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April 2021 April 2021
Community Speedwatch & SID LOCKDOWN STORIES

The SID (Speed Indicator Device) has now arrived and the posts for it have been
installed, so it will be fully operational shortly, warning passing drivers of their speed
if above the limit. We hope this helps to reduce speeding throughout the village. Over the Hill
In conjunction with this, the Community Speedwatch Project, headed by Angie How our world is changing? We constantly hear of climate change and what it
Wright is getting ready to undertake training and hope to be up and running in means for our future but we do little about it. Our environment is changing
the next few months. If you would like to be a part of this, please contact Dorset dramatically and from my earliest memories many changes have occurred in our
Road Safe here: www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk countryside. Back in the nineteen forties, the days before central heating
became present in most houses, I remember waking up on winter mornings and

finding ice on the inside of my bedroom window. it didn’t take us long to get
Community Events washed and dressed and out to the kitchen, where our mother was cooking
We are wondering whether an 'opening up' weekend shortly after the lockdown breakfast on a coal and wood burning range.
rules might be lifted in June would be welcome, dependent, of course, on the In those days we expected cold weather in the winter and looked forward to
progress towards defeating the virus. This could be the weekend 26/27th June or having a white Christmas, whereas today we hardly have a severe frost at all and
the following weekend. very rarely do we see snow. We knew then, the difference between the weather

The thought is that village organisations in the different seasons but today there is hardly any difference. As the days
might like to organise a number of lengthen or shorten we do know there is something happening but I actually had
traditional events over the chosen to look up in the dictionary the seasons, to be sure of when winter was over and
weekend that residents could attend and spring started.
enjoy together when the rules allow. In winter last year snowdrops
In no particular order the events might were in flower in mid December
include: in copious displays and
celandines were out in numerous
 A Big Breakfast, amounts in January of this year.
There was a spectacular display
 A Duck Race and Barbecue
of these under the plane tree in
 Open Gardens the churchyard at Bere Regis.
Daffodils and primroses are also
 Beacon Lighting very early this year. It amazes me
that nearly all our early flowers
 A special Church Service and bell including the dandelion and
ringing.
apart from snowdrops are
 Presentation of Awards yellow. An exception to this are
the blue violets that have been
Would such a weekend be welcome? flowering all winter in our garden next of course w will be seeing the bluebells in
Should it be close to the ending of huge numbers, creating wonderful displays in woodland areas now.
lockdown rules or later in the year? Would you be willing to take on running or
being involved in any of the activities? All and any thoughts and suggestions As a boy back in the nineteen forties, it was always a competition amongst us
would be welcome, through Ian Ventham or any of the other Parish Councillors boys as to who could bring back the first bunch of a particular variety to their
(https://www.bereregisparishcouncil.co.uk/about-us/councillors/). Initial mother or in my case my grandmother. Today of course it is illegal to pick wild
feedback obtained through an email survey is indicating that there may be a flowers. However children of that age knew far more about the countryside than
preference for something a bit later in the year, once people have had chance children of today do, because we roamed the rural areas at weekends and in
to catch up with family visits and trips away. the school holidays almost constantly, without causing trouble.

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