Ken James on autumn, nature projects, and the search to name new sweepers

“To Autumn Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,”

In my mind nothing quite captures the abundance of the forthcoming season like John Keats poem – “To Autumn.” 

As we harvest our crops the fruition of the year can be a nostalgic time, evoking memories of joy and perhaps more innocent and simpler times. 

At the same time the season is a signal of change as we plan for the year ahead.

September often brings with it glorious weather too - often coinciding with the return to school – which can start with beautiful misty mornings that turn into a warm glow of a late summer’s day giving us the chance to enjoy all that our wonderful region has to offer.

We are very lucky to have the unique Northam Burrows, a site of special scientific interest just on our doorstep. 

Over the next couple of months, Torridge District Council will be carrying out a feasibility study of the area to find out how it can improve the ecological condition of the site.

The study findings will form the basis of an application for funding for the area to help improve biodiversity and continue working towards a ‘favourable’ SSSI status.

A successful funding bid to the Rural Payments Agency, would see a change from Environmental Stewardship to Countryside Stewardship, providing extra funding for habitat management.

This would play a vital role in enabling us to improve the management of our wide range of habitats, including sand dunes, salt marsh and grassland. 

We are running three consultation events throughout September. For those unable to attend they can pick up a form at the Northam Burrows Visitor Centre or complete an online questionnaire. 

We hope as many people as possible will get involved and share their views so we can work together to improve and secure this site for future generations. 

To find out more please visit www.torridge.gov.uk/naturerecovery.

From flourishing wildlife to keeping the neigbourhood clean… 

You might have seen “Optimus Grime” and “The Grim Sweeper”; cruising the roads of Torridge. 

Now, we’re calling on residents to get creative and help name two new street cleansing vehicles that have recently joined our fleet.

The vans will be stationed in Holsworthy and surrounding areas to support the Cleansing Team with various tasks, such as cleaning toilets, emptying litter and dog bins, street sweeping, picking up litter, managing missed collections and clearing any illegally dumped waste.

We’ll be looking for innovation, imagination, and an all-important humorous element but with a polite reminder to refrain from any offensive or inappropriate names. 

The winning names for the vehicles will be chosen by the crews, supervisors, and managers of the council’s waste and recycling service. 

The winners of the competition will have the honour of seeing the names they submitted displayed on the new vehicles as they carry out their work in the district. 

Send your suggestions to communications@torridge.gov.uk - we hope the winning entries will bring a smile to everyone’s faces.