v INDEPENDENT, LOCAL AND PROUD v 12th September 2024 • The HERALD • Page 59 ANIMAL MAGIC All of the seasons provide di erent di culties for hedgehogs but Autumn can be a particularly di cult time for baby hedgehogs and a busy and emotional time for hedgehog rescues due to the in ux of baby hedgehogs needing their help! • Mature females may have mated a second time and young females may produce their rst litter. • ese babies will struggle as their natural diet becomes scarcer and they will be unable to gain fat just to grow and increase in size, let alone to hibernate. • We may notice these babies foraging for food in daylight because they are so hungry. If we leave them to nature they will simply die. • ANY HEDGEHOG SEEN IN THE DAY IS NOT OK! Help from a rescue should be sought ASAP. • It is extremely important to support feed by simply providing a bowl of dry kitten food each evening purchased from the supermarket, and also to provide a shallow bowl of water for hedgehogs to drink from during Autumn months, for both our juveniles and our adult hedgehogs, an adult hedgehog will also be building up fat reserves as they start to build winter nests. ey will need to be at least 600 grams, to survive hibernation so will need to feed as much as possible. • “Hibernation is not a kind of rest or recuperation, it is an energy conservation strategy,” as the food they rely on such as worms, beetles and invertebrates become scarcer as the days shorten and temperatures drop. Even though climate change can prolong a proper winter, natural food will still be in decline for those hedgehogs that decide not to hibernate. • Bon re night also creates dangers. An unlit bon re is an ideal home for a hedgehog. Please do not build a bon re until the day it is due to be lit, or if you must build it before cover it with a tight, secure tarpaulin that a hedgehog cannot access. • References: Louise at East Boldre Hedgehog Rescue, e Hedgehog Book and Hedgehogs by Pat Morris Thank you for your support, Marchwood Hedgehog Watch Autumn Advice for Hedgehogs from Marchwood Hedgehog Watch NATIONAL MOTOR MUSEUM ENGINEERS BEGIN ENGINE REBUILD TO BRING SUNBEAM 1000HP BACK TO LIFE Everything on Sunbeam 1000hp was bespoke, apart from its two colossal 22.5 litre Matabele V12 aero engines which were spare parts from Sunbeam’s works – and neither has run for more than 80 years. Now, after a year-and-a-half of work to strip down and take apart the rear engine, National Motor Museum engineers are ready to start its rebuild. New bespoke engine parts have been made, while others have been re-metalled. Piston rings had disintegrated and needed replacements, while original con rods, pistons and cranks have been restored and are ready to bolt back together. e process has been forensic, as bolts and parts have been removed, then meticulously labelled and bagged ready for the rebuild. ere has been no manual or documentation to follow during the Sunbeam 1000hp restoration, so the workshop team has relied on rare pictures they have been able to nd from the original design team and factory workforce. National Motor Museum Senior Engineer Ian Stanfield said: “We have found unique engineering and a wonderful quality of workmanship during the restoration so far – but nothing has been easy to get at.” Repairing cracks and replacing missing parts Cracks in the engine’s crankcase were found during testing and those have been repaired using laser welding. Unlike the turning handle of Sunbeam 350hp, Sunbeam 1000hp relied on an air starter mechanism and the workshop team found that most of its parts were missing – so are now making replacements. Expert National Motor Museum engineers have drawn on experience from restoring Sunbeam 350hp, in preparation for its 90th Land Speed Record anniversary at Pendine in 2015. Ian said: “It’s been a privilege because not everyone gets to work on a Land Speed Record breaker. Working on Sunbeam 350hp was one of the best things I’ve ever done and this is up there with it because it preserves these landmark cars for future prosperity.” He explained: “After completing Sunbeam 350hp, we found problems with Sunbeam 1000hp which we weren’t willing to leave, as the custodians of its future. As oils and lubricants get older, they turn into a tarlike consistency and ‘glue’ engine parts together. That deterioration continues if it is not dealt with.” Each of the massive Sunbeam 1000hp engines once produced 435bhp and a forkli truck was needed to li them from the chassis. Both engines had previously been used for power boat racing in Maple Leaf VII. A 1918 datemark was found on the rear engine, while the front engine has a plaque which had been attached before it became part of the National Motor Museum collection, saying: “Engine will not start owing to vital part of mechanism being removed.” e front engine and exposed chassis can be seen by visitors to Beaulieu on display in the National Motor Museum. ere are plans for a rear engine startup out of the car, before it is lowered back into the chassis. Sunbeam 1000hp can run with just one engine but once the restoration of the rear engine is complete, the team plans to begin work on the front engine – which will take a further year. Funds are now needed to complete the full restoration project. Sunbeam 1000hp Restoration Campaign was launched with Hampshire-based Brookspeed Automotive and aims to raise £300k to complete the restoration of ‘ e Slug’ with the ambition of taking it back to Daytona Beach in Florida for the 100th anniversary of its recordbreaking run in 2027. Donations for the Sunbeam 1000hp Restoration Campaign can be made online at https:// nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/ sunbeam-1000hp-restorationcampaign/. Sponsors and corporate donors who would like to be associated with the campaign are urged to get in touch by emailing michelle. kirwan@beaulieu.co.uk. Senior Engineer Ian Stanfield with rear engine crankcase in workshop (Copyright Scarf & Goggles) The History of Beaulieu Airfield e Railway Club of the New Forest meet on Friday 27th September in the Exhibition Room, Brockenhurst Village Hall, Highwood Road, Brockenhurst, SO42 7RY, when Marc Heighway presents ‘ e history of Beaulieu Air eld’. Starting from the lead-up to its construction, into wartime and through to modern day. e talk includes rarely-before-seen photography and lm from the air eld, tales of bravery, inspiring stories and strange events that happened at the RAF and USAAF Station, plus tributes to the many men who lost their lives. It also includes a visual tour of what remains today and how you can visit the air eld yourself to see what evidence can be found. Visitors welcome, £5 on the door. Arrive from 7pm; the talk will start at 7.30pm. Find out more at: www. railwayclubo henewforest.org.uk FAMILY HISTORY GROUP A small group of enthusiastic people who love delving into your family history and nding out all about your roots meet in the back room at Soul Café, North Road, Dibden Purlieu (the Methodist church) usually on the first Tuesday of each month. (Not in August) ere is so much that can now be explored online, they o er a selfhelp approach but more experienced members are on hand to provide guidance. ey are always open to new members who are welcome to go along to see what they are about. eir next meeting is on Tuesday 1st October at 7.30pm.
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