Meeting on 23 March 2010
This meeting was concerned with honey bees. The DVD ‘Vanishing Bees’ was shown at Sleepy Hollow. It provided an overview of the problems facing bees particularly in the USA but the difficulties in the UK, France and Germany were also covered. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is causing major loss of bees in the USA particularly but the cause is unknown. Various changes including pesticides, feeding on sugar solutions, transporting the bees over long distances to pollinate crops, monocultures and the verroa mite were thought to contribute to the problems. However, more research is needed if the drastic reduction in bees is to be overcome.
Following the viewing of the DVD, those attending the meeting discussed the issues and considered what might be down particularly in the local area.
AGM on 23 February 2010
The Officers elected were:
■Chairman: Frances Good
■Secretary: Fiona Torrens-Spence
■Treasurer: Chris Pike
The financial position of the group is satisfactory with a balance of £158. Voluntary donations at meetings have exceeded costs. It was felt that this method of raising funds was satisfactory and that it would not be necessary to introduce an annual subscription. There are currently 26 members of the group.
The activities of the group during 2009 were summarised. These have included speaker meetings, visits, projects and initiatives, responding to consultations and general discussion meetings.
Speaker Meetings
These have included a meeting on the Severn Barrage, one on vegetable gardening, a joint meeting with Cheddar at Wills Barn on the Yeo Valley farms, and a talk on the Challenges to Allerton Moor. All these meetings were well attended and led to considerable discussion.
Visits
As well as the visit to Wills Barn, which involved the use of the Wedmore community bus, the group went on an interesting visit to the Carymoor landfill site to learn about how waste is being managed.
Projects and Initiatives
The initial project was to set up pages on the website which has been maintained as a valuable source of information. Most of the others projects have been carried out in conjunction with the Wedmore Green Group. These include the Isle of Wedmore Tidy Up which is now undertaken regularly ensuring that the verges around the Allertons are kept tidy; the use of ecometers to test electricity use; and access to the Warm Front scheme to encourage energy saving measures in homes. The Allerton group also had a stall promoting composting at the Wedmore Green Fair. The main local initiative has been the bulk purchasing of oil which has proved to be very popular and provided considerable savings for those who have joined the scheme.
Responding to Consultations
There have been two main consultations during the year: the Severn Barrage and the Route for Pylons. After general discussion, sub groups of around 6 members were set up to consider the issues, with particular emphasis on environmental matters, in more detail and to draft responses on behalf of the environmental group. Agreed responses were submitted to both consultations.
General Meeting
These meetings were normally held in the Wheatsheaf. As well as considering future plans and various projects, a wide range of topics have been covered. These include various energy saving topics, the post office, rescuing battery hens, and cycle paths.
Following the formal AGM, there was a discussion of meetings for 2010 over a glass of wine. Details of future meetings are available under ‘Events and Meetings’.
Meeting on 26 January 2010
Following the closure of The Wheatsheaf, the meeting was held at The George in Wedmore. This venue was not considered to be ideal because of there is no door to provide a degree of privacy. The continuing concerns about the planned route for pylons gave rise to much discussion at this meeting with Fiona Torrens- Spence providing an update from the No Moor Pylons group. The next Isle of Wedmore Tidy Up will take place on 28 March.
Ideas for meetings in 2010 were discussed with suggestions on Encouraging Wildlife in the Garden; Low Food Miles Supper; Apple Tree Pruning; Bee Film; and Plant Sale all being considered suitable. There was less enthusiasm for a trip to Rosemoor Gardens.
The arrangements for the AGM were discussed and nominations for officers considered. The need to discuss a subscription was discussed and those at the meeting were generally in favour of introducing a £5 subscription.
