ESC Meeting held 23-7-26 – Summary of Minutes
Steeple Wildlife
Drought is clearly making life difficult for many species, including ourselves! People are encouraged to keep ground and hedge cover and resist grass cutting until we have rain. Putting out bowls of water helps many species where water is not available nearby. The increase in wild spaces in the village have helped with evidence of an increase in Hedgehogs, the Swift population seems to be steady and butterfly and bee numbers encouraging. Lack of wasps, an important part of the natural jigsaw, is however leading to an increase in the flies they would normally predate. The Committee are hoping to create a forum to track species and help foster increases.
We are planning to have a work party to remove the invasive species Himalayan Balsam from the village stream and details to follow.
Events Update
People’s Emergency Briefing : feedback from the event was very positive and we are gratified to see the amount of media coverage with over 2000 viewings nationwide and rising. Over 120 MPs have signed the call for a Parliamentary debate although we note that our own MP Sean Woodcock has yet to do so. People are encouraged to email him at sean.woodcock.casework@parliament.uk and ask him to do so.
Future Events : The ESC is considering or actively working on a number of events for the Autumn. These might include talks from authors with interesting recent publications. Also a Home Energy workshop. Any ideas from the community are welcome and please contact us via chris.nevile@gmail.com.
Issues raised with the Parish Council
- We have suggested asking the Council to mow a path on the verge from Townend up to the Banbury Road to increase safe walking for walkers.
- We would like to curtail spring/summer mowing the verge on the south side of Southside from Bradshaw Close into the village to encourage growth of wildflower species.
- We have suggested that a 20 Speed Alert sign should be installed before Townend on entry to the village to discourage speedsters.
- We have enquired about shelters and improvements to Bus Stops at the Banbury Road and Rousham Bridge stops.
Our next meeting is at 7.30pm on 6th October at The Chequers. Any suggestions will be welcome.
People’s Emergency Briefing
“The climate today is the least extreme you will experience “
Professor Hayley Fowler FRS of Newcastle University
Last November, ten of the UK’s leading experts briefed an invited audience of over 1,200 politicians and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media.
The so-called National Emergency Briefing was conceived by Simon Oldridge of Zero Hour and distilled into a film “ The People’s Emergency Briefing”. This has been released free to raise awareness across the UK and pressure the UK Government to televise the film nationally as preparation for advising the UK public on its plan to handle the crisis. The film will show at over 1000 venues in the UK.
On Wednesday, 27th May Environmental Steeple organized a screening at our Village Hall to 70 attendees from Steeple and neighbouring villages. Those assembled were unanimous in their view that the UK faces an environmental crisis exacerbated by the changing climate.
The film was uncomfortable viewing.
Scientists led us through the latest data which can be accessed at:
https://www.nebriefing.org/expert-briefings
The main recommendations of the film are that we:
- Switch to a plant-rich diet as the biggest lever for improving food security – a win-win for people, farmers and nature.
- Take action on climate change as the biggest health opportunity of our lifetime. Policies on clean air, warm homes and plant-rich diets will cut emissions and disease together, making the NHS more sustainable.
The audience were asked to contact our MP Sean Woodcock at https://seanwoodcock.uk and ask him to attend a screening. Attendees were also asked to join in our demand that Parliament debates the film’s findings by signing the petition requesting this:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/767687
Environmental Steeple will be following up the film with initiatives in due course. Stay tuned!
Chris Nevile
June 2026
Save our Swifts!
A superb flyer, they rarely touch the ground and you’ll not see them perching anywhere, save in their nests. They eat, bathe, mate and even sleep ‘on the wing’. But their numbers have been in sharp decline. How can you help?
The Village Hall hosted an excellent speaker on February 11th, 2026, invited by the Parish Council Environment Committee. Chris Mason of Cherwell Swifts started by giving an audience of more than 40 villagers a whistle-stop tour of swift, swallow and house martin identification and nesting habits. Not least, so we would know where to look out for swift nests and swift activity around the village, NOT confusing the three species!
It appears we have a small returning colony in The Crescent and villagers were also able to recall old nest sites in the upper levels of the Village Hall and Pre-School building. Decades of improving building standards and better insulated homes have reduced the availability of desirable nooks and crannies of older housing stock, public buildings and the like.
The main thrust of the presentation then moved onto activities to encourage new swift colonies to the area, notably by putting up swift boxes. Really enthusiastic swift conservationists have even played swift calls over loudspeakers near their new boxes – with some success.
Chris highlighted several organisation’s websites, as well as his own, that are excellent sources of information on swifts, buying nesting boxes from about £25, where and how to mount them and even providing the plans for keen DIYers.
banburyornithologicalsociety.org.uk
cherwell-swifts-conservation-project-2013-report
Big thanks to Martin Dale for his lead role in organising the talk.
Greg Elphick