< 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 Bishop's Castle Heat and Wind Project gets some wind in it's sails Mike Watkins 5 Mar 2024 Funding awarded to help progress community energy project Previous Next

< Back New guide on Shropshire's Green Spaces to promote wellbeing Fiona Morgan and Shropshire Wildlife Trust 3 Aug 2023 Featuring SSCA's Walk Through Bridgnorth's Green Spaces New guides showcasing local green spaces have been created to encourage people to spend more time outdoors experiencing natural environments to the benefit of their physical and mental health. 9 locations have been chosen across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. Each location has a free downloadable route, instructions on how to get there, accessibility information, and details of what you can see and do. This is one of the outcomes from a two-year Green Social Prescribing project, run by a partnership between Energize STW (the active partnership for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin) and Shropshire Wildlife Trust, with support from both local authorities in our County. The 9 guides are available to view on the Shropshire Wildlife Trust website at www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/local-greenspaces Our South Shropshire Climate Action Walk Through Bridgnorth's Green Spaces leaflet that we produced in partnership with Bridgnorth Library and Sustainable Bridgnorth features as one of the 9 walks. Sharon Smith, Green Social Prescribing Officer at Energize STW and Shropshire Wildlife Trust said: “ Our research has shown both social prescribers and the public were needing more information about local green spaces which are free to access and enjoy. Our focus was around what we coined the 3 Ls – low cost, low level, and local. ” Previous Next

< Back The Shrewsbury Northwest Relief Road: why we should be concerned Nick Read 1 Dec 2023 Roads or Nature? We are very grateful to Denise Crampton (Ludlow 21 Sustainable Transport Group) and Mike Streetly (Better Shrewsbury Transport) for their contributions to this article. On the 31st October 2023 Shropshire Council (SC) Northern Planning Committee approved the construction of the North West Relief Road (NWRR) by a majority of 6 to 5. Mike Streetly, of Better Shrewsbury Transport (BeST), comments: “The planning conditions are still to be agreed with relevant parties such as the Environment Agency. The full business case is expected to come to the council for approval during autumn 2024 and, if approved, work to build the road could start as early as summer 2025. The cost appears to be underwritten by money from the cancelled HS2 programme.” The decision ignores both expert and popular objections, and will cancel out the carbon saving initiatives we need to reach net zero carbon. The proposal is both out of date and ecologically destructive. Out of date…. It is almost 40 years ago that the NWRR was proposed, based on historic objectives of facilitating private transport. It will be a single carriageway road linking the A5 from the Welshpool Road roundabout in the west to the Ellesmere Road roundabout in the East. New bridges over the River Severn (and its flood plain) and the Shrewsbury-Chester railway line will have to be built. SC have combined its Oxon link road application within the NWRR, primarily to facilitate Shrewsbury’s West Urban expansion (SUE) strategic objectives. CPRE has shown that road schemes generate more traffic than background trends over the longer term, leading to permanent and significant environmental and landscape damage with little evidence of economic benefit to local communities. To achieve carbon reduction objectives, we must reduce privately owned transport in favour of shared and public travel options. Available resources should be directed at improvements in our existing shared transport network – trains and buses – and to facilitate active travel such as cycling. The NWRR cuts across Shropshire Council’s own climate emergency declaration in 2019 and the UK’s legally binding net zero pledges. It is estimated that NWRR’s construction will create 48,000 tonnes of embedded carbon emissions (for an estimated annual operational saving of 359 tonnes); it won’t be carbon neutral for more than 130 years! Ecologically destructive…. Organisations including the Woodland Trust, Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, and SC’s own Ecology and Tree Teams have voiced concern. The NWRR conflicts with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which seeks to protect ancient trees from destruction. We risk losing 4km of biodiverse hedgerows; over ten hectares of vital agricultural land; and over a thousand trees – which include 9 magnificent veteran trees one of which is the 550-year-old ‘Darwin Oak’ . NWWR would remove significant quantities of high quality agricultural land and, once developed, would generate further air, noise and particulate pollution exacerbating the environmental destruction. Concerns have also been raised over the risk to water supply from both contamination and flooding. The Environment Agency has raised objections about the risk that the NWRR poses to the water supply for 100,000 people in Shrewsbury and west Shropshire (as far south as Church Stretton). The scheme involves building a roundabout above the inner Source Protection Zone (SPZ) of Severn Trent Water's Shelton borehole. The council has acknowledged that “were contamination of the town’s water supply to occur, the impact would be catastrophic.” What can you do? Please sign the petition to Save the Darwin Oak Change.org https://www.change.org/p/save-the-darwin-oak If you are a resident of Shrewsbury or west Shropshire (as far south as Church Stretton) an Open Letter to the Environment Agency and Severn Trent about the water contamination issue has been written which you can sign while the link remains active https://forms.gle/ZDsHk71RR6NmhPQi7 Look at the BeST website https://www.bettershrewsburytransport.org/ and Facebook pages for how to get involved. BeST is exploring legal options to challenge the situation, either through Public Inquiry or Judicial review. Discuss your concerns with your local councilor. Previous Next

< Back SSCA’s response to the government’s decision to roll back on the UK climate commitments Jane Cullen 23 Sept 2023 Our letter to Philip Dunne MP On the 23rd September we wrote to Philip Dunne MP, to make the following points: 2023 is the hottest year ever recorded; We in the UK lack climate leadership at all levels, especially government; The Office for Budget Responsibility has recently highlighted the economic benefits of speedy action on net zero and the financial risks associated with any delay; If we continue to use fossil fuels for our cars and heating this will drive up costs; Children experience profound anxiety as they try to grow up amidst all these pressures; Lack of action on the climate emergency creates more hardship and disintegration of communities while damage to the environment and nature accumulates; Milestones on the way to 2030 are missed that makes a net zero transition so much more difficult, so much less likely. Surely Prime Minister Sunak can see the climate emergency cannot be used in the ordinary way to score political points? Please write to Philip Dunne yourself (the Rosebank oilfield and the closing of the Energy Efficiency Unit both happened last month too). His email address is: philip.dunne.mp@parliament.uk Philip Dunne’s own letter to Prime Minister Sunak on behalf of the Environmental Audit Committee can be read here . [Photo credit: The chart is by Ed Hawkins, University of Reading using Met data and depicts Shropshire's increasing annual temperature change since 1884]. Previous Next

< Back Local groups meet with Julia Buckley (Labour MP for Shrewsbury & Atcham) David Matthews 21 Jun 2025 Q&A focused on how we can better protect Nature and take climate action On Saturday 21 June, Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley joined a community Q&A about Climate and Nature issues at the Shropshire Wildlife Trust. The event was hosted by Zero Hour (the campaign for the Climate and Nature Bill), Better Shrewsbury Transport*, Up Sewage Creek and Shrewsbury Vegans. It was chaired by Richard Grindle, CEO of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust. Julia took questions from the audience on a range of topics including river pollution, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the North West Relief Road, factory farming, and nature loss. Jamie Russell from Zero Hour, who helped organise the event, says: ‘Julia was exceedingly generous with her time and fielded robust questions on a range of topics. She explained her desire to use her role on the Environmental Audit Committee** to push the Government to be bolder in its response to the Climate and Nature crisis, and agreed to join crossparty MPs who have signed the Early Day Motion in support of the Climate and Nature Bill .*** She also talked very powerfully about being shocked by a Parliamentary briefing from leading scientists about the devastating rate of change being witnessed in Antarctica. Over the next few months, Zero Hour will be supporting local residents in constituencies across the UK as they set up similar community Q&A events with their MPs to push them to prioritise the climate and nature crisis in all aspects of their work. If you’d like to be involved, get in touch at campaign@zerohour.uk ’. ***The Climate and Nature Bill returns to Parliament on 11 July. The Zero Hour campaign is asking residents to write to the Prime Minister ahead of this date asking him to give the Bill emergency debate time, as well as writing to your MP to request they sign the Early Day Motion on this much-needed Bill. Write to the PM to ask for debate time. Write to your MP about the Early Day Motion. Join Zero Hour at The Climate Coalition's mass lobby of MPs in Westminster on 9 July. *With reference to Shrewsbury, Julia is supporting the active travel initiatives associated with the Big Town Plan and better integration of rail and bus services. **Julia is a member of the Environment Audit Committee and pointed out that the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee (ESNZ) is more directly involved in plans to achieve net zero, so we should consider how to influence that committee too. Previous Next

Shropshire Climate Action: Town & Parish Councils What can you do as a Town & Parish Council? Take action Parish and Town Councils are at the heart of our communities and can play a key role in cascading information to people about the climate crisis and how we can adjust our lives - through a change of diet, how we heat and light our buildings, how we travel, and what we buy so we reuse and recycle. Sign up to a Climate Fresk workshop Climate Fresk is a 3 hour facilitated workshop where you can get to grips with climate change in small groups in a safe, non-judgemental space, learn how to take action and enjoy some thought-provoking discussions. The workshops explore key drivers, mechanisms, and impacts of climate change, and map out where we are today and where we could be headed if we join forces. If you are a town or parish council and want to book a half day Climate Fresk workshop find out more via the BizEd Projects website or email climate@bizedprojects.com Use the Impact Community Carbon Calculator to assess your community's carbon footprint The Centre for Sustainable Energy has developed the online Impact Community Carbon Calculator tool. It calculates the total amount of greenhouse gases produced directly and indirectly as a result of everyday human activities (heating homes, using electricity, transport, producing and distributing food, disposing of waste, etc.) at the level of parishes, wards, district councils and unitary authorities. It helps communities target their resources to gain the greatest impact in reducing emissions. Use this toolkit to identify actions councils can take The Great Collaboration has designed a toolkit to help Town and Parish Councils identify the carbon reduction actions you have taken, want to take or are unable to take. The data is summarised into a Local Council Report that can be presented at a council meeting. The insights given in the report enable you to see what is happening in your local community and this valuable information can be used to inform your own Carbon Action Plan. Write a Town or Parish Council Climate Action Plan To help you: Use the Impact data to guide the priorities you set in your council’s climate action plan. Read some of the plans Shropshire Town and Parish Councils have already devised: o See Bishop Castle’s Climate and Nature Action Plan update 2024-25 o See Clun's Climate Action Plan update 2023 A simple proforma was developed for Wem Town Council’s climate action plan . A blank template for your Cli ma te Action Plan can be found here. Make your community buildings more energy efficient and save money The Centre for Sustainable Energy has a Community Action Plan guide on how to retrofit a community building Find local trusted contractors for your retrofit project via Marches Energy Agency's Future Ready Homes website . The directory provides details of recommended installers, trades people and professionals who can help you with retrofitting a building. The area covered by this directory includes Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. The Marches Energy Grant (MEG) scheme offers free advice, energy assessments and grants for energy efficiency and renewable energy measures to SMEs from all sectors. The funding is also available to support community buildings. The project also provides networking and webinar events for SMEs and other organisations. Sign up via: www.marchesgrowthhub.co.uk/marches-energy-grant for a free energy efficiency audit to assess equipment, premises, processes and performance and identify opportunities for improvements in energy usage. Grants are available for projects worth up to £20,000 (some match funding is required) . Big Solar Co-op installs solar panels on rooftops which are the size of a tennis court or bigger, and where the building has high electricity usage (prior to 2022 prices, at least £20k in electricity bills). See their website to find out more or submit information about your site via https://bigsolar.coop/submit-a-site/ for an assessment and response from the local coordinator. Share your successful local projects with Carbon Copy Carbon Copy is a national charity offering ideas and motivation to drive local action to protect us from climate breakdown and defend Nature. The Carbon Copy network includes climate action stories from over 1,000 UK organisations (including some in Shropshire ) and area-specific information about the changing climate and Climate Action Plans. Add your success story here .

< 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 Want to make your home more energy efficient? Tony Baker 1 Aug 2025 Find out what support is available from Marches Energy Agency Retrofitting your home has so many advantages, from cutting your energy bills and your carbon footprint, to improving comfort, and even health and wellbeing. But it can all feel a bit daunting, especially in older heritage properties – so where do you start? With a thorough assessment of your property carried out by an independent, impartial expert from Future Ready Homes. Future Ready Homes is the retrofit advice service of long-established Shrewsbury-based charity Marches Energy Agency. If you aren't eligible for Government grant funded programmes such as ECO, and so are funding your own retrofit works, you can apply for our retrofit support package. The usual cost is around £900 depending on the size and complexity of your house. Thanks to funding from the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme this support is offered on a ‘choose what you pay’ basis, so long as you own and live in one of the relevant property types: Victorian or Edwardian solid wall house in Shropshire. Cavity wall houses on mains gas in Telford & Wrekin. A retrofit surveyor will visit your home to talk through your individual priorities and wishes, and to assess your options. The visit will involve a detailed analysis of the thermal performance of your home (non-invasive). If conditions allow, this will include thermal imaging, air tightness testing and/or temperature and relative humidity monitoring. You will receive a detailed report setting out recommendations for energy efficiency improvements to make in your home, in manageable stages. We will signpost you to local contractors and installers. You and your contractor will be able to access our technical panel of experts with any questions you may have. And the Future Ready Homes team will be here to support you through your project. So if you would like some advice on how to thoroughly insulate your home, make it less draughty, or perhaps you're considering solar panels or a heat pump, help is at hand. There's lots of useful advice at https://futurereadyhomes.org.uk/ or you can apply for a survey at https://futurereadyhomes.org.uk/retrofit-support-package/ Previous Next

< Back Celebration of South Shropshire Climate Action’s Achievements 10 Apr 2025 End of Project event held at the Discovery Centre, Craven Arms on 10th April 2025 Nearly 70 people attended the evening celebration event for South Shropshire Climate Action (SSCA) at Craven Arms Discovery Centre on 10th April. Delegates were asked to answer two questions: What would you celebrate that you have achieved on Climate and Nature action in Shropshire over the past 3 years, and what would your priorities be for Climate and Nature action in Shropshire for the next 3 years? The answers will help inform the future direction of Shropshire Climate Action, which will continue addressing the Climate and Nature emergency. After an excellent meal from the Discovery Centre’s Asia and Toby, there were a series of briefings. Looking back over the last three years. Jane Cullen, the chair of the SSCA Steering Group, outlined how SSCA came about in the summer of 2019 and what we have been doing since - do keep a look out for the next conference later on this year. Jane also paid tribute, on behalf of the steering group, to Nick and Fiona, in-post as our project coordinators since 2021, funded by an anonymous benefactor. Both have worked with dedication, unflagging commitment, tolerance and good humour which is a great achievement amongst a sea of Climate emergency challenges! Next up, Fiona showed delegates the new Shropshire Climate Action website , where you can also find our newsletter archive, along with a wealth of information on taking action to decarbonise. Then came presentations reflecting the breadth of activity taking place across Shropshire: topics ranged from land use and biodiversity, food, water, energy and buildings, transport, community groups and Community Climate Connectors. Our thanks to Phil Holden (Shropshire National Landscapes), Dr Alison Caffyn (Clun Rivers Group), Sascha Robinson (SCA Transport), Dr Daphne du Cros & Emma Cantillion (Shropshire Good Food Partnership), Mike Bourke (SCA Retrofit), Chloe King (MEA Community Climate Connectors) David Matthews (Programme Manager SCA) and Grant Wilson (Manager, Shropshire Hills Community Centre). Finally, the meeting ended by looking ahead now that SSCA and Zero Carbon Shropshire have fully combined to become Shropshire Climate Action, a county-wide group, of course including Telford & Wrekin. There is a plan in place for the Discovery Centre to host a Climate Hub for South Shropshire. The presentations ensured that people left with a positive buzz and appreciation of a strong, county-wide network of committed, purposeful people and actions, moving forward. Our thanks most particularly go to our anonymous benefactor, all our sponsors and supporters! Don’t hesitate to get involved, either through making personal contact or by signing up on the website. Share your ideas and actions! Previous Next

< Back Shropshire residents ask National Trust AGM to support the Climate and Nature Bill Jamie Russell and Dougald Purce 2 Nov 2024 Ask your MP to support the Climate and Nature Bill too On 2 November two Shropshire residents participated in the National Trust’s AGM representing a member’s resolution for the Climate and Nature Bill (CAN Bill). Jamie Russell from Shrewsbury (seconded by Dougald Purce, also from Shrewsbury) proposed that the NT support the bill. The CAN bill has been reintroduced in the House of Commons by Lib Dem MP Roz Savage, and is heading for its second sitting in parliament on the 24 January 2025. If successful, it would bind the UK Government to delivering on its international agreements and treaties on mitigating biodiversity loss and climate change, for instance, pledges made with the Paris Agreement at COP21. National Trust members overwhelmingly supported the resolution. This is at a critical moment in the bill’s progress through Parliament: it needs 102 MPs to turn up and vote for it on its second reading. Ask your MP to support the Climate and Nature Bill this month You can help the CAN Bill by writing to your local MP. The CAN website helps people create letters: to our local MPs who are already supporters of the CAN Bill (Julia Buckley, Labour, Shrewsbury and Helen Morgan, LibDem, North Shropshire) and local MPs that have not yet agreed to support it (Mark Pritchard, Conservative, The Wrekin, Stuart Anderson, Conservative, South Shropshire, Shaun Davies, Labour, Telford). Groups that want to get more involved in the CAN campaign can use this pack of resources which has lots of ideas, including template press releases, downloadable materials and a pack of social media resources . Previous Next

Shropshire Climate Action: Buses Buses South Shropshire Climate Action (SSCA) sent Shropshire Council "15 Transport Asks" . These are the four relating to public transport. 1. Transform bus services to maximise the shift from car trips to buses 2. Fund the transformation of all buses so that they are zero carbon 3. Introduce a “one ticket” public transport policy covering all buses regardless of operator and all local rail (see for example, Transport for Cornwall ). 4. Design and fund a best practice Park and Ride service for Ludlow and Bridgnorth served by electric buses. SSCA received a response from Shropshire Council. Click here to read their answers Every village, every hour campaign CPRE's "Every v illage, every hour" report (2021) sets out what a comprehensive bus network for England would look like, with services to every village every hour, and the scale of investment required. It would provide a bus service fit for the climate emergency and address the inequality and social exclusion caused by the dominance of cars in rural life. Shropshire-based campaign group BeST: Better Shrewsbury Transport BeST (Better Shrewsbury Transport) comprises a group of organisatio ns and individuals keen to engage positively with the council to promote active and sustainable solutions to the town’s transport challen ges. It is campaigning for urgent action to promote active and sustainable modes of transport.