New Group is set to Improve the Village Environment

The Parish Council, Village Society and the Horticultural and Cottage Garden Society are setting up a new group with the aim of improving aspects of the village environment.

Parish councillor and Village Society committee member Val Bowman said that the co-ordinating group would be formed during the summer with a view to starting activities in the autumn.

"We want to engage as many people of different ages as possible to improve the village environment from an aesthetic point of view. It's important to find out what people want to see in all parts of the parish, not just the area around the church or the pond," she said.

Ideas already being considered include planting hundreds of spring bulbs beside the roads that cross the parish boundaries and renewing hedgerows. If anyone would like to join the group, contribute ideas or volunteer to do some of the work, they should contact Janet Spiller or Val Bowman - details on the back page of this newsletter.

In the meantime, Janet Spiller continues to survey the many ponds in Hurst, and is hoping to put barn owl nesting boxes on the Haines Hill estate. Other work includes securing tree preservation orders on several oak trees on the edge of School Road outside Harlyn House. This means that although planning permission has been given for two houses to be built on the site, the oak trees will not be destroyed to make way for a second access.