Bugbrooke Environmental Working Group

30/08/2026

30/08/2026

A sunny Sunday hour spent raking cleared the whole of the Lime Grove patch this morning. It may not look like much, but the very big heap of clippings collected says otherwise!

24/08/2026

This is a lovely story about leaving nature to its own devices. This is what we are trying to achieve in Bugbrooke with our patches of long grass (obviously on a far smaller scale!).
Key takeaway from the article - this is a long term project.

Farmer Derek Sayer let a boggy field run wild and just one annual hay-cut has led to remarkable biodiversity

22/08/2026

An hour of hard work this morning at Homestead Drive cleared about 2/5ths of the area of cut grass. You can see how much we cleared in the piles of grass at the back of the plot.
As a reminder, the reason we’re doing this is to stop the cut grass rotting down and enriching the soil, which encourages more grass. Poorer soil will suit a wider variety of wild flowers.
More raking parties will be happening soon - we have spare rakes if anyone wants to join us.

16/08/2026

Another entry in our series on using your garden to protect wildlife during a drought.

If you’re tired of a dry, brown lawn, try white clover (other lovely varieties exist, but white clover fits with the lawn ‘look’).

It’s drought tolerant.

Keeps your lawn looking green.

Provides nectar to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

💙

16/08/2026

Bugbrooke Environmental Working Group members spent a warm hour this morning spreading bark chippings along the edge of Captain’s Close. This is mulch to keep nettles etc suppressed ready to plant a mixed native hedge this winter. Photos before, during and after!
If anyone would be interested in joining occasional work parties like this do let us know 😊

15/08/2026

Free training course on hedgerows

The Upper Nene Valley Wildlife Group has arranged a short training course in hedgerow surveying. The course will be taught by Dr Janet Jackson, who for many years lectured on Ecology at the University of Northampton.

The course aims to provide local people with the skills to assess the age and condition of hedgerows and identify what action might be taken to restore them where needed.

The course will be in two parts:
- Classroom session 7pm- 9pm Monday 7th September. Covering tree identification and theory of assessing hedgerows.
- Practical outdoor session on Thursday 10th September. Start time tbc but will last 2-3 hours.

Both sessions will be in Nether Heyford. The course is offered free of charge and there is a maximum of 15 places. Please comment below or email [email protected] if you are interested.
[Photo by Veronica White on Unsplash]

03/08/2026

This is our article for the August LINK magazine, in case you missed it.

Writing this in early July, the hottest June ever recorded in England is a recent memory, and we are anticipating another spell of very hot weather next week.. This is climate change affecting us here and now; it is likely this will be one of the coolest years we experience for the rest of our lives.
I recently heard Professor Hugh Montgomery OBE talk about the effects of climate change on health – he is a practising critical care doctor and Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at University College London. He said:
“Taking action on climate change is the biggest health opportunity of our lifetime. Policies on clean air, active travel, warm homes and plant-rich diets will cut emissions and disease together, making the NHS more sustainable.”
Addressing climate change isn’t about saving the planet, it’s about saving ourselves.
Prof Montgomery has somehow found time to set up a non-profit called Real Zero which offers “science-based climate expertise, education and solutions for individuals and organisations in the health sector and beyond” https://www.realzero.earth/
Real Zero recommends 7 acts individuals can take to combat climate change. Small changes add up and by Mobilising and Motivating we can increase our impact far more.

15/07/2026

On Monday evening the Parish Council approved a plan by the Bugbrooke Environmental Working Group to plant a hedge of mixed native species at Captain's Close. It will run part of the way along the inside of the new fence bordering the footpath between Ace Lane and the Church.
In preparation a tree surgeon has kindly delivered a load of wood chippings, which we're going to use as mulch to keep the area free of grass and nettles until we plant the hedge this winter.
At the same meeting the PC also agreed to get a contractor to cut the grass on Captain's Close. The cut grass will be piled up in one place, rather than being left to rot down and enrich the soil. This is because richer soil encourages more vigorous coarse grasses to the detriment of other plants.
More background information about Captain's Close on the PC website https://bugbrookeparishcouncil.gov.uk/3492-2/
Please get in touch if you would be interested in joining working parties to plant the hedge and carry out other work at Captain's Close designed to improve it as wildlife habitat.

29/04/2026

An interesting court case going through currently.

BBC News - UK's biggest environmental pollution claim reaches High Court - BBC News

One of the UK's largest chicken producers and a water company accused of polluting three rivers including the River Wye