< 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: Our 15 transport asks Our '15 Asks' of Shropshire Council Our '15 Asks' In June 2023 South Shropshire Climate Action (SSCA) wrote to Shropshire Council seeking a formal response to specific proposals, called the '15 Asks'. We received a response from which gives the latest position of the Council on transport issues across the county. Click here to read i t. The '15 Asks' 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 Park and Ride service for Ludlow and Bridgnorth served by electric buses 5. Design and fund cycle paths to connect schools and colleges with their catchments and promote the widespread availability and adoption of electric bikes 6. Design and fund car-share clubs/schemes 7. Establish planning policies and rules to require workplace and school travel plans with specific targets for the reduction of car trips 8. Establish planning policies and rules to require all new housing to be designed and located to maximise the opportunities for active travel and public transport 9. Establish a county-wide “Mobility as a Service” (MaaS) project 10. Fund public electric vehicle charging points 11. Adopt 20mph speed limits county-wide 12 Reduce embodied carbon associated with transport infrastructure 13 Adopt freight consolidation measures to reduce delivery vehicles and promote e-cargo bikes in market towns for collection and delivery 14 Adopt Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) principles to exclude or limit vehicles on designated streets 15 Improve pedestrian facilities and infrastructure such as wider pavements and car-free streets

< 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 Net Zero Progress - How are we doing in Shropshire? David Matthews 3 Feb 2025 Report on progress in Shropshire county We often get questions about whether the county is making progress on reducing its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. While GHG savings can be measured for, say, a household or an organisation (using carbon footprinting tools), and there are some general estimates available of the impacts of particular actions (e.g. not driving a petrol car) based on academic research, there is no easy way of calculating a figure for the county bottom-up. However, we can use the data provided by the Department for Energy and Net Zero which are calculated top-down, with Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin apportioned a percentage of the UK emissions based on their geography and characteristics. The progress chart for Green House Gas emissions for Shropshire, Telford& Wrekin displayed (the government reports can be found here . To keep within our carbon budget and to around 1.5C of warming, we need to get to an average of approximately 2.5t per individual in the UK by 2030 so are not currently on track to do that. The Centre for Sustainable Energy and Exeter University have created a very useful data visualisation tool, Impact, which allows you to look at household emissions within geographical boundaries (parishes, local authority areas, etc). For more details, see: Impact 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 Restoring Shropshire’s Verges Project (RSVP) Janet Cobb 18 Apr 2024 Supporting the recovery of Shropshire's wildlife Over the last 60 years 97% of our wildflower meadows have been lost. This loss has had a huge impact on wildlife. There are more threatened species associated with meadows than with any other habitat in the UK. Road verges offer a real opportunity to help reverse this loss. If managed correctly, they could form long, linear meadows, providing habitat in themselves but also helping to link up fragments of remaining meadow. Shropshire’s verges have huge wildlife potential. They could be wonderful linear meadows, providing nectar for pollinators, and food and shelter for small mammals, birds and other invertebrates. Sadly, many of them are not managed for wildlife in this way. They are regularly cut, with the cuttings dropped and left in situ, which increases soil fertility and encourages rank vegetation such as nettles, brambles, hogweed and coarse grasses to dominate. The remaining verges that do still have a diversity of flowering plants are often cut far too early, removing the flowers and preventing them setting seed. Restoring Shropshire Verges Project (RSVP) promotes the creation of wildflower-rich meadows on Shropshire’s verges. It was formed in 2018 and is run entirely by volunteers. Our main focus is the change in verge management, from a regular ‘cut-and-drop’ regime, to leaving the verges uncut between April and July followed by a late summer ‘cut-and-collect’. We now support over 35 local volunteer-led verge projects around Shropshire. How would RSVP like the verges to be managed? We want to allow grasses and flowers in the verge to grow, flower and set seed over spring and early summer. A rule of thumb would be to cut and remove the cuttings from August onwards. However this is weather dependent so verges being managed as wildflower meadows may be cut slightly earlier or later than this. This removal of the cuttings is key, as over time this reduces the fertility of the verges and allows finer grasses and wildflowers to appear. In places this can be augmented by sowing wildflower seed and planting plug plants. Will this make visibility for road users more difficult and lead to safety issues? RSVP has the support of Shropshire Council, who we liaise regularly with. Public safety is the primary concern and any verges which Shropshire Council lists as needing to be cut short for visibility reasons will still be cut as normal. In addition to this, all ‘safety cuts’, where a 1.1m width of verge bordering the road is cut short, will still be carried out. Many local authorities around the country, including Dorset, Lincolnshire, Herefordshire, now manage verges as linear hay meadows without any compromise on safety. Will managing the verges as meadows mean they become full of docks, thistles and nettles? Quite the reverse! The Council’s current management regime, where verges are cut several times a year and the cuttings are left to rot down and enrich the soil on the verges, is very likely to result in thistles, docks and nettles as they thrive in areas of high nutrients. But a change to an annual cutting and collecting regime will prevent these species from becoming dominant. Verges that have been managed as hay meadows by the introduction of species such as yellow rattle and a change to a cut-and-collect regime actually show a marked reduction in vegetation height over time, as soil fertility reduces and finer grasses and wildflowers become established. What wildlife will the verges support? Verges are basically linear meadows. Meadows and species-rich grasslands support a huge diversity and abundance of fine native grasses, wildflowers and fungi. This rich habitat supports a host of bees, flies, beetles, spiders, moths, butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, bats and birds. Why does it matter? We are in the middle of a biodiversity and climate crisis which threatens not only other species, but the health and wellbeing of future generations of people. This may seem unrelated from some small patches of verge in Shropshire, but every single patch of wildlife-friendly habitat, from a huge nature reserve to a window box, can play an important role in helping slow and stop this crisis. If all our road verges become species rich grassland they would also be able to store much more carbon, helping offset our carbon emissions. Supporting evidence During the 2022 UN biodiversity conference, COP15, countries reached a landmark agreement that aims to reverse the unprecedented destruction of nature. One of the agreement's twenty-three targets, known as 30x30, aims to protect at least 30 percent of the planet's land and water by 2030. Across Shropshire roadside verges could make a significant contribution to towards this target by changing the management regime in any new highways contract. The potential for cost savings over time is significant. Savings could be used for roadside maintenance and the development of a strategy to replace missing hedges along roadside verges and the restoration of our ditch network – all significant contributions to mitigating the effects of climate change. Shropshire is successful in the engagement of willing local communities and volunteers in proactive community capital building and the enhancement of Shropshire’s status as Shropshire Hills National Landscape capitalizing on visitors and residents alike who are increasingly appreciative of the landscape and wildlife. Shropshire Council could also realize the value of the arisings in the production of biogas, biomethane or biochar using a process called anaerobic digestion. Finally, Shropshire Council has the opportunity to lead the way nationally on this via its contract to proactively restore the roadside verges to native flora creating a ‘win-win’ situation. Website: https://middlemarchescommunitylandtrust.org.uk/restoring-shropshire-road-verges/ WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? Previous Next

< Back Shropshire Hosts Record-Breaking Repair Cafe 'The Big Mend' Pete Martin 18 Oct 2025 Celebrating International Repair Day with repairers from across Shropshire and Telford Shrewsbury celebrated International Repair Day in spectacular fashion on Saturday, October 18 with the largest-ever Repair Café event in the town as well as the county: "The Big Mend." Organised by the dedicated Shrewsbury Repair Café volunteers, in collaboration with fellow Repair Cafés from across Shropshire (including Bayston Hill, Oswestry, Pontesbury, Stretton, Telford and Wem) and sponsored by Veolia, the event was a massive success, breathing new life into a vast array of broken household items and championing the value of sustainability and reuse. Held at Prestfelde School in Shrewsbury, the event saw an unprecedented turnout. Over 137 items were brought in by the public—far exceeding all other previous records of any repair café in Shropshire. Skilled volunteer "fixers" and "menders" worked tirelessly across various repair stations, tackling everything from the modern to the antique. The eclectic mix of items repaired or assessed included: • Faulty electrical items (like vacuum cleaners and hair straighteners) • Mechanical items • Broken clocks • Torn clothing and textiles • Damaged ornaments and toys (including a vintage Bagatelle pinball machine) Most items were successfully mended on the spot, preventing them from heading straight to landfill and saving their owners the cost of replacement. For those items requiring more complicated repairs, volunteers offered advice or took them away for further attention. The spirit of "The Big Mend" went beyond simple repairs. It was a true community celebration of the Repair Café movement's core values: • Waste Reduction: the event was a practical step against the 'throwaway' culture, keeping valuable resources in use and out of landfill. • Skill Sharing: people could watch or join in the repairs, learning valuable maintenance and fixing skills that are increasingly being lost in modern society. • Cost Saving: by repairing items for free, the event offered a practical solution to the rising cost of living. In addition to the repair stations, experts from Halls Fine Art Auctioneers were on hand to offer free valuations for items like jewellery, silver, ceramics, and militaria, adding an extra layer of engagement for attendees. The event's popularity was clear, with attendees flocking to Prestfelde School throughout the day. The vibrant atmosphere was noted by volunteers, with one repairer stating that the enthusiasm and happiness in the room was "wonderful." The importance of "The Big Mend" was acknowledged by local officials, with Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley, Town Mayor Alex Wagner, and Vice Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire Jenny Wynn OBE all in attendance to show their support for the sustainability initiative. "The Big Mend" successfully made its mark, not just as the biggest Repair Café event in the area, but as a shining example of community action and collective commitment to a more sustainable future. The success of the day reinforced the vital role that Shropshire’s Repair Cafés play in local efforts to tackle both the cost of living and climate crisis. Previous Next

Shropshire Climate Action: Food Food Actions you can take for a healthy diet which also reduces carbon emissions: Aim to be food waste free Eat more plant-based foods Eat less, but bu y better quality local meat and d airy Buy local, seasonal and organic produce Support farmers markets and local box schemes Use local independent retailers Choose Fairtrade-certifi ed products Select fish only from sustainable sources Eat a healthy balanced diet and less processed food Grow your own or join a community garden or food Co-op What is the carbon footprint of your diet? Use the BBC's online interactive climate change food calculator to calculate the carbon footprint of your diet on the climate. Assess the sustainability of your food shop 23% of your carbon footprint comes from the products you buy at the supermarket Impact Score® Shopping is an app you can use when shopping or at home to scan the barcodes on food products and find out how ethical and sustainable they are. It will tell you if they have a low, medium of high carbon footprint. It will also suggest ‘more sustainable’ alternatives for products. Grow your own food Grow your own food – reduce the carbon miles of your meals Find out more about having an allotment at All About Allotments Apply to your local council for an allotment: www.gov.uk/apply-allotment World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) : volunteer with organic farmers and growers in Shropshire and beyond to gain skills and understanding about growing food in exchange for your labour. How to get involved locally Find out more about the expanding local food network in Shropshire Shropshire Good Food Partnership works with different stakeholders across Shropshire to: provide individuals and groups with support to set up and manage community-based food growing, cooking and shar ing initiatives support land-based enterprises and food businesses with innovation and create opportunities to access local markets and develop the local food economy bring together stakeholders including Local Government to engage on policy and planning and deliver goods and services Working groups include: Grow Local, Sustainable Food Economy, Wise Land Stewardship, Nature Connection, Reducing Food Waste, Healthy Food For All Contact for more information: hello@shropshiregoodfood.org Slow Food Ludlow Marches organises events such as themed meals, tastings, producer visits, markets, talks and demonstrations. The group describes its aim as “supporting local, small scale, sustainable food production” and has recently had a particular emphasis on supporting and preserving local endangered foods. The Slow Food Movement is a global, grassroots movement that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. Join campaigns for more sustainable agriculture Join campaigns for more sustainable agriculture: The Soil Association campaign s for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use The Sustainable Food Trust explores solutions for a food and farming production system that causes the least possible harm to humans and the planet

< Back Government Consultation on National Planning Policy affecting the climate crisis Jane Cullen 28 Feb 2023 Shropshire's climate action groups come together to respond to the consultation and the on-shore wind ban I n February SSCA convened a meeting with Zero Carbon Shropshire and representatives of other climate and environment groups in Shropshire (including Lightfoot Enterprises, CPRE Shropshire, Bishop’s Castle Climate Action Group, Share Energy, Shropshire and Telford Community Energy, Ludlow 21, Stretton Climate Care, Clun Climate and Environment Group) to discuss a response to the Government consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework Consultation , specifically on the topics covered under: Chapter 7 - Protecting the environment and tackling climate change; Chapter 8 - Onshore wind and energy efficiency. The deadline for the consultation is 2nd March. If you would like to see a copy of our response please email: SSCA@mea.org.uk Taking further action on the on-shore wind ban A response to the same Planning Consultation is an Open Letter from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and over 100 leading thinkers on energy and the environment to The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, calling on them to lift the on-shore wind ban in England – which has the power to address climate change, help the UK meet its net zero targets, and give us all greener, cheaper electricity. We have signed this letter along with other Shropshire climate action groups. The letter can be viewed on the We Are Possible website . You can take action via this link . Previous Next

< Back Shropshire and Telford Community Energy (STCE) take ownership of Twemlows solar farm Robert Saunders 11 Nov 2023 Bringing the benefits of solar power to Shropshire communities Congratulations to STCE on their good news - they can proceed with taking local ownership of Twemlows solar farm for the benefit of our community, generating funds for local projects whilst producing green electricity. STCE, together with partners in Community Energy Together, have negotiated an increased junior loan offer from Power to Change and Big Society Capital. Through their portfolio of five share offers on Ethex, they have collectively raised over £1.3 million. By bringing Twemlows and the other solar farms into community ownership, they will generate a collective community benefit fund of around £20 million over the next 18 years to support other green schemes in and around Shropshire and Telford. 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