Our story and our values Solutions for a Sustainable Future – A Community Action Group in it for the Long Haul (Charity no 1159816) We are a Registered Charity that helps people to become more energy efficient, save money and reduce their carbon emissions. Climate Change is real, happening right now, even in the UK; and it is a huge challenge. We know that this is a global problem and will only be solved by global action, but it is important to be active locally. Government should be leading the way (so we’ve also got involved nationally), but it is also up to individuals to reduce their carbon emissions and tread more lightly on our beautiful world.

Shropshire Climate Action: Water Water Water management Water management is integral to achieving net zero carbon. Good soil management maintains and enhances water quality a nd regulates water flow. Soils facilitate the infiltration of water a nd water storage, thereby influencing the rate of surface run-off and times to p eak flow. Conversely, excessive run-off from degraded or compacted soils leads to erosion of topsoil and soil organic matter and depletes valuable nutrients with negative impacts on soil fertility and water quality. The Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS ) works with landowners and farmers in priority catchments to improve water quality and enhance water availability. Natural Flood Management (NFM) NFM uses natural processes to reduce the risk of flooding and erosion. It generally involves three mechanisms: increasing filtration, for example by reducing soil compaction or improving soil quality; storing w ater, by restoring functioning floodplains or digging retaining ponds; and slowing flows by creating woodland buffer strips or “leaky dams” of woody material. Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Shropshire Council operate a “Slow the Flow” project working with landowners on natural flood management techniques. A new type of river management Cartoon explaining simply a holistic approach to river and water management and why we have to consider the whole system (4 minutes). Natural flood management Demonstrating simple practical methods of ‘slowing the flow’ and improving water quality in water catchments (7 minutes). How to get involved The following organisations are involved in flood prevention and river restoration: Communities Prepared equips Community Emergency Volunteer (CEV) and Flood Warden groups with the know ledge, skills and confidence to prepare for, respond to, and recover from flooding and other emergencies. Severn Rivers Trust is an independent charity established in 2008 to protect and enhance the River Severn, its tributaries and streams. This includes restoration projects, community engagement and land management projects with landowners. For volunteering opportunities click here. If you are interested in getting involved with monitoring river pollution , contact the Severn Rivers Trust and Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

Shropshire Climate Action: Repair and repurpose Repair & repurpose What are Repair Cafés? Repair Cafés are popping up all over Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. For the full listing of local repair cafés and when they are held, scroll to the end of this page. Repair Cafés are free meeting places where local people can take their broken items, volunteers help to repair them. and where people may also be taught to repair their own items. This may include: Clothes Soft toys Household furnishings Furniture Electrical appliances Bikes Household items including crockery Ornaments Garden tools etc. This video shows a Repair Café in action. Actions you can take 1. Set up a R epair Caf é in your community using our tool kit Download this tool kit , developed by Ludlow Repair Café, which provides the paperwork to help new Repair Cafés set up. This will download as a zip file . The National Repair Café website also provides guidance on how to set up a repair café . 2. Find a local Repair Caf é Take your broken items to one of the l ocal Repair Cafés across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. You can find some local repair cafes on the Repair Cafe website map . Or the list below shows you where you can find your nearest one and how often they meet. 3. Volunteer with a Repair Caf é Consider offering your fixing and mending skills as a volunteer Find a local Repair Café here Bayston Hill Repair Cafe 3rd Saturday every 2 months Click for information Bishop's Castle: Walter's Workshop Fridays weekly Click for information Highley Repair Cafe 2nd Saturday every other month Click for information Oswestry & Borders Repair Cafe 2nd Saturday of the month Click for information Pontesbury Repair Cafe 2nd Saturday every 2 months Click for information Wem Repair Cafe 4th Saturday of the month, quarterly Click for information Bridgnorth Repair Cafe Pop up Click for information Church Stretton Repair Cafe 2nd Saturday of the month Click for information Ludlow Repair Cafe 4th Saturday of the month, quarterly Click for information Oswestry Midweek Mend Wednesdays Click for information Shrewsbury Repair Cafe 3rd Saturday of the month Click for information Broseley Repair Cafe 4th Saturday of the month Click for information Ellesmere Repair Cafe 1st Saturday of the month Click for information Newport Repair Cafe 1st Saturday of the month, quarterly Click for information Oswestry Clothes Swap & Stitch 1st Saturday of the month Click for information Telford Repair Cafe Last Saturday of the month Click for information

Shropshire Climate Action: Sign up to Newsletter Please sign me up to the monthly Shropshire Climate Action newsletter: Climate Action News for Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin First name Last name Email Please see our Privacy Policy . You can opt out at anytime as all our newsletters have an Unsubscribe option. Subscribe Thanks for subscribing! You will receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription. Thank you. Get our Newsletter direct to your inbox here

< 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

Shropshire Climate Action: Reuse - Repair - Recycle Reuse-Repair-Recycle Our consu mer society and its environmental impacts We live in a consumer society and a culture that encourages us to buy more than we need. Almost everything we buy takes energy to produce, which is usually sourced from fossil fuels (electricity, gas, coal, oil), so our purchases also contain ‘embedded carbon’. If an item is thrown away and sent to landfill or an incinerator, this contributes to other greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane. Actions you can take Instead of buying new things, adopt the sustainability principles of: Refuse & reduce, Reuse & share, Repair, & repurpose, Rot and Recycle & refill. Refuse & reduce Reuse & share Repair & repurpose Rot (food waste) Recycle & refill

< Back Big Green Week (7-15th June) comes to Shropshire David Matthews 7 Jun 2025 Local library plays host to diverse range of climate activities Stretton Climate Care supported Church Stretton Library during “Big Green Week” (7-15th June). The library hosted our information stall for the week and our Thursday-morning energy advice drop-in centre, while promoting our monthly repair cafe on 15th June. The library also hosted a well-attended Climate Fresk Session organised through the Marches Energy Agency. Community groups and organisations can arrange Climate Fresk sessions at no cost at the moment, with support from the Marches Energy Agency (see poster below and contact: office@mea.org.uk for details). None of this would have been possible without the enthusiastic leadership and support of librarians Daniel and Gail, pictured with our stall. Previous Next

< Back Aims of the Climate Conference for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin: 18th May Sarah Gibson 10 Apr 2024 Why we need to accelerate change and spur on climate action in our communities A conference at Shrewsbury Town Football Club on Saturday 18 May will bring people together to inspire and stimulate them to act within their communities to address the urgent changes required to bring about net zero. “The challenges are immense,” said Colin Preston of Zero Carbon Shropshire, one of the event organisers. “Carbon emissions in the Shropshire Council area are currently 2.5 million tonnes per year, we need to get this down to 1 million tonnes by 2030. In the Telford & Wrekin area emissions are 1 million tonnes per year and this needs to come down to 0.5 million tonnes by 2030.” Young people, who stand to be most affected by the consequences of climate change, will take a leading part in running the conference, including participants from Shropshire Wildlife Trust’s Environmental Leadership Programme for 18 – 25 year-olds. “ Our young leaders are passionate about finding new and different ways to do things and making change that starts in communities. As well as being a great opportunity for them to meet and create connections with organisations working towards the same goals in the county, they will be helping to draw out key actions that will be taken by communities going forward from this day,” said Jen Allerton, Youth Engagement Officer at Shropshire Wildlife Trust. During the morning there will be a series of short talks. First up will be Dr Sam Hampton, a climate behaviour expert from Bath University, who will talk about the power of individuals to influence the political agenda and make lifestyle choices that drive down emissions when action is taken collectively, helping to keep the global temperature rise within safe limits. Other speakers will focus on the particular challenges faced by different sectors including land, nature, food and farming; transport, energy and housing and the circular economy. The afternoon will bring people together into workshops to explore and share skills and knowledge with the aim of encouraging public engagement and collaboration. Tickets available now The conference is open to individuals, groups and businesses. Tickets can be booked at Eventbrite with the option either to make a donation or for free tickets. Lunch is provided. Environmental groups and small businesses are invited to take out a stand at the conference for a small fee. To register an interest in this please complete the online form . The event is being organised by Zero Carbon Shropshire, South Shropshire Climate Action and Save Our Shropshire and sponsored by Shropshire Homes and Kier. “As a company which has implemented its own green initiative, Shropshire Homes is pleased to support the Climate Conference. We believe it is an important event to encourage the county’s organisations to work together to make a real difference to climate change in Shropshire and the wider area,” said Rebecca Hayward. Previous Next

< Back SSCA's first Retrofit Services Consultation Event, Craven Arms Mike Bourke 20 Jun 2023 Bringing groups from the Marches together to discuss retrofit and next steps for the region The Energy and Buildings Group of South Shropshire Climate Action organized a Consultation on Tuesday 20th June at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre in Craven Arms. The purpose was to improve co-operation between the different groups offering retrofit services across the Marches, and those attending represented Shropshire Council, Herefordshire Green Network, Marches Energy Agency, Lightfoot, Telford Climate Action, Sustainable Bridgnorth, Stretton Climate Care and environmental groups in Broseley, Clun and Market Drayton. Two of those attending are also elected members of Powys and Herefordshire Councils. The day consisted of three workshops: 1. A Directory of Retrofit Providers and Specialists . People who want to retrofit their homes need to know of contractors with the relevant skills and qualifications. At present, some organisations have their own lists based on local knowledge, though all have, of course, to emphasize that they cannot recommend these firms or accept liability for any work carried out. It was agreed that a Marches-wide list should be produced, prefaced by a list of questions which customers should ask before any contractor is employed. A small group will take this forward over the coming weeks. 2. Grants and Funding . Tony Baker of MEA described the current Government funding schemes available to householders (Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Great British Insulation Scheme and the Home Upgrade Grant - the latter being restricted to households on means-tested benefits or with an annual income of less than £31,000). We also discussed a proposed Lottery Fund application for a scheme to insulate individual rooms within houses. 3. Household Energy Surveys . These can take two forms of different levels of complexity, depending on whether the aim is to measure the household’s existing carbon footprint or to prepare the house for a retrofit programme. Presentations were made by Stretton Climate Care, Lightfoot and MEA. Rob Narraway gave a demonstration of a Thermal Imaging Camera, and the use of the Retrofit Roadshow Van was described. The cost of the various schemes was discussed, and training will be offered to newly formed community groups. It was generally agreed to have been a useful day in co-ordinating the efforts of the various agencies across our region. Previous Next

< Back Our new Walk Through Bridgnorth’s Green Spaces leaflet Fiona Morgan 1 Jun 2023 Part of SSCA's series of walk leaflets for towns in South Shropshire A new self-guided walk leaflet has been launched by Sustainable Bridgnorth, South Shropshire Climate Action and Bridgnorth Library who have kindly funded the leaflet. The Walk Through Bridgnorth’s Green Spaces leaflet aims to support local people’s connection to Nature with a walk that connects the green spaces in the High and Low town and highlights the wildlife that can be spotted along the way, including peregrine falcons, otters, bats, insects and kingfishers. The walk contains a number of routes to meet people’s needs including a more accessible route (which will incorporate both the High and Low town once the funicular railway is back in operation), to a more strenuous route which uses some of the steeper steps in the town. It also features some suggested extensions to enable people to explore the lesser-known wildlife spots in the town, including at Bridgnorth Cemetery, Daniel’s Mill, The Dingle and Crown Meadow and Well Meadow where Bug Life have been creating B-Line to provide stepping-stones of habitat so pollinators can move through our town to feed, mate and rest. It is hoped that this self guided walk leaflet will be used by individuals and groups to promote their physical and mental wellbeing through connecting to the pockets of Nature that exist in Bridgnorth. The walk will be used by social prescriber networks in Shropshire to encourage people to get active. A3 posters of the walk will be located across town at Bridgnorth Library (where the walk starts and ends), health settings, schools and tourist hotspots such as Severn Valley Railway to encourage sustainable tourism. Both the walk leaflet and the A3 posters feature QR codes so people can access the walk via the new South Shropshire Climate Action website to promote sustainability. An inaugural walk is being held for the launch of the walk leaflet on Saturday 17th June 2023 – meeting for a 10am start outside Bridgnorth Library, Listley Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, WV16 4AW). The inaugural walk will be led by Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Bridgnorth Branch. It will last approx. 2 hours with plenty of breaks to take in the views and learn about the wildlife and plant life enroute. You are welcome to come along and explore all the Nature that Bridgnorth has to offer. The Walk Through Ludlow’s Green Spaces leaflet is also in the process of being revised (as 1000 copies of the first edition were snapped up in the past year) and the new version is due to be released soon so watch this space. Previous Next

< Back SSCA at Bridgnorth Green Festival Fiona Morgan 9 Sept 2023 Sharing climate action information, swapping and sharing resources and providing energy efficiency advice We had a great time at the second Bridgnorth Green Festival on Saturday 9th September. The event was really well organised by Sustainable Bridgnorth and held on a blazing hot day. We talked to lots of people about what we and other group in our network do on climate and Nature action. We also had a swap stand and people enjoyed the opportunity to reuse and swap items as part of #secondhandseptember . We rehomed lots of gardening gloves, baking equipment, picture frames, clothes, books and a dog bowl among other items! Thank you everyone for your support and donations! Our volunteers were also running the retrofit exhibition stand, providing advice and information to people on how to make their homes more energy efficient and reduce carbon and heating bills in the process. Previous Next

< Back One month on from the Climate Conference - watch the film...and the next steps David Matthews 25 Jun 2024 Make your vote count on the 4th July for Climate and Nature .... It’s been just over a month since our climate conference. We’re delighted to be able to share the short film of the conference produced by local film maker Robin Fellows-Weir here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ZPxhlq6r0 Accelerating action on the Climate crisis and Nature will need increased focus from government and business, but also a recognition by local people that everyone needs to reduce their consumption of resources and get their carbon emissions down below two tonnes per year. We need the people of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin to join in, and to do so we can: Lead by example Listen to the concerns of family, friends and colleagues, and help them to understand the changes required Get involved in local action and share what we’re doing. In summarising the conference outputs, we identified some common threads that can give focus as to what and how we might look to the future: Collaborative working (what does this entail and how can it be achieved?) Skills sharing and training Developing a progressive conversation outside the “green bubble” Meeting people where they are Creating a Green Network Collaboration. The conference identified practical issues and challenges in areas such as Housing and Energy, Transport, Circular Economy, and Land, Nature, Food and Farming. These diverse topic areas require tangible actions, through targeted projects, case studies and exemplar initiatives and the development of fiscal mechanisms and incentives. The presentation slides for the key note speech by from Dr Sam Hampton (University of Oxford and University of Bath) "Collective action and behaviour change to tackle the climate crisis" can also be read here. Dr Sam Hampton Conference Key Note Speech 18.5.24 .pptx Download PPTX • 11.01MB We’re continuing to work on all the conference outputs, so please let us know if you’d like to get involved. We’re working on the creation of a climate coalition, with a programme of work over the next three years. We’ll keep you updated as these plans develop over the next couple of months. Finally, we have a great opportunity right now to use our voices to influence change. We can lobby election candidates and use our votes to encourage the new Government to take action on the Climate and Nature crises. Let’s do it! Previous Next