Whiteley Sustainability

09/08/2026

Read our August Newsletter linked below :)
https://mailchi.mp/4a33411c4e6d/whiteley-sustainability-august-newsletter

23/07/2026

A healthy summer activity for the little ones. Good for a walk on the Solent beach as well. Parking (Ringo) at Hove-to cat park nearby.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DXLXiqByh/

🦋🐝🦅🦢🦆***FREE CHILD ENTRY*** 🦋🐝🦅🦢🦆
Looking for kids activities this school holiday? Love nature? Why not come for a visit to the reserve with your family. We have Mini Ranger backpacks for your budding nature enthusiasts (£1 to hire), hides to look out of and lots of birds to see!
We look forward to welcoming you. We have a brand new ticket office which is located next to Harbourside Cafe. From Thursday 23rd July to Sunday 31st August.
Free child entrance during HCC school holidays.
In line with the government VAT reductions, adult prices are reduced over the summer too!
Children must be accompanied by a full paying adult.
The ever popular duck food 🦆 is available to buy along with ice creams 🍨
No booking required, just turn up on the day and get your adult tickets from the Ticket Office.
We also have a pond dipping activity which is a bookable event on Wednesday 5th August with sessions available between 9.30am and 1.30pm

13/07/2026

If you're looking to make some energy efficiency upgrades to your home, please make the most of this free and impartial advice service from My Home Made Better!

This heatwave is really something.

Advice at the moment is to try and stop the heat from entering your home: windows shut and curtains drawn during the main parts of the day.

Just as better insulation helps keep heat in our homes in the winter, it can also help keep the heat from outside out in summer.

Our home energy advice service: My Home Made Better can give advice on what type of insulation and where would be best for your individual home.

This service is delivered by us as a charity, with our independent expert adviser Stu on hand to give no-nonsense practical advice.

You can book a completely free call here: https://www.winacc.org.uk/take-action/sustainable-lifestyles/greener-more-sustainable-homes/

11/07/2026

🌻Hello Whiteley! 🌻
🎵🎤🎸Today is the day of great music and enjoying summer together in Meadowside Park at Whiteley Music Festival.
🌱Come and have a friendly chat about local sustainability and wildlife.
🐕We prepared a dog pit stop for your furry friends with free water and treats and a little local wildlife activity for kids. 🐦
All welcome!

10/07/2026

🐦New Candidate for Coolest Whiteley Critter!💙

Have you noticed the screaming birds over meadowside the past few weeks. You might think that they are swallows but they are not related at all. They are swifts and are some of most miraculous birds around. 🌍✨

🤯 Did you know?

🪶Thier closest relative is the humminbird (not a swallow)
⚡They are the fastest bird on a level going up to 69 mph
🌤️They spend the first 3 years of their life (and most after it) flying and never touch down!
🌍They fly here all the way from subsaharn africa (14,000-mile round trip each year)

A few members were lucky enough to go to a talk on these amazing birds recently hosted by Hampshire Swifts and we were so excited to see the screaming parties (yes I know thats what its called) over meadowside💙

The sad truth is that swifts are steeply decling in the UK due to nesting sites dissapearing. The houses they have nested in for years are getting repaired and they need new places to reproduce. Much like us when they are looking for a new home they are very particular. So a swift box needs to be specifically placed and built to make it accomodating to this species.

Quite a few houses in north whiteley might have swift bricks built into their house, but with the current colony based in "old" whiteley we need more places for the young that return to our site to nest in next year.

If your interested in getting a swift box installed for next summer come to see us on our stall at Meadowside Festival this weekend we have an example box to show and can talk more about how to get them installed with Hampshire Swifts.

Getting a decent photo of video of the meadowside colony prooved difficult which not suprising considering they are never still 🤣

Do you think theres a better bird or critter in Whiteley that can take the crown from the Swifts?? Let us know

09/07/2026

🌿 Planning on visiting The Meadowside Festival this weekend? Come and say hello at the Whiteley Sustainability stall!

Whether you're interested in recycling, biodiversity, energy saving, sustainable living, or just want to chat about all things green, we'd love to see you. We also will have some plants for sale.

We'll also be joined by Luke from My Home Made Better, a free, impartial energy advice service from The Environment Centre (tEC), who will be with us from 12:00–2:00pm.

If you're curious about saving money on your energy bills, keeping your home warm this winter, or future-proofing your home, but want advice from someone who's not trying to sell you anything, this is the perfect opportunity to have a chat.

Can't make it while Luke is there? Don't worry we'll have plenty of information, resources and advice available at the stall until 5:00pm, so do come and see us.

Pop by, ask your questions, and chat to us about all things green!

My Home Made Better helps Hampshire, Southampton and Portsmouth residents with advice on heating, insulation and renewable energy.

16/06/2026

🌊 Members of Whiteley Sustainability took part in the Great UK Water Blitz this April, helping to test the quality of freshwater bodies in whiteley.

The Great UK Water Blitz is a biannual citizen science campaign that encourages people across the country to get outdoors and monitor freshwater bodies of water.

It was fascinating to receive the results and see how our local waterways compare. Encouragingly, most tributaries around the River Hamble were rated green, indicating good water quality. However, the results also highlighted concerns for the Rivers Meon and Itchen, which showed poorer water quality.

You can find more details of the country wide findings and images of the local tests below.

For more information and to read the full report, visit:
https://earthwatch.org.uk/report/great-uk-waterblitz-spring-2026

11/06/2026

Taking a closer look at the residents of our local ragwort plants! So much life!

11/06/2026

🌼 W**d or Wonder? 🐛

This week, members of Whiteley Sustainability have been noticing some new residents on the ragwort plants!

Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is often dismissed as a w**d, but it is an important wildlife plant. Around 200 species are known to feed on or depend upon it, including the striking cinnabar moth. 🦋

The yellow-and-black striped cinnabar caterpillars can often be seen feeding on ragwort leaves, absorbing the plant's toxins, which helps protect them from birds. Later, the beautiful red-and-black adult moth emerges. 🐛➡️🦋

The flowers are also a valuable food source for a wide range of pollinators, including bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies and moths. 🐝 Meanwhile, the seeds are eaten by birds such as the goldfinch. 🐦

So next time you spot ragwort, take a closer look before pulling it up. You might find that it's already supporting a whole community of wildlife. 🌱

Have you spotted cinnabar caterpillars or moths in Whiteley? We'd love to see your photos in the comments! 📸

If you'd like to learn more about identifying butterflies, Hampshire Wildlife Trust is running a free online webinar on 14 July. 🦋

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/butterfly-identification-and-surveys-webinar-tickets-1991356691470?aff=ebemoffollowpublishemail&ref=eemail&utm_campaign=following_published_event&utm_content=follow_notification&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eventbrite

28/05/2026

🦉 Curious about birdwatching?

Join the Whiteley Sustainability Group for an interesting and enjoyable evening with local expert birdwatcher Bob.

Suitable for beginners and experts alike! 🌿

Discover more about the birds around us, learn tips for identification, and bring your smartphone for an introduction to an app which can instantly identify birds by their song 🎶📱

📅 Wednesday 3rd June Evening
📍 Cornerstone School
🚪 Doors open 6:30pm for a 6:45pm start
⏰ Finish around 8:00pm
💷 Suggested donation: £3

Interested, well-behaved youngsters are very welcome too.

We’d love to see you there!