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

< Back Ludlow Town Council has become the latest Shropshire authority to back the Climate and Ecology Bill. Jane Cullen 15 Mar 2023 More support in Shropshire for the Climate and Ecology Bill. At a meeting on Monday night, councillors decided to unanimously back a motion calling on Ludlow Town Council to express its support for the Bill. The town clerk will now write to South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne, urging him to support the draft legislation as it makes its way through Parliament. So far over 200 UK councils and 125 MPs have expressed their support for it. The Climate & Ecology Bill aims to introduce a new UK law to deal with the full extent of the climate and nature crisis. It would ensure the UK slashes emissions in line with the 1.5C target; reverse UK biodiversity loss by 2030; ensure that the entirety of the UK’s global carbon and ecological footprints are accounted for; and invite the public to be part of the discussion on how to tackle the crisis. Jane Cullen from South Shropshire Climate Action, who spoke in favour of the motion in the public session of the town council meeting, said: ‘ I am pleased and relieved that Ludlow Town Council is backing this Bill. We’re already seeing the effects of the climate and ecological emergency here in South Shropshire, and we’re desperate for new laws to protect us, our beautiful county, and the wildlife we share it with. ’ Ludlow Town Council joins Shropshire, Bishop’s Castle and Ryton & Grindle Parish Councils on the list of Shropshire authorities that have come out in support of the Bill, with motions being tabled at Shrewsbury, Whitchurch, and Oswestry Town Councils later this month. So far only one of Shropshire’s five MPs – Liberal Democrat Helen Morgan – has publicly expressed support for the Bill. It will be reintroduced into Parliament later this Spring. Jamie Russell, a spokesperson for campaign group Zero Hour Shropshire, which is campaigning for the Bill locally, said: ‘ We’re extremely grateful to Ludlow councillors for supporting this motion. At Zero Hour Shropshire we’re hoping that more parish and town councils will back the Bill and we’d love to hear from any councillors who would like to know more about this very simple motion of support. Every Council that gets behind the Bill will help encourage more of Shropshire’s MPs to realise that the time for this vital legislation is now. ’ Previous Next

< Back Protest in Shrewsbury to "Say No to Rosebank" 8 Nov 2025 Calling for an end to drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea Campaigners from Extinction Rebellion Shrewsbury, the Shrewsbury Green Party, and Fossil Free Shropshire held a street stall on Pride Hill to raise awareness about the Rosebank oilfeld. 100 postcards were signed to Julia Buckley MP asking her to sign the "Stop Rosebank" pledge. Although the Labour manifesto promised no new oil and gas licenses, environmentalists are increasingly concerned the Government is set to U-turn on this. The Rosebank oilfield will do nothing to lower UK bills or ensure energy security and will create more CO2 than the combined annual emissions of the 28 poorest countries in the world. Take action here . Previous Next

< 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 The role of the Upper Onny Farmers' group Nick Read with information supplied by Cath Landles 1 Feb 2024 One of the farmers groups in South Shropshire We are fortunate in South Shropshire to have existing landscape-scale farmers’ groups, including the Upper Onny Farmers Group (UOFG), a key component in the restoration of wildlife habitats across 220 square km within the Shropshire Hills National Landscape (the new name for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty). UOFG was formed in 2018 and comprises 20 farmers who farm in and around the Upper Onny Valley, which lies in the Shropshire Hills between the Long Mynd and the Welsh Border. The group is co-ordinated by Cath Landles of the Shropshire Hills National Landscape Partnership. Since its launch it has been involved in two Defra Test and Trials of the proposed new Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, produced 17 Whole Farm Plans, delivered 10 farm-based environmental workshops and demonstrations, created and restored hay meadows, species rich grassland and wood pasture, protected water courses, restored hedgerows, created orchards and encouraged a shift towards regenerative farming practices. The current focus is to put together an application to the Landscape Recovery Scheme (LRS), designed to support large-scale projects that require long-term funding to achieve their outcomes. [Photo: Upper Onny Farmers' Group visiting James Rebank’s farm in Cumbria] Previous Next

< Back SSCA visit to the NMITE exhibition in Herefordshire Mike Bourke 6 Feb 2023 Higher Education gets retrofitting Members of the SSCA Energy and Retrofit Group visited the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) , a new university located in Hereford which offers a range of engineering degrees and short courses including on the sustainable built environment. They viewed the very energy-efficient building and the retrofit displays of wall insulation (external and internal), floor insulation and windows. Only organic materials were used (no plastic). 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

< Back Having a Household Energy Survey (HES) with Lightfoot Enterprises Jane Cullen 1 Feb 2023 A customer's experience If you want to reduce your carbon footprint and save money by improving the energy efficiency of your home, an easy first step is to arrange with Lightfoot Enterprises to have a Household Energy Survey. To give you a clear idea of the process and where it might lead let’s hear from Laura and Oliver about their experience: We asked them: what were you expecting from the survey? ‘We wanted to know how to make our home more energy efficient, for both environmental and financial reasons. We hoped to gain an understanding of where we could make simple but effective changes, and any areas which might require a larger investment’. Next, we found out what having the survey was actually like ‘It was a straightforward and simple process. We enjoyed having the survey, as it was a very friendly process and we were guided through everything. The surveyor was totally non judgemental, we felt we could give honest answers and not make ourselves out to be better in terms of energy usage than we actually are! We also learnt some useful tips even before we received the full report. Overall it was a very positive experience’. We wanted to know what has actually happened as a result of the survey It turns out that Laura and Oliver have done quite a lot, for example: ‘Put draught excluding tape/sealant around our front door. This was super cheap and easy to use, we simply bought it from a local hardware and stuck it on’. 'Then we found an electrician (at the surveyor’s recommendation) to find and install a more user-friendly thermostat to replace the old, cumbersome one, to help us control our heating.' Next up ‘we're also looking into making some reflective panels to go behind our radiators to reflect the heat back into the room. A friend of ours has done this, and we have found a weekend to get together with her and make our own!’ There were other recommendations ranging from getting the boiler serviced, to installing solar panels, and it's up to us to decide whether we want to progress with these.' 'It was great to have a range of suggestions, from easy, quick wins to more long term options’. Lastly, we asked would you recommend having a Household Energy Survey (HES)? ‘It was a no brainer for us to get this survey done - there was nothing to lose and everything to gain. We would highly recommend it’. What do you need to do next to get a HES? An easy first step is to arrange for a Household Energy Survey with Lightfoot Enterprises by emailing: jeremy@lightfootenterprises.org A small charge is made of £35. The survey answers are sent to a professional energy assessor who will produce a bespoke report for your home, with on-going advice and recommendations Previous Next

< Back Bishop’s Castle's Community Heat & Wind Network project update Dave Green 1 Oct 2025 The good and the bad news As reported recently, the Community Heat & Wind Network project received planning permission in June for a 900kW turbine to be installed at the site west of the Conery just off the B4385 to Lydbury North. Many thanks to all who helped with getting the planning permission, including Councillor Ruth Houghton and the BC Town Council. Planning rules mean we now have three years to begin the installation work. The turbine should produce around 2,200 MWh of electricity per year (this is the typical electricity use of 700 homes), and over its 30-year life will be very cost-effective. It will be called the ‘Twist’ turbine in memory of Dennis Twist and his long involvement with environmental activities in Bishop’s Castle and Clun. That’s the good news. Regrettably, recent developments in politics, energy markets, and local user needs have impacted the economics of the other half of the project: the Heat Network, which is the piped-heat-delivery system. These include:- • oil price stagnation, putting a cap on the price we could charge for heat, • halving of the government’s Green Heat Network Funding, • substantial increase in build costs, • the grant received by SpArC for an air-source heat pump removes a key customer for the heat and site for the Energy Centre. Coming at the end of four years during which a great deal of work has been invested in the project, these factors are very disappointing, since they mean that the Heat Network part of the business case is not viable at the moment. This decision has not been taken lightly, and we will be monitoring the situation to see if and when the circumstances change and make the network viable again. Nevertheless, we still have the opportunity to go ahead with the Wind Turbine. This is a significant achievement since it is the only community-owned Wind Turbine to get planning permission in England in the last year. The turbine will be an important Community asset and will help with local and national energy resilience, and that is where the team will be focussing their energy for the next few years. The next steps will be to explore options for supplying electricity to homes and businesses, raise the capital required and continue the process of getting connection to the grid. For further details contact Dave Green Previous Next

< Back Shrewsbury Moves Festival 23 Mar 2025 A celebration of movement and future travel The Shrewsbury Moves Conference, which took place in March was about making better use of public space and improving access to town centres. The conference coincided with the Shrewsbury Moves Festival: a celebration of movement and future travel – from a showcase of sustainable transport to outdoor yoga sessions, running and walking groups, live music and a kids’ fun-day on Sunday, all aimed at showing the health benefits of active travel, how pedestrian-friendly spaces boost the local economy, and the case for accessible, inclusive public areas. There were panel discussions looking at travel and movement in Shrewsbury town centre, and a session in which local young people were invited to share how they would like the town centre to look in future. Speakers included Rhiannon Evans of Active Travel England, Rachel Lee of Living Streets and Kay Inckle of Wheels for Wellbeing. The first two days focussed on “talking movement”, with an evening event hosted by Peter Walker, deputy political editor of The Guardian, along with drop-in talks and panels during the day. Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, which is part of the Big Town Plan Partnership along with Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council, said: “We are very grateful to Liza Freudmann, of BLA Sustainability, for her hard work in bringing such an impressive range of people to share their experiences with the local community here in Shrewsbury, and to the team at Shropshire Festivals for creating an amazing feast of active entertainment in The Square.” Previous Next

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

< Back South Shropshire MP supports the repeal of the Climate Change Act 2008 Chris Deaves 1 Nov 2025 Our response to local criticism of the Act Stuart Anderson, MP for South Shropshire, has recently stated his intention to support the repeal of the 2008 Climate Change Act. Below is the response (abridged), sent on behalf of Shropshire Climate Action and local groups in the South Shropshire constituency: “We… strongly support the 2008 Climate Change Act and are very concerned to learn that you wish to see the Act repealed. We believe that the political consensus…and the implementation of the Act have enabled the UK to make significant progress over the last 17 years on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Act's robust, legally binding framework, and the independent advisory body it established in the Climate Change Committee (CCC), have proven particularly effective. The UK has been widely recognised for its climate leadership internationally, increasing its influence and leverage in international negotiations… Repealing the Act would cause significant damage to the UK’s reputation at home and abroad, jeopardising confidence and investment in the UK’s vibrant green economy… (which) is growing at three times the rate of the wider economy. Repealing the Act would also undermine the UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution [NDC] to the Paris agreement… The CCC 2025 report and the recent report in advance on the state of Climate action worldwide…explain the urgency of accelerating action. As far as we understand it, your desire to repeal the Act doesn’t appear to be premised on any scientific data that challenges either the Climate Change Committee’s report nor the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 75% of the UK population want to see the Government taking action on Climate Change. Any retreat from our Climate commitments by political parties will carry grave consequences—undermining our national credibility, damaging our international standing, and betraying the trust of future generations.” Our chair, Chris Deaves, adds his thoughts: “I studied astronomy at university. In my studies I saw no evidence of space fleets arranging with tons of clean water, air, food or life forms. The earth is finite and so are its resources. It is ironic that Shropshire contains the cause and solution to these issues. Ironbridge is the birthplace of the industrial revolution and its consequences, not least of which is idealisation of growth based on increasing output, which cannot be maintained for ever. On the escalator from the Shrewsbury bus station is a picture of Charles Darwin and a quote: “It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.” Seeking to retain obsolete concepts of growth (and its concomitant evil of unfair resource distribution) is a fearful and unthinking response to the need for change and a cheap hook on which to hang short-term populist policy. Improving the cost of living, resource inequality and better public engagement in governance require evolution, not a nostalgic adherence to old policies. The increasing ‘undemocratic’ objections we see around us are signs of democratic evolution in progress by the only routes open and policy makers would do well to remember that all the principles of evolution apply remorselessly to us all.” Previous Next