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Off the Beaten Track
One might be forgiven for thinking summer had at last appeared. Maybe not as warm as it should be but lovely sunshine greeted our Walking Group’s May walk. In an attempt to introduce some paths nearby, that people may have never been along before despite living in the area for many decades, we headed into the woods on the far side of Hook Road. Most people said they didn’t even know this path existed. Our next walk is planned for Tuesday 5th June. If you would like to join us just turn up outside the Hiltonbury Farmhouse at 10:30. The distance will be around three miles and we walk at a very leisurely pace so would suit most people.
Next walk coming up!
The next outing for the NMDCA Walking Group will be on Tuesday 1st May. We will meet outside the Farmhouse at 10:30. The walk is planned to be just over three miles and will be a more interesting off road route as long as we don’t get a lot of rain in the meantime.
GREAT TURN OUT FOR EASTER FAIR
Local residents Amélie Puddicombe and Jacob Beeson got their fund raising efforts off to a flying start with an Easter Fair that they organised and held in the North Miller’s Dale Community Hall.
Despite the miserable weather on Good Friday scores of local people turned up to support them. They, along with their parents and friends had clearly put a massive effort into the variety of entertainment and stalls on offer on the day.
This picture is a copy of the full page spread about them in the Eastleigh Times.
Amélie wrote:
First of all, we want to say a huge thank you to all of the contributors and everyone who came, our Easter Fair which raised over £50. The energy was great and we hope that everyone enjoyed themselves, we certainly did.
All of the money will be put towards our World Challenge Expedition to Sri Lanka in the summer of 2019, for the trip, we need to raise £3200 each. While there, we will help renovate a school and teach English, we will also help its local community. There will be a total of 22 students going to Sri Lanka and as well as community work, we will also explore most of Sri Lanka, to see and experience the unique culture.
We both have an easy fundraising website which is linked below. Easy fundraising is a website where you sign up to one of our accounts and then whenever you do online shopping, the company will donate a percentage of what you spend to our account. I (Amélie) also have a just giving website and would be very grateful if you could contribute to it, the link is also below.
In the future, we hope to be holding a Curry Night, but that is still being organised.
If you have any questions about anything, please contact ameliepud@icloud.com.
Our easy fundraising websites are: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ameliepuddicombe/ https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/jacobbeeson/
Amélie’s Just Giving website: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/amelie-puddicombe
Thank you so much for your support, Amélie Puddicombe and Jacob Beeson
HEDGEHOG AWARENESS WEEK
Coming up in May is: Hedgehog Awareness Week: 6 – 12 May 2018:
https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/hedgehog-awareness-week-runs-6th-12th-may-2018/
Hedgehogs are under threat: Numbers have fallen sharply in the last ten years and there are thought to be fewer than one million Hedgehogs left in the UK.
So how can we help our local hedgehogs?
On the roads: Slow down where hedgehogs might cross: near hedges or grass at dusk and after dark.
Last year several hedgehogs were killed in Hursley Road and North Millers Dale. If safe, stop and help them to get across. Hedgehogs natural defence mechanism is to roll up into a ball – no protection against Road Traffic.
On pathways & shared spaces we can pick up rubbish: plastic bags; Plastic beer can rings; rubber bands & hair bands are the most dangerous for Hedgehogs as their spines get trapped in them.
Make our gardens more accessible for Hedgehogs
North Millers Dale is already a good place for hedgehogs as we have pathways where cars can’t go.
Adult hedgehogs travel over a mile at night ranging over entire neighbourhoods looking for food.
We can help them by providing more gaps under fences and gates:
A 13 cm x 13cm hole is all they need: See: hedgehogstreet.org.
By giving Hedgehogs better access to our gardens we can provide the safe habitat and food source that they desperately need – giving Hedgehogs a better chance of survival in North Millers Dale. Hedgehogs are good for the garden and with extra encouragement we might be lucky enough to see more of them.
Make our gardens safer for Hedgehogs
- Store garden netting indoors. It is dangerous for hedgehogs as they get their
This hedgehog was lucky he was found before the bag got him spines caught and become trapped.
- Ponds: Hedgehogs can swim but they need an escape route [like a plank] to climb back out
- Cover drains and gullies: Hedgehogs have poor eyesight but are curious – they fall into holes and get stuck
- Say no to slug pellets and weedkillers: common sources of poisoning for Hedgehogs and pets. Insect-rich lawns and flowerbeds make excellent feeding grounds at dusk.Hedgehogs hoover up over 100 invertebrates: snails, slugs & beetles every night.
- Check for Hedgehogs in long grass before strimming and mowing or better still, leave some grass long for the insects.
- Check compost heaps and bonfires for hedgehogs before digging in a fork or setting alight.
Make our gardens more Hedgehog friendly:
- Provide shallow bowls of fresh water – not milk as Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant.
- Attract natural hedgehog food. Hedgehogs particularly like big, crunchy beetles, earthworms and slugs, making them a gardener’s best friend. Leaf piles will encourage earthworms & create better soil. Wood piles provide good habitats for beetles and insects.
- Hedgehogs are creatures of habit so if you see hedgehogs in your garden the chances are you will see them the same time the next evening.
- Hedgehog food: Offer cat or dog meat but not fish based. Put it out at dusk & take in the excess.
Pets Corner near Waitrose sell Hedgehog food. If you are worried about rats, don’t put out grain-based foods.
What to do if you find a sick or injured hedgehog: If you see a Hedgehog out during the day they are probably unwell or underweight, offer food and water. Hedgehogs need to weigh 600grams to hibernate safely. Contact your local Vet or Rescue Centre for advice before intervening or The British Hedgehog Preservation Society: Telephone: 01584 890 801 Website: https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk
No single garden is large enough for a hedgehog population, and no single garden can offer everything they need. Think of your garden as part of a local network: https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/about-our-hedgehog-street-campaign/
Wildlife Trusts: Helping hedgehogs around the UK:
Small, round, brown and famously covered in spines, the hedgehog was one of the most familiar of Britain’s wild mammals. http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/hedgehogs
Order a hedgehog crossing from the British Hedgehog Association.
It is 14 inches across the diagonal
https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/shop/product/hedgehog-crossingsign/
Dates for your diary
Following another enjoyable walk around our local area we have decided to change the date of all our forthcoming walks to be on the first Tuesday of every month. That way you will be able to mark it up as a definite date each month till the end of the year. We will still send out reminders to everyone on our walking group contact list but by sticking to specific dates it should make it easier to plan ahead. Just turn up on the day, everyone welcome. Walks are a leisurely three miles so easy going for most abilities.
Next months walk will be the first Tuesday of the month. Meet by the Hiltonbury Farmhouse at 10:30
What winds you up?
Do you have an issue you would like to share with the North Miller’s Dale community. Potholes, traffic, parking, hedges, rats…… whatever it is we would like to hear from you. Our next newsletter comes out in May and we are hoping to resurrect our letters section which used to be a lively element of the Miller’s Tale in past years. Equally, if there is something positive you would like to share with our residents then we would be happy to publish that too.
You can contact us by
- adding your thoughts to the comments section on this page,
- commenting on our Facebook page,
- by emailing editor@nmdca.org.uk
- or by mailing to
‘The Editor’, 8 Weavers Place
Chandlers Ford
Eastleigh
Hants
SO53 1TU
So get out your pen and paper, keyboard or smartphone and get in touch!!
