Planet Shaftesbury meetings this month & next; Sustainable Shaftesbury - progress of the plan; Supporting our local food network; Dorset-wide initiatives on hedgerow restoration & greener homes; Updates from Shaftesbury School; Additional news in brief looks ahead to COP28 |
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This Thursday, 2nd November, there's a preliminary special meeting - this one hosted by Richard Foreman - to consider how the Planet Shaftesbury network will operate from January 2024 and beyond. For health reasons (hearing & capacity issues), Rachel Bodle will be standing down from the work she's been doing. If you are, or have been, an active member of the network please join in as we consider our options for change and, whatever future we choose, the practicalities of how we'll operate. 7pm in the ‘snug’ room next to the lobby of the Grosvenor Arms. If you can make it, it will be good to have your input. If you can’t, but want to join in subsequent discussions or make offers of practical help, then email planetshaftesbury@gmail.com. We'll let those interested know (hopefully giving more notice!) of future meetings in which suggestions put forward on the 2nd will be refined, developed or revised. November's network meeting (Thursday 16th) features well-known local medical herbalist, Julie Wood MNIMH, who will guide us in exploring Green Medicine - for us and for Planet Earth. Julie says: 'Plants and nature benefit us and we are treading more lightly on this earth, it's a green and beautiful exchange. We'll look at Sustainability, Holistic Health and Plant science today. Plant medicine works in many ways, it's not just about the herbs - we also have forest bathing and more!' There'll also be the usual opportunities to share news about local activities and projects. Shaftesbury Town Hall, 7.30pm. Open to all. Did you miss October's meeting (19th) which included a lively talk: Pooping for the Planet with Dr Jocelyn Elson-Riggins? Jocelyn is a Whale Poo Ambassador for the Rugvin Foundation and a self-employed research consultant specializing in the fields of marine biology, veterinary parasitology, and wildlife disease. She described how human activity affects marine ecosystems and marine mammals. We learnt about the important roles whales play as well as the threats they face in today’s world. It was both illuminating and disturbing to hear about the heart-breaking challenges faced by individual named whales. There's a second chance this coming week: Jocelyn will be appearing in Gillingham on 2nd November, in the Vicarage School Room at 7.30pm. Organised by GANG, Gillingham Action for Nature Group, all welcome, refreshments provided. |
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The town council's Sustainable Shaftesbury working group (SSWG) has benefited from the participation of a number of individuals who are active in the Planet Shaftesbury network. Their contributions this year may leave a lasting legacy. The working group has produced a draft policy document with appendices that provide a detailed action plan, a biodiversity checklist and the town tree plan. The draft action plan addresses climate, biodiversity and environmental resilience comprehensively - dealing with council and community activities under ten separate headings that include Energy, Travel & Transport, Food Consumption & Production, Housing & Commercial Development, Circular Economy and Air Quality. Following some restructuring by Graham (member of the council staff team), the document is very much more accessible than the earlier draft seen at one of our meetings. In each section there are ideas for possible projects for the town (things for the council or community to think about), as well as details of projects that are in preparation or already under way. The plan was considered at a town council meeting on 17th October. The meeting agenda & links to the documents are on the town council's website. At their 17th October meeting, councillors thanked the working group but decided that additional time and meetings, including an interactive meeting with SSWG, were necessary for them to discuss the detail. There was particular unease among councillors about adopting a plan that makes recommendations for actions across the community that fall outside the council's remit. A 'sifting exercise' is now planned for 31st October, extracting those actions that are within the remit and can provide 'quick wins' and distinguishing these from areas where the council may have a supporting role. There will then be an interactive workshop for councillors and SSWG on 14th November (6pm) to be followed by an Extraordinary Full Council meeting on 12th December to reconsider adopting the plan as an addition to their current strategy. |
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Supporting Local Food Networks (links are included below) Our diets and the resilience of local food networks are relevant to our wellbeing now and as the future unfolds. The town council can't, and won't try to, tell us what we should or shouldn't include in our diets, but will they consider it appropriate to sponsor the production of information about sustainable shopping and eating? Perhaps we'll know by the end of the year. Meanwhile, local food networks are a challenging topic that is getting much news coverage: The latest issue of The Conversation, an independent climate change newsletter, features articles relevant to food & farming and suggests food shortages stemming from extreme weather could provoke unrest in the UK within 50 years. NESTA is a UK charity and 'innovation agency for social good'. Thomas Burgoine, Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, is working with them to develop a new tool that local authorities can use to plan for healthier food environments. He's speaking about how to build healthier neighbourhoods at an online meeting, 12-1pm on December 11th. The website of land use organisation 8.9ha includes a section devoted to food-related articles as well as the Farm Gate podcasts that discuss topical issues. A useful 'go to'? |
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Dorset-wide initiative - 1: The Great Big Dorset Hedge (GBDH) is the lead project of the Dorset Climate Action Network (Dorset CAN). They'd love to reach more volunteers in our area and write: "This project has been gaining steady growth and momentum across Dorset and is increasingly gaining the interest of landowners and farmers. We are working closely with Landowners to survey their hedges across their farms, this is hugely important work – where we have engaged with farmers, improved hedgerows are now assured and this will, in no small way, move those farmers towards achieving net zero and towards enhanced biodiversity. ... We have 175 volunteers in Dorset currently. We aim to increase this to 400 relatively soon to meet the needs of the project. There are voluntary roles ranging from the outdoor active, through the socially frantic, to the computer-based administrative and organisational - something for almost everyone. You can choose how much time you give and how often you volunteer - it's really very flexible. Our existing volunteers have surveyed 250 km of hedges in year one and that just scratches the surface. There are just four of them who have documented 90% of that effort for the whole of Dorset. We desperately need more volunteers with an appetite to put their computer skills into action loading results and amending survey maps, but if that is not for you all new volunteers are welcome in whatever role that suits them the best. In the Blandford Forum area (This includes the surrounding towns of Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Bere Regis and Sherborne) we have nearly 30 volunteers but we would like to recruit many more to meet the needs of the surveys we need to complete. ... If you have the time please watch our 8 minute short film produced this summer, you will see what there is to enjoy. Please feel free to distribute this message and the video as widely as possible." Volunteer for the Great Big Dorset Hedge Project Short Film For those keen to sample a survey asap or help with the computer-based work you just need to sign up here and the first invitation will follow promptly. https://tinyurl.com/VolunteerGBDH |
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Dorset-wide initiative - 2: Dorset Greener Homes took place this year between September 23rd & October 1st. Homes were open across Dorset, including a couple in Shaftesbury, to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy in the home, wildlife gardening and sustainable living. The event tends to be popular with people who plan to make changes in their own home and who want to do some 'window shopping' with the benefit of being able to talk about different technologies or lifestyle choices with people who aren't trying to sell them anything. Arrangements are now being made for some of the participating homes to be open by appointment throughout the year - details of what you can see and where are included on the project's website (link below). |
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Shaftesbury School 2023/24 Eco-Club at Shaftesbury School: New venture this term. Planet Shaftesbury is on stand by ... Will we be asked to offer support? How long before the youngsters leave us behind? Watch this space. Volunteer opportunities arise from time to time - for example, a recent request was for people willing to help year 12 & 13 students who are in the process of considering their options after sixth form and will have university, apprenticeship or job interviews before the end of the academic year. Mock interviews are vital in supporting students to feel confident and prepared for ‘real’ interviews and will increase their chances of success. Volunteer interviewers play an essential part in this. Please make initial offers to planetshaftesbury@gmail.com |
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News in Brief Tree Planting at Woodfrys Farm, Melbury Abbas: the first invitation for this season! Hannah & Liam Jefferson are hosting a planting session on 11th November. There's more information on our website. The excellent autumn series of author talks organised by Folde in partnership with The Grosvenor Arms is drawing to its end. As of today, tickets are still available for Stephen Moss speaking about Britain's favourite birds (9th November), for William Henry Searle in conversation about the role of his love for the natural world in sustaining him through dark times (16th November), and Dr Gabriel Hemery who will talk about about his book The Tree Almanac (1st December). Each talk is £5 redeemable against a book on the evening. Book using link below. Climate Outreach is a charity aiming to widen and deepen public engagement with climate change. They focus on building and sustaining cross-societal support for climate action, overcoming political polarisation, and turning concern into action. Their latest newsletter paves the way for the work they'll do to publicise what happens during COP28 which starts at the end of November. |
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