< 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 Teach the Future campaign Rosa Strange 2 Sept 2024 Making our schools more sustainable The RAAC scandal that broke a year ago affected hundreds of schools across the UK, damaging the education of thousands of children and young people. For many, the scandal served to highlight the extent to which school buildings are unsustainable, as well as unsafe and falling apart. Teach the Future is a student-led campaign to urgently improve education on the climate crisis in the UK. Fund the Future is our newest campaign, calling for the UK government to significantly increase funding for the retrofitting and rebuilding of school buildings, to help them become more environmentally sustainable. As well as helping the country to reach net-zero targets, eco-friendly retrofitting is vital for ensuring that students have a safe learning environment, while helping schools cut high energy costs, and allowing young people to see and learn about sustainable architecture first-hand. Our report , released in September 2023, estimates that it will cost £16.3bn to retrofit all UK schools to net-zero emissions . We are calling on the government to step up and deliver the funding we need to save education. But we can’t do it alone. We need UK school staff and pupils to send in photos of crumbling and inefficient school buildings, to show the government the effects of underfunding. To be in with a chance of winning a £50 National Book Token, send us pictures of the unsafe and damaged areas of your school by emailing hello@teachthefuture.uk or completing our anonymous form . 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 Big Green Week (7-15th June) comes to Shropshire David Matthews 7 Jun 2025 Local library plays host to diverse range of climate activities Stretton Climate Care supported Church Stretton Library during “Big Green Week” (7-15th June). The library hosted our information stall for the week and our Thursday-morning energy advice drop-in centre, while promoting our monthly repair cafe on 15th June. The library also hosted a well-attended Climate Fresk Session organised through the Marches Energy Agency. Community groups and organisations can arrange Climate Fresk sessions at no cost at the moment, with support from the Marches Energy Agency (see poster below and contact: office@mea.org.uk for details). None of this would have been possible without the enthusiastic leadership and support of librarians Daniel and Gail, pictured with our stall. Previous Next

< Back 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 In December we clanged for COP28 in Shrewsbury Fiona Morgan 9 Dec 2023 Part of the Climate Justice Coalition Day of Action On the 9th December groups and individuals, including those from environmental and faith organisations, met in Shrewsbury as part of the Climate Justice Coalition Day of Action and held a protest march “WHILE COP TALKS - WYLE COP RISES!”. Gathering at the bottom of Wyle Cop, we made the most of Shrewsbury’s traffic-free weekends to march and drum together around the town helping to raise the alarm about the lack of action on the climate crisis, stopping to support the North West Relief Road protest outside Market Hall. Previous Next

< Back South Shropshire Climate Action mentioned in Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons Fiona Morgan 17 Jan 2023 Following on from our meeting with our Philip Dunne (MP) on the 6th January, Philip Dunne raised a question at Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons on the 17th January where the work of South Shropshire Climate Action was mentioned. The video can be watched via this link . "Does my Right Hon. Friend the Prime Minister join me in welcoming many of its [the Independent Review of Net Zero] recommendations, particularly to provide clarity and continuity to all those working to decarbonise our economy, especially those supporting the South Shropshire Climate Action group in my constituency?" Previous Next

< Back SSCA signs the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Fiona Morgan 31 Jan 2023 We need to get serious about taking global climate action Al Gore’s blistering 4 minute speech at the World Economic Forum, January 2023 about the state of the climate crisis Watch it and weep and then take action! Former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, gave an incredibly powerful and passionate 4 minute speech during a panel session at the World Economic Forum, Davos in January, which summarised in just 4 blistering minutes where the world is at in relation to the climate crisis; the deliberate attempts by the fossil fuel industry to scupper any meaningful action to reduce carbon emissions including undermining the COP process; and the moral obligation that we have to take action to transition to net zero for the sake of all younger people and to prevent upwards of 1 billion people becoming climate refugees. You can watch the video here . Sign up to the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty TODAY The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is a bold new proposal to phase out coal, oil and gas faster, fairly and forever. Similar to other impactful international treaties that have helped phase out the use of nuclear weapons, landmines and chlorofluorocarbons, a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty will require widespread global support – from a wide range of institutions and individuals including civil society organisations, cities, governments and citizens around the world. The current priority is for organisations and individuals to endorse the Treaty at fossilfueltreaty.org and promote the concept among their networks using the hashtag #FossilFuelTreaty South Shropshire Climate Action has joined hundreds of organisations around the world in calling for a #FossilFuelTreaty with 3 objectives: No new coal, oil & gas Phase out fossil fuels A global #JustTransition Watch this 90-second video to find out more. Previous Next

< Back The Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) at Keele University Clive Dyson 8 Mar 2023 SSCA's field visit to Keele University to see their renewable energy park Mike Bourke, Susan Lockwood and Clive and Kate Dyson visited Keele University on Wednesday 8th March 2023 to see the renewable energy park and the Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND). Keele University operates its own electricity distribution network, so is in a good position to experiment, somewhat isolated from the grid. It has two wind turbines, generating up to 1.7 MW, and an array of 12,500 solar panels, generating up to c. 5.5 MW. It also has a c. 2 MWh battery. On the cold, clouded winter day of our visit it was supplying about two thirds of the energy demand of the campus. There is also an export grid connection rated at about 1 MW. Alongside the energy park, it has been running a Smart Energy Network Demonstrator project, with support from Siemens (I believe it’s had research funding as well). This controls the generation system, use of electricity across the campus and export to / import from the grid. SEND also provides support to local enterprises, assisting them to develop energy-efficient low carbon solutions, and adding 120 new jobs and £40 million gross value added (GVA) to the regional economy. The University also carries out research and development in relation to low-carbon technologies, new energy products and data management systems. For example, it successfully trialled OFGEM’s Hydeploy project to inject 20% Green hydrogen into the University’s wholly owned gas network, testing its safety in the existing pipes and boilers and reducing carbon emissions by 7%. This project is now being taken forward on a larger scale in Gateshead, involving local homes, schools and other public buildings. Keele is also participating in a consortium of eight regional universities in the HyDEX programme to promote a new hydrogen industrial economy. During our visit we viewed the energy park, and learned of its positive impact on local biodiversity. During a (much warmer!) time spent in the impressive control centre we learned about the monitoring systems, the relationship of renewable energy developments to the planning regime, and the constraints of a decentralized community system like this in relation to the National Grid. This is a marvellous regional resource, and we hope to arrange further visits by key local organisations. We are most grateful to the staff of SEND for such a memorable learning experience. Previous Next