The Steering Group formally adopted a constitution, which means that we can now start to apply for grant funding!
For those of you who fancy getting their hands dirty, our Chirman, Ken Neal, is organising a cob building weekend at Bunker Farm. Cob is an ancient building technique which uses clay rich soil, straw, sand and water. It is the ultimate sustainable building material and Ken has built his own house from it! So if you fancy a dirty weekend (well muddy at least), then please get in touch. Details to follow on the Events page.
Our first go at Newbury Farmers Market was a bit of a proverbial wash out - it rained solidly and it was so cold, our hands and feet were numb by mid-morning. There was a great turn out from the steering group, but unfortuantely, we outnumbered the punters! If you were one of the hardy individuals who stopped to say hello, then thank you.
We're almost embarrassed to say that we packed up at midday. But it wasn't a complete loss, we learned some valuable lessons and will be back fresh and keen for another go. So if you didn't catch us this time round, then please come and see us next time. We will post the dates on the Events page.
Transition West Berkshire will be holding its first proper public event at 7:30pm on 8th May in Newbury Town Hall. Our chairman, Ken Neal, will be giving a talk on 'Peak Oil' to be followed by a screening of 'The Power of Community'. Admission is free and there are refreshments afterwards, so come along. We look forward to seeing you there.
Following on from the success of our initial film night, Transition West Berkshire will be holding a follow up event at 7:30pm on 2nd June in Newbury Town Hall. Our treasurer, Pauline Fothergill, will be giving a presentation on 'Transition Town Totnes' as an introduction to what Transition Towns are all about. This wil be followed by a short discussion on how we take forward our own Transition initiatives. Admission is free, so come and find out how you can get involved.
Transition West Berkshire will be holding another public event at 7:30pm on 3rd July in Newbury Town Hall. We will be looking at some of the exciting projects that other Transition Towns are doing to give us some ideas for what we can do here in West Berkshire. We will also be looking at what HEAT are doing in Hungerford. Come along and bring a friend!
It was good to see a full house on Tuesday 16th, with a lively and enthusiastic audience. Ruth talked us through the origins of SPAN, it's work in establishing community gardens, and the tremendous and varied benefits these have brought to their communities.
She described the practical steps and stages that groups need to consider when starting out on such a project. She then went on to tell us about the financial and practical assistance that the Local Food Fund can offer, and how to access it.
The next stage is for people to consider who might benefit from a community garden and where it might be. Transition West Berkshire has already started investigations into a possible project in Greenham. If you woyuld like to get involved, then please get in touch! Similarly, if any other groups are interested in setting up a simlar scheme, then TWB is happy to act as a co-ordinating body to apply for funding and assistance. For further information on Local Food Grants see: www.localfoodgrants.org.
It's great to see the wind turbine on the front page of the Newbury Weekly News, and it's great to hear the positive approach of so many Monks Lane residents too. Transition West Berkshire is supporting Sustainable Newbury in taking this project forward. We want to work closely with the landowner of the proposed site and local residents to seek their views, answer their questions and allay any concerns that they may have.
What's your view on the proposals? Please email us at
info@transitionwestberks.org
"News is the first rough draft of history." Phil Graham
(Last updated: 04 October 2008)