< Back Another successful year for CPRE Shropshire's Hedgerow Heros project Sarah Jameson 2 Apr 2025 6 kilometres of new hedgerow planted across Shropshire CPRE Shropshire’s Hedgerow Heroes project is coming to the end of its fourth year. This winter we have successfully planted over 6km of new native hedgerow in the Shropshire countryside on a mix of sites from working farms and smallholdings to community Scout camps and primary schools. We would like to thank all the wonderful volunteers – nearly 300 of them! – who have come out to help us in rain and shine to plant – we really could not have done it without their help, support and continued enthusiasm. There are two outlier events to go: on 21 May we have our final art workshop at Wheathill near Ludlow: a cyanotype session (printmaking with plants and the sun), led by Shrewsbury artist Andrew Howe. In September there will be a talk and walk all about the field names of the upper Clun at Newcastle Community Centre. To book on either of these events, email Sarah or keep an eye on our website . Previous Next

< Back Is this the greenest house in Telford? Tony Baker and Fiona Morgan 17 Sept 2024 Hear how local home owner, Mike King, has created a carbon neutral home Telford resident, Mike King, is the proud owner of the largest domestic solar array in Shropshire, featuring a whopping 48 panels. Not only does Mike’s whole house – and 2 cars – run on green clean electricity - Mike actually makes money on his energy bills! You can hear Mike talking about the adaptations he has made to his property to make it carbon neutral on the BBC Radio Shropshire - Clare Ashford Show on the 17 September here . The interview is at 1 hour 53 mins and 2 hours 24 mins into the programme. You can read more about Mike’s inspiring home via the Future Ready Homes website . You can visit Mike’s house as part of the Green Open Doors event run by local charity Marches Energy Agency, which takes place over 2 weekends, 19–20 October and 26–27 October. The event is a wonderful opportunity to visit some of the ‘greenest’ homes across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and learn from their owners about: Air source heat pumps Solar panels with battery storage Extra insulation EV charging It’s your chance to ask questions of the homeowners to find out why they made the choices they did, and what they learned in the process. The event is free and there are no salesmen. It is the ideal opportunity to gain the confidence and understanding you need to start making energy efficiency improvements to your own home. Start planning your visits to ‘green’ homes near you by using the postcode search here . Previous Next

Shropshire Climate Action: Schools & Youth Groups Resources for schools & youth groups Schools, youth clubs, Scouts and Guides groups play a vital role in educating young people about the climate crisis, sustainability and active travel and showing how they can be part of the solution. Generation Zero Carbon Shropshire - a group of young adults aged 16-30 living in Shropshire during the covid pandemic who were affiliated to Zero Carbon Shropshire - and Deborah Murphy, a former deputy head teacher, created many of the resources on this page. They wanted to ensure Shropshire’s younger citizens have a voice in the ongoing debate about carbon emissions. Resources have also been provided by the Teach The Future campaign which aims to reform the UK education system around the issues of climate justice, the natural world, and sustainability. Let's Go Zero - a national campaign uniting teachers, pupils, parents and their schools to become zero carbon by 2030 - also provides support to schools. You can book one of their Climate Action Advisors to give free and tailored advice to help green school buildings, transport, menus and more. Watch this video Young people from Generation Zero Carbon Shropshire created this video for Key Stage 3 students. Listen to what they have to say about the climate crisis and what young people in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin can do about it. Key Stage 3 sustainability resources These sustainability resources for schools were designed by Generation Zero Carbon Shropshire and former deputy head teacher Deborah Murphy to be used for stand-alone sessions with KS3 students. This material is intended to launch discussion about the climate crisis, sustainability and the goal of zero carbon emissions in Shropshire by 2030. This lesson will suit a range of settings including: PHSCE, Citizenship English - extend into persuasive letter writing Flexible Learning Days Catch up Literacy sessions Youth Club, Scouts, Guides, youth group sessions . Click the orange links to download the resources : the video above - suitable for assemblies, tutorial time, break times etc. lesson plan for a stand-alone lesson that can be adapted to meet specific needs. Activities can be stretched to allow deeper exploration if required powerpoint presentation to accompany the lesson plan key words sheet sustainability pledge sheet What can I do now poster letter template for a school action plan to email to Shropshire Climate Action via: contact@shropshireclimateaction.org Active Travel to School For more information about the support available to schools to encourage their pupils to walk and cycle to school see our page on Active Travel (scroll to the bottom of the page) How to decarbonise a school in Clun Read the Action Learning Project case study of St George's CE Academy, Clun and their journey to decarbonise their school. including: which strategies are most effective in encouraging participation in activities designed to reduce carbon emissions at a community level what barriers and challenges lay in the way of the group making progress. The action learning project report (2025) was produced by South Shropshire Climate Action with support from a grant from Shropshire Council to explore how communities in Shropshire can achieve Net Zero by 2030.

Shropshire Climate Action: Climate action groups in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Local Climate Action Groups Find a Climate Action Group near you Many communities across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin have a local climate action group which may provide various types of support including information, advice, events and drop ins on how to reduce your carbon emissions and get involved in taking climate and nature action. See the full list below. To find out more about what local groups are doing you can also sign up to our monthly newsletters here . If your group has an event you want to advertise, please send the details to our communications group by clicking on this link . Light Foot Enterprises C/o Enterprise House, Station Street, Bishops Castle, SY9 5AQ. Covers Bishop's Castle & surrounding area Mail Click for information Clun Climate & Environment Group Clun Town Council with Chapel Lawn Mail Click for information Market Drayton Climate Action Market Drayton & surrounding area Mail Click for information Pontesbury Climate Emergency Action Group Pontesbury Parish Mail Click for information St Martin’s Parish Council Climate Action Working Group St Martins Village Hall, Shropshire, SY11 3AY. Mail Click for information Transition Telford Meetings held 1st Tuesday of the month at the Cock Hotel, 148 Holyhead Road, Wellington, TF1 2DL. Mail Click for information Sustainable Bridgnorth Meetings held at St John's Catholic Church Hall, Northgate, Bridgnorth, WV16 4ER. Mail Click for information Clunbury Climate & Environment Group Covers Parish of Clunbury Mail Click for information Sustainable Newport Covers Newport & surrounding area (around TF10 postcode) Mail Click for information Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth Shrewsbury Mail Click for information Stretton Climate Care Drop in sessions held at the Health and Wellbeing Centre, Church Stretton, SY6 6BL. Mail Click for information Teme Valley Environment Group Knighton & surrounding area Mail Click for information Broseley Climate Action Group Bridgnorth Town Council, Broseley, TF12 5EL. Mail Click for information Ludlow 21 C/o Ludlow Mascall Centre, Lower Galdeford, Ludlow, SY8 1RZ. Covers Ludlow & surrounding area Mail Click for information Oswestry Climate Action Hub 36 Bailey Street, Oswestry, SY11 1PU Mail Click for information XR Shrewsbury (Extinction Rebellion) Meetings held Wednesdays monthly at the Nags Head, 22 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, SY1 1XB. Mail Click for information Climate Action Hub Telford Events held at Belmont Hall, Tan Bank, Wellington,TF1 1LT. Mail Click for information Wem Area Climate Action Wem & surrounding area Mail Click for information

Shropshire Climate Action: Taking action Taking action! The impacts of the climate crisis will affect everyone living on the planet The scale of action required can feel overwhelming. “Climate doom” is where we don’t take action because we think it’s a problem we can’t solve, compared with “climate denial”, where we don’t take action because we don’t think there is a problem. However, although politicians, businesses and other institutions have a critical role to play, it is important to realise that we can all take meaningful action. The more each of us does, the more impact it will have. This website shows what can be done at home and work, by individuals, communities and councils, to reduce carbon emissions and protect nature. Individual choices Green Your Money Community actions Town & Parish Councils Schools & Youth Groups Local businesses Local Lobbying Eco anxiety

Shropshire Climate Action: Active Travel Active travel Short Journeys: walking and cycling To make walking or cycling the first choice for short journeys we need safe roads, cycle paths and footpaths so people of all ages can enjoy using them. Nationally, transport spending currently favours cars over all other forms of transport, including active travel (walking and cycling) so policy changes and investment are required to encourage the transition to active travel. Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan Shropshire Council commissioned a Loca l Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) focusing on seven market towns during 2022/23. Proposals include a network of segregated cycle lanes, improved road and paving surfaces, reduced speed limits and safer crossings at road junctions and roundabouts. Implementation takes place over 10 years. Actions you can take Try using public transport, walking or cycling once a week to replace shorter journeys Share transport as much as possible Consider joining or starting a car or lift-share club Sustrans is a charity which aims to make it easier for peo ple to walk and cycle. They are the custodian of the National Cycle Network – the UK-wide network of over 12,000 miles of signed paths and routes for walking, wheeling, cycling and exploring outdoors. And they have lots of tips for getting active by using a bike or walking Shropshire Cycle Hub is a community charity focused on improving access to healthy sustainable transport across Shropshire. Find out about the services they offer including bike servicing, rickshaws and how you can get involved. Actions schools can take DfT School Streets programme in Shropshire helps schools to create an active travel plan. See link for more details about the wider initiative. Not all schools are eligible. The programme is being trialled by 6 schools across the county Bikeability is a national cycle training offer for schools supported by Shropshire Council Living Streets is the UK charity for everyday walking. Their Walk to School Outreach project, is working with Shropshire Council and Active Travel England (ATE) to encourage more primary school children and their families to walk to school. Their WOW challenge has increased walking rates by an average of 23% in the first 5 weeks. With funding from ATE, schools across Shropshire are being offered the WOW challenge for free (usual cost £500). See if your primary school is eligible here . Living Streets also offers support to communities and workplaces to make walking a natural choice for all. See the website for information about their walk leader training and their project work. Sustrans organises: Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel the UK's biggest school cycling, walking and scooting event Cycle to School Week Sustrans School Streets is a test programme to address congestion, poor air quality and road safety concerns that many schools experience during drop-off and pick-up times. This project is being delivered in association with Playing Out Big Street Survey is a free curriculum resource enabling pupils to investigate the area around their school and create a manifesto on how to make their streets safer and greener

Shropshire Climate Action: Repair and repurpose Repair & repurpose What are Repair Cafés? Repair Cafés are popping up all over Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. For the full listing of local repair cafés and when they are held, scroll to the end of this page. Repair Cafés are free meeting places where local people can take their broken items, volunteers help to repair them. and where people may also be taught to repair their own items. This may include: Clothes Soft toys Household furnishings Furniture Electrical appliances Bikes Household items including crockery Ornaments Garden tools etc. This video shows a Repair Café in action. Actions you can take 1. Set up a R epair Caf é in your community using our tool kit Download this tool kit , developed by Ludlow Repair Café, which provides the paperwork to help new Repair Cafés set up. This will download as a zip file . The National Repair Café website also provides guidance on how to set up a repair café . 2. Find a local Repair Caf é Take your broken items to one of the l ocal Repair Cafés across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. You can find some local repair cafes on the Repair Cafe website map . Or the list below shows you where you can find your nearest one and how often they meet. 3. Volunteer with a Repair Caf é Consider offering your fixing and mending skills as a volunteer Find a local Repair Café here Bayston Hill Repair Cafe 3rd Saturday every 2 months Click for information Bishop's Castle: Walter's Workshop Fridays weekly Click for information Highley Repair Cafe 2nd Saturday every other month Click for information Oswestry & Borders Repair Cafe 2nd Saturday of the month Click for information Pontesbury Repair Cafe 2nd Saturday every 2 months Click for information Wem Repair Cafe 4th Saturday of the month, quarterly Click for information Bridgnorth Repair Cafe Pop up Click for information Church Stretton Repair Cafe 2nd Saturday of the month Click for information Ludlow Repair Cafe 4th Saturday of the month, quarterly Click for information Oswestry Midweek Mend Wednesdays Click for information Shrewsbury Repair Cafe 3rd Saturday of the month Click for information Broseley Repair Cafe 4th Saturday of the month Click for information Ellesmere Repair Cafe 1st Saturday of the month Click for information Newport Repair Cafe 1st Saturday of the month, quarterly Click for information Oswestry Clothes Swap & Stitch 1st Saturday of the month Click for information Telford Repair Cafe Last Saturday of the month Click for information

Shropshire Climate Action: Our climate reports South Shropshire's "Next Steps" Report (2021) South Shropshire Climate Action wrote the ‘Next Steps’ Climate Action Plan which was launched in May 2021. The plan set out practical and achievable steps to enable the Ludlow constituency (as it was known then) to achieve a carbon net zero target by 2030, whilst also contributing to human and environmental health and well-being. The report covered the themes of Land & Biodiversity, Transport, Energy & Buildings, and Communities & Education. In June 2021 (in the frenetic days leading up to COP26) Philip Dunne, M.P. for the Ludlow Constituency, presented the 'Next Steps' Report in the House of Commons and placed the report written by his constituents directly into the hands of the chair of COP26, Alok Sharma M.P. To download the South Shropshire Climate Action report (2021) click on the links below. Download the Next Steps Report (Summary) Download the Next Steps Report (Full - 72mb) South Shropshire Climate Action's End of Project Report (2025) Over 3 years, South Shropshire Climate Action (SSCA) has engaged with community groups, businesses, schools and local networks to begin implementing the strategy outlined in the “Next Steps” Climate Action Plan. Funding from an anonymous donor paid for two Project Co-ordinators, Nick Read and Fiona Morgan (working as a job share). The End of Project report (2025) outlines the Project Co-ordinators' activities, in conjunction with the many volunteers, organisations and networks that comprise South Shropshire Climate Action. Whilst some thematic areas have seen significant progress and a fifth theme of Repair-Reuse-Recycle has been added, others have been difficult to implement. A grant from Shropshire Council’s Climate Change Task Force enabled a research project involving four case studies to be conducted, using Action Learning Research methodology, to ascertain why some approaches to decarbonising Shropshire communities were successful, and others not (see the link to the full Action Learning Research Project report 2025 below). SSCA also helped with Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin’s first county-wide climate conference, drawing delegates from all over Shropshire, on the theme of how to accelerate change towards achieving net zero carbon. Of particular interest was the inclusion of young people in the conference planning and delivery through the Environment Leadership Programme (ELP). The End of Project report concludes with reflections on the last three years, to inform future developments, as the work continues under the auspices of Shropshire Climate Action. Download the Next Steps End of Project Report 2025 Download the Action Learning Project Report 2025 The Zero Carbon Shropshire Plan (2021) The Zero Carbon Shropshire plan was produced by Shropshire Climate Action Partnership in 2021 and looked at how Shropshire as a whole could get to net zero by 2030. Download the Zero Carbon Shropshire Plan A note about Net Zero We appreciate that achieving net zero by 2030 is ambitious, requiring resources and commitments from national and international agencies far beyond our ability to influence. However, SCA in conjunction with Shropshire Council and the Church of England have all adopted 2030 as the date because more urgent action is required than is being achieved by the government’s commitment to achieve net zero by 2050.

< Back Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin based environmental groups write to the Prime Minister David Matthews 6 Nov 2025 Calling for urgent action on climate change ahead of the UN COP30 taking place in Brazil this November Photo credit: UN Climate Change / Lara Murillo Read our letter sent to Prime Minister Keir Starmer from Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin environmental groups calling for urgent action on climate change as world leaders meet at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21, 2025. The year the conference will focus on the global effort to keep warming below 1.5°C, unveil new national climate plans, and assess progress on finance commitments made at previous COP meetings. Letter to the Prime Minister ahead of COP30 V1.0 Nov 2025 .pdf Download PDF • 124KB Previous Next

Energy & Buildings Motivation The UK is committed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, to address global warming. We have set ourselves an ambitions local target to achieve this by 2030. But, as we've seen, energy prices have increased. We can all benefit by making sure that our homes use as little energy as possible. Liu, Z., Deng, Z., Davis, S.J. et al. Monitoring global carbon emissions in 2021 Nat Rev Earth Environ 3, 217–219 (2022) How can you save? It's best to plan for three stages: Reduce consumption : Short-term fixes that cut your bills immediately and reduce emis sions. Improve efficiency : Investing in increased insulation and energy efficient appliances to get a long-term return. Shift to renewable energy : a combination of low-carbon heating (probably a heat pump), buying energy from a renewable supplier, time shifting to off-peak, and possibly installing solar panels. Advice, assistance and funding Many of the energy-saving measures presented on this site have reasonably short time payback period. If you can afford them they will pay for themselves. ECO 4 grants have been available for those eligible, including people on benefits. The most recent ECO Plus grants will be available to anyone in poorly insulated (EPC D or below) houses in council tax bands A to D. They are not means tested. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides grants of £5,000 towards the installation of a heat pump. Contact your local group or MEA for advice. Meet with an energy advisor. Other on-line resources Energy Saving Trust ...

< Back Climate campaigners find common ground with Helen Morgan, North Shropshire MP John Hargreaves 18 Oct 2024 On the topics of awareness raising, pensions, energy and farming Helen Morgan MP met climate activists from Market Drayton, Wem and Whitchurch on 18 October, as part of the national Common Ground initiative by the Climate Coalition. The North Shropshire climate campaigners joined hundreds around the country who met their local Members of Parliament to discuss how to work together for effective action in the face of climate breakdown. ‘We appreciated Helen Morgan’s commitment to climate action, including her support for the important Climate and Nature bill now before Parliament, as well as her very well-informed and positive approach to the issues we discussed. We look forward to working together in the future to support climate action at local and national levels,’ said John Hargreaves, Chair of Market Drayton Climate Action. At the meeting Helen Morgan responded to four specific requests, as well as sharing her insights into some of the challenges and political approaches to action on climate. The importance of leadership in influencing public awareness of climate issues Helen Morgan agreed that although significant action on climate must come at government level, widespread community understanding and support will be required. The climate campaigners asked for Ms Morgan to help build public awareness of the issues by using opportunities in her communications to refer to climate links in many of the initiatives and areas in which she is involved. She responded that this is an area she will bear in mind in future. Ms Morgan pointed out that communicating about the climate emergency is challenging in the face of social media responses from climate deniers, and that biodiversity issues are often received more readily. Climate campaigners can support Ms Morgan in referring to climate by using social media to welcome her comments. Pension holdings in fossil fuels Liberal Democrat policy is for all pension funds to be divested from fossil fuels. Although locally there have been repeated efforts urging the Shropshire Pension Fund to stop fossil fuel investments, there have been negative responses or no response at all. The climate groups asked Helen Morgan to write to the Chair of the Shropshire Pension Fund to ask what steps they are taking to divest as a matter of urgency from fossil fuels, which she agreed to do. Supporting farmers to move to sustainable practice North Shropshire is an agricultural area in which we are witnessing loss of biodiversity and the increasingly the detrimental impact of bigger farms, including impacts on carbon emissions. The climate campaigners asked Helen Morgan to write on behalf of farmers in North Shropshire to ministers in Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs to ask about how they are planning across departments to incentivise sustainable practice which will be manageable, accessible and economically viable for farmers. Ms Morgan said she would write to the ministers, and also that she expects Tim Fallon as Liberal Democrat lead on farming to be active on these issues in Parliament. Barbara Cotterell from Wem Area Climate Action mentioned the possibility of a farming forum in Wem next year, which Ms Morgan could consider attending. Energy efficiency and renewable energy Chloe King from Wem, who works for an energy charity, gained Ms Morgan’s agreement to write to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, asking for retrofit grants to be reformed and to be more accessible. Chloe will send supporting data on experience with the difficulty in gaining support through the grants. Ms Morgan also described cross-party support in Parliament for requiring solar panels on all new builds, as well as moves to require landlords to upgrade housing to be more energy efficient. On behalf of the climate groups, John Hargreaves thanked Ms Morgan for her willingness to support climate action. ‘It is heartening for us to have national representation that recognises the crucial steps that must be taken toward a safe and healthy future,’ he said. 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