The Library of Things – Guildford Library

SWIFT TO SAVE SWIFTS

A JOINT PROJECT BETWEEN WORPLESDON PARISH COUNCIL AND THE GUILDFORD SWIFT PROJECT

Swift’s screaming calls are one of the most evocative sounds of summer, but in many places their calls have fallen silent. Swifts are on the Red List of conservation concern, declining by 62% between 1995 and 2021. The decline is mainly due to the loss of their habitat, and places to nest and breed. Spending their entire life on the wing, the only time they land is when they migrate here from Africa and find a hole in a building where they nest and raise young. Modern insulation and roofing have closed up these holes, leaving the birds with nowhere to go.

Swifts migrate 3,400 miles twice a year. They begin arriving at the end of April and head back to Africa early August onwards. They are in desperate need of our help in order to prevent their extinction.

This is where you come in!  Guildford Swift Project has teamed up with Worplesdon Parish Council and are hoping to install swift boxes on houses throughout the community.

We plan to put up as many special swift boxes as we can across the parish, across weekends in May and June 2025. Made of marine ply and a special coating safe for the birds, the boxes last around 10 years.

Swifts mate for life and are nest faithful for their entire breeding life. Let’s bring back the sound of Swifts in the summer skies of Worplesdon.

If interested in helping, by having a box or two, please email:

Swift2saveswifts@gmail.com

Leaving your name, email address, telephone number and postcode.

Help needed – Worplesdon Memorial Hall

2025-02 – Help needed – Worplesdon Memorial Trustees pdf

The Worplesdon Memorial Hall are looking for local passionate people to support the running of their hall.  If you can offer 2 hours a week towards admin support please email: trustees@wmh.org.uk

Recyling… do you know what to recycle?

Did you know, a staggering 298 tonnes of recyclable material had to be rejected for recycling last year? The recyclable material had been contaminated by unrecyclable items that prevented it from being made into something else.

This is a massive issue because rejected loads and contamination of dry mixed recycling is expensive for local councils to sort out – and that extra cost is passed on to councils and the taxpayer. Recycling makes financial sense for councils as it is cheaper than disposing of waste as rubbish and leaves more cash available for other essential services. It also generates less carbon dioxide than rubbish disposal, so it has additional environmental benefits.

It’s widely recognised that recycling can be confusing, though. Putting the wrong thing in the recycling is easily done. The good news is you can follow these five steps to help make it a little easier.

• Packaging can be misleading. Or you may think to yourself ‘it looks recyclable.’ Check first by using the Surrey Recycles search tool or downloading it as a free app. It also includes information on how to recycle items that aren’t accepted in your household recycling collections such as crisp packets and food and drink cartons.
• Check what you can recycle separately. In most areas of Surrey, food waste and garden waste, small electricals, batteries and textiles recycling are collected separately – they don’t go in your recycling bin. Use our recycling search tool or free Surrey Recycles app to check how to recycle them.
• No food or drink residue as moisture and grease will ruin cardboard and paper and make it unrecyclable. Give food and drink packaging a quick rinse by dunking it into soaking pans before placing in your recycling bin.
• Place all items loose in your recycling bin – nothing inside bags, sacks or bin liners please.
• Play to bin – try our drag and drop waste sorting game today!

Remember, other small changes like swapping to reusables where possible will really help as you’ll be creating less waste in the first place. Find out more at: surreyep.org.uk.

The Fairlands Practice Patient Participation Group (FPPPG)

The FPPPG is the independent Statutory body of Fairlands’ Medical Practice patients who act as a link between the Practice and its patients. All patients and carers are automatically members.

• The Group liaises with the Practice providing feedback about the services delivered and engages with patients to gain their perspective.
• We support the Practice by arranging events to publicise available support, treatment and services as agreed with the Practice.
• The last event was to bring patients up to date with changes being made by the Practice. On September 25^th this year, the Group is planning a Women’s Health event.

Being a member of the FPPPG committee helps one better understand the issues facing both our own surgeries and those of other groups within the NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board. Patients have the opportunity to shape the way the Practice develops and suggest improvements or changes we feel may be desirable to services delivered by the Practice.

On Friday 24 May, the FPPPG is holding a meeting, and all patients are invited. This is an opportunity to learn more about the FPPPG. It will be held at 8 pm in the Fairlands Community Centre Hall, Fairlands Avenue. This will be followed by a Special General Meeting to agree changes to our Constitution. New members to the committee are very welcome, especially from working parents and young people. If you would like to learn more about the FPPPG please contact the Chairman Richard Broughton via email: fpppg@icloud.com