East Dean 2021-02 web (1)

Forestry England
Many of you will already know that Friston
Forest is managed by Forestry England. But
did you also know they have some great
educational resources that are available to
download for free? If you are home
schooling or just want to have a look at
what they have on offer; try using the link
www.forestryengland.uk/learning#articlesearch-listing-110606
Tree planting on the Recreation
Ground
After a fantastic response from residents to
join our new group of Environmental
Volunteers our first project is well under
way.
Just before Christmas a group cleared
brambles from the existing biodiversity strip
on the recreation ground, and planted 20
new saplings to fill the existing gap.
Completion of the clearing and planting of
the remaining saplings is to be scheduled as
soon as Covid guidelines allow.
As 30 new trees will be planted in this area
we have been able to notify the BBC
Countryfile Plant Britain Project and have
them added to their national database.
Hopefully we will be able to contribute
again to this as they pursue their target of
planting 750,000 trees across Britain in two
years.
Our thanks go to The Woodland Trust for
providing, free of charge, the saplings and
protectors, and to all those involved in the
planting. Particular thanks goes to our very
able and willing young volunteers, Clara,
Anya and Zach.
This is the first of an exciting programme of
projects the Environmental Sub-Committee
members have planned. Look out for more
details in the coming weeks or contact us
with your ideas on
edfraecocare@gmail.com
Lesley DUrso
Spring’s Heralds
Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) are surely
the earliest of all flowers in the calendar
year. This year I noticed snowdrops in the
garden on January 10 th but I have
previously seen them out in December. This
bulbous plant is native to Europe and the
Middle East but probably not to the UK.
Gerard’s Herbal described it in 1597 but it
was not recorded growing in the wild here
until the late 18th century, presumably from
garden escapees.
The name Galanthus comes from Greek
meaning ‘milk’ and anthos meaning
‘flower’, nivalis means ‘of the snow’. It was
given its Latin name by Carl Linnaeus in
his Species Plantarum first published in
1753.
Clumps of bulbs will increase and can be
divided and replanted when ‘in the green’
immediately after flowering. However,
snowdrops also produce seed if there are
early pollinators around such as queen
bumblebees and can also spread this way.
Another of our earliest flowers is the lesser
celandine Ficaria verna, a member of the
buttercup
family Ranunculaceae. Commonly known
as Pilewort, a look at its tuberous roots will
tell you why it got that name. The old
Doctrine of Signatures recommended it as a
medical treatment for piles. However, it’s
worth noting that the leaves are toxic.
It’s a lover of damp woodland paths, stream
banks and ditches and can be a rather
invasive weed in gardens. The glossy star
shaped yellow flowers open in the sun, the
leaves are rounded, heart-shaped on long
stalks. Vast carpets of them cover the
ground on the corner of Friston Forest
opposite the church and pond and are a truly
dazzling sight. As one of the earliest plants
to flower they are an important nectar source
for insect pollinators coming out of winter
hibernation.
“There’s a flower that shall be mine,
’tis the little celandine”
(William Wordsworth )
Kate Frankland
Our thanks to the Rotary: Signs of
Hope
Many snowdrops in gardens are in flower
and bulbs including daffodils, tulips,
hyacinths and irises are poking up their
heads. Now is the time for hope for good
things to come in our gardens and in the
villages with hopefully a display of crocuses
on the verges by the bus stops and down
Gilberts Drive. The crocuses were donated
by the Rotary Club of Eastbourne Sovereign
and to bring further colour to our village the
club has donated wildflower seeds to be
planted in the grassy area on the south side
of the recreation ground.
Let us hope that warm weather, beautiful
flowers and successful vaccinations will
brighten our lives in the not too distant
future!
John Wilton, Community Chairman,
Rotary Club of Eastbourne Sovereign
I would like to say
a big thank you to
my friends from
the Bowls Club
who gave food so
generously for the
homeless. In such
a short period of time, I was given bags and
boxes containing a variety of foods. It was
received with thanks by the volunteers who
give food to the homeless at night on the
Western lawns.
Rita Laws
Bookmark Volunteering
I have been volunteering helping children
with their reading online for the last six
months, which I have thoroughly enjoyed.
It is with a charity called Bookmark and I
am currently helping children of frontline
and key workers in London, Cambridge and
Hastings. I am writing about Bookmark as I
thought there may be some villagers who
would enjoy being involved with this in the
near future.
There is very extensive training online, with
an online interview, and although for a
while training was on hold, if you check the
Bookmark website you will now see they
are looking for volunteers once again. It’s so
great that you can be helping children all
over the country!
As a Bookmark volunteer, you’ll help 5-8
year olds learn to read so that they can
succeed in school and beyond. You’ll book
fun, flexible 30-minute reading sessions,
around your schedule, all through the
Bookmark app. Sessions take place
virtually, through Bookmark’s secure
online platform.
www.bookmarkreading.org
Jan Haydock