< Back SSCA's reflections on COP27, 6th-20th November 2022, Egypt Fiona Morgan 1 Dec 2022 From global to local action The Global Picture Delegates at COP27 in Egypt last month reached a historic deal to set up a “loss and damage” fund to compensate those countries, primarily in the Global South, who have done the least to cause climate breakdown but who are being impacted the most by the damage of increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather patterns and conditions. However, this significant and long overdue commitment is completely undermined by the ongoing lack of agreement of all governments to phase down ALL fossil fuels. Without this, the efforts to stay below 1.5C will be beyond our reach, given that global tipping points are now being reached. To put this in perspective, back in May 1992 when the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was formed, 178 member states unanimously agreed to bring CO2 emissions down to 1990 levels of 354 parts per million (ppm) by 2000. Since then annual emissions have climbed 65% and now stand at 420 ppm (levels stood at 280 ppm in the pre-industrial era). And so the fight for climate justice and climate stability goes on. According to Carbon Brief "Tuvalu also became the first country in the world to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative , which aims to trigger a global fossil-fuel phase-out through the establishment of an international treaty, in a similar way to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons .". You can endorse this campaign as an organisation or individual via the above weblink. We shall watch this development with interest. Meanwhile in Shropshire….We Clanged for COP27 On Saturday 12th November environmental groups across Shropshire Clanged for COP27 as part of a Global Day of Action organised by the Global Justice Coalition to raise the alarm about the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Gatherings took place in Wem, Market Drayton and Ironbridge where drums and saucepans were clanged and bells were rung to demand world leaders take climate action and provide financial support to the global south for the climate related damage they are facing. Previous Next

< Back The story of how Bishop’s Castle’s Climate Action Plan has been achieved Mike Watkins 7 May 2024 Working together as a Town Council and community group The Bishop’s Castle Climate Action Group [CAG] had been developing a ‘Sustainability Plan’, drawn-up out of the community’s responses to the 2016 Town Plan survey. Then, in 2019, the group convinced Bishop’s Castle's Town Council to declare a Climate & Nature Emergency, and in return agreed to help produce a Climate Action Plan for the town. The Climate Action Plan was adopted by the Town Council in early 2020, serving as a template for an active partnership approach, containing actions for the Town Council and for the CAG, with some of the former’s actions – where the Town Council’s resources and knowledge were lacking - being undertaken for them by the CAG. For example, the town’s carbon footprint measurement. A Town Councillor has been allocated the Environment portfolio, and works closely with the CAG, including attending its monthly meetings. The group encourages the Town Council to have an environment item on its agenda quarterly, in line with the quarterly Climate Action Plan audit reports which the CAG submits. An important lesson learned by our small group, was to avoid including too much detail in the CAP, instead having a focussed and manageable Action Plan section. We have put our more detailed ideas in a separate Part 2 document which will be updated in slower time. A copy of the Bishop's Castle Climate and Nature Action Plan [Part 1] can be read on Light Foot’s website and we welcome other groups downloading and adapting it for their own areas as required. We are happy to help with any questions other groups may have on this subject. Please get in touch by e-mailing climateaction@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 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 Shropshire Council's approval of 200,000-bird intensive poultry unit overturned by High Court Julie Howe 17 Jun 2025 New environmental considerations for planning authorities Shropshire Council lost in a High Court ruling in June, overturning the planning authority’s approval of a 200,000-bird intensive poultry unit near Shrewsbury in the River Severn catchment. The case was brought by local campaigner and River Action board member Dr Alison Caffyn, supported by River Action . She said: “There are nearly 65 chickens for every person in Shropshire and yet the council still thought we needed more. This ruling proves what we've said all along: the planning system has been putting our rivers at risk. This case is a win for communities across the UK who are standing up to the environmental degradation caused by industrial factory farming.” This ruling means that planning authorities must: Assess the cumulative impacts of having multiple intensive agricultural developments in one river catchment before granting permission for another. Consider how livestock production units dispose of the waste from treatment facilities downstream, including from anaerobic digestion plants. Previous Next

< Back Follow up webinar to the Accelerating Change conference on climate action for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin David Matthews 20 Nov 2024 Planning the next steps for the network On 20 November Shropshire Climate Action held the follow up webinar to the Accelerating Change conference on climate action for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin: to update on the progress made since the Accelerating Change conference which took place back in May to explore the next steps and opportunities to get involved in emerging projects to accelerate climate action in communities across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin to feedback on what local groups and communities need and how they can contribute to county-wide initiatives. The webinar identified a number of projects that could help collaboration and climate action across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, identified several volunteering opportunities. discussed how Shropshire Climate Action can support local environmental groups more effectively, and what local groups can bring to the table. You can view the presentation slides, a recording of the event, the feedback from the breakout groups, and find out how to volunteer here . Previous Next

< Back Minsterley Meadows success Janet Cobb 1 Dec 2024 Fundraiser saves nationally important Shropshire grassland Following a 10-month campaign by local people and nature conservationists, Middle Marches Community Land Trust and Marches Meadow Group are delighted to announce that Minsterley Meadows have been purchased. Thanks are due to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and players, 367 donors, Morris & Co and over 100 supporters and volunteers. The meadows are nationally important and are amongst the best flowery grasslands in Shropshire. They support over 5,000 green-winged orchids, a species which has severely declined over the last 100 years. Over 90% of Shropshire’s green-winged orchids are in these two hay meadows. In addition, funds have been secured for ongoing management of the meadows including supporting local people to care for them and engaging with young people through a local art project, activities and events as well as working closely with local schools. Peter Carty, Chair of Marches Meadow Group commented: “This is a fantastic achievement…such places are arks of wildlife from where we hope to collect seed and material to spread into new meadows” Geoff Rogers, Chair, Minsterley Parish Council adds: "The Parish of Minsterley greatly appreciates all those who have secured the purchase of Minsterley Meadows saving it for future generations.” 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 THE SOLOMON SIREN IS IN HER RESTING PLACE ON THE SEA FLOOR! Jane Cullen 27 Jun 2026 RESULT! We are really delighted to see the Siren installed on the seabed where Kale Island once stood proudly above the tides. You can see more about the project on this video straight from the Solomon Islands and make a donation here. You can read the full story and see more pictures here. Previous Next

< Back SSCA's first Swap event at the Next Generation Fair, Craven Arms Fiona Morgan 20 May 2023 Reusing and sharing reduces carbon emissions, saves waste and helps us to help each other On Saturday 20th May we attended the Next Generation Fair at the Community Centre in Craven Arms . Along with having information on our stand about SSCA and other organisations in our network we held our first Swap event to encourage people to reuse children’s toys, books and clothes. We had lots of satisfied customers and will be taking the remaining stock to Ludlow Green Festival on Sunday 9th July for our next Swap event. So if you have any items for all ages (adults and children) to donate or swap including toys, games, books, DVD’s CD’s, household items, clothes etc please bring them along. By reusing and sharing we can help each other through the cost of living crisis and help the planet by reducing carbon emissions and waste. We look forward to seeing you there. 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 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