WHAT’S ON – MAY 2023
No Mow May
“Give the lawnmower a month off and let wildflowers get summer ready”, is Plantlife’s rallying call for #NoMowMay. Leaving your lawn alone this month allows wild plants to set seed.
“The increased plant diversity provided by letting a variety of wild plants get a foothold in May is a boon for pollinators, including bees and butterflies, who feed on plants through the summer”, say the campaign’s organisers.
SAVE OUR TREES – LATEST NEWS & UPDATES
“Transport projects in England must protect woods and trees”
The Department of Transport is asking for views on its policy for road and rail projects in England. According to analysis by the Woodland Trust, 40% of major new road schemes in England threaten irreplaceable habitats. The charity is urging people to tell the Government that its policy for new transport schemes “must enable a future where woodland wildlife thrives and carbon stays in the ground.”
The Woodland Trust demands all new projects:
- Fully protect irreplaceable habitats like ancient woods and veteran trees.
- Align with targets for net zero carbon emissions and enable affordable low-carbon travel.
- Involve communities in designs with full transparency about unavoidable impacts.
The consultation is open until June 6. You can respond on the Woodland Trust’s dedicated webpage.
You can also sign the trust’s petition calling for improved laws to keep the UK’s ancient trees safe.
- Further reading: Find out how to help Britain’s ‘vanishingly rare’ rainforests
Plantlife’s No Mow May: Give the lawnmower a month off and let wildflowers get summer ready
Save the Trees of Armada Way, Plymouth
Flowering cherry, horse chestnut and silver birch… just some of the mature trees that were cut down under cover of darkness in Plymouth city centre earlier this year. The trees were felled as part of a proposed regeneration project by Plymouth council, despite overwhelming public opposition, in what The Guardian described as “an act of vandalism”. More than 100 were cut down before a local campaign group, Straw (Save The Trees of Armada Way), managed to stop the felling in its tracks with a last-minute high court injunction (served at 1am), giving the remaining 20 or so trees a temporary reprieve. The group is now crowdfunding to raise funds for a judicial review. It is also calling on Plymouth residents to write to their local councillors.
“The best outcome would be to win the judicial review and highlight the failings of the council. Not just so they can be better in the future, but as a warning to other councils. We need better safeguards for trees, rural and urban. Plans should start with trees”, says a spokesperson for Straw.
The Urban Tree Festival (May 13-21)
From urban forest bathing in Greenwich to a walking tour of Brighton’s elms, there’s plenty going on as part of this annual celebration of trees in the UK’s towns and cities. Events in Plymouth’s Urban Tree Festival include dawn chorus walks, printmaking and tree-themed yoga. You can view the national programme of festival events, many of which are free, on The Urban Tree Festival website.
Mental Health Awareness Week (May 15 – 21)
“We’ve chosen anxiety as the Mental Health Awareness Week theme this year to kickstart a nationwide conversation, encouraging people to share their own experiences and any helpful ideas on how they manage anxiety”, says Alexa Knight, Director of England at the Mental Health Foundation. There’s lots of helpful information on the Mental Health Foundation website, including a guide to coping with feelings of anxiety and a round-up of their best mental health tips.
BOOKS
Coward by Tim Clare
“My anxiety was eclectic, agnostic with regards to scale. Global warming and the likelihood that human consciousness does not survive death were just as likely to keep me rocking in a nauseous daze as an upcoming train journey, or worrying that my wife was secretly annoyed at me.”
In Tim Clare’s thought-provoking book, Coward: Why We Get Anxious & What We Can Do About It, he tells his own story of how anxiety and panic ruled his life, and how for the sake of his daughter, he decided to transform. He shares what he has learnt along the way: the things that have helped him, and those that haven’t. Published by Canongate on May 4 (£10.99).
Restore by Lizzie King
This compendium of recipes and remedies includes herbal infusions, soothing balms and homemade cleaning potions, all of which are free from unnecessary harsh chemicals. Published by Welbeck OH Editions on May 25 (£16.99).
Lead picture credit: Nick Page – Unsplash
Wildflower picture credit: Pip Gray – Plantlife
