Shaftesbury 'does' Great Big Green Week: Celebrating our trees and preparing to plant more, Greener homes open to visitors. Plus Hedgehogs need our help; Engaging with climate change around COP26; Other news in brief and more ... |
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Shaftesbury's 1st Tree Festival offers many ways to celebrate trees The festival starts on Thursday 23rd September at 7.30pm with a concert 'Dancing in Slow Motion' at St Peter's Church. Palida choir will provide acapella songs, a number of art works will be on display, and local poets will read tree-inspired poems. Afterwards there's a story-telling. Friday 25th brings a morning opportunity to experience 'forest bathing', a Japanese process of relaxation by being calm and quiet amongst trees - hear the Alfred Daily interview here, and an evening illustrated talk at the Town Hall with Robin Walter - forester, campaigner and author of 'Living with Trees', which he will be selling on the night. Please register with Eventbrite for either of these evening events. On Saturday 26th at 10.30am, Shaftesbury Library is offering tree-inspired craft activities and stories, children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult and booking is essential. From 11am there are a host of activities to chose from: a guided tree walk (one of two that will be led by Robin Walter during the festival), a beautiful short film running continuously at Gold Hill Museum, a community art event on Park Walk with Jon Corry and, at 3pm, story-telling at the Museum with Crissie Anderson. The day is rounded off with 'Tree-Lines' an evening with four local poets at Seasons Cafe - drinks and snacks available, book with the cafe. Sunday 27th provides a morning opportunity to learn from Tean Mitchell who'll be providing practical help and advice on how to collect, store and propagate your favourite trees from seed - from 10am at Shaftesbury Homegrown off Breach Lane. Growing native trees from seed is easier than you think! Award-winning local artist Gary Cook will be creating a water-colour of beech trees from 10:30am where Pine Walk meets Park Walk, and is even bringing art supplies so that anyone can join in! There's a midday opportunity to explore and find out more about the community orchard with Joe Hashman and Katie O'Farrell, and a second tree walk from the Town Hall with Robin Walter departing at 2pm. The festival culminates in a celebratory picnic on Castle Hill Green from 3pm. Music from the Phoenix Cafe Orchestra, games, singing, circle dancing and more. Bring your kites, hampers and join the fun! Then, on Sunday evening at 6pm, there is a Reflective Eucharist at St James' Church. For full details of all events, including booking or registration arrangements where applicable, follow this link to the special festival area of Planet Shaftesbury's website. Throughout the festival a new colourful banner, painted by Phyllis Wollf and depicting our hilltop town amidst mature trees and people planting more, will be displayed on the Town Hall. From Thursday morning's market to the picnic, there'll be information available for everyone who wants to join in with tree planting this winter or become guardians of the young trees. If you'd like to take part but can't be around over the festival weekend please contact birchbark@btinternet.com for details of opportunities. |
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Dorset Greener Homes - through the keyhole? GREAT BIG GREEN WEEK: 18–26th SEPTEMBER 2021, is a national week of 3000+ events celebrating action on climate change. As well as celebrating local trees and tree planting, in Shaftesbury we're celebrating the adaptations some people have made to their homes or life-styles by joining in with this county-wide event organised by the Dorset Climate Action Network (Dorset CAN). Around 50 homes are taking part between 25th September and 3rd October. Some of these are new houses with the latest heating or ventilation technologies; others have been retrofitted with improved insulation, windows, or solar panels; and there are some where the inhabitants have chosen to make life-style changes - such as growing veg, maintaining a wildlife-friendly garden, travelling less, reducing waste. There's a website with map, details of what you could see at each home and what the viewing arrangements are. October 2nd offers the greatest number of opportunities close to Shaftesbury. Find the website here. You'll find local opportunities to visit and talk with the inhabitants about the choices they've made, including: - The Threshold Centre, Gillingham: a pioneering co-housing community based around eco-friendly, sustainable and collaborative lifestyles;
- Greatfield House, Enmore Green: a 1960's house which was previously described as an 'ice-box' and is now amidst major works including insulation, windows being reconfigured for solar gain, and installation of an air-source heat pump;
- Hawker's Farm, Stour Provost, a 500-year-old, formerly near-derelict farmhouse where the owners have used a wide range of traditional and renewable materials in their restoration and where a barn is now a sustainability hub;
- A 1930's former council house on Coppice Street, Shaftesbury, with a timber-framed rear extension, attic conversion and kitchen re-fit where the works done reflected cost and desire to be energy efficient.
- A 2004 3-bedroom home in Donhead St Mary which has been adapted over the years so that it now has a loft conversion, better quality windows, benefits from solar gain, solar PV and an air-source heatpump. The owners have an electric car and describe their garden as 'pretty wild'.
All the hosts are happy to talk about their experiences - and they won't be trying to sell you anything! |
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Hedgehogs need our help The next Hedgehog Friendly Shaftesbury meeting is 30th September: 7.30pm at Town Hall. Susy and Colin Varndell will be with us again, this time with lots of information about what we can do to help hedgehogs in Shaftesbury and the surrounding areas. If you have hedgehogs in your garden, want to enhance your garden for them or just want to join us in making Shaftesbury a safe and nurturing environment for our hedgehogs and help our populations thrive, come along for an interactive discussion to take Hedgehog Friendly Shaftesbury forward. Bring along your own ideas to share and tell us what you are doing for the ones that visit your garden and you will take away a FREE hog pack, full of information about hedgehogs and how we can help them! There will also be an opportunity to join a small group who aim to be able to care for sick or injured hedgehogs locally and receive training in their care and first aid. If you plan to attend please register through Eventbrite - you won't need a ticket but this allows us to be covid-cautious and manage the numbers. Contact shaftesburyhedgehogs@gmail.com to find out more, join the mailing list or report your sightings in and around Shaftesbury. |
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Planet Shaftesbury meetings online and in-person: For the time being meetings will be - Online, 1st Thursday of the month, 7.30pm by Zoom. An informal agenda compiled on the night by those who turn up. Joining link always accessible from the website event listing. Rarely more than 1 hour.
- In-person, 3rd Thursday of the month, arrive from 7pm for 7.30pm start at the Town Hall. Open to all. You don't need a ticket but please register through Eventbrite so that we can continue to manage numbers.There will always be an opportunity to set up table top displays with information to share prior to the meeting, a Welcome and exchange of brief news or requests, a refreshment break, and a themed session. Details of topics and style of the meeting will be publicised through this newsletter and will also be accessible on the website. We aim to close by 9.30pm.
In October and November our meetings will respond to the COP26 talks (31st Oct to 12th Nov) and the raised profile of climate concern. Join in as we consider how to make ourselves more accessible to people around the town, prepare ourselves for 'talking climate', and consider what resources we can assemble to support ourselves for this 'outreach' and to offer to people who want to make life-style changes. Some useful resources are provided by the work of Climate Outreach, a charity that investigates and promotes effective ways of engaging people with climate change. |
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Anticipating COP26: In the coming weeks there are many opportunities to find out more about the challenges facing the global leaders who will meet at COP26 and a number of key events prior to the conference that will raise its profile further. Here are just a few links, updates, and indications of an event added to our website. |
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Some of us have been making a difference: The Vintage & Fairtrade Fashion Emporium in the Town Hall during last month's Fringe Festival proved to be colourful and popular with many people impressed by the Repair Shop co-ordinated by Georgie Faulkner-Bryant in conjunction with Marnhull Eco Hub. It was a brilliant innovation by Georgie and a good illustration of something we could do more of. Christina Strickland and John Nelson have completed the labelling of the North Dorset Cycleway. At each signpost on this 70-mile circular route they installed the new signs and cut back undergrowth to ensure it's now visible. Sustrans recently contacted the Town Council to express their appreciation for the work. John and Christina say it has been a wonderful exploration of north Dorset, they particularly recommend the stretch that goes from Sturminster over Bulbarrow Hill. |
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Other News in Brief Local botanist/ecologist, Mariko Whyte, is continuing to make connections with people with land where they can make space for nature within a 10km radius of Shaftesbury. To join the network please contact Mariko by email mariko.h.whyte@gmail.com Shaftesbury Town Council have consulted Mariko as they develop ways of managing roadside verges and other green edges in ways that help nature's recovery. A policy for managing such areas is on the agenda of a council meeting on Tuesday 21st. It makes a reference to glyphosate which has caused some concern. Mariko told our meeting on 16th September that she did not believe this reflected any intent to use glyphosate in the forseeable future. Given that the town council has a complete ban in place, those present would be further reassured if the policy was amended to remove this reference prior to its adoption. An exhibition of painting and poetry is to be held at Shaftesbury Arts Centre just after the tree festival. Rachel Sargent and Catherine Simmonds have called their work ‘Sanctuary’ as it reflects on landscapes and walks that were a refuge in lockdown. It features a poetry cycle of Catherine's about Breach Common which she'll be reading near the common on the evening of Thursday 30th September. It’s not a long reading but there will be lovely folk music too. More information from Catherine during the exhibition. Hawkers Re-Creatives occupy a barn at Hawker's Farm. This is a hub for sustainable sewing with drop-in stitching groups, opportunities to learn how to; mend, make a skirt, upcycle a garment or embroider - all in the company of like minded people. Thursdays & Saturdays from 10-4pm. Please call 07801 240103 to register interest. Dorset Council have launched a consultation to inform proposals for improving rights of way and paths for walking, cycling and horse riding. Find out more and participate in the consultation using this link. Social media savvy? A request to end on. Planet Shaftesbury could do with your help to promote any of the events here ... and on a continuing basis if you're up for it! |
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The next monthly newsletter will be distributed in the 3rd week of October. If you have news to share please send it to planetshaftesbury@gmail.com |
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