This newsletter is earlier in the month than usual so that you can plan ahead for Great Big Green Week (10-18th June). But first, other news ...

From recent events ...

Shaftesbury Larder - reducing food waste & helping out during the cost-of-living crisis

Jamie Paul was passionate about the Shaftesbury Larder at our May meeting. Based at the Primary School on Wincombe Lane, the Larder accepts a weekly delivery from FareShare which redistributes good quality surplus food from across the food industry. How can it be surplus? Jamie mentioned packaged noodles with wrong packaging and a glut of asparagus that overwhelmed a major supermarket chain. How can you get some? It's open to all. Join as a member and pay per visit according to the size of household, £2.50 / £3.50 / £5.00 per week for households of 1/2/3+ people. For that a customer takes away a box with a range of fresh, chilled and store cupboard foods - enough for at least 3 meals per person per week and often a lot more. No choice, but customers make swaps with others and after seeing what's in their box they can then 'top up' elsewhere. Inspiring. Every Friday, 9-10am, spread the word!

Defashion Dorset, Stour Provost, 26/27th May

These two days promoting 'fashion systems that are regenerative, local, fair and sufficient' through workshops, demonstrations, film, and panel discussions proved popular. Jenny Morisetti writes: "It’s been amazing! I’m so happy, great turnout, around 260, great feedback and lovely people and I even sold more clothes than the last two years of vintage fairs!" Well done, Jenny!

Local Food Register

There's an open invitation to join in with this initiative which emerged from an April discussion of the film 'Planet Local'. A meeting to agree how to proceed is taking place in the snug at The Grosvenor Arms, 19th June at 7pm.

The Big One

This massive protest (April 21-24) was a peaceful coming together of tens of thousands of people seeking effective government action in the face of climate risks. Four days of Westminster pickets, marches and rallies. There was little about it in the press - but was it a success or a failure? A reflective blogpost, including contributions and recommended links from three members of our network who were there, is now on the website. A good read!

Building awareness of our network & promoting activities to tackle climate & protect nature

May's meeting also discussed how to promote Great Big Green Week (GBGW) events and make more of a lasting difference. How could you help?

Library Display & Drop-in: Planet Shaftesbury will have a table display throughout GBGW and some of us are hosting a drop-in on Saturday (10th) 10am-12noon. A couple more people would be very welcome!

Planet Shaftesbury's A5 leaflet with an introduction to the network has now been updated with recent quotes from David Attenborough (on nature) and Antonio Guterres (on climate). The 2nd side again carries suggestions from the Grantham Institute, this time, '9 things you can do for your health & the planet'. The link from the Resources section of the website is being updated, there will be spare copies in the Library leading up to GBGW, and if you need more to support your own promotional activities please email rachel.bodle@gmail.com

A 'People's Exhibition' of items that demonstrate our care for the planet and nature is being collated for display in the council chamber on the first floor of the Town Hall throughout the week. Schools haven't offered as much as was anticipated and there's room for more. It could be a good opportunity for you to display artefacts or ephemera linked to your engagement with climate change and nature. To confirm a space and arrange to deliver please email (asap!) Chris@GreatBigGreenWeekShaftesbury.org

'Take the Jump' got a mention at our meeting as an organisation focused on 'outreach'. Coincidentally, the organisation also contacted Planet Shaftesbury after encountering our impressive array of GBGW events online. Their aim is to change the feeling of powerlessness that so many of us have when we think about the future of our world by supporting people to make sustainable life style choices - motto 'Less stuff, More joy'. (see link below) We're working out how they could join our July meeting, watch this space.

Dorset Council's Planning for Climate Change Consultation closes on June 8th. See the website Forum post and watch out for updates with comments which we expect to receive from the Dorset Deserves Better campaign.

Salisbury's EcoHub have a stall in Salisbury market every Saturday from 09.00-13.00 and have invited Planet Shaftesbury to collaborate with them, or even take the stall over from time to time. Their market attracts many visitors from Shaftesbury. If you'd like to be put in touch with the EcoHub to make an arrangement over the coming weeks, please email planetshaftesbury@gmail.com.

Bus Users & Stakeholders: Dorset Council are hosting an online meeting 5-6.30pm, Monday 5th June. Planet Shaftesbury has an invite to send representative(s). For agenda and link please email as above.

Shaftesbury School's Alex More has now fixed dates for the rescheduled Future Series student sessions on Music, Fashion and Food. All included on our website. Alex wrote with further support requests:

"Our STEAM program has grown to 120 students. The 28 newest (11 yr olds) are embarking on Destination Imagination from Sept 23 and we are looking for two volunteers to manage a team of 7 students each. 

TEDx: We have applied for a new licence (pending) to run a TEDx Youth event in 2024. We are looking for a team of volunteers to work as part of the organising committee. There would be 3 teams:

• People: speaker selection and coaching of speakers 

• Marketing, promotion and social media (inc. sponsorship and press) 

• Logistics (staging, timings, venue etc)"

If you'd like to volunteer support and haven't already been invited, email as above.

Dorset COP: The Planet Shaftesbury network has now received an invitation to participate. There'll be a series of speakers in the main hall, as well as workshops, short talks and stimulating opportunities for organisations to talk and collaborate together. Sound inviting? See more details and a form to express interest at their website (link below).

Compassion in World Farming hosted a conference, 'Extinction or Regeneration' in May. A report is now on their website (link below).

Great Big Green Week

Chris Harwood spearheaded local efforts to make our participation in the UK-wide Great Big Green Week both a reflective and vibrant celebration of our community's actions to tackle climate change and protect nature (Thank you Chris!). He writes: "GBGW is about the community pulling together, working together to fight climate change and the nature crisis. Coming to the opening ceremony is part of that pulling together. Being there is working to tackle the crisis. The more people that attend, the more that we all show that community groups are getting on with it. This is the most powerful action that we can take. It shows politicians that we want them to get on with it."  

Simon Hoare MP will formally open the week's events at 2pm in Shaftesbury Town Hall. Simon will give a very brief introduction, after which he will light the Green Vigil Candle. All are then invited upstairs to the People's Exhibition. Afterwards (3pm) there is a free "Herbs and Medicine" talk and demonstration in the Abbey and later (6pm) the first of the daily Green Vigil Candlelight Walks.

'Climate, Nature, Community' - Planet Shaftesbury's meeting, Thursday 15th, 7.30pm

We're marking GBGW with a return visit by Dr Gary Mantle, head of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. Gary gave a talk at the Town Hall in January 2019 about the impact of climate change on local wildlife. It proved very popular, many of us wanted to do more locally, and the discussions that followed Gary's talk led to the formation of the Planet Shaftesbury network. This time, Gary will focus on the changes he's seen, including in community engagement, during his 33 years in post.

Lucy Young, who is both science and policy adviser to WWF-UK, and an active member of Hedgehog Friendly Shaftesbury, will describe the People's Plan for Nature. This plan came out of a collaboration between WWF, RSPB and the National Trust and the wider community. Lucy will give us a different perspective on our 'Climate, Nature, Community' theme.

There will be time for Q&A and discussion, particularly directed towards the question: 'What next for Shaftesbury?'.

All welcome at this Town Hall meeting. Please tell friends and neighbours! 

Great Big Green Week at a Glance 

Find full details of these Shaftesbury events, and some for activities in the wider area, on the GBGWS website (GreatBigGreenWeekShaftesbury.org or use link below) - which is being added to as we go to press!

Sat 10th:

10-11am...............Green Breakfast Church, St Peter's

10am-12pm..........Planet Shaftesbury drop-In with children's activities, Library

12-5pm.................Visit GBGW marquee, Motcombe Fete

2pm......................Opening Ceremony (see above), Town Hall

3-4pm...................The Healing Green Breath of Nature, Shaftesbury Abbey

Sun 11th:

11am.....................Shaftesbury Tree Walk, meet guide, Robin Walter, at the Town Hall

11am-12pm..........Drop-in at the Community Farm (repeats on 14th, 16th, 18th)

1pm & 3pm ..........Taprisha's magical green stories, Gold Hill Museum

6-9pm...................Make and take away a bat box, Town Hall

Mon 12th:

5.30pm.................Drawing trees with artist Lynda Appleby, Town Hall

7pm......................Mmmm (Monday meal, movie, mingling) (£15), Grosvenor Arms

Tues 13th:

6.30-8.30pm........Green medicine workshop (£12), Shaftesbury Abbey

Wed 14th:

3-5pm...................Garment upcycling after-school session, Town Hall

6pm for 6.30.........Great Big Green Sing & picnic, Shaftesbury Abbey

Thur 15th:

10am-1pm............Green Market stalls, High Street

10.30am-4pm.......'Nurturing Nature' walk, minibus from/to Bell St. (booking reqd.)

2.30-3.30pm.........Great Big Green Litter Pick, meet opposite Tesco filling station

3pm-5pm..............Meet the Town Clerk, Brie Logan, Town Hall

3pm & 5pm...........JUMP, clarinet performances by Karen Wimhurst, Tuckingmill

7.30pm.................'Climate, Nature, Community' (see above), Town Hall

Fri 16th:

1-3pm...................Open garden, Abbey Primary School, St James

7-9pm...................Borneo Orangutan Survival talk, Grosvenor Arms

Sat 17th:

10.30-12.30pm.....Poetry & Prose Writing Challenge, Gold Hill Museum 

Sun 18th:

10-12pm................Tai Chi for Health with Sue Marks, meet at Town Hall

2-5pm....................Make and take away a hedgehog box, Town Hall

these additional activities run throughout the week - see access information on the website:

Contribute to online collections of nature photography, poetry and recorded reminiscences from childhood

'Nurturing Nature' exhibition in association with 'Wild about the Donheads' in the community space at Donhead St Andrew Church

'People's Exhibition' encouraging reflection with items from the community - upstairs at the Town Hall

'Earth: Goldilocks Planet' an exhibition by Cranborne Chase Astronomy Club at The Rising Sun, Donhead St Mary

Book and information display at Shaftesbury Library

and, at the heart of all this activity, there will be a green pyramid and vigil candle outside the town hall all week as well as a meditative Green Vigil Candlelight Walk to the Town Hall leaving Tesco at 6pm daily - turn up beforehand at Tesco's customer services with a greenish jam jar and they will pop in a free tealight.

Web-links

CPRE Petition for Rooftop Solar is here

FareShare help get more good food to people who are going hungry https://fareshare.org.uk/

Grantham Institute for Climate Change & the Environment (website) at Imperial College, London

Take the Jump: six shifts to protect our Earth and live with joy. https://takethejump.org/

Dorset Council's Consultation on Planning for Climate Change

Dorset COP: Details of event and form to express interest https://dorsetcop.info/

Extinction or Regeneration: Compassion in World Farming conference report is here.

The People's Plan for Nature: read an illustrated summary here.

Together we can Save our Wild Isles: Subscribe to information from WWF and RSPB, see suggestions for action and more. Save our Wild Isles website

The next newsletter will appear in the second week of July.  Please send news to be shared to planetshaftesbury@gmail.com