14 December-6 January 2026, Festival of Trees. Come and see Cradley Wild's Christmas tree and those of other local organisations in Cradley Church.

15 January, Mammals of the Malverns. 4pm in the Village Hall to encourage children to attend. A talk by Johnny Birks, ecologist, author and mustelid expert. It will be an informative and entertaining event, so please spread the word.

22 January, committee 2.30pm, Lilac Cottage

12 February, Ten Years of Monitoring Bat Boxes. Dave Lee and Denise Plume will tell us all about bats, including how to make a box of our own. 7pm, Village Hall.

26 February, committee 2.30pm, The Hurst

12 March 7pm, Nature Quiz, with quizmaster Paul Moorhouse.

26 March, committee 2.30pm, Fincher’s Corner

12 April 2pm visit to old country farm

16 April, committee 2.30pm. Lutian House

17 May 2.30pm Farm visit to Amwells Farm in Much Marcle.

11 JUNE 7pm Richard Comont  from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust; bumble bees.

September AGM and screening of Six Inches of Soil

As ever, events are free to members, £3 to guests. If you haven't subscribed to membership yet, it's a mere £5 and you can join at a meeting or pay via BACS.

Please eMail CradleyWild@cradley.org.uk if you would like to join our group.

JANUARY CMS NEWSLETTER: LET’S MAKE CRADLEY A BEE VILLAGE

Imagine if Cradley was known as the village that cared for nature… Where pollinators thrived and gardens bloomed with flowers and buzzed with bees! We have already made a great start with last year’s Planters for Pollinators campaign, which Cradley Wild ran with Cradley WI, and which saw 110 pollinator-friendly containers planted up around the village. Now we want to continue that momentum and make Cradley a Bee Village. This will be a proper community campaign, so we are calling on residents to pitch in and take part.

The Big Idea

You are probably aware that bee population numbers are in serious decline. As bees and other pollinators pollinate around 90% of wild plants and 75% of food crops, this is a calamity that affects all of us. For 2026, our aim is to work with Cradley residents and community groups on various bee-friendly initiatives to boost bee numbers. We hope to record this to see what difference we have made.

How you can help

If turning Cradley into a Bee Village is something you would like to be involved in, let us know by signing up to be a Bee Villager at cradleybeevillage@gmail.com. This is to express your interest and to say that you are open to planting bee-friendly plants and not using pesticides, so not onerous! See various other ideas for involvement, below. Our plans are still at an early stage, and we would welcome input from any individuals or groups.

Ideas so far include:

* Creating ‘mini meadows’ and drifts of bee-friendly plants throughout the village. These would include the pots and containers from last year’s Planters for Pollinators campaign, as well as patches of wildflower planting in gardens.

* Swapping wildflower seeds. Any residents who have species-rich meadows to harvest small amounts of seed to give to people creating their own mini meadow.

* Turning a verge into a wildflower area.

* Making and erecting more solitary bee set-ups throughout the village.

* Asking people to commit to no pesticides in their garden.

* Holding busy bee craft events with children to raise awareness of bees and pollinators.

KNOW YOUR BEES

To kickstart the campaign, here is quick guide to our pollinating friends. There are approximately 255 different species of bee in the UK: 1 honey bee, 24 bumble bees (including the Common carder bumblebee) and over 230 solitary bees.

Honey Bees

In the UK we have just one type of honey bee (Apis mellifera).  It’s a domesticated species introduced by beekeepers.  They are commonly found feeding on open flowers that they can easily reach with their short tongues.

Bumble Bees

There are 24 types of bumble bee in the UK. They are a social species and live in colonies of around 200 bees. They like gardens, parks and open woodland and favour comfrey, bramble, fruit trees and fuchsia. Tree bumble bees are one of our most common species and are the ones most likely to colonise old nest boxes. Each type of bumble bee will have different preferences but thistles, birds-foot trefoil, black thorn, gorse, dead nettle, bluebells, clover, knapweed, scabious, dandelion and buddleia will attract one variety or another.

To find out more about bumble bees, come to a talk by Dr Richard Cormont from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust at the Village Hall on 11 June at 7pm.

Solitary Bees

Around 90% of our bee population are solitary bees – a huge group including mason bees, mining bees and leaf cutter bees. These short-lived bees forage for nectar and pollen on apple and pear blossom (they are crucial pollinators), dandelions and flowers such as scabious and daisies, among others.  If you already have a solitary bee set-up (as introduced to the village by Di H), the most likely residents will be the red mason bee (Osmia bicornis).

JESSIE M AND CLARE G

TREE OF THE MONTH: WILD CHERRY

Wild cherry (Prunus Avium,) also known as 'gean', is one of the fastest growing hardwood trees in Britain. While it has a relatively short life of about 60 years, in that time it can grow to 30m tall with a diameter at breast height of up to 1.5m. Like Silver Birch and Pussy Willow it is a ‘pioneer' species that needs light to grow. This means that it will colonise land that has previously been cleared or cultivated, and, being a fast-growing tree ,it is excellent for combating climate change.

HOW TO IDENTIFY IT: The flowers of Wild Cherry are fine, either white or slightly coloured and generally in small clusters of two to six. They have a faintly almond aroma. In mid-spring it is easy to spot Wild Cherry trees in established woodland, as they often set flowers at, or before the time they set leaves, and so stand out as patches of brilliant white in an otherwise grey/green scene. The bark can be easily identified by its slightly reddish polish and the distinctive horizontal bands of lenticels (raised pores) around the trunk. These are characteristic of Wild Cherry as well as garden and fruit growing cultivars. The leaves are seven to 15cm long, oval and pointed, with fine serration on the edges. In autumn, the leaves turn orange, pink or red.

GOOD FOR WILDLIFE? Wild Cherries are a favourite of birds and small mammals and are devoured when ripe. In this way, the seeds are distributed and fertilised. Spring flowers provide an early source of nectar and pollen for bees and the cherries are eaten by birds and mammals, such as badgers and mice. The foliage is the main food plant for caterpillars of many species of moth.

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS?  Like a lot of the Prunus species, the Wild Cherry will self-propagate by putting up suckers from its roots. Look out for these in woodland, particularly as they trees get towards the end of their life.

Apart from the climate and wildlife benefits of the Wild Cherry, the pinkish brown wood is used for making furniture as solid wood and as veneer. The wood also burns well with a faint wildflower aroma.

The future of Wild Cherry is uncertain, as although it favours a warming climate, it can suffer in drought. It will however continue to be an important tree in mixed woodlands, for its value for wildlife.

PATRICK F