APRIL 2016
Welcome Welcome to the Spring edition of Newsleaf, with sustainability items and updates from across Stafford Borough. There’s a focus on litter of all kinds, in local rivers and on global shores; we take a look at innovative local recycling, restoration and upcycling intiatives and review the latest renewable figures for the UK; we greet a Fairtrade producer from India and prepare for the launch of the 20th Green Awards!
Clean for the Queen and our Community!
As well as these stories, you’ll find a list of forthcoming events and dates for the diary. Happy reading.
Did you know that more than 30 million tonnes of litter are collected from England’s streets each year? And if we added the litter that’s strewn in open spaces, caught in hedges and found along roadsides and riverbanks, the figures stack up to frightening figures. Litter is a huge bug bear! But this year, the nation plans to do something about it. Residents and organisations across Stafford Borough are being urged to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday by helping tidy up their neighbourhoods and local environments as part of a nationwide ‘Clean for the Queen’ campaign. Stafford Borough Council is supporting the campaign and has written to residents groups, parish councils and other organisations to recruit volunteers for a giant litter pick, which will take place on Her Majesty’s 90th birthday on Thursday 21st April. The Council can provide litter pickers, bags and remove any rubbish collected by groups involved in the campaign. Other organisations taking part include Tidy Britain Group, the RSPB, the Women’s Institute and the Campaign to Protect Rural England. To start the ball rolling on Sunday 13th March a successful litter pick organised by Sustainability Matters was held in Littleworth as part of the ‘We Love Littleworth’ initiative. Over 30 people turned out, and nearly 80 bags of litter were collected (plus a bike and sundry other items) from along the River Sow starting at Riverway bridge. If you’d like to help organise a litter pick or find out more: contact Mick Bailey, the Council’s Streetscene Area Co-ordinator, call Mick on 01785 619180 email mbailey@staffordbc.gov.uk
April 15th sees the launch of the 20th annual Stafford Borough Council Green Awards. So if your organisation has been eco-friendly let us know - and join in the special celebrations with us. Categories include: Business, Youth and Education, Community and Wellbeing and the Public Sector. There are special prizes relating to green tourism, energy, wildlife and transport, plus the ‘Green Purse’ and ‘Let’s Recycle’ awards and a ‘Best Newcomer’ prize. At a time when there are so many pressures on our environment, please tell us what you’re doing to make a difference to protect both people and the planet! Check out the website from April 15th. www.staffordbc.gov.uk/greenawards kdavies@staffordbc.gov.uk call Karen 01785 619 408. visit
For more information on Clean for the Queen www.cleanforthequeen.co.uk
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www.staffordbc.gov.uk/sd
Church Eaton Endowed (VA) Primary School, winners in 2015.
There is No Planet B! What an amazing week! With around 800 visitors to St Chad’s Church and more calling in at Food for Thought Café, the wonderful exhibits at ‘There is No Planet B!’, Stafford’s Green Arts Festival, reached a wide and appreciative audience. Music, singing, poetry reading, weaving and craft workshops complemented high quality exhibits from schools and young people, adult groups and individuals. The opening day on Saturday 27th February and the awards ceremony on Saturday March 5th were the busiest days, and the church was packed for the prize-giving afternoon, when we were joined by The Mayor and Mayoress, Father Grigson from St Chad’s, Sheena Biju, a Fairtrade producer from Kerala in India, Staffordshire Poet Laureate Bert Flitcrift and Rob Hine from Sustainability Matters, who each gave brief presentations. Well done to all of the participants and prize-winners, and many thanks to all sponsors and supporters of this unique event as well as to the organising committee. You can see pictures of the exhibition online:
Old Chapel Works CIC
There is No Planet B Stafford www.staffordbc.gov.uk/there-is-no-planet-b
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Old Chapel Works Community Interest Company based at Chapel Terrace near Stafford Town Centre, is a young community enterprise aimed at recycling, restoring and upcycling items that might otherwise find their way into the bin or the tip. The organisation also offers a service to the community, helping to sell products on Ebay, and in the long term aims to create jobs and supply training. Old Chapel Works is situated within an 1841 Tannery Workshop, and part of the plan is to bring this historical building back to life. To find out more about this unique and exciting new initiative: Old Chapel Works enquiries@oldchapelworks.org.uk call 07738 729 878 email
Delighted winner Zoe from New Directions Support
Surplus Kitchen
Surplus Kitchen, a unique café based on the concept ‘feed bellies not bins’ has made a great impression since it opened its doors in January. The aim of the initiative is to intercept surplus supermarket food and drink and turn it into hearty home cooked meals. Open fortnightly on Sundays from 12noon to 2.30pm at Rising Brook Baptist Church, customers have been impressed by the fare and the great value, at £5 all in! By 1st March Surplus Kitchen had served 630 meals, raised £550 for charity and saved 864kg food from landfill. The meals have gone down a treat, with excellent feedback: ‘My family and I had a superb Sunday lunch with you today!’
Astonfields Industrial Estate Fire
On Wednesday 2nd March a large fire took place on Astonfields Industrial Estate at the Global Hygiene warehouse. The building contained a large store of oil that was subsequently released into the environment. Fortunately the Council’s nearby Astonfields Local Nature Reserve was not affected. However a serious pollution incident resulted as the oil made its way into Stafford’s brooks and ditches and from there into the River Sow. Oily water was reported at least 20 miles downstream from the town. The major pollution incident triggered a rapid response from the Environment Agency and other organisations that battled through the night and subsequent days to contain and remove the pollution. The RSPCA were on hand to catch and clean birds that had been coated by the oil. A Council ‘Director on Call’ was appointed to oversee civil contingency plans, such as re-housing evacuated persons, and the Council’s Environment and Health department were involved with regard to the impact of the fire, particularly in causing land contamination and air pollution, as well as Health and Safety prosecutions. The situation continues to be monitored and Stafford Borough Council will be involved with the clean-up of the site once all the investigations are done.
‘Delicious food created from ingredients that would otherwise have been thrown away, served by lovely people and enjoyed with good company, genius!’ ‘Great food, great cause, helpful and friendly staff… an opportunity to address… a consumer society that wastes so much food’. Surplus Kitchen will continue on a fortnightly basis after the Easter break at Rising Brook Baptist Church, on the Wolverhampton Road, Stafford. For more call 01785 214750
Surplus Kitchen
St John’s Church and its smart new notice board.
Spring along to Back 2 Bikes!
Back 2 Bikes, Stafford’s unique and pioneering ‘bike recycling project’ has been through a difficult time recently, but with the help of an enthusiastic team of staff and volunteers, the unit has recently been transformed. The showroom area is now more professional, allowing easier access to the wide range of items on sale. Storage space for bikes has been reorganised and the work areas have been given a much needed face lift. B2B can help you decide which bike might be best for you and you don’t have to spend a fortune, with a range of pre-owned bikes varying in price from £30 to £80 approximately. And don’t forget, if you have any old bikes that you no longer need then please consider donating them to B2B for refurbishment.
We Love Littleworth! We love Littleworth aims to bring people together to support community and environmental initiatives in the Littleworth area. Projects so far have involved energy related activities, new cycle parking, wildlife conservation, litter picking and much more!
B2B welcomes volunteers especially those with engineering, cycling or office skills so if you have any spare time please contact them. B2B is now ready to welcome customers old and new and is looking forward to an exciting year ahead. Back 2 Bikes Stafford 01785 257483 email office@back2bikes.org.uk
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Here’s a summary: six energy audits have been carried out to help cut energy bills and save money (St John’s Church, Littleworth Community Centre, Littleworth Guide Hut, Perkins Sports and Social Club and the Sea Cadets HQ on Riverway, plus NVS hair studios). These have led to practical action such as installing a new boiler, fitting wall-heaters, upgrading radiators and lighting systems, fitting security lights and replacing draughty doors - and installing a new notice board at the church. Other work has focussed on promoting cycling through installing cycle parking at Littleworth Community Centre and Weston Road Academy, and wildlife conservation, with plans to create new wildlife habitats at Weston Road Academy. We’ve arranged presentations, talks, quizzes and display stands - and an immensely successful litter pick along the River Sow. We supported the NHS Sustainability Day on March 23rd and have also been successful in obtaining grant funding to hold a ‘Festival of Repair and Refashioning’ at St John’s Church on Saturday July 2nd. Working with local organisations, including schools, businesses and the hospital, there’s much more in the pipeline. We’d love you to get involved! To find out how you can get involved contact: call Karen 01785 619408 email kdavies@staffordbc.gov.uk or you can contact the Partnerships Team email policyandpartnership@staffordbc.gov.uk
Weston Road Recycling Assemblies
Weston Road Academy are keen to take steps to reduce their environmental impact and recently invited Becky Martin from Stafford Borough Council to give a series of talks at school in assembly. For more information on recycling and waste services please: www.staffordbc.gov.uk/binday 01785 619 402 email info@staffordbc.gov.uk visit
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No longer cold but cosy at Littleworth Guide Hut
Helen thrilled to ‘talk owl’ to a packed hall.
Great turn-out for Barn Owl Evening
Following an energy audit and with some funding support arranged as part of the ‘We Earlier in the year (January 19th) Helen Cottam from the Barn Owl Love Littleworth’ project the following activities Action Group (BOAG) visited Derrington Village and gave a fascinating and measures have been undertaken at the illustrated talk all about Barn Owls. Guide Hut, under the leadership of Julie Tanner. We were thrilled that the hall was packed with people both from the village Four Dimplex wall heaters have been fitted in the and beyond. Estimates of turnout vary from 60 up to 80! Last year two main hall plus a further two in the kitchen. The Barn Owl nest boxes were installed on the edge of the village, one on the main entrance doors have been upgraded and Millennium Green, with help and advice from BOAG. We are now eager to once they have settled draft proofing will be see who moves in. added. Security lighting has been improved as To find out more about barn owls visit www.barnowltrust.org.uk well as the access area to the front of the building, following a bid to the People’s Power Fund held by the Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis. Guide leaders commented: ‘Thanks very much for your support. The new heaters heat up so quickly - it’s amazing - and they’ll make a lot of difference to our bills’ ‘It’s especially beneficial for the younger children’ ‘We used to have to wear our thermals to go into the kitchen!’ The Guides are keen to be involved with other initiatives too, such as the Festival of Repair and Refashioning which is all about upcycling, repair, re-use, renovation - perhaps they can design a Recycling Badge!
Renewables Local If you’re interested in renewable energy, why not take a look at the award-winning ‘Stafford Area Save Your Energy’ website. Run by Sustainability Matters, with support from Stafford Borough Council, as well as providing advice on energy conservation it’s a great guide to generating your own energy from renewables. With lots of useful information plus loads of case studies to help it’s a fabulous resource. The latest figures for visitor traffic to the Save Your Energy website speak for themselves. In October there were nearly 13,000 ‘hits’ or unique visitors to the website - the highest monthly figure so far - indicating a growing interest in energy conservation and renewable energy. If you haven’t visited the website yet, why not take a look. www.staffordarea.saveyourenergy.org.uk Rob Hine 01785 603 387 email rhine@btinternet.com visit
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Making log bird feeders at last years event.
Wildlife Activity Day
If you’re looking for a great ‘wildlife themed’ day out, then don’t forget to come along to the Wildlife Activity Day on Saturday 16th April from 2pm until 5pm, on the Millennium Green in Derrington. There’ll be lots of really wild activities and ‘hands on’ fun, admission is free and everyone is welcome! Make a bird feeder and go pond dipping, try your hand at willow weaving and learn all about bees. Enjoy ‘The Owl Experience’ and meet real owls! Pot up some colourful plants for your garden and set some pumpkin seeds; go on a ‘Scavenger Hunt’ or join in a guided walk; Have your face-painted, plus much, much more. There will be delicious home-baked refreshments available too. The event is organised and supported by Derrington Way Ahead, the Millennium Green Group and village groups and individuals, in conjunction with Sustainability Matters, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, All Saints School Ranton, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Grounds for Conservation, The Owl Experience, the Barn Owl Action Group and Stafford Borough Council. Derrington Village - Staffordshire www.derringtonvillage.co.uk or call 07854 911 929
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Picnic on a new coat of paint
Sustrans has inspired the creation of the National Cycle Network (NCN) a series of safe, traffic-free routes that connect to every major town and city. The Network passes within a mile of half of all UK homes and stretches over 14,000 miles across the length and breadth of the UK enabling people to travel by foot or bike for more of the journeys they make every day. These forms of sustainable travel are often healthier, cleaner and cheaper than car-based journeys! Nationwide Sustrans has 4,000 volunteers. Their roles include sprucing up the National Cycle Network, enhancing biodiversity along the routes and leading walks and rides. You can see they can turn their hand to painting and decorating too! There is an active local group of volunteer rangers, busy keeping our local NCN in order. Pictured is a freshly painted picnic table on the Stafford to Newport Greenway. Why not venture out on your bike for a picnic soon? To find out more about the local Sustrans Volunteer Rangers please email Paul Boston, sustransvranger@btinternet.com
Fairtrade Fortnight campaigning for people and the planet! Fairtrade Fortnight took place this year from 29th February to 13th March, and saw thousands of events held across the country aiming to amplify the Fairtrade campaign.
Stafford Borough Council has worked with partners for several years to promote Fairtrade and we were thrilled to invite Sheena Biju, a Fairtrade producer from Kerala in India, to visit the town and join us at ‘There is No Planet B! where she gave an illustrated talk and then helped the Mayor give out prizes.
More plastics than fish
At the start of 2016, the ‘New Plastics Economy’ report produced by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation revealed that at least eight million tonnes of plastics find their way into the ocean each year. The report finds that most plastic packaging is used only once and 95% of the value of plastic packaging material is ‘wasted’. Additionally, plastic packaging generates huge negative externalities, valued by UNEP at £30 billion. Given projected growth in consumption, in a business-as-usual scenario, by 2050 our oceans are expected to contain more plastics than fish (by weight). In an effort to help tackle this massive issue, carpet tile manufacturer ‘Interface’, has joined forces with ‘Plastic Whale’ to create a unique boat made from 7,000 plastic bottles, fished from the canals of Amsterdam. The boat is used to fish more waste out of the water and the ultimate mission is to create a fleet of plastic fishing boats, ‘repurposing waste for smarter use’. Though the concept of a circular economy is becoming more widely accepted, not enough action is being taken to change business models in favour of a zero-waste world. If your organisation is helping to tackle waste issues - don’t forget to enter the ‘Let’s Recycle’ category of the SBC Green Awards.
Sheena comes from a co-operative in India whose members produce coffee and spices, and joined us as part of a three week trip touring the UK to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight. In her presentation she spoke of how she and 30 farmers began the co-operative in 2001 and since then the group has grown to include 1600 farmers, producing coffee, cocoa and a range of spices. She explained how Fairtrade has had a significant impact on her life and her community, enabling children to go to school, improving healthcare and raising the profile of women in the region too. Staff and students from Blessed William Howard Catholic High School (BWH), who ran a Fairtrade stall at ‘There is No Planet B!’ were thrilled to meet Sheena. ‘It was really interesting to meet a person who’s life has been positively changed by Fairtrade’ commented Libby Tatton (17) from BWH sixth form. Catherine Chell, teacher at BWH added, ‘I feel so pleased to have met Sheena and heard her story’. To find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight or how to get involved in your local area here: visit www. fairtrade.org.uk or www.staffordbc. gov.uk/other-initiatives-and-projects
Tesco ‘bags of help’ for local projects Tesco has teamed up with Groundwork to set up new initiative called ‘Bags of Help’. The scheme invites applications for funding for environmental improvement projects such as community allotments, ‘pocket’ parks and creating ponds etc. Applications are short-listed to three community projects and each of these are then certain to be awarded a grant of either £12,000, £10,000 or £8,000 - raised from the 5p bag charge. Once shortlisted the public then vote in store for their favourite project. The first round of funding - and voting - for this new grant scheme has just been completed. In Stafford voting took place from 27 February until 6 March and the three finalists in the Stafford Tesco area were: • Weston and Gayton Parish Council who plan to refurbish the play area in Weston • Weston Road Academy for classroom refurbishment and enhancement to/ expansion of an adjacent wildlife area • Derrington Way Ahead group, in conjunction with other local village groups, for a hard standing path looping through Duddas Wood, to enable all ability access through part of the woodland The winning project was Weston Road Academy but each project should be congratulated and can now move forward with their community projects.
500kw wind turbine at Lower Hanyards Farm, Tixall.
Record-breaking year for wind power The UK’s wind resource is one of the best in the world and we are beginning to see wind taking an increasingly crucial role in the UK’s fuel mix.
New data from the National Grid reveals that 2015 was a record-breaking year for wind energy generation, with onshore and offshore wind farms setting new records. According to the figures, 11% of the UK’s electricity was sourced from wind power in 2015 - up from 9.5% the previous year. Overall, wind provided enough electricity to meet the demands of more than 8 million homes almost a third of UK households - compared to 6.7 million homes in 2014. In the last three months of 2015, wind turbines contributed 17% of all electricity in the grid - and in the last week of December, despite the high Christmas consumption, 20% of electricity demand was sourced from wind energy. ‘Renewable UK’ stated that wind energy drove £1.25bn of investment into Britain’s economy last year, with the industry now employing 30,500 people. A robust and growing UK renewables sector offers a good platform for a cleaner, greener and more secure energy future. For further informoation and case studies on renewables including wind power please visit www.staffordarea.saveyourenergy.org.uk
Whitbread rolls out rooftop solar systems
Britain’s largest hospitality company has completed the installation of solar panels on the rooftops of 88 of its Premier Inn hotels across the country. This is the largest batch of solar installations Whitbread has ever undertaken and is expected to generate over 1,300MWh of power each year, saving more than 6,000 tonnes of CO2 for Whitbread. The installations will provide approximately 10% of each Premier Inn hotel’s total annual energy usage and are expected to result in a £280,000 saving in Whitbread’s energy costs each year. The solar investment forms part of the group’s wider strategy to reduce carbon emissions across the business, and these are accompanied by targets to increase recycling rates to 80% and reduce water consumption. Whitbread is on track to save more than a million cubic metres of water by 2017, against a 2009 baseline. And at the start of this year, the company announced that the Abu Dhabi Premier Inn had slashed water use by 24%, with help from an innovate greywater recycling system.
Monday 11th April | 9.30am - 1pm Sustainable Food Workshop Post Graduate Centre, County Hospital, Stafford Booking essential Email enquiries@swm.org.uk or Call 01212 375 890 Friday 15th April Stafford Borough Council Green Awards Launch Call Karen 01785 6194 08 Saturday 16th April | 2pm - 5pm Wild about Derrington Wildlife Activity Day Call 07854 911 929 Saturday 23rd April | All day Stafford in the World Market Square, Stafford Wednesday 27th April (& 25th May) | 10am - 2pm Nature Tots Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Wolseley HQ Call 01889 880 100 Wednesday 4th May | 7.30pm Sustainability Matters meeting The Sun, Stafford Call Roger 01785 664 328 Sunday 1st May | 5am - 8am Dawn Chorus Walk Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Wolseley HQ Call 01889 880 100 Thursday 26th May | 4.15pm Stafford Borough Eco-Schools Network Meeting Gnosall St Lawrence Call Karen 01785 619 408 Friday 10th June | 10.30am - 12noon (& 24th June 10am - 12noon) Bee Walk at Wolseley with Ron Rock Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Wolseley HQ Call 01889 880 100 Friday 17th June | 9pm - 11pm Bat Walk at SWT Wolseley HQ Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Wolseley HQ Call 01889 880 100 Thursday 30th June Landscape Photography Competition deadline Celebrating the CPRE’s 80th year! Call Sue 07961 814 426 Saturday 2nd July Festival of Repair and Refashioning Littleworth Call Rob 01785 603 387
Public cycle pump near the Post House, Greengate Street, Stafford.
Flat tyre? Don’t push it, pump it up!
The National Travel Survey 2014 suggests that about 8% of the population cycle three or more times a week (equating to around 5.1 million people in Great Britain) and that 65% cycle less than once a year, or never (equating to about 41.4 million people in Great Britain). However, cycle traffic has risen every year since 2008 (Dept for Transport) and the trend is upwards. In Stafford the number of bikes parked in town has increased noticeably. In response to this SBC has been installing Public Cycle Pumps (three in the town centre and one at Stafford Leisure Centre) and it is evident that these are coming in handy. We hope to install more in other town centre locations soon. So if you’ve popped into town on your bike and notice a sudden deflation don’t push it, pump it up!
Calling budding photographers, keen volunteers and new members
The Staffordshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has a busy and exciting year ahead - celebrating their 80th anniversary!
Their anniversary coincides with the 90th birthday of both the national CPRE and their patron, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. There’s a lot to celebrate and lots to join in, including: Joining the Clean for the Queen campaign (along with Stafford Borough Council) www.cleanforhtequeen.co.uk Teaming up with The Woodland Trust to promote the ‘Tree Charter’ campaign (there are various tree planting packs on offer, including community orchard and disease recovery packs. Schools may receive a free pack and special offers are available for land owners wishing to plant a modest number of trees or woodland). Holding an ‘80th year celebratory landscape photography competition’, submission date 30th June. To find out more or to get involved: CPRE Staffordshire protect@cprestaffordshire.org.uk call 01785 277890 visit www.staffordshire.cprelocalgroups.org.uk email
For more details about any of these initiatives and to find out about sustainability in Stafford Borough contact Karen Davies, Partnerships Co-ordinator, Stafford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Riverside, Stafford ST16 3AQ call 01785 619 408 email kdavies@staffordbc.gov.uk web www.staffordbc.gov.uk/sustainability
If you need this information in large print, Braille, other language or in audio format email info@staffordbc.gov.uk call 01785 619 000