Recess has continued to be busy and interesting, giving me the opportunity to spend time with community groups across Romsey and Southampton North.
I had a fantastic afternoon at Sherfield English Bowls Club, where I was invited to relearn how to play - I last took to the green at summer functions for Test Valley Borough Councillors when I served on the Council. I am pleased that I even managed to win an end, although I suspect some generous coaching may have been involved. Bowls is a brilliant way to keep active, spend time outdoors and enjoy the company of others. The club has a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and it was clear how important it is to the members of the club. Of course, the tea and cake were every bit as enjoyable as the game itself.
My thanks to everyone at Sherfield English Bowls Club for making me feel so welcome and patiently showing me the ropes, and I know they are always welcoming and encouraging to new members.
Recess has also brought my attention to some much smaller summer visitors: house martins. A resident in Ampfield recently wrote to me about the house martins nesting at Morley’s Green. These remarkable birds travel thousands of miles from Africa, sometimes finding their way back to the same house or development, before building intricate mud nests and raising their young.
At Abbotswood, 79 nests were counted across the estate in 2024. However, the Hampshire House Martin Project’s official tracking map has received just one report from Abbotswood so far this year, compared with 12 last year. This may simply mean that nests are not being recorded. Residents are therefore being encouraged to report active nests, helping conservationists understand where house martins are living and how populations are changing.
This autumn, the project plans to launch a countywide scheme offering free artificial nest cups to those who record their nests. The cups are more durable than natural mud nests and can save the birds around a week of exhausting construction work. House martins are now on the UK Red List, so protecting them matters. By recording nests, leaving them undisturbed and providing artificial cups, we can help these wonderful summer visitors thrive.
