< Back Net Zero Progress - How are we doing in Shropshire? - not well - a NWRR update Nancy Stewart 1 Mar 2025 How the North West Relief Road for Shrewsbury jeopardises Shropshire's climate commitments Shropshire Council risks tearing up its climate commitments as it continues to push for the construction of the proposed North West Relief Road (NWRR). Following a recent recalculation of the carbon emissions associated with the road, the planning officer has admitted this project will undermine the council's 2030 net zero targets. Building the NWRR contradicts the meaning of ‘emergency’ in the climate crisis. In recommending the NWRR be approved by the planning committee, the planning officer sought to downplay its impact by stating that although the additional emissions would burst through Shropshire’s carbon budget, compared to global emissions it would be a relatively small amount. The Council could shift to 2050 as a target for net zero, he said. The proposed NWRR scheme remains controversial ahead of May’s elections, with different candidates in favour or opposing it. Why not ask your prospective councillors what their views are? Market Drayton Climate Action has recently responded to a few of the arguments made in favour of the NWRR in response to the group raising these issues: Pro: ‘For Market Drayton residents using the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, the NWRR will provide a much quicker option than that offered at present. This would be particularly important during a medical emergency.’ Response: We would like to make an equally emotional appeal: that by hugely weakening our response to the climate emergency, we are going to be facing more medical emergencies in Market Drayton. Pro: To offset the carbon emissions of the NWRR ‘we are committing to the equivalent increase in carbon offsetting’. Response: Carbon offsets have a very dubious record and should never be used as an excuse for increasing dangerous emissions levels. Better Shrewsbury Transport comments: ‘We estimate that to absorb these emissions within ten years the council would need to plant around 1.4 million extra trees – and keep them alive.’ Pro: The NWRR will ‘deliver major reductions in traffic, congestion and air pollution in Shrewsbury and many surrounding villages, boost public transport, cycling and walking, and attract new jobs and investment into the county.’ Response: This is highly contestable: The UK Climate Change Committee says ‘“investment in roads should be contingent on analysis justifying how they contribute to the UK’s pathway to Net Zero” – not to investment in the economy. Shropshire Council’s own modelling shows the road would have a limited effect on congestion in the town centre – while some roads might see peak flow reductions of 1 in 4 cars, many town centre roads will see no improvement. Meanwhile, traffic will increase on other roads servicing the new route. There is well established evidence that, rather than reduce congestion, new roads actually create more traffic and fail to deliver the economic benefits claimed (e.g. CPRE, 2017). Shropshire Council has not fully investigated the potential to reduce congestion by supporting walking, cycling and public transport. The Big Town Plan Masterplan for Shrewsbury has outlined exactly how these alternative measures could work but Shropshire Council has not included this in its traffic modelling. The original planning application for this road received a record-breaking 5400 objections, with only 220 people supporting it. Shrewsbury Town Council opposes the project. The revised carbon figures point firmly to the right course of action – immediate abandonment of plans for the NWRR.You can read Shropshire Climate Action's original review of the proposed road here . Our position that Shropshire can't meet its climate commitments if the road is built remains unchanged Previous Next

< Back What is Going Wild in Bishop’s Castle? Dan Hodgkiss 1 Aug 2024 How the project is developing to support local wildlife Going Wild in BC, often known simply as Going Wild, is about improving green spaces around the town and parish of Bishop’s Castle for the benefit of people and wildlife. It’s an integral part of Bishop's Castle’s Town Council Biodiversity Action plan, our local response to the Biodiversity crisis - the current sorry state of our wildlife. We’ll be surveying at least 20 sites across the parish, creating a picture of the town’s wildlife and habitat management plans to help them flourish. We’re also recruiting, supporting and training volunteers to help look after these spaces, ensuring their survival beyond the lifetime of the project. People won’t protect what they don’t know, so a big part of this project is engaging local people with nature on their doorstep through joining in local events and running regular kids' clubs. Our goal is to produce a ‘how-to’ toolkit, to allow local councils across Shropshire and the wider UK to replicate our plan. Actions as simple as planting an acorn or complex as creating a pond from scratch both have value. It’s not rocket science: together we can make a world where we thrive alongside the rest of nature. Get in touch with Dan at goingwild@lightfootenterprises.org Previous Next

< Back SSCA Four years on: Our next steps Jane Cullen 3 Oct 2023 Looking ahead for 2023 and beyond SSCA is now four years old and we are halfway through our benefactor’s very generous donation. The coordinators have enabled SSCA to continue to strengthen networks across Shropshire, building closer links with local climate and environment groups and wider voluntary and local government organisations, to support the county’s transition towards net zero. This in turn benefits peoples’ health, wellbeing and finances. This work has culminated in the development of our new website which showcases the fantastic work that is already happening across Shropshire to help inspire individuals, communities, and organisations to take climate and environmental action. We will notify you of the launch of the new website very soon.SSCA is now entering a decisive phase which requires us to make moves towards acquiring future funding to sustain our work. This is more vital than ever. Any support, advice, or experience that readers can offer would be very welcome. This could take the form of a small monthly donation from as many supporters as possible. If you are willing and able to do this please set up a BACS transfer to the following bank account: Marches Energy Agency; Sort Code: 08-92-99; Account Number: 65044713; Reference: DONATION SSCA-NCZ. We need volunteers to support our many initiatives including the retrofit exhibition, producing and sharing user friendly toolkits and videos to support and inspire people to take local climate and Nature action, updating our new website, writing articles for the newsletter and representing us at events and talks. Please contact us by email on SSCA@mea.org.uk you will be very warmly received. Our next steps: Action Learning Project The major focus of our time and energy over the next 12 months will be on an Action Learning Research project. We have received a grant from Shropshire Council’s Climate Change Taskforce to undertake an exploration of 3 or 4 communities in South Shropshire and how they can adapt and develop resilience in the face of the Climate and Nature crises as they transition towards net zero. The purpose of the project is to learn from their experience, to find out what is successful, what is not and as far as possible the reasons. One aspect to emphasize is that these projects have to be driven by the community itself, it is not being done to or for them!We are working on developing some project possibilities covering a number of types of community including: a primary school (how to decarbonise a school); a town at the beginning of the climate action process (how to decarbonise a community); a very rural parish (how to decarbonise a remote community); an organisation with county wide membership (how to use an existing network to effect change across communities); and finally an old community building (how to decarbonise a building and use it as a wider community resource to effect behaviour change). I hope you find our future exciting and that you will enthusiastically support this refocusing of direction. Previous Next

< Back Have Your Say: Help shape the future of EV charging in Telford and Wrekin Sam Paul 24 Oct 2025 Survey now open Telford & Wrekin Council is inviting residents, businesses, and community groups to take part in a new series of public surveys aimed at improving electric vehicle (EV) charging across the borough. The survey is now and will be open for four weeks. It’s quick to complete, mobile-friendly, and tailored to different groups so you’ll be asked questions that are relevant to you. Your feedback will help guide future investment and planning, making sure EV infrastructure works for everyone, from daily commuters to visitors and local businesses. For more information: Have Your Say: Help shape the future of EV charging in Telford and Wrekin | Newsroom To complete the survey: https://online1.snapsurveys.com/j4gd16 Previous Next

< Back Shaping careers and growing the economy. Oh! And tackling climate change! Kev Oubridge interviews Mollie Roberts 1 Sept 2025 A young climate activist's perspective With Climate change, Nature loss and corporate responsibility now global priorities, the net zero sector is growing rapidly. As a young person, whether you want to work with nature, retrofit homes or build wind turbines, opportunities are opening up. A survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), found the net zero sector is growing three times faster than the overall UK economy, providing high-wage jobs across the country while cutting greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy security. The net zero economy grew by 10% in 2024, generating £83bn in gross value added (GVA).Notably, the West Midlands was a growth hotspot, along with Yorkshire and the Humber, and south-west of England, bucking the trend of economic growth being confined to London and the south-east. As we all know though, getting jobs and moving into a career as a young person starting out is no easy task: you might not have the right qualifications, competition is fierce and it’s difficult to know exactly what a role entails from a job ad. There’s also the catch-22 of employers looking for people with experience when that’s the one thing young people tend to lack. Despite these challenges, twenty-year old Mollie Roberts is optimistic about her future, but has had to work hard to get where she is. Home schooled, Mollie says she enjoyed the freedom it gave her to study topics in depth and she remembers lots of interesting field trips, including a visit to a chilli factory, and going out on the boat with local fishermen in Devon. She took humanities A-levels before realising later that she wanted to take a more science and environment-related career direction. So she took a part-time Open University Certificate in Higher Education, Environment: Journeys Through a Changing World, while at the same time working full-time as a barista in a local coffee bar. Mollie is now applying to University of Exeter to do a four-year degree, which would include a year-long research placement. Confessing to enjoying research, Mollie says she could go on to do a Masters, although her preferred option is a research job or apprenticeship, ideally on a ship in the arctic. This would involve perhaps studying solar power or changes to the ocean or glaciers. Accepting that her arctic ambitions might take a while to come to fruition, she says she would also like to work overseas in a council or government role working within the community, where she could have a tangible impact on Climate change. Mollie will be supported in doing this by an impressive CV, which includes a number of paid for and volunteering roles – she currently works as a Ranger for the National Trust at Carding Mill Valley, as well as a day a week at Stokesay Castle for English Heritage. As a closing question I asked Mollie how she felt about Climate change. Her immediate response was ‘Worried! Big time’. She went on to say that this made it difficult for her to talk about future jobs and her career, not knowing what the future holds for her and for her children, should she have any. This was a salutary reminder to me that Climate anxiety is a thing and I might have been better asking the question up front. A recent Woodland Trust study found that 70% of 16-24 year-olds are worried about Climate change, and the majority of people from older age groups are similarly concerned. Perhaps a way to cope with anxiety is to talk about Climate change with others and share your concerns. You could join a climate or nature focused group or sign up for their newsletter. Read about or take a free online course or consider attending a Climate Fresk workshop to learn more about Climate change, why it’s happening and what we can do about it. You could even follow Mollie’s example and pursue a career in the net zero sector. It’s growing rapidly and there are all sorts of opportunities for those with drive and determination. Previous Next

< Back Shropshire's North West Relief Road update Julie Howe 1 Oct 2024 What is the current status of Shropshire Council's planned road around the north-west of Shrewsbury ? With a new MP who has spoken out against the planned ‘relief’ road and a new national government which has announced a review of the previous administration’s ‘unfunded’ road building projects, what is happening with the controversial North West Relief Road (NWRR) plan? Shropshire Council continues to pursue the plan, and has decided to complete planning permission before presenting the full business case to a council meeting later this year. The council website still states that they expect works to begin in summer 2025, with completion by 2026, despite this late date for bringing the business case to council. Campaigners against the road are raising funds to seek a judicial review once planning permission is in place, which means the scheme may be subject to further delay. Zero Carbon Shropshire has made an assessment of the scheme and concluded that it does not support it on the grounds that it would impede Shropshire’s aim of reaching Net Zero Carbon by 2030. Shrewsbury Town Council is not in favour of the road scheme; the Environment Agency and Severn Trent Water have both raised significant concerns about the risk that the road poses to water supply and Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Shropshire CPRE have also objected based on the impact on the Environment and Nature. Meanwhile, a high-profile campaign continues to grow to save the ‘Darwin Oak’, one of the 36 veteran trees which would be felled if the road goes ahead. A petition to government reached over 108,000 signatures and is due to be handed in to No. 10 by local campaigners and MPs in early October. The ‘Darwin Oak’ is also in the running to win the Tree of the Year 2024 award (voting deadline 21 October). There is also a ‘Darwin Oak’ song...to be released soon. Previous Next

< Back The Environmental Leadership Programme for 18-25 year olds Sascha Robinson 1 Jul 2024 My personal experience Growing up in Shropshire, I always felt privileged to be surrounded by nature. This experience fuelled my love for the outdoors and inspired me to seek out nature more as I grew older. Witnessing environmental degradation and the lack of opportunities to connect people to nature has been challenging. Shortly after starting my first job as a teacher, a family member informed me about the Environmental Leadership Programme 2 (ELP2) available in the West Midlands. This free, nine-month program for 18-25-year-olds seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to learn how to make a difference. Before joining ELP2, my climate action efforts were mostly solitary. I had made personal changes to reduce my environmental impact but I struggled to find and connect with like-minded individuals in my community. Many of my friends didn't share my passion, leaving me feeling isolated in my efforts to make a difference in Shropshire. Occasionally, I'd see local climate meetups advertised but the thought of walking into a room full of people twice my age wondering, “Who is she?” and “what does she know?”, kept me from attending. ELP2 provided a welcoming space to engage with climate issues and my local community. From the first weekend, I met many people my age who shared my passion for making a difference. As a 25-year-old, I was inspired by the work of the youngest participants and felt a newfound belief that I could contribute more. Throughout the course, we built knowledge, skills, and confidence, enabling us to take more significant steps forward. As part of the course, we were challenged to develop our own campaigns. We spent time planning and considering what our communities needed to connect them to nature. I found myself now talking directly with influential people across Shropshire and felt more connected to the climate community than ever. Not only have I found connections with like-minded individuals, but I also feel more confident in my abilities and realised that my place within these groups was valued, not looked down upon. I can make a difference. Oh, and that climate meetup on Tuesday night filled with people twice my age? I hosted it. Previous Next

< Back Climate campaigners find common ground with Helen Morgan, North Shropshire MP John Hargreaves 18 Oct 2024 On the topics of awareness raising, pensions, energy and farming Helen Morgan MP met climate activists from Market Drayton, Wem and Whitchurch on 18 October, as part of the national Common Ground initiative by the Climate Coalition. The North Shropshire climate campaigners joined hundreds around the country who met their local Members of Parliament to discuss how to work together for effective action in the face of climate breakdown. ‘We appreciated Helen Morgan’s commitment to climate action, including her support for the important Climate and Nature bill now before Parliament, as well as her very well-informed and positive approach to the issues we discussed. We look forward to working together in the future to support climate action at local and national levels,’ said John Hargreaves, Chair of Market Drayton Climate Action. At the meeting Helen Morgan responded to four specific requests, as well as sharing her insights into some of the challenges and political approaches to action on climate. The importance of leadership in influencing public awareness of climate issues Helen Morgan agreed that although significant action on climate must come at government level, widespread community understanding and support will be required. The climate campaigners asked for Ms Morgan to help build public awareness of the issues by using opportunities in her communications to refer to climate links in many of the initiatives and areas in which she is involved. She responded that this is an area she will bear in mind in future. Ms Morgan pointed out that communicating about the climate emergency is challenging in the face of social media responses from climate deniers, and that biodiversity issues are often received more readily. Climate campaigners can support Ms Morgan in referring to climate by using social media to welcome her comments. Pension holdings in fossil fuels Liberal Democrat policy is for all pension funds to be divested from fossil fuels. Although locally there have been repeated efforts urging the Shropshire Pension Fund to stop fossil fuel investments, there have been negative responses or no response at all. The climate groups asked Helen Morgan to write to the Chair of the Shropshire Pension Fund to ask what steps they are taking to divest as a matter of urgency from fossil fuels, which she agreed to do. Supporting farmers to move to sustainable practice North Shropshire is an agricultural area in which we are witnessing loss of biodiversity and the increasingly the detrimental impact of bigger farms, including impacts on carbon emissions. The climate campaigners asked Helen Morgan to write on behalf of farmers in North Shropshire to ministers in Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs to ask about how they are planning across departments to incentivise sustainable practice which will be manageable, accessible and economically viable for farmers. Ms Morgan said she would write to the ministers, and also that she expects Tim Fallon as Liberal Democrat lead on farming to be active on these issues in Parliament. Barbara Cotterell from Wem Area Climate Action mentioned the possibility of a farming forum in Wem next year, which Ms Morgan could consider attending. Energy efficiency and renewable energy Chloe King from Wem, who works for an energy charity, gained Ms Morgan’s agreement to write to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, asking for retrofit grants to be reformed and to be more accessible. Chloe will send supporting data on experience with the difficulty in gaining support through the grants. Ms Morgan also described cross-party support in Parliament for requiring solar panels on all new builds, as well as moves to require landlords to upgrade housing to be more energy efficient. On behalf of the climate groups, John Hargreaves thanked Ms Morgan for her willingness to support climate action. ‘It is heartening for us to have national representation that recognises the crucial steps that must be taken toward a safe and healthy future,’ he said. Previous Next

< 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

< Back Interesting conversations at Morville Annual Community event David Matthews 19 May 2025 Renewable energy popular with farmers, and a new argument for heat pumps? Last month, SCA was at the Morville Annual Community event. It was very well attended, and it was great to talk to several local farmers about renewable energy and how they are combining solar with agriculture (primarily sheep grazing) on the same land. There was interest too in battery storage, and the installation of wind turbines, now some of the planning restrictions have been lifted. According to the Impact Community Carbon Calculator, Morville has a higher than average carbon footprint, thanks to the widespread use of oil for home heating. The Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) attending the event were highlighting theft of fuel from oil tanks as a leading example of crime affecting rural communities in Shropshire. Perhaps that’s another argument for having a heat pump installed? Previous Next

< Back Wellington's award winning cycle powered delivery service Anthony Lowe & Fiona Morgan 20 Sept 2024 Green Award winners at BBC Radio Shropshire's Make a Difference Awards 2024 Wellington Cycle Delivery Scheme recently won a Green Award at the BBC Radio Shropshire's Make a Difference Awards 2024 , held on 20 September, for its work promoting sustainable travel while delivering shopping by e-bike. The Cycle Delivery Service has 14 volunteers who provide a free-of-charge shopping delivery service within a 3 mile radius of Wellington on market days. In 2023, they completed over 1000 deliveries, cycling 3000 miles and reducing Wellington's carbon footprint by 625kgs. The group use Noddy - the e-cargo bike which belongs to Wellington Town Council - to provide their service. Dave Staniforth, one of the group's volunteers, told BBC Radio Shropshire, "We try to make a difference in our town, and I think if everybody else across Shropshire can make some little difference to their place then it will be a better place to live as well." Previous Next

< Back Celebrating South Shropshire Climate Action Nick Read 1 Apr 2025 ... and the next steps for Shropshire Climate Action On 10th April at the Discovery Centre, Craven Arms, there will be a celebration of the last three years’ progress towards a net zero Shropshire, and the launch of ambitious new plans in which South Shropshire Climate Action (SSCA) will be re-born as Shropshire Climate Action. SSCA comprises networks and organisations in South Shropshire who work to reduce greenhouse gases and protect the natural environment. Funding from an anonymous donor has supported two Project Co-ordinators for the last three years, Nick Read and Fiona Morgan, to create collaborative partnerships, share best practice and provide advice and support towards achieving the net zero target. 10th April will be a celebration of SSCA’s successes and the launch of ambitious future plans. Shropshire Climate Action is county-wide (including Telford & Wrekin), creating a wider partnership of climate and nature groups; more local hubs will be created to promote climate action, including plans for the Discovery Centre at Craven Arms; and it will strengthen the links with allied networks such as the Marches Nature Partnership and the Shropshire Good Food Partnership, generating greater momentum in the quest to achieve net zero and protect and enhance Nature in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin. Our guest list for the event includes those engaged in practical action, policy makers and opinion formers, contributors to our “Next Steps” report and project, and those who will deliver action in the months and years to come. Come to be inspired, to network, and to discuss your own plans with key stakeholders. Please email contact@shropshireclimateaction.org for more information. Previous Next