Bumper harvest of events - more support for 'Choosing our future' and conversations around Great Big Green Week; invitation to share environmental expertise with Shaftesbury Town Council; updates on trees, hedgerows and a recommended webinar

Join us and bring your friends to these events that provide new angles on 'Choosing our future', the challenge raised by the Shaftesbury 2030 event hosted with Shaftesbury School back in May. All welcome, admission free.

Film: Kiss the Ground (2020), start 7.15pm, Thursday 22nd September, Shaftesbury Town Hall: Shows nature’s capacity to heal the planet. Could we really regenerate the world's soils, completely and rapidly stabilizing Earth's climate, restoring lost ecosystems and creating abundant food supplies? We'll have a short discussion after the film (close 9.30pm).

Workshop: an electric car club for Shaftesbury. 7.30pm, Thursday 29th September, Shaftesbury Town Hall. Hear about the spread of car clubs, the different types of club, and the experiences of people from Bridport and Tisbury. Could use of an occasional car meet your needs and save you money? Is Shaftesbury ready to develop a club here?

Talk: The Right Light at Night: 7.30pm, Thursday 6th October, Shaftesbury Town Hall. Light pollution is damaging human health and causes devastation to wildlife. How can local people and businesses use artificial light at night without harming the environment? With Steve Tonkin, adviser to Cranborne Chase AONB International Dark Sky Reserve.

Additional events around Great Big Green Week (24th Sept - 2nd Oct)

The display of suggestions in response to 'Cost of living: what can I do and save the planet too?' continues at the Library, having been extended to Saturday 24th September (the start of Great Big Green Week). Visitors have been asked to complete a survey that identifies where Shaftesbury's climate response may need additional support. On the final day Planet Shaftesbury will have some volunteers, and children's activities, at the library to engage with visitors to the display. (Feel free to join us as we share our questions - we don't have all the answers! 10am-12noon). Suggestions included in the display are now available on the website which could be enhanced over time to provide additional local information where there is a demand for it. Get involved, bring ideas for better supporting the town to any of our meetings.

Shaftesbury has a number of homes (and the community farm) participating in this year's Dorset Open Greener Homes event which runs from 1st - 9th October. The event provides opportunities to talk to hosts about the features of their home or changes to their lifestyle that enable them to live more sustainably - and they won't be trying to sell you anything. Visit the homes that could inspire you. Details of the homes, times when they'll be open, and any booking arrangements will all be on a website (link here) by the time of the event.

Collaboration with Shaftesbury Town Council

People who have previously participated in Shaftesbury Tree Group (STG) and/or Open Spaces Group (OSG), as well as additional individuals with useful experience to offer, have had one meeting (5th Sept) to consider new ways of working with Shaftesbury Town Council following the discontinuation of the Recreation, Open Spaces & Environment (ROSE) Committee. The objective is to support the council to establish a strategic approach and to develop detailed environmental management plans appropriate to the different spaces across the town. The challenge is to enable the council to tap into relevant specialist expertise without giving inappropriate influence over public spaces to a small number of individuals. A network such as Planet Shaftesbury has a role to play in identifying people with relevant experience but can never put someone forward as a 'delegate' or offer a view that is in any sense 'representative'. A further meeting is planned for 28th Sept (5pm at Friends Meeting House) at which it will be agreed who should participate in an initial meeting with Town Council representatives (on 4th October). If interested, but not already receiving emails, you are invited to contact Richard Thomas/Angela King (richardgthomas01@gmail.com).

Trees & Hedgerows

Taprisha, the Storyteller from Sturminster Newton, has sent details of The Healing Power of Trees, an interactive play being performed at The Exchange, 4th & 5th October, 7.30pm. Author Sue Ashby was inspired by the Native American Medicine walk, nature's way of providing healing and bringing back serenity and stability, when she crafted this play about four burnt-out members of staff from the local health centre. Will Piddles Wood and the Mother Tree work their magic? More details in our event listings.

National Hedgerow Week is 17th-24th September and Planet Shaftesbury has received a detailed update from the Great Big Dorset Hedge campaign. It was too long to include here so has been added to the Forum on the website.

Tree Planting, Year 3, 2022/23. Plans being drawn up for this winter include Wincombe Rec., Cockram's Field, selected community spaces in Enmore Green, Gower Road play area, Linden Park Corner, Park Walk and a number of road verges and hedges. Watch out for consultations where the Tree Group and Town Council will seek feedback on the latest stages of the 5-year tree planting plan.

Apple Trees 1. A celebration of Apple Day will take place at Donkey Field Community Orchard, Enmore Green on 2nd October. Details included on the website.

Apple Trees 2. Post Apple Day there will be a pre-Christmas gathering to celebrate this fine tree fruit, the woods that it has helped us create and the cider… (available for tasting). Cider apple expert Liz Copas will give an illustrated talk on exploring Dorset to discover forgotten orchards, old apple varieties and half remembered knowledge. To be combined with Planet Shaftesbury's December meeting and held on 8th December at Shaftesbury Town Hall, 7.30pm.  

Restoring Water Cycles: Changing the way we manage hydrology is essential if we're to restore ecological security.  This discussion focusses on what we can do to regenerate healthy water cycles in order to protect food systems and reduce global temperatures. For this local conversation and webinar ffinlo Costain was joined by Walter Jehne (an internationally-renowned soil microbiologist and climate scientist, and the co-founder of Regenerate Earth) and Caroline Grindrod, (a regenerative agriculture expert and an accredited professional in Holistic Management.  She has a background in hill farming and environmental conservation and is the co-founder of Roots of Nature). The session was very highly and enthusiastically recommended by Jocelyn Elson-Riggins at our September meeting. It's available on Youtube here.  

The next monthly newsletter will appear in the third week of October.  If you have news to share please send it to planetshaftesbury@gmail.com