SEEN Somerset Environmental and Ecological News

Hello SEEN readers

Welcome to the July edition of SEEN. Highlights this month are:  Root for Somerset. Make your trees count!  Rare butterfly seen on Exmoor  New partnership to boost heat pump installation Free trees for communities and schools Wishing you all an amazing August. Enjoy!  Best eco wishes The Climate Team

BBC Countryfile and rare roman snails at Montacute House

Montacute House near Yeovil was recently featured on BBC Countryfile, when Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor explored the estate to see how its 270 acres of woodland, parkland and formal gardens are managed to support some of our rarest creatures. Margherita met retired school teacher Mike Ratsey, who’s dedicated his life to protecting UK snail species and helps him reintroduce the rare Roman snail to the estate grounds. She also sees how the estate is seeking to entice great crested newts to its ponds, and Matt got busy creating habitats for rare bats. If you missed it, you can watch the episode on BBC i-player. Just click on the image above.

Rare butterfly found on Exmoor

One of the rarest species butterflies in the UK, the Heath Fritillary, has been spotted at a new location on Exmoor National Park land at Ashton Cleave about 8km west of Hawkcombe Woods. The Exmoor team have been engaged in a long-term project to restore oak coppice in Hawkcombe Wood National Nature Reserve near Porlock to help the recovery of this nationally rare butterfly, also traditionally known as the “woodmans follower” because of its habit of occupying recently coppiced areas. It has been breeding successfully in Hawkcombe for a few years. The first butterfly this year was spotted by a holiday maker in the area, they sent their findings to Butterly Conservation who work in partnership with Exmoor National Park Authority. Read more

FREE trees for schools and community groups

There is still time for Somerset schools and community groups to order FREE trees. We’ve teamed up with the Woodland Trust to bring you their FREE Trees for Schools and Communities programme along with expert help from our woodland creation team. Apply before 26 August through The Woodland Trust to get your free trees delivered in November.  Unlock the power of trees for your school or community. As we plant, so we grow.

Leave it longer – jobs for August

In August, wild grass areas buzz with life and come alive with natural wonders. Look out for vibrant Oxeye daisies, Knapweed, and Betony in full bloom and tall grasses like Meadow Fescue and wavy hair grass. False Oat grass has now turned the verges a golden colour. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators are flitting among the flowers, ensuring their survival. Birds are also feasting on grass and wildflower seeds, making the most of abundant food that will help them through the coming colder months. If you are one of the brilliant peeps leaving it longer, our natural environment specialist Barbra recommends these jobs for August to help you balance the grasses and allow wildflowers to thrive. If possible, cut some areas of long grass but not all at the same time. Perhaps target areas that may be flopping over access areas or blocking visibility. Leave some areas longer to give wildlife a chance to move to another area and complete their life cycles. Longer grass provides continued cover and shelter for invertebrates, birds and small mammals. The cut areas will regrow and potentially provide a second flush of flowers and growth in September if the weather is agreeable. Creating a mosaic of different grass heights benefits a wider range of plants and animals.

Thank you to SEEN reader Helen Shattock for getting in touch to tell us she has devoted her entire back garden to wild space and is being rewarded with a wildlife haven. Helen told us: “Despite being on an estate, our neighbourhood is exceptionally quiet (absolute bliss) and now we’ve created an established wild space, we are seeing more wildlife than ever. We are seeing lots more butterflies and other pollinators and being visited by hedgehogs and now have two resident squirrels. We see foxes visiting the close at night, but they haven’t yet ventured into our garden that we know of. I would recommend having a wild area to anyone who loves to connect with nature. It’s good for the soul and having such beauty outside our door brings a daily dose of the feel-good factor.”

New partnership to boost heat pump installation for Somerset Homes

Retrofit Somerset project led by Somerset Climate Action Network in collaboration with Somerset Council has recently launched a partnership with green tech company Thermly to trial a heat pump ready scheme.  The scheme could help up to 40,000 homeowners install heat pumps through a pilot online suitability assessment which makes it quick and easy to work out if a heat pump is a suitable option for their home and connect them with local heat pump installers. It can help people take advantage of £7,500 in government funding available to support installations – with Thermly also offering an additional £1,000 bonus to the first twenty viable homes in Somerset to install a heat pump.  Retrofit Somerset is initially focussing on homes in rural locations in the southeast of Somerset with plans to eventually roll out the scheme across the county.  Interested homeowners in southeast Somerset can find out if their home is suitable for a heat pump at the Thermly website. Terms and conditions apply which include a list of the current scheme’s viable locations in the area.

Operator halts Somerset e-scooter trials until further notice 

Zipp Mobility e-scooter trials in Taunton, Minehead and Yeovil, which have run successfully since 2020, have been halted by the operator due to an unexpected supplier issue.The trials were due to continue until the end of May 2026. Zipp Mobility is reviewing the situation to consider next steps. Whilst the service is suspended the scooters are being removed from town centres and users have been messaged through push notifications via the user app. For clarification the Zwings brand in Yeovil is now part of Zipp Mobility. The intention is for all scooters across the three towns to move towards the same branding. Read more

Did someone say doughnuts? We’re working with Cornwall and Hampshire County councils as part of the ‘Wessex Net Zero Corridors Live Lab’ partnership to deliver an innovative project that seeks to decarbonise the maintenance of local roads.  Known as ‘Wessex Live Labs 2’, the project aims to create the UK’s first net-zero emission roads and integral to these aims is the use of circular or ‘doughnut’ economics to carefully balance the impact on our environment and communities. This includes transforming the materials and products we use, plants we use, how we deliver services and where and when we deliver them to have the best impact on our world around us.  The Wessex Live Labs team recently attended the Adept Live Labs 2 Expo in Birmingham to share knowledge around donut economics and you can see the team at work in their LinkedIn video.  In this month’s Highways Magazine, circular economics has been featured explaining the new direction for economics in highways. Find out more about their research and findings on pages 34 and 35 of the Highways Magazine.

Green light for new eco lighting on Somerset roads

A contract to upgrade to energy efficient lighting on Somerset’s roads has been signed by Somerset Council.  VolkerHighways Ltd will provide an eight-year maintenance contract covering all the council’s street lights, lighted signs, bollards and other electrical equipment on highways and public open spaces across the county. Somerset Council has 59,593 lighted assets to look after, consisting of street lights, illuminated signs and bollards. Of these, nearly 66 per cent have already been changed to greener and more efficient LED lighting. VolkerHighways will support the Council in its aim to convert all its lighting LED by the end of their contract, if possible, which will help the Council to lower our carbon footprint.  Read more

Somerset parks celebrate Green Flag awards

Somerset Council is thrilled to announce that Ham Hill, Yeovil Country Park, Wellington Park, and Blenheim Gardens in Minehead have been awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award for 2024.

Special Recognition goes to Ham Hill Country Park and Wellington Park for retaining their Green Heritage Site Accreditation, supported by Historic England, for their exceptional management of historic features. Ham Hill is an ancient Iron Age hillfort, and Wellington Gardens is a Grade II listed former Edwardian Park established in 1927.

Game-changing green link to Taunton Railway station We’ve begun work on a game-changing green link between Taunton Railway Station and the town’s riverside. The northern section of the Firepool Boulevard will provide a walking and cycling route from the recently revamped station, past the new Innovation Centre and connect Trenchard Way to Canal Road, with the project aiming to continue the route to Vivary Park. As well as the space for walkers and cyclists, the route will feature seating, green spaces and rain gardens for people to stop and relax. The boulevard will be a safe, green throughfare for people travelling from the north of the town towards the centre – including thousands of cricket fans heading for the Somerset County Cricket Ground from the station – transforming residents’ and visitors’ travel into town and encouraging active and sustainable travel options, with all the health and environmental benefits that come with it. Read more

Horner Wood Event – The Rainforest on your doorstep

Sunday 4 August 10am – 4pm Horner Wood located on Exmoor near Minehead in Somerset, is a remarkable National Nature Reserve covering 818 acres. It stands as one of the UK’s largest ancient oak woodlands. Its lush expanse is home to hundreds of species of trees, including some rare varieties, as well as an abundance of lichens that thrive on both the ancient trees and decaying wood.  You are invited to discover what makes it a temperate rainforest and learn how to assess its rainforest features. This special unique event includes all day activities for the family including woodland and wildlife, water and mini beast fun.  Join FREE rainforest walking talks with Plantlife’s rainforest guru Angie Cruse.  Check out our events calendar for more information.

Biodiversity Ranger Yeovil Country Park

Yeovil Town Council is looking for a full time Biodiversity Ranger to champion wildlife and help visitors engage with nature at the Green Flag Award winning Yeovil Country Park. You will need a passion for nature, broad practical skills and demonstrable experience in surveying and stewardship of protected species.  Find out more

Help for Somerset Businesses to ‘Go Green’

We are continuing to help businesses to reduce their carbon emissions and, in turn, save money on their energy costs through the extension of two pioneering schemes.  Launched in October, the ‘Go Green Scheme’ and the ‘Somerset Green Business Grant Scheme’ were introduced to offer businesses practical help and financial support to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. The schemes have been funded from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Local Growth Fund. If you are a local business, you might be able to get help to reduce your company’s carbon footprint. Check out the Go Green Scheme and Somerset Green Business Grant Scheme that are empowering Somerset businesses to go greener.

Electricity from 100% community renewable energy The Community Power tariff from Co-op Energy is a unique offering that focuses on providing 100% renewable electricity sourced directly from community energy projects across the UK.   Community energy projects and local energy groups bring together like-minded locals to invest in planet-saving projects. Whether it’s solar panels on neighbourhood rooftops or wind turbines in farmland fields, these projects are owned and run by the communities they power.   Profits go towards local initiatives and more renewable energy enters the grid.  Some key features of the Community Power tariff:  100% Renewable Electricity from community-owned renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, hydro projects and solar panels. A portion of the profits is reinvested into local community initiatives. For every new customer, £10 is contributed to the Powering Communities Fund, supporting community energy groups and projects. Community energy generators receive a fair price for the electricity they produce, encouraging more local renewable energy production.    This tariff aims to foster a decentralised energy market where communities can generate, use, and sell renewable energy locally, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and supporting sustainable development at a local level.    Find out more

Join the repair revolution Don’t chuck it out before checking out if it can be mended.  Somerset is lucky to have a large network of volunteer-run repair groups which bring people together and offer practical help. When you get something repaired, you not only extend the life of your items – making them more environmentally friendly, but it can save you money too. It’s also a great way meet new people and learn how to mend things yourself. Find your local repair group with dates, times and locations near you.