As part of a drive to reduce costs, North Dorset District Councillors have agreed to sell the Nordon premises on Salisbury Road in Blandford. Martin Hamilton, North Dorset District Council’s Strategic Director, said: “We need to make sure that North Dorset District Council’s estate is fit for the future. These proposed changes are about matching our resources to the demands of the communities that we serve. Full story: Read more
Connection to Nature at the Heart of a Happy and Healthy Life
People who do something ‘wild’ every day for a month change their attitude to nature and report improvements in their physical and mental wellbeing, according to new research, which places nature connection at the heart of a happy and healthy life. An impact study, by the University of Derby, of 30 Days Wild – the UK’s first ever month-long nature challenge, which was run by The Wildlife Trusts in June 2015 – reveals sustained increases in participants’ happiness, health, connection to nature and positive environmental behaviours, such as feeding the birds or growing flowers for pollinators like bees. Full story: Read more
Langport’s Back Water Clean-up
South Somerset District Council’s Streetscene team took to the waters last week to help clean up the historic stretch of water adjoining Cocklemoor, in the centre of Langport, known as the Back Water. Abandoning their usual street cleaning apparatus, the Streetscene team launched a small flat-bottomed boat from which to access much of the problem area along the town bank. Full story: Read more