile course. 190 competitors from around the
world are taking part and can expect a wide variety of terrain including: canyons, salt flats, rivers, mountain ridges, rocky terrain and sand dunes of up to 1000-feet high. The Gobi Desert is known for
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having the most extreme weather on Earth, very hot days that reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and cold nights that drop below freezing. Paul Dawson commented “The Gobi March
definitely promises to be an experience of a lifetime, quite unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Needless to say I am not competing for a place I am just trying to get round in one piece! Whilst running I will be raising money for The Neuroblastoma Society which is a rare form of children's cancer.”
The Gobi March is held annually in honour of three great women -- Mildred Cable and Eva and Francesca French -- who crossed the Gobi Desert five times approximately one-hundred years ago. Mildred Cable once wrote: “Only a fool crosses the great Gobi without misgivings.” A special trophy will be awarded in their honour. For further information on the
Neuroblastoma Society visit
www.nsoc.co.uk To make a donation online visit
www.justgiving.com/gobi-desert-dawson
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