Hear about the plan for Sustainable Shaftesbury; FREE home energy help; Nature on our doorstep; Hedgehogs; Great Big Green Week; Community Farm news; Regenerative fashion event; Collaborating with Shaftesbury School; XR invitation to join The Big One; Other local & national news in brief |
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Next meeting Thursday March 16th: 'Sustainable Shaftesbury' at Shaftesbury Town Hall, 7.30pm Hear a presentation from our town clerk, Brie Logan, and then join in discussions about the separate themes addressed by the Sustainable Shaftesbury Action Plan. |
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This plan is being developed by a working group that brings together Shaftesbury Town Council and wider community expertise. The plan aims to guide responses to the challenges facing climate and nature. It will offer both short-term practical actions AND set the direction for building resilience to ongoing climate impacts. It will shape town council activity, but is also aimed at businesses, groups and individual townspeople. It is wide-ranging: nature; food & land use; water; consumption & waste; how we get around; energy demand; energy efficiency and generation of renewable energy; the town's economy; future-proofed housing. Communication and engagement around the plan will be key to its effectiveness. Come along to provide feedback and help to ensure that the plan is good enough. Find out about other forthcoming events, refreshments available. Relevant forthcoming event: The UK's independent Climate Change Committee is to launch its latest assessment of progress in adapting to climate change on 29th March. You can attend online via link below. Spoiler alert: action is not keeping up with the increasing climate risks facing the country. |
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You may want to follow up these recent events... Free home energy help and advice February's monthly meeting heard about the availability of FREE information and home visit services which help people keep warm, and offer impartial energy advice to Dorset residents. A number of participants are following this up! Ridgewater Energy delivers these services across Dorset, and can advise on whether you are eligible for additional support. For more details, including how to contact them, use the link below. (With apologies to anyone who missed the meeting due to an error in some of our publicity.) Nature on our doorstep The Reading the Land book festival introduced last year will be a bi-annual event and in 2023 it has been marked only by readings and discussion that took place last Saturday (March 11th). The session with Nicola Chester packed a punch. Her book, On Gallows Down, was an engaging memoir from a life close to nature. She demonstrated the value of being intimately aware of the plants and wildlife with which we share the landscape, noticing changes through the seasons and the changes brought about by human activity whether farming methods,roads or housing development. She was an advocate for bearing witness to changes in the nature around us; noticing, drawing attention to, and building wider awareness of the interconnectness of human and other lifeforms. The Nurturing Nature initiative at the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) aims to help anyone who wants to do that. They are offering a wide range of short trainings through to the end of this year. Learn more about biodiversity, distinctive habitats and species within this local landscape. And at the same time you could become a volunteer who monitors, mentors and carries out practical conservation action. Details for this local initiative, and for the national campaign linked to David Attenborough's current Wild Isles series, via the links below. |
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Hedgehogs are getting out and about again If you want to connect with Shaftesbury Hedgehog group whether to report a sighting, or to offer help and protection, please contact them c/o planetshaftesbury@gmail.com. To enjoy a host of hedgehog activities visit the Hedgehog Extravaganza on Saturday 25th Mar at Wareham Town Hall. |
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Help put the 'Great' into Shaftesbury's Big Green Week Great Big Green Week is a national celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect green spaces, now in its third year and taking place in June (10-18th). There is much to celebrate, and very many ways to do it, around Shaftesbury... and the more that goes on during the week, the more likely it is that even more people will join in. So far there are walks, talks and art and nature activities. Planet Shaftesbury has been invited to be at the Library on Saturday 10th (am) and to add 'green' stalls to the Thursday morning market. We can also make our meeting on the evening of Thursday 15th into an event that will fill the town hall. What would you like to do? Chris Harwood has established a website (link below) to coordinate proposed events for the week and share ideas. He's liaising with GBGW nationally and is our point of contact for those wanting to organise or support activities. He'd like someone to help him to get more people to join in: contact Chris@GreatBigGreenWeekShaftesbury.org |
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Community Farm Shaftesbury Homegrown is wholly run by the volunteers who grow veg, salads and fruit as sustainably as they can and who also tend to say that the well-being benefits are as important as the produce! Currently, there are 3 work sessions per week (mornings on Wed, Fri, Sun) and volunteers aim to turn up regularly on at least one of them. Volunteers can buy produce with a discount linked to the number of hours they've put in. They're starting to plant seeds for the 2023 growing season, making this a good time for new people to consider getting involved (something with which the Social Prescribing team at Abbey View agree). Find out more by turning up at break time (11-11.30am) on a work day or by calling Helen English mob:07789845498. The community farm also has bees (mainly for pollination) and a small flock of chickens (for eggs). Volunteers aren't sure what they think of recent DEFRA proposals (triggered by concerns about bird flu) that keepers of small flocks of birds must register. There's a link to the consultation below so that you can check it out, and comment if you want to. |
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Contribute to a regenerative fashion event There will be a festival to promote local fibre growers and makers on Fri 26th & Sat 27th May at Hawkers Farm, Stour Provost SP8 5LZ. If you would like to take part or offer a workshop or help in any way please contact: Jenny Morisetti, 07801 240103, info@creatinghealthyhomes.com |
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Shaftesbury School & more One thing leads to another, part 1: It was at an early collaboration between Planet Shaftesbury and Shaftesbury School that Jocelyn Elson-Riggins provided a talk about whales, marine ecology and blue carbon which she titled 'Pooping for the Planet'. A long chain of events involving several local people has now led to the emergence of a song to be used to promote international research on biodiversity, population dynamics, and behaviour of all whale species in the North Sea. Read the story, hear the song and find out more through Richard Foreman's latest blogpost. (For quick access to the website use the button below) One thing leads to another, part 2: The success of the young people who presented as part of the school's day of TEDxYouth talks last November has inspired many more students to want to improve their public speaking & acting skills. Alex More is now asking for volunteers who may be willing to coach interested young people and for inspiring speakers who may like to be part of their next TEDxYouth event. Please email your offers to him c/o planetshaftesbury@gmail.com One thing leads to another, part 3: The school's STEAM program enables selected pupils to learn more about science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics through an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Where one tenth of the school population has become involved in the program previously, this year it is hoped to provide innovative STEAM project opportunities for a third of the youngest year group through participation in a national competition for which they'll prepare in an hour a week at the end of the school day. Adult volunteers are needed to support the staff leading this initiative. Jenny Morisetti is the Planet Shaftesbury point of contact, for more information or to offer an hour a week please email her at jennymorisetti@hotmail.com One thing leads to another, part 4: We have been invited to consider additional ways in which Planet Shaftesbury could engage with Shaftesbury School - to include students who are not part of the STEAM program. To be connected to those thinking about this please email Rachel c/o planetshaftesbury@gmail.com |
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An invitation to join in The Big One Earlier this year Extinction Rebellion suspended its protest actions that disrupted the general public and has now issued an invitation for everybody to Unite to Survive. If you'd like to join in and want to connect to others to share travel arrangements please contact Shaftesbury XR c/o planetshaftesbury@gmail.com There's more information from the invitation here and via the link below. When and where? For four days from the 21st - 24th April 2023, people from all groups and movements, not just XR, will gather throughout Westminster and at the Houses of Parliament. Engaging speakers, interactive activities and more will take place daily across the four days. Which days should I come? Come when you like, leave when you like, and stay for as long as you can. There will be much to see and do… it’s up to you! The longer you can stay the better. Friday 21st is the first day – we unite to survive, flooding Westminster in a wave of flags and banners. Saturday 22nd is Earth Day – we unite for nature, biodiversity and the planet. Sunday 23rd we coexist with the London Marathon as it cuts across Parliament Square, providing an exciting opportunity to engage with the huge crowds of spectators. Monday 24th – Parliament returns, the demand is delivered. Whatever your plans, sign up to show your support! |
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Other news & events in brief A Rural Bus Network… Following its 2021 report, 'Every Village, Every Hour', CPRE has a petition to Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, asking for investment in a reliable bus service for every community, town and village in England. You can sign this petition using the link below. Rewilding: Wiltshire Climate Action have a talk on rewilding by Neil Hulme at St Margaret’s Hall, Bradford on Avon, on Saturday 18th March at 3.30pm. See Neil's website using the link below. Introduction to Scything Day: Vallis Veg on the outskirts of Frome is hosting a course run by champion scyther Andi Rickard of the Somerset Scythe School on Saturday 8th April; £75 for the day. Email info@vallisveg.co.uk to book a place. Check out Andi's website through link below.: https://somersetscytheschool.com/scythe-courses A Festival: together in a changing world: Could this give you a boost? The website for the 2023 European gathering of the Global Ecovillage network is now live (link below). The gathering is for experienced ecovillagers and novices alike. It combines workshops, talks, music, movement, arts and plenty of time for sharing and connection. It will explore how we can truly live well together in our homes, our communities, and on our shared home – our planet. Taking place in a secluded corner of Bavaria, mid-July. |
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