< Back The inaugural walk for our Walk Through Bridgnorth’s Green Spaces leaflet Fiona Morgan 17 Jun 2023 A walk designed to promote Wellbeing and Nature in Bridgnorth On Saturday 17th June we were delighted to launch the latest in our series of self-guided walk leaflets - the Walk through Bridgnorth’s Green Spaces - which has been produced in partnership with South Shropshire Climate Action, Sustainable Bridgnorth and Bridgnorth Library with the support of other groups including Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Energize, Bridgnorth Town Council, Community Resource and Buglife. 15 of us turned up in the first rains we had had in June for the inaugural walk which was led by the Chair of Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Bridgnorth branch. The walk was done at a leisurely pace, taking 2 hours to explore the green spaces around Bridgnorth’s High and Low Town including churchyard gardens, parks, a riverside walk, and the old alleys and paths in the town. During the walk we saw house martins swooping around Bridgnorth Bridge and geese and their baby goslings resting on the banks of the River Severn. A kingfisher was seen by one of the party darting under the bridge. We heard chiff chaff, wren and greenfinch from a spot overlooking the cliffs on the other side of the river which are also the haunt of peregrine falcons. A pitstop was made halfway round the walk at Our Green Shop (Bridgnorth’s zero waste refill shop) to buy much needed refreshments and snacks. We then headed back up to the High Town and leant about the fascinating history of the town and the history of Bridgnorth Libraries from members of Sustainable Bridgnorth and Emma Spenser, Branch Manager, Bridgnorth Library & Visitor Information Point. We finished with a stroll through Castle Park Gardens, where the second Bridgnorth Green Festival will be held on Saturday 9th September, and viewed the bug house and swallow boxes installed in the grounds of St Mary’s Church. If you are interested in doing the walk around Bridgnorth you can find the walk leaflet on the South Shropshire Climate Action website . The walk contains a variety of accessible route and more strenuous routes which include steps. The original walk leaflet, A Walk through Ludlow’s Green Spaces has also recently been revised and updated and can be accessed via the SSCA website too. We hope both walks will be used by people and groups of all ages to promote their physical and mental wellbeing through connecting people to the pockets of Nature that exist in our urban spaces and to promote sustainable tourism in south Shropshire. The more people connect to, and care about, Nature, the more they will act to protect it. Previous Next

< Back The Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) at Keele University Clive Dyson 8 Mar 2023 SSCA's field visit to Keele University to see their renewable energy park Mike Bourke, Susan Lockwood and Clive and Kate Dyson visited Keele University on Wednesday 8th March 2023 to see the renewable energy park and the Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND). Keele University operates its own electricity distribution network, so is in a good position to experiment, somewhat isolated from the grid. It has two wind turbines, generating up to 1.7 MW, and an array of 12,500 solar panels, generating up to c. 5.5 MW. It also has a c. 2 MWh battery. On the cold, clouded winter day of our visit it was supplying about two thirds of the energy demand of the campus. There is also an export grid connection rated at about 1 MW. Alongside the energy park, it has been running a Smart Energy Network Demonstrator project, with support from Siemens (I believe it’s had research funding as well). This controls the generation system, use of electricity across the campus and export to / import from the grid. SEND also provides support to local enterprises, assisting them to develop energy-efficient low carbon solutions, and adding 120 new jobs and £40 million gross value added (GVA) to the regional economy. The University also carries out research and development in relation to low-carbon technologies, new energy products and data management systems. For example, it successfully trialled OFGEM’s Hydeploy project to inject 20% Green hydrogen into the University’s wholly owned gas network, testing its safety in the existing pipes and boilers and reducing carbon emissions by 7%. This project is now being taken forward on a larger scale in Gateshead, involving local homes, schools and other public buildings. Keele is also participating in a consortium of eight regional universities in the HyDEX programme to promote a new hydrogen industrial economy. During our visit we viewed the energy park, and learned of its positive impact on local biodiversity. During a (much warmer!) time spent in the impressive control centre we learned about the monitoring systems, the relationship of renewable energy developments to the planning regime, and the constraints of a decentralized community system like this in relation to the National Grid. This is a marvellous regional resource, and we hope to arrange further visits by key local organisations. We are most grateful to the staff of SEND for such a memorable learning experience. Previous Next

Shropshire Climate Action: Food waste & composting Rot (food waste & composting) The impact of food waste Food waste contributes 8-10% of total man-made greenhouse gas emissions (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and global food systems contribute 30% (according to WRAP ). If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter after China and the USA. Food waste occurs at all stages of the growing, selling, cooking and eating process but in the UK 70% of food waste comes from our homes . Emissions from the total food waste in the UK is equivalent to 10 million cars on the road. According to Shrewsbury Food Hub , food waste costs the average UK family £700 a year. How to manage food waste Food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions both directly (for example as methane emissions from landfill sites where food is decomposing) and indirectly, since waste implies that for a given level of consumption more food needs to be produced than is actually being consumed. Shropshire residents produce an average of 486kg of waste per person per year (Shropshire Council, 2020). Data from Herefordshire Council (2019) showed that: 37% of all household waste is food and drink (1.9kg/household/wk). 59% of food waste was of a home-compostable type (1.1kg/hh/wk). Just under a quarter (23%) of the home-compostable food disposed of was within its original packaging. 41% of food waste was non home compostable (0.7kg/hh/wk). Over half (53%) of the non-compostable food waste was still in its original packaging. On average 35% of all discarded food waste (0.65 kg/hh/wk) was still within its original packaging. (The Food Waste Hierarchy diagram on the left shows what steps we can take, and in what order, to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions.) Actions you can take The first step to prevent food waste is don’t buy it if you don’t need it. Plan your meals: Love Food Hate Waste has tips including portion and shopping planners, food storage guides and recipes for leftovers. Sign up to Shrewsbury Food Hub’s Taste not Waste Challenge to reduce your own food waste and save money at the same time. V isit your local Food Share or community fridges/freezers where organisations collect surplus food from shops, manufacturers and farms to share with local communities: Shrewsbury Food Hub supplies regular food shares across Shrewsbury Foodshares also operates in Broseley, Bridgnorth and Highley. Food is available for a £1 voluntary donation. See facebook.com/foodshareproject for details of each event Hands Together Ludlow have a community fridge open each weekday 10am to 4pm In Oswestry OsNosh provide a weekly lunch on a Pay as You Feel basis using surplus foo d Check out Shropshire Good Food Partnership’s website for guides on how to preserve food, set up a gleaning network and more Composting The final thing to do with food waste is to compost it! Use the Garden Organic 'how to make compost' link below to check what food waste can go into your compost bin. According to Garden Organic each home compost bin saves 150 kg of waste from having to be transported away and saves you money if you use the compost to grow your own food in your garden. Action you can take Garden Organic has an easy to follow guide on how to make compost You can also volunteer as a Shropshire Master Composter and promote home composting in your local community. Training is provided.

Shropshire Climate Action: Reuse and share Reuse & share The environmental impact of our consumer society is huge. A ccording to WRAP 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from clothing and footwear. UK consumers buy more clothes per person than any other E uropean country, and wear new garments just 7 times on average.* By 2030 global c lothing consumption is predicted to rise by 63%. The p oster designed by Ge neration Zero Carbon Shropshire shows some of the environmental impacts of fashion ranging from excessive artificial fertiliser, pesticide and water use. Discarded clothing is also significant. In the UK we discard 1 million tonnes of clothing every year: 300,000 tonnes of clothing is thrown in the bin of which 20% goes to landfill and 80% is incinerated Much of our used clothing is dumped in countries which lack the facilities to manage our waste such as Ghana Synthetic textiles e.g. nylon, polyester and acrylics, are made from plastics derived from fossil fuels. They are used in 60% of our garments and can take up to 200 years to decompose. (*Reference Daily Mail study) Actions you can take Don't throw things away. Consider i nstea d: Arrange a Swap and Share event - to share resources in your communi ty, exchanging unwanted items for something new! Use this Toolkit. Stop buying from fast fashion brands which produce clothes at high speeds and low costs to maximise profits. Instead educate yourself on sustainable brands and share this knowledge with others. Subscribe to Ethical Consumer magazine . Buy from charity shops or second hand stores Repair or fix items and, where you can, repurpose See some of the great ideas for reusing clothes from Generation Zero Carbon Shropshire Set up a Library of Things in your community. This video shows how Library of Things operate across London as part of a circular economy. Library of Things (LOTs) Library of Things are local membership schemes which lend out things for your home, projects and activities (e.g. DIY, gardening, cooking, cleaning, camping equipment etc.). The schemes allow people to hire items on short-term loan for a small fee. Did you know that the average drill is used for only 7 minutes in its lifetime? These schemes help to cut down on clutter, waste and carbon emissions and save you money. Check out the Library of Things in our region – the Share Shack is run by the Active Wellbeing Society in Birmingham. Local examples in our area Oswestry Climate Action Hub Oswestry Climate Action Hub (OsCAH) , is based in the heart of the town centre at 36 Bailey Street with a mission to: "Make, Share, Grow, Repair". The Hub provides an inclusive space for local residents to meet and engage in events and initiatives from mends and upcycling, to skill shares, swaps. and growing your own plants. They also have a swap shop in the same street. The aim is for the people of Oswestry and nearby areas to help each other live more sustainably and build resilience against climate change. Swaps, shares and giveaways Climate Action Hub Telford holds regular pop up swap, share and giveaway events at their Sustainable Saturday events held every other month at Belmont Hall, Wellington. Other groups including Telford Repair Café , Terracycle Telford and Transition Telford also work with them. See the event listing on their website and ideas of what you could do in your community . Baby Stop is a project of The Severn Community Charitable trust who hold monthly baby product shares The With Love From project in Oswestry has created a Shropshire Shared Wardrobe of outfits for conscientious shoppers which you can also borrow from Oswestry library! Donations of party clothing, footwear and accessories are also welcome. Little Stars is a Shropshire based charity who provide pre-loved items to families in need for children of all ages. They also have pre-loved school uniform donation points in the following Tesco stores - Shrewsbury, Ellesmere, Whitchurch, and Ludlow Crafts and tools Scrappies sells end-of-line and recycled resources for craft, art and household. It is also an outlet for T ools for Self Reliance providing pre-owned and refurbished tools to help with DIY projects. Address: Scrappies, 1 Sherratt Court, Beaumont Road, Church Stretton, Shropshire, SY6 6BN. Tel: 01694 328 508. Email: info@scrappies.org Tools for Self Reliance also re-furbishes tools (including haberdashery and sewing machines) that are no longer needed and then sends them to local organisations in Africa to support rural artisans and craftworkers. Email: marchestools@gmail.com Furniture and equipment The Shed (for the people of Highley) receives donations from the community including toys and clothes (except large furniture) and provides help to local people in need. Warp It is an online tool supported by Shropshire council which assists with re-using equipment and furniture. The portal allows you to claim and exchange items you wish with other organisations. Schools may register and login for free. Click here for more information. Email: info@getwarpit.com

< Back Bishop’s Castle receives £238k for local nature projects Bernard Edwards, chair of the Going Wild in Bishop’s Castle Steering Group 27 Feb 2024 Apply for a job opportunity by Monday 11th March Going Wild in Bishop’s Castle is celebrating an award of £238k from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to hire staff as coordinators to support the community to develop and implement local wildlife and nature projects. The group has been working with community groups over the last two years with projects in and around Bishop’s Castle focused on the ecological management of local land, including building and installing swift boxes and establishing meadowlands on local properties. Going Wild in Bishop’s Castle has become known for its winter talks and summer activities series. The ‘Going Wild Kid’s Club’ also provides an extracurricular outdoor education and bushcraft club for young people in the community. The grant, secured with help from Enterprise House, will allow Going Wild in Bishop’s Castle to hire a part-time coordinator and a part-time assistant to support the development, delivery and monitoring of local biodiversity projects. Bernard Edwards, chair of the Going Wild in Bishop’s Castle Steering Group said “This will help us increase wildlife locally and share our activities with a wider audience to showcase the potential of community-level rewilding. Above all, this is about joining the people of Bishop’s Castle to learn together and celebrate our landscape through embracing nature”. Town councillor Grant Perry said “The town council is delighted to have supported and continues to support Going Wild in Bishop’s Castle. This project helps us contribute to the town’s Climate and Nature Recovery Plan.” The Project Co-ordinator role will be based out of Enterprise House. Prospective applicants are invited to review the job description on the website . Application closing date: Monday, 11 th March. Previous Next

< Back Green Shropshire Xchange Chris Deaves 31 Mar 2025 A decade of achievement GSX has now merged with Shropshire Climate Action: we reflect here on the achievements and legacy over more than a decade. A Big Green Gathering was held in Church Stretton in 2012 to launch the new Environmental network, Green Shropshire Xchange (GSX). The main aims were to support actions on Climate change and other issues to protect the environment. GSX joined the board of the Voluntary Community Sector Assembly) as the Environmental Forum and with lottery funds was able to give seed-corn grants to small local projects. Big Green Gatherings were regular events to help campaigners to network GSX contributed to local action on Energy, Transport and Local Food, including setting up an Energy subgroup which worked with the Marches LEP Energy Strategy team, Marches Energy Agency and council climate teams. In 2017 a further lottery fund allowed more grants for projects and also a new website. Big Green Gatherings in the late 20teens resulted in GSX helping to set up Shropshire Against Pointless Plastics. GSX produced a Climate Action Guide to help local people make changes. In 2024 Zero Carbon Shropshire held a Climate Conference and agreed to set up Shropshire Climate Action (SCA) to replace ZCS and SSCA. GSX steering group reviewed their role and agreed to merge with SCA. Thanks to all those who were involved with GSX, especially the chairs over the years: David Currant, Tony Green and Rob Saunders. Previous Next

< Back Middle Marches Community Land Trust launches White Grit Meadows Appeal Julie Howe 30 Aug 2025 Preserving unique habitats for wildlife in the Marches A Community Land Trust is a nonprofit, community-based organisation committed to the stewardship and affordability of land, housing and other buildings used for community benefit in perpetuity. CLTs across the country take a variety of forms; usually they have the aim of meeting local housing need and providing community benefit.However, in Shropshire, the Middle Marches CLT has a distinct purpose: to acquire and manage land of current or potential habitat and wildlife value to ensure nature conservation interest is developed and maintained in perpetuity. Currently the Trust holds four sites . It also works with land managers and organisations for habitat protection and improvement and shares information, advice, skills, expertise and knowledge on nature conservation. Now MMCLT is seeking to purchase and protect a site at White Grit: Wildflower meadows are one the rarest habitats in the UK. A local community land trust has been offered a rare and exciting opportunity to buy five acres of botanically rich meadow just over the Welsh border, at White Grit, within view of the mighty Corndon Hill. "It's a fantastic site", exclaims the Chair of Middle Marches Community Land Trust, Dr. Richard Keymer. " Across the UK, 97% of these meadows have been lost since the 1930's. We have launched an appeal for £45,000 to ensure that these small fields at White Grit will be there for future generations to enjoy ". Large billowing hedgerows enclose the meadows. On a summer's day there is a timeless feel to them as you wander from one room-like space to another, and it is all alive with bees, hoverflies and butterflies amongst the flowers. The site has been looked after by the present owners for 23 years, but they now need to relinquish their ownership, and have kindly offered the meadows to the Trust to purchase. The White Grit Meadows Appeal launched on Saturday 30 August from 1 to 4pm, at Cordon Marsh Chapel. Click here to give money to the appeal. Alternatively, donations can be sent by post, to the Middle Marches Community Land Trust, c/o Enterprise House, Bishops Castle SY9 5AQ. Please make cheques out to 'Middle Marches Community Land Trust. For further information please contact us via email . You can also read the Guardian newspaper’s recent article on MMCLT here . Previous Next

< Back SSCA signs the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Fiona Morgan 31 Jan 2023 We need to get serious about taking global climate action Al Gore’s blistering 4 minute speech at the World Economic Forum, January 2023 about the state of the climate crisis Watch it and weep and then take action! Former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, gave an incredibly powerful and passionate 4 minute speech during a panel session at the World Economic Forum, Davos in January, which summarised in just 4 blistering minutes where the world is at in relation to the climate crisis; the deliberate attempts by the fossil fuel industry to scupper any meaningful action to reduce carbon emissions including undermining the COP process; and the moral obligation that we have to take action to transition to net zero for the sake of all younger people and to prevent upwards of 1 billion people becoming climate refugees. You can watch the video here . Sign up to the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty TODAY The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is a bold new proposal to phase out coal, oil and gas faster, fairly and forever. Similar to other impactful international treaties that have helped phase out the use of nuclear weapons, landmines and chlorofluorocarbons, a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty will require widespread global support – from a wide range of institutions and individuals including civil society organisations, cities, governments and citizens around the world. The current priority is for organisations and individuals to endorse the Treaty at fossilfueltreaty.org and promote the concept among their networks using the hashtag #FossilFuelTreaty South Shropshire Climate Action has joined hundreds of organisations around the world in calling for a #FossilFuelTreaty with 3 objectives: No new coal, oil & gas Phase out fossil fuels A global #JustTransition Watch this 90-second video to find out more. Previous Next

< Back Shropshire's Green Libraries Week Fiona Morgan 6 Oct 2023 SSCA's information stand at Ludlow Library SSCA volunteer Robin Grimmett managed our stand at Ludlow library on the 6th October. We showcased information from groups across Shropshire on how people can take action to reduce their carbon emissions and support Nature including: our Retrofit Toolkit produced in partnership with Stretton Climate Care our Walk Through Ludlow’s Green Spaces leaflet produced with Shropshire Wildlife Trust Ludlow branch Zero Carbon Shropshire’s leaflets providing tips on the climate action people can take Save Our Shropshire’s carbon literacy workshops Marches Energy Agency leaflets on energy efficient homes and Restoring Shropshire’s Verges Project on how to turn roadside verges into wildlife friendly meadows. We will have a permanent display of leaflets at Ludlow Library and hope to develop similar links with other libraries across the county so that people can gain access to useful information on how they can take climate action. Previous Next

< Back Shropshire Council's approval of 200,000-bird intensive poultry unit overturned by High Court Julie Howe 17 Jun 2025 New environmental considerations for planning authorities Shropshire Council lost in a High Court ruling in June, overturning the planning authority’s approval of a 200,000-bird intensive poultry unit near Shrewsbury in the River Severn catchment. The case was brought by local campaigner and River Action board member Dr Alison Caffyn, supported by River Action . She said: “There are nearly 65 chickens for every person in Shropshire and yet the council still thought we needed more. This ruling proves what we've said all along: the planning system has been putting our rivers at risk. This case is a win for communities across the UK who are standing up to the environmental degradation caused by industrial factory farming.” This ruling means that planning authorities must: Assess the cumulative impacts of having multiple intensive agricultural developments in one river catchment before granting permission for another. Consider how livestock production units dispose of the waste from treatment facilities downstream, including from anaerobic digestion plants. Previous Next

Shropshire Climate Action: The Climate Emergency The Climate Emergency Shropshire’s temperature change since 1884 Ed Hawkins, University of Reading; Data: Met Office What is causing the c limate emergency and what are the impacts? Human activity since the industrial revolution has led to increased greenhouse gases (GHGs) which have caused a rapid increase in temperatures that now threatens life on earth. GHGs have increased from natural long-term peaks of 285 ppm (parts per million) to more than 450 ppm since the start of the industrial revolution. G lobal warming is changing the earth’s climate and the impact it has on the earth’s surface, both on land and sea, such as melting of the ice caps and thawing of frozen tundra. Whilst the climate represents atmospheric conditions measured over a long period of time (at least 30-year averages), the weather is our experience of atmospheric conditions at a given point in time. The growth of extreme weather conditions (both in terms of frequency and intensity) is also an indicator of climate change taking place. We’ve also doubled our use of resources and now consume over twice the sustainable resource use limit for life on the planet. The destruction of the natural environment has wiped out more than half of life on Earth since 1970. We’ve lost soils, forests and wetlands that kept CO2 in check, further accelerating global heating. Compared to less developed nations, the footprint of the western world is huge – and the roots of the problem lie here in Shropshire, birthplace of the industrial revolution. How can we respond? Responding to climate change includes two linked processes: Mitigation: r educing GHG emissions (achieving “net zero”) is needed to stop the earth’s atmosphere warming to an extent that irreversible damage may be done to human society and the natural world, ideally (but increasingly unlikely) to less than 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial atmospheric temperatures, and Adaptation: taking measures to address the effects of climate change on human society and Nature is required because climate change is already having an impact, whether via drought, localised flooding, heatwaves or through pests and diseases, affecting our housing and transport infrastructure, food production and the natural environment, and also human health and well-being. Find out what the climate crisis means for Shropshire: How to achieve Zero Carbon Britain Watch this video from the Centre for Alternative Technology which looks at how to achieve Zero Carbon Britain using today’s technology, while helping nature thrive.

< Back Bishop’s Castle's Community Heat & Wind Network project update Dave Green 1 Oct 2025 The good and the bad news As reported recently, the Community Heat & Wind Network project received planning permission in June for a 900kW turbine to be installed at the site west of the Conery just off the B4385 to Lydbury North. Many thanks to all who helped with getting the planning permission, including Councillor Ruth Houghton and the BC Town Council. Planning rules mean we now have three years to begin the installation work. The turbine should produce around 2,200 MWh of electricity per year (this is the typical electricity use of 700 homes), and over its 30-year life will be very cost-effective. It will be called the ‘Twist’ turbine in memory of Dennis Twist and his long involvement with environmental activities in Bishop’s Castle and Clun. That’s the good news. Regrettably, recent developments in politics, energy markets, and local user needs have impacted the economics of the other half of the project: the Heat Network, which is the piped-heat-delivery system. These include:- • oil price stagnation, putting a cap on the price we could charge for heat, • halving of the government’s Green Heat Network Funding, • substantial increase in build costs, • the grant received by SpArC for an air-source heat pump removes a key customer for the heat and site for the Energy Centre. Coming at the end of four years during which a great deal of work has been invested in the project, these factors are very disappointing, since they mean that the Heat Network part of the business case is not viable at the moment. This decision has not been taken lightly, and we will be monitoring the situation to see if and when the circumstances change and make the network viable again. Nevertheless, we still have the opportunity to go ahead with the Wind Turbine. This is a significant achievement since it is the only community-owned Wind Turbine to get planning permission in England in the last year. The turbine will be an important Community asset and will help with local and national energy resilience, and that is where the team will be focussing their energy for the next few years. The next steps will be to explore options for supplying electricity to homes and businesses, raise the capital required and continue the process of getting connection to the grid. For further details contact Dave Green Previous Next