SEPTEMBER 2016
Stafford’s First Festival of Refashioning and Repair! Organised by Sustainability Matters in collaboration with Stafford Borough Council, Staffordshire County Council, St John’s Church and the people of Littleworth, this unique, innovative event took place on Saturday 2nd July, at St John’s Church in Littleworth, as part of the ‘We Love Littleworth’ project. Lots of activities, workshops and demos were on offer, all aiming to help people reduce waste and protect the environment - and become part of the refashion movement! From furniture restoration to sewing skills; from transforming old pallets into hedgehog hotels to making a willow and rope daisy chain fence; from everyday cycle repairs to making ‘scrap’ musical instruments; from making logs from paper to getting tips on cutting your food bills - there was something there for everyone. The ‘Refashion Show’ was hugely entertaining, with a range of fabulously imaginative garments, as well as day to day wear. The ‘Refashion Cafe’ provided by Surplus Kitchen (from Rising Brook Baptist Church) and St John’s volunteers, was really popular. All this plus music and entertainments arranged by Lisa Tiso and Windmill Broadcasting. For more information on the Festival or ‘We Love Littleworth’ contact Karen Davies call 01785 619 408 email kdavies@staffordbc.gov.uk or Rob Hine call 01785 603 387 email roberthine@btinternet.com
www.staffordbc.gov.uk/sd
We are pleased to bring you a selection of sustainability items from across Stafford Borough. There’s a focus on ponds and why we need them, whether in back gardens or business parks; we celebrate successful local eco-events and activities, from litter picks to replacement lighting systems; we consider Shakespeare’s knowledge of wild-flowers, meet the new Head of Economic Development and Planning and report on some interesting energy initiatives at local and national level. Happy reading!
Ab Fab Eco-Action Day
St John’s Church in Littleworth - the lights shineth bright!
New more efficient lights in the church hall and chancel have been installed thanks to a grant from Stafford Borough Council as part of the ‘We Love Littleworth’ project. The changes followed recommendations in an energy audit to replace all existing lighting fixtures with energy efficient LED units. As well as being inefficient, replacement parts for the existing fluorescent tubes are no longer manufactured and becoming harder to find. The new lights in the hall are estimated to give savings of 30-40% compared to the old lights, amounting to more than £1000 over the expected 20-year life of the lights. Users of the building have noticed the difference, with members of the congregation commenting that the light is clearer and more comfortable. www.staffordarea. saveyourenergy.org.uk call Rob Hine 01785 603 387 email rhine@btinternet.com visit
Welcome to the Big Church Switch
The ‘Big Church Switch’ calls on churches and individual Christians of all denominations to switch their energy supply from fossil fuels to renewable energy. By using clean, renewable energy the Church can demonstrate its commitment to care for both people and the earth - our common home. The initiative is supported by, amongst others, Christian Aid, Tearfund and Cafod and along with a range of other good energy conservation practices - such as demonstrated by St John’s Church - aims to help tackle climate change, reduce costs and send strong messages about protecting our planet. Watch the video and find out how you can make the switch. visit
www.bigchurchswitch.org.uk
Eco-Action Day is an annual event organised by SBC as part of the Stafford Borough Eco-Schools Network programme. Each year we receive super support from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. The event celebrates and thanks the fantastic efforts of children, staff and helpers, who work hard to be eco-friendly in their schools throughout the year. This year over 145 children from 11 schools, including 3 high schools, attended the event which took place on Tuesday 5th July. Eco-Action day is both educational - and lots of fun! This year’s workshops included ‘You’re Rubbish!’ by the unique ‘Momo’ theatre company. The feedback on this was fabulous. ‘Superbly well done, as well as getting the message across. I laughed until I cried!’ There was also a workshop entitled ‘Mini-beasts and Meadows!’ which involved exploring and investigating the meadows and making cress caterpillars. ‘I’ve learned so much about nature!’ said one participant. Our third workshop was based on the theme ‘Nature’s Art’, and included creating natural art features, clay-work and making hand-prints for the Giant Earth. There was a litter free healthy lunch competition, the option of a lunchtime walk to explore the lovely Wolseley grounds - and a super eco-goody bag to take home as a memento from the day, which included two sets of litter pickers and two pairs of gloves for each school.
Clean for the Queen Litter Pick
Derrington Way Ahead supporters were one of many groups who organised a community litter pick as part of the Clean for the Queen Campaign this year. Though it was a bit drizzly we had three groups litter picking. Thanks to everyone who helped - and also thanks to those who collect litter throughout the year, and to Streetscene, who provided litter pickers and bags. If you’d like to arrange a litterpick, Streetscene can provide litter pickers and bags and can also collect and dispose of bags of litter afterwards. email
info@staffordbc.gov.uk call 01785 619401
Wildlife Fun for Everyone.
This ‘wildlife themed’ day out, which took place on Saturday 16th April, on the Millennium Green in Derrington, was bustling and buzzing throughout the afternoon. With an amazing variety of really wild activities and ‘hands on’ fun for everyone the day was a great success. Families, groups and individuals of all kind came along with huge support from the village and hundreds of visitors from Stafford as well as much further afield. Activities included: making mini log bird feeders and recycled plastic bottle bird feeders, bird ID dials, pond dipping, willow weaving and learning all about bees. People enjoyed ‘The Owl Experience’ and met real owls, as well as dissecting owl pellets. Visitors potted up colourful plants for the garden and set some veggie seeds and some went on a ‘Scavenger Hunt’ or joined in a guided walk. There was a plethora of the most amazing delicious home-baked cakes, served from the warm shelter of the Tool Shed, plus music throughout the afternoon. The event was 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, the Tiso family, and Stafford Borough Council. Many, many thanks to everyone who was involved. What a fabulous way to bring wildlife and people together. Derrington Village - Staffordshire www.derringtonvillage.co.uk or call 07854 911 929
visit
Before
After
Duddas Wood Path
Following lots of hard work planning, liaising with lots of people and organisations, and fund raising, a new hard-standing pathway, creating an allweather loop through part of Duddas Wood, Derrington, is nearly complete. Thanks to Tesco Bags of Help, the main source of funding. Well done to everyone involved!
Bags of Grants!
It’s been almost a year since the 5p charge was introduced for single-use plastic bags in England. Since then several grant schemes have started up offering funding for community projects sourced by the 5p charge. Tesco ‘Bags of Help’ Round One of this scheme provided funding for community projects at Weston Road Academy, Derrington and Weston. In Round Two a project to enhance the County Hospital grounds has been short-listed! Projects go to a public vote at Tesco Stafford between October 31st and November 13th. Location of new cycle pump, High Street, Stone.
A Summertime of Cycling for All! Cycling opportunities and events abound in and around Stafford, and we are seeing lots more people out and about on bikes - from families to professionals. Events such as the ‘Women’s Tour of Britain’ which came to Stoke, Ironman Staffordshire, Ride Staffs - Staffordshire’s Cycling Festival held at Shugborough in July - plus the Olympics - are all likely to encourage us to saddle up and go for a spin. To promote and support cycling locally, Stafford Borough Council has been installing cycle parking, plus a number of Public Bike Pumps, at locations in Stafford, Stone and Gnosall, with more to come. If you have any suggestions where cycle parking would be useful, do get in touch. For tips, maps, contacts and useful links visit www.staffordbc.gov.uk/cycling
visit call
www.tesco.com/carrier-bags 0121 237 5780
Carriers for Causes Grants of up to £1,000 are available for community projects within two miles of a ‘One Stop’ shop. There is one on Eccleshall Road, Stone and you can apply for funding all year round. visit www.groundwork.org.uk/carriers-for-causesguide-uk
Greggs Environmental Grant Scheme Grants of up to £2,000 are available for projects which improve the local environment. The deadline for applications is 30 September 2016 and the next deadline is 3rd March 2017. visit
www.greggsfoundation.org.uk/grants
Western Power Distribution Community Chest This grant scheme distributes awards of up to £1,000 to communities to reduce their energy use through improvements to village halls and other community buildings. The scheme will close on Wednesday 30 November 2016, or earlier if the grant pot is exhausted sooner. visit
www.cse.org.uk/projects/view/1302 wpdcc@cse.org.uk or
National Badger Week Celebrations Art for the Planet!
There is No Planet B, Stafford’s annual Green Arts Festival will be back again next year and will run from Saturday 18 to Saturday 25th February 2017. The event attracts artists and artwork of every kind, with contributions from schools and young people, adult groups and individuals. Free worksops are available for schools from October. So save the date, nurture your artistic talents and come along to this unique award winning festival. For more info or to book a free schools workshop: call Marie on 07926349679 email brian.marieprocter@hotmail.co.uk There is No Planet B Stafford visit www.staffordbc.gov.uk/there-is-no-planet-b
National Badger Week is a celebration of one of the UK’s favourite and most unique mammals and aims to raise funds for the protection and welfare of badgers. On Saturday 2nd July ‘Stafford Badger Festival’ took place in the Market Square, as part of this national campaign. The event, incorporating music, dancing and face painting, offered serious messages too, about wildlife conservation and animal welfare. National Badger Week is supported by wildlife experts including Chris Packam, Steve Backshall and Mike Dilger. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (Stafford Group) are organising a talk on badgers at Stafford Cricket and Hockey Club on November 16th, 7.45pm to 9.30pm. Call 07776 135 665 for details. To find out more about badgers: email staffsbadgergroup@hotmail.co.uk visit www.staffordshirebadgers.co.uk
Coffee to Go Eco
Whitbread-owned coffee shop chain Costa is planning to introduce at least four more ‘zeroenergy’ coffee shops across the UK within the next 12 months, after a pilot scheme in Telford delivered significant energy savings. The ‘eco-pod café’ features a 28KW solar array on its roof, uses Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber and has a super-insulated façade and underfloor heating system to boost efficiency, along with an air-source heat pump.
Victoria Park in Stafford
Green Flag Success
A record number of parks and green spaces will be flying the Green Flag Award this year, with over 1600 parks, cemeteries, universities, shopping centres and community gardens reaching the high standard required to receive this prestigious quality mark for parks and green spaces.
Mown amenity area to wildflower meadow at Ferndown.
Conservation Management Makes a Difference
The scheme, which is managed by Keep Britain Tidy, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and three venues in Stafford Borough have picked up the prestigious award. Stonefield Park has scooped the honour for the first time, Victoria Park won for the 10th consecutive year and Stafford Crematorium, on the town’s Tixall Road, made it five Green Flags in a row. The success is recognition of the high standards, well-kept grounds and floral displays at the sites. Well done to everyone involved!
Management of Barlaston and Rough Close Local Nature Reserve is primarily aimed at improving the heathland habitat. On the lower common, conservation grazing is the principal method of achieving this, along with control of scrub. Grazing is now in its ninth year and monitoring of the site shows this has had a positive impact on the heathland. Plants that had not been recorded on site for 20 years or more have been re-discovered. These include Devil’sBit Scabious, Sneezewort and this year the discovery of Marsh Violet. Southern Marsh Orchid has also been found on the lower common which is a new record for the site. Volunteers make an important contribution to management on the LNR. In June ‘Wild about Stafford’ volunteers helped dig out marsh thistle to ensure it does not spread and shade out smaller heathland plants. Tea and biscuits helped fuel our work! In July the ‘Friends of the Common’, a local group of volunteers, undertook a litter pick. This is the start of a monthly series of volunteer events that will include tackling invasive species, keeping the site clean and arranging guided nature walks. Elsewhere conservation management at Ferndown (photo above) has been taking place since the site was designated an LNR in 2008. Ten years ago this was just a mown amenity area. I’m pleased with how it’s progressing!’ said Bill Waller, Biodiversity Officer at Stafford Borough Council.
‘Wild about Stafford’ volunteers help create a new pond.
Volunteers ‘ponder’ the Southern Meadow LNR, Stone
Work is underway to improve the Borough Council’s meadows along the River Trent in Stone as part of a landscape scale project to restore the floodplain meadow flora and fauna. During the Summer volunteers working with the Council’s Biodiversity and Ecology Officer, set to work creating two new ponds in an area of wet grassland on Southern Meadow Local Nature Reserve (LNR), with the purpose of attracting more invertebrates. Willow was cleared from growing over the stock fence and wildflower plugs of Great Burnet and Ragged Robin were planted to enhance the meadow. In July as part of the Council’s work to improve the habitat and engage with the local community, a ‘Moth Night’ was held. For more details about Local Nature Reserves in Stafford Borough, visit www.staffordbc.gov.uk/wildlife-and-biodiversity.
Smart Work
The new Head of Economic Development and Planning Richard Lawrence joined the Council in August, succeeding Ted Manders who recently retired. Richard joins the authority from Northampton Borough Council and has around 20 years’ experience in the private and public sectors delivering multi-million pound regeneration programmes.
Stafford Manor RHS ‘Team of the Year’ 2016
Richard is originally from Kent and has worked on projects such as the Thames Gateway, Ashford Growth Area and coastal regeneration projects. He moved to the West Midlands in 2008, since when he has been involved in major environmental projects including the ‘Smart Network Smarter Choices’ initiative, funded through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. This £50m programme involved providing new cycle facilities and working with businesses and communities to promote more sustainable forms of travel across the urban conurbation. He also led the regeneration of the Ditherington Flax Mill in Shrewsbury, ensuring the restoration of the Grade 1 historic building to the highest environmental and energy standards.
Gordon Taylor from Stafford Manor High School reports, July 2016: ‘Over the past six months, the old kitchen garden at Stafford Manor High School has been transformed from a patch of rampant weeds to a vibrant productive garden, bursting with the children’s first crop of vegetables. All through the winter months, Y7 students worked tirelessly, clearing the ground, constructing raised beds, and laying new paths. The children’s enthusiasm for hard work never faltered. The Royal Horticultural Society holds a prestigious annual ‘School Team of the Year’ competition. This year 60 schools entered from across the country, four were selected for the final – and Stafford Manor won first prize! The first prize includes hundreds of pounds of gardening vouchers and a beautiful wooden-framed greenhouse, together worth almost £5,000. The RHS were particularly impressed by the student’s enthusiasm and strong links with local companies, the House of Bread Community Garden and Stafford Borough Council, who supported the project with funding via the Eco-Schools Network eco-grant. Regan Harper (12) amazed that his radishes tasted so great, said: ‘We grew these from tiny seeds!’
How about a Health Walk?
Volunteers are needed to help support local led Health Walks. Volunteer Walk Leaders are good The beans are growing well and there’s a huge crop of potatoes ready to communicators who can help get others active make spicy wedges before the end of term. and ensure walks are friendly, safe and well run. Free training is provided as well as ongoing The success of the garden project has surprised everyone, including Jude Slack, Headteacher. ‘When we committed one Y7 curriculum lesson a week, support, resources and equipment. The next for just one term, to the school garden, we never expected the children and training event is on Friday 21st October. the team to create such an amazing space. For some of the children the To book your place contact Richard Upton, Health learning experience has been transformational, raising their confidence and and Wellbeing Community Development Officer, aspirations to an extraordinary degree. To be able to grow delicious fresh call 01785 619675 or email walking@staffordbc. food so quickly and easily has been a revelation. Everyone has enjoyed our gov.uk.To join a Health Walk visit www.staffordbc. achievement - students, parents, staff, governors, neighbours. Brilliant.’ gov.uk/walkwise-calendar
Wildwood.
Castlefields.
Ponds
Ponds are amazing! They can help us to tackle some of the big environmental issues that affect us all, such as climate change, flooding and pollution – and they also provide fantastic habitats for wildlife. However, over the last few decades 50% of the UK’s ponds have been lost, some due to agricultural changes, others as a result of urbanisation including house building, industrial growth and expanding infrastructure. Of the ponds that remain, 80% are in a poor state. Despite their decline ponds play a vital role in the conservation of freshwater species. Creating new ponds is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect freshwater wildlife. You can create a pond in your garden. These two have been made by residents in Wildwood and Castletown. The pond on the right took just a year to evolve into a rich aquatic habitat attracting dragonflies and newts. You can incorporate ponds into Business Parks. At Redhill Business Park, north of Stafford, existing ponds have been protected and new ponds created too. If you’d like to create your own pond, visit www.freshwaterhabitats.org.uk where you can also find an excellent pond creation toolkit.
Lucy Edwards, Freya Fletcher and Jasmine Thacker adorning the bower.
Sowing Seeds for Shakespeare
As part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening students from Walton High School celebrated the 400th anniversary commemorating the death of William Shakespeare by creating Titania’s Bower from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Oberon, King of the Fairies: ‘I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine: There sleeps Titania sometime of the night, Lull’d in these flowers with dances and delight’ [Act II Scene I Line 249] Students designed and adorned a willow bower with the plants referred to in the play, hanging a light gathering acrylic sheet above the bower with the passage laser etched onto it. The plants are all wild flowers - musk roses are Rosa arvensis and eglantine is Rosa rubiginosa. Woodbine is an old name for honeysuckle and oxlips are similar to cowslips, but larger.
Pond at Redhill Business Park.
New Pond for Barnfields
Barnfields Primary School put in a successful bid for an SBC ‘schools eco-grant’ last November. Karen Bryan, Teaching Assistant/Librarian, reports on progress (July 2016): ‘The fencing was erected on Friday, the pond liner has been delivered,the children will be helping us to fill in the gaps around the pond and fill it with water during the week, the risk assessment has been written and Dan is going to buy plants and pots tomorrow… We are very excited to have a pond - it has been on our wish list since we started our Eco Club many moons ago - thank you very much!’ For further information about sustainable schools in Stafford Borough and the Stafford Borough Council schools eco-grant please visit www.staffordbc.gov.uk/sustainable-schools-in-stafford-borough
Applications flood in for the 20th Green Awards Entries for the SBC Green Awards closed on 22nd July and 39 excellent initiatives have been submitted.
Judging took place in September and a special 20th anniversary presentation evening on November 1st will celebrate both this year’s winners as well as the twentieth anniversary of this great scheme. Since it began in 1996 around 700 initiatives and schemes have been submitted to the Green Awards showing just how much environmental awareness, commitment and passion there is in our Borough.
Visitor Numbers Swell
Wednesday 12th October Sustainability and Mental Health Conference Birmingham. Call SWM on 0121 237 5890 Sunday 16th October | 1pm - 4pm Ryan Wood’s Charity Auction Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Wolseley HQ Call 01889 880 100 Wednesday 19th October | 7.30pm Community Energy in Staffordshire Talk and AGM organised by Sustainability Matters St Austin’s Church Hall, Stafford Call 01785 664 328
The Stafford Area Save Your Energy website, run by Sustainability Matters with funding support from Stafford Borough Council, is packed with practical advice and information about how to save energy in your home or business, and how to generate your own heat or electricity using renewable energy sources. It’s full of stories of local people and communities taking action on energy issues and climate change - and is clearly hitting a note with people, as visitor numbers to the website soar - with a record 13,800 unique visitor ‘hits’ in July. A recent article looks at an exciting new Community Energy Project involving County Hospital in Stafford, in which the main building and PostGraduate Medical Centre will be fitted with solar panels supplying sufficient electricity to power more than 3000 MRI scans per year! Read more below. visit
www.staffordarea.saveyourenergy.org.uk
Wednesday 19th October | 7.45pm - 9.30pm Amazing Bats Talk organised by SWT Stafford Group Brian Westhead Pavilion, Stafford Cricket and Hockey Club. Call 07776 135 665 Friday 21st October | Time to be confirmed Volunteer Walk Leader Training Course (free) Stafford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Riverside Call Richard Upton 01785 619 675 Friday 21st October | 7.30pm - 10pm Birds and Conservation in Bulgaria Talk organised by SWT North West Group Eccleshall Parish Rooms. Call 01782 680250 Sunday 23rd October | 9am - 5pm Raptor Identification Day Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Wolseley HQ Call 01889 880 100 Tuesday 1st November Green Awards Presentation Evening and 20th Anniversary Stafford Gatehouse Theatre. Call 01785 619 408 Wednesday 16th November | 7.45pm - 9.30pm Badgers - it’s not all black and white Talk and AGM organised by SWT Stafford Brian Westhead Pavilion, Stafford Cricket and Hockey Club. Call 07776 135 665 Saturday and Sunday, 19th and 20th November 10am - 4pm Christmas Fayre at Wolseley Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Wolseley HQ Call 01889 880 100 Monday 21st November Sustainability West Midlands Conference Birmingham. Call SWM on 0121 237 5890
Saving lives with Solar
An exciting new Community Energy Project involving County Hospital in Stafford is being set up by The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), Southern Staffordshire Community Energy and charity ‘Beat the Cold’. The aim is to raise over £335,000 via a share issue, to fund eight solar PV installations on local hospital roofs, amounting to a total of over 1,000 solar panels. The scheme will bring benefits to the local health service, to the environment and to the investor. A Community Fund will be set up to enable Beat the Cold to support frail, elderly patients living in cold damp homes and to help provide affordable warmth. The minimum investment is £100 and the maximum £100,000 and members of the public have invested a phenomenal £285,000 to date! The share offer closes soon so, visit www.ethex.org.uk/SSCE
Renewable energy sources remain a ‘safe bet’ for investors Clean energy transactions thrived in the second quarter of 2016, according to Ernst Young’s latest report on the global power and utilities sector
The report found that renewables investment was largely driven by a trend towards cleaner sources of energy in most developed countries, combined with an urgent need to meet soaring demands in emerging markets. Read more at www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-power-transactions-andtrends-q2-2016/$FILE/ey-power-transactions-and-trends-q2-2016.pdf
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