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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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