June events

The Truth about Greenwashing. Wednesday June 5th, 7pm - 8.45pm, online.

The Shaftesbury area is well represented in this discussion hosted by Dorset Climate Action Network, chaired by Richard Thomas and with Amber Harrison of Folde on the panel. Find out about the greenwashing accusation made against private and public sector initiatives and what can be done about it.

Shaftesbury's Trees and locations for future planting will be discussed at the Shaftesbury Tree Group meeting on Wednesday June 12th, 5.30pm in the Library Room at the Grosvenor Arms. The discussion will also include orchard trees and hedgerows.

Busting the Myths around Renewable Energy & Creating a Healthy Home

June 13th, 7-9pm, Phoenix Room at Shaftesbury Arts Centre

Planet Shaftesbury is hosting this free talk with Q&A by Jenny Morisetti, chair of Sustainable Dorset and advocate for the Dorset Green Living Project. Bar open. Please spread the word so that more townspeople can find out about reducing energy bills, insulation options, common concerns about switching to renewables, fitting PV panels, efficient heat pumps, and more.

The event is part of Great Big Green Week. June 8th - 16th. See the website for events taking place in Frome (includes a clothes swap), Wimborne (recycled notebooks), Salisbury, Yeovil, and Ringwood.

Restore Nature Now! A march through London on Saturday 22 June. After gathering at Park Lane between midday and 1pm, concerned people will walk to a central 'rally' in Parliament Square at around 2.30pm. XR is collaborating with a host of other organisations to make this a huge family-friendly event. The XR website has full details and is encouraging volunteers to sign up as stewards. Email planetshaftesbury@gmail.com to be connected with others interested in shared travel.  

To use this newsletter to share infomation about local speakers/talks, engaging films, or other activities, request copies of the latest version of the Planet Shaftesbury flier, make suggestions or volunteer support, email planetshaftesbury@gmail.com.

News in Brief

Sustainable Dorset - a new directory: The Sustainable Dorset website has a new look including a growing sustainable directory of Dorset-based projects - and a simple facility for adding new ones. Do you know of something that you'd like to be added?

Watch out for Shaftesbury Homegrown on TV: the community farm hosted a journalist and cameraman from BBC South at their work session on 29th May. Being half term week, they were able to field a larger group of volunteers than usual and much work got done ... and recorded!

Shaftesbury Arts Centre goes green? We have been invited to support the Arts Centre's review of its environmental policy. If you'd like to join a small group working with SAC please email planetshaftesbury@gmail.com

Shaftesbury Orchard Town Initiative: Joe Hashman is nurturing young trees that could be integral to the development of Shaftesbury as an 'orchard town'. If you have growing space available for any of the following please contact him (c/o planetshaftesbury@gmail.com).

Joe has 2 year old apple trees available for next planting season Oct 2024 - March 2025 as follows:

M26 rootstock, dwarfing, expected height 8’ - 12’, 2x Shaston Gold

M106 rootstock, semi dwarfing, expected height 9’ - 15’, 4x Shaston Gold

M25 rootstock, vigorous, expected height 20’+, 2x Shaston Gold and 3x Lizzard’s Prolific (mother tree at White House Farm just outside Motcombe Park, eater, variety unknown)

He also has 7x crab apples in the Tree Group Tree Nursery at HomeGrown which are saplings and would be happier stretching themselves around the community. He says: With co-ordinated forward planning any number of hazel seedlings (nut trees) can be sourced for bare-root planting next season. 

‘Stooling’ of apple rootstocks is ongoing, with a view to producing our own rootstocks for future grafting. M25, M26 and M106 rootstocks have been established, then cut down to ground level. Dormant buds should sprout to form multi-stemmed bushes. Soon after shooting, soil will be mounded around the base and within this each stem will produce roots. After a year (or two) the mounded soil can be pared away and the stems cut off at ground level complete with roots. The process can then be repeated. It’s like coppicing a hazel (which can also be reproduced via this technique). If you have growing space available for one or more rootstock stools please get in touch.

New Hedgerow Management Rules for Farmers were published last week relating to cutting and trimming and to buffer strips. Follow the links.

Looking for people for summer farm work? We've received an enquiry from a young couple from Czech Republic interested in permaculture and organic farming and looking for a summer job in the UK. Please email Planet Shaftesbury for more information or to make contact.

This newsletter appears once or twice a month. Please send news or event details to planetshaftesbury@gmail.com for sharing across our network