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Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network |
formed June 2006 |
The informal network has been set up for those with an interest in climate change issues. |
| Links to climate change and sustainability | ||
Interested in the Science? Try these links |
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Thur April 18 3.15pm Chidham School |
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(FREE) Bike Maintenance session at Chidham School |
with Paula of Barreg Cycles, Fishbourne |
Posted Apr 14 |
Come and watch or bring your bike to get the once over. Learn how to maintain your bike and make sure it’s road worthy for the spring/summer. |
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Saturday Jan 5 11am Village Hall |
C&H Sustainability Network
Swap shop and recycling event For one hour only |
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Christmas Tree shredding
Unwanted presents Card Recycling, Decorations
Good quality items, Sorry, no clothes |
posted Dec 28 |
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Bring what you don't want .... take what you do want - no money changes hands
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Saturday April 28 10.30am - 12 noon Village Hall |
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Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network Swap Shop Bring what you don't want, take what you do want Sorry, no clothing. (see poster) |
posted April 23 |
| Sat 21 April 9.45am School |
Entry by donation £2 Film finishes at 12 Children under 5 need parental supervision |
posted Apr 16 |
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Tuesday April 10 7.30pm Village Hall |
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Grow Your Own Local Group |
Love to grow veg? Too little space? Too much space? Come and join us at the village Hall and help set up a growing community |
The inaugural meeting of Chidham Grow Your Own was held on March 8th at Chidham Village Hall. It is hoped that more local people might feel inspired to join this initiative which is designed to link those people who have a vegetable garden or plot but could do with some help (sharing the work and produce) with those people with no space to grow but a wish to do so. Also a getting together of those who like to grow their own veg and would benefit from the sharing of expertise and advice, tools, seeds, surplus crops, bulk buying and best of all ....sharing of meals made from home grown fruit and veg. |
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Thur Mar 8 7.30pm Village Hall |
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'Grow Your Own' Group all welcome - help set up a growing community - see poster |
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Posted Feb 20 |
Saturday June 18 10 am to 12 noon Village Hall |
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posted June 8 |
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Bring what you don’t want .... ....take what you do want. IT’S FREE! NO MONEY CHANGES HANDS. |
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Thursday June 2nd Assembly Room, North Street, Chichester, at 7pm |
Event about the use of wood-fuel - see details New incentives for renewable heating now makes using local, sustainably grown wood an attractive option. Individual households and communities working together can all benefit. |
posted May 18 |
Wed May 11 8pm The Barleycorn |
Chidham & Hambrook Sustainability Network |
Posted May 6 |
Solar Energy (PV) |
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Save the planet or investment? I have just had solar panels (PV) installed - if you are interested I am happy to share my experience. email me or phone on 572059 |
posted Mar 21 |
| Watch out for cowboys, shading issues, what will it cost, will it save money, how can I find out etc ? | |||
Monday
4 April 3.30-4.30pm. Village Hall |
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Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network Bike Maintenance Workshop Free - All ages welcome |
posted Mar 15 |
Come and watch or bring your bike to get the once over. Learn how to maintain your bike and make sure it’s road worthy for the spring/summer. |
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Workshops run by Paula from Barreg Cycles of Fishbourne. |
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Chidham & Hambrook Sustainability Network in partnership with Chidham & Hambrook Film Society |
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Friday April 15th 7.30pm, Film shows at 8pm Chidham & Hambrook Village Hall |
Presents a showing of the film HOME |
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Tickets: £3 available from 01243 574074 / 572902 Licensed bar |
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In the past 200,000 years humans have upset the balance of Planet Earth. The price is too high. Through visually stunning footage shot entirely from the air from over 50 countries, photographer Yann Arthus-Bernard shows us a view of the world most of us we have never seen. He shares with us his sense of awe about our planet and his concern for its health. With this film Arthus- Bernard hopes to provide a stepping stone to further the call of action to care of our ‘Home'. ( All of the CO2 emissions caused by the making of the film have been calculated and offset by sums of money that are used to provide clean energy to those who don't have any.) |
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Sat Jan 22 10am - 2pm |
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Unwanted xmas presents? Swap them! (No money changes hands) |
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Sponsored by
Chichester Community Development Trust
and Chichester District Council |
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| Mon 10th Jan 2011 at 7.30pm at the Bassil Shippam centre, Chichester |
Transition Chichester are showing 'HOME' - a film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand - see more details see also link to trailer |
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Big Green Event |
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• Fabulous Children’s Fashion Show using recycled materials • Eco inspired story told by Hazel Bradley • Stalls and displays • Speakers and Open Forum |
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posted 10/10/10 |
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Chichester Garden Share website goes live! |
Posted Sept 21 |
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AGM Monday Oct 11th at 7.30 at the Bassil Shippam Centre.
Please bring a plate of finger foods to share. |
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About 10:10one simple idea: cutting our carbon emissions by 10% in 2010 |
Have you seen the Chidham School 10:10 Case Study? |
posted July 20 |
Have you signed up for the 1010 campaign? visit www.1010uk.org |
Tues 13th July 6pm |
Tuppenny Barn Open Evening |
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Come & see how organic fruit, veg, herbs & cut flowers are grown & how sustainable gardening can be achieved. |
Main Rd Southbourne ( next to Tuppenny lane access from Main Road) Ring 07977 536684 for more info www.tuppennybarn.com |
Plant sales & soft fruit sales £3 to include tour & refreshment, |
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Fri Oct 8th Chidham School Hall |
Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network Big Green Event |
Fashion Show, Story Telling, Speakers, Stalls, Refreshments |
| Portsmouth Green Fair 2010 is on Sat 17th July from 11 - 4 in Portsmouth Guildhall Square and Victoria Park |
Fri 21st May 9pm |
Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network
Bat Walk: with a bat expert and bat detector. assemble at the Cobnor Amenity car park, Chidham Lane Led by Ed Rowsell from Chichester Harbour Conservancy |
posted 18 May |
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Friday 14th May Chidham School on Friday night at 6pm (to 8.30pm) |
Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network |
posted 13 May |
Wild Life Film Night |
Tickets £4 Adults, £2 Childrem, £10 Family ticket. Tickets available on the door. |
Have you signed up for the 1010 campaign? visit www.1010uk.org |
10:10 Tip of the month. Creating your workplace travel plan A workplace travel plan focuses on commuter and business travel and is an easy starting point to encourage staff to use alternatives to single occupancy cars. Many of these measures promote a happier, healthier workplace. Here are some top ideas:
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| The 1010 campaign |
| The Chidham & Hambrook Sustainabilty Group has had a great start since it's inception last year, however, following the disappointing Copenhagen Conference on climate change we all need to do more, but how? The CHSG core group believe that the 10:10 initiative is a great way forward. Everyone is looking for something to do about climate change. What's needed is something straightforward, immediate and meaningful. We think we've found it. Today we're joining thousands of individuals and organisations from across the country to unite behind one simple idea: a 10% cut in carbon emissions during 2010. It's called 10:10, and we want you to be a part of it. Read on to find out more, or visit www.1010uk.org to sign up now. Cutting 10% in one year is a bold target, but for most of us it's an achievable one, and is in line with what scientists say we need right now. By signing up to 10:10 we're not just promising to reduce our own emissions – we're becoming part of a national drive to hit this ambitious goal in every sector of society. The success of 10:10 depends on getting everyone involved in making it happen, and the 10:10 website has all the tools you need to pass the message on far and wide. We need to start spreading the word to every corner of the country, inviting our friends, family, colleagues, customers, competitors – everyone we know – to take part. It's easy to feel powerless in the face of a huge problem like climate change, but by bringing everyone together to take action collectively, 10:10 enables all of us to make a meaningful difference. It's the perfect opportunity to find out what's possible when we work together. 10:10 is an idea whose time has come. Let's get on with it! |
Saturday 27 March 2010 at 8.30pm |
From the Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network Core Group Get involved in WWF's Earth Hour Earth Hour 2010 aims to bring together over one billion people to switch off lights for one symbolic hour on 27 March. Let's all switch off to show we care about people and wildlife threatened by climate change. |
| Jan 31st 2010: Sustainability Network visit to 'Terre a Terre', Brighton | |
A great Sunday trip to 'Terre a Terre', the famous vegetarian restaurant in Brighton. The direct train journey (bargain train tickets organised by Nicky) from Nutbourne to Brighton was excellent, the meal out of this world, and of course the company was great. Thanks so much to Philip and Diana for setting it all up. |
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Have you swapped your conventional Tungsten Filament bulbs for low energy ('compact fluorescent') bulbs? You will certainly save energy if you do, but......read this from the BBC |
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Tuesday Dec 1st |
MAYBUSH COPSE - work party |
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| Thanks to everyone who came out for the working party of scrub-bashing and clearing! There were over 30 volunteers including Friends of Chichester Harbour. A large skip was filled with all sorts of rubbish. It's great to see the progress the group made. | |||||||||
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THE AGE OF STUPID |
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Starring Pete Postlethwaite |
Friday 27 November 2009 |
Chidham & Hambrook Village Hall |
The Age of Stupid is the new four-year epic from McLibel director Franny Armstrong. Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn't we stop climate change when we had the chance? |
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| With a fresh approach, this documentary combines a series of global warming-related stories with a linking device that's both clever and gimmicky. But it also proves the difficulty of making a film on this important topic that's not depressing. In 2055, the remnants of humanity are being preserved by an archivist (Postlethwaite) who looks back at the events leading up to the global climate tipping point 40 years earlier. He shows us six stories: a Mumbai businessman (Wadia) is setting up India's first low-cost airline; a British developer (Guy) battles protesters to install a wind farm; a New Orleans oil company scientist (Duvernay) rescues people after Hurricane Katrina; a Nigerian medical student (Malemi) struggles against oil company pollution; an 82-year-old French mountain guide (Pareau) watches as an Alpine glacier melts away; and an 8-year-old Iraqi girl (Bayyoud) yearns for her brother to join her as a refugee in Jordan. Each of these stories is lively and fascinating, and filmmaker Armstrong includes current news footage, clever effects work, terrific animated segments and a wealth of information that's often quite scary. The key question is why we're not stopping climate change while we still can. Individually, none of the stories seem particularly devastating, but by intercutting between them, the cumulative effect highlights our individual responsibility to take care of the planet and do what we can. On the other hand, as with other climate change docs (including Al Gore's more entertaining An Inconvenient Truth), the ultimate feeling is one of helplessness. While we can make key individual choices, it's the world's leaders who must push for significant changes. And we know that's not likely to happen in a world where oil is such a key player both economically and politically. The oil companies are the villains in this film, with evidence of greed and injustice that's often overpowering. Oil profits rarely benefit residents of the countries where it's found, and lobbyists make sure alternative energy sources can never find equal footing. But the filmmakers also go after consumer culture, in which we throw out anything we're tired of and believe the capitalism myth that economic growth can continue forever. It's this attitude that has made us afraid of taking direct action to find a balance of equity and sustainability. And that's pretty stupid. |
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Maybush Copse revealed |
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7/11/09 |
MAYBUSH COPSE - work party Sat Oct 31st |
More about Maybush Copse |
31/10 |
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Excellent Saturday 'party' - 43 people turned up, despite the damp start. Gosh, didn't everybody work hard! It's certainly made a big difference. Thanks to Diana and Carla - great baked potatoes, cheese and coleslaw. Robin Yeld has taken the bath away and will attempt to sell it on ebay..... Report and photos |
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Found: Someone left a pair of green, well used, gardening gloves behind at the work party. I have them so email me if they're yours. |
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The next work party will be on Tuesday December 1st, 10am till 12 noon |
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Ever thought about Solar Power for your home? Useful information(1.2Mb) from Transition Chichester |
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Tuesday December 1st, 10am till 12 noon |
MAYBUSH COPSE - work party |
More about Maybush Copse |
| Come and join us for another working party of scrub-bashing and clearing! And this time we will have volunteers from the Friends of Chichester Harbour joining in. Coffee and biscuits will be provided by the rangers | ||
| Sat Dec 5th 2009 | |
| CLIMATE CHANGE ALERT! TIME FOR ACTION..... It is only a few weeks now till the world leaders gather at Copenhagen. This could be the last chance to get a real global deal to stop catastrophic climate change. We are members of the Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network, and we want to get active now and join with the thousands and millions worldwide campaigning for a strong and positive agreement at the Copenhagen summit. On Saturday December 5th there will be a march in London ... shall we all go? will you join us? It's called "The Wave" and you can check out the details at www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave This really seems to be the best (and possibly last) chance to exert influence and make a difference, and obviously the more people the better! There should be thousands there on Dec 5th all wearing blue encircling Parliament at 3pm. It should be a fantastic event .... So if, like us, you are really worried about escalating climate change, do get in touch and we will share ideas, make a plan to go to London for The Wave, and/or look at what action we can take locally. Jane Towers and Diana Beale Contact Jane on 01243 576580 Or email : taylorbeales@yahoo.co.uk |
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And don't forget to come to Chidham Village Hall for the showing of the film "The Age of Stupid" on Friday 27th November at 7pm - a great feature film that tackles the issues head on... Tickets from David Rodgers 01243 574074 |
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| Wed Oct 21st | Dell Work Party |
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| There were 23 people at the work party including Friends of Chichester Harbour and local residents. As well as clearing undergrowth and the stream, 500 bluebells were planted and boards for a nature trail were put up. | ||
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Gas and Electricity - Costly for you and the Planet |
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Vicars' Hall, Chichester Cathedral Doors and bar open from 7:00pm |
FREE impartial presentations on:
How to save energy in your home
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Try this website |
Eat the seasons aims to promote an understanding of food seasons. Each week it focuses on one food, which is currently in season, with facts, useful tips and recipe ideas. |
See also our links page |
| EU launches “Click a Tree” campaign - the campaign aims to encourage young Europeans to take individual action against climate change. Details - and website link |
| A lovely sociable evening for the Core Group (who organise the events and campaigns for the CHSN) was held on Tuesday June 30th. We celebrated the summer with a gorgeous cake made by Stephen Morley and an enormous tray of the best possible local organic strawberries from Maggie of Tuppenny Barn. After food for the body, it was food for the mind, with inspiring ideas on the future of food-production as we watched the DVD of "Farm for the future". This enjoyable, easy-to-watch documentary explores the almost total dependence on oil of current food production, and looks for the way forward, especially once oil supplies start to fail. And it tells the story of Rebecca Hoskings, who inherits her family farm in Devon, and wants to find a genuinely sustainable way of producing food on it. Fascinating stuff, some beautiful footage, and packed with ideas and thoughts to expand the mind. |
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"Farm for the future" Interested? Then why not borrow the DVD and watch it with family and friends. An hour well spent, we assure you! To book the DVD, ring Diana Beale on 572321 or email taylorbeales@yahoo.co.uk |
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Tuesday
June 23rd
2009 |
Tuppenny Barn Open Evening
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An enthusiastic group came to see what is going on at Maggies Tuppenny Barn Organic Smallholding, to buy plants and enjoy refreshments after the tour. see photos |
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Would you like to help clean up the village and join the LITTER BLITZ team? |
The daring and ingenious plan is to meet at the Village Hall carpark at 2pm, for communal chanting, breast beating and battle cries, and then to fan out across the village like a marauding army of barbarian .... litter pickers.......
If you haven't done it before, aptitude tests and intensive training are not part of the programme, but I can let you have a picking stick, which makes it all possible. |
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Please let me know if you can come along. Also if you know of areas that need special attention. |
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SUNDAY |
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Come on the Great Green Garden Trail! Sustainable gardening in Chichester |
| March 12th at Cobnor A very enjoyable, interesting and entertaining evening at Cobnor with David Wilson who is responsible for the farm management on Prince Charles' organic farm 'Duchy Home Farm' at Tetbury in Gloucestershire. He told us about the crops grown, the crop rotation system used and some of the differences between organic farming and the more normal chemical and fertiliser intensive farming methods. In addition he showed us some of the more unusual breeds of animals on the farm. |
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David Wilson pictured with Maggie Haynes, Diana Beale and Nicky Bell |
Wed March 11th 10am |
Dell Work Party (directed by Harbour Conservancy Rangers) - Help improve the Dell for families and for wildlife ......or just take out your frustrations on the brambles .... Meet at Hamstead Meadows for a 10am start, working until midday. Refreshments will be provided. |
Friday 27th Feb, 6.30 to 8.30pm Wildlife Film Night at Chidham School - see details in association with the Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network |
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The bells ..... the bells. The fire alarm, inspired by the entirely blameless popcorn, summoned the faithful who enjoyed a wonderful evening with films about whale sharks, dolphin heroes, and some unique footage of manta rays. Thanks to Sarah Chadwick and Big Wave Productions for a great evening and Carla and all her helpers for the very popular refreshments, and to Lynda Aplin for making the school available. |
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Sarah Chadwick |
David Rogers "Bells? What bells?" |
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Have you sent back your form? The community carbon foot print reduction project is underway. A second leaflet is being delivered to every household in the parish. What's this all about? |
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Conflict in Northern Kenya - A Conservation Opportunity?Ian Craig, founder of the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), and a man with an unrivalled passion for Kenya and its people will, with Jonathan 'Kip' Nteere, give the 15th Tusk American Express Conservation Lecture. They will explain how the foundations of this unique organization are based on the mitigation of conflict through conservation.There is a quiet revolution happening in northern Kenya, where over 60,000 people have decided to dedicate 1.6 million acres of their community land to wildlife conservation. This is a 'first' in East Africa, if not across the whole continent. Through NRT and its council of elders, communities of diverse ethnicity have come together to form community-led conservation institutions. The long-term implications are exciting and far-reaching in terms of peace, stability and poverty alleviation across this vast landscape. There is now a very real future for the wildlife and people of this region who have a relationship so closely linked that wildlife and livestock are considered one from the community's perspective. |
Where and when? Wed Nov 19th at the Royal Geographical Society, London For more information and tickets for this lecture, please contact adele@tusk.org . Thanks to Vivienne Giacobino-Simon for the message |
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GREEN FOOT IS UP AND RUNNING The community carbon foot print reduction project is underway with over 600 flyers delivered to every household in the parish |
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The flyers contain information about the need to reduce our carbon footprint and also what the Sustainability Group would like each of us to do about it. The first stage is to have every household in the parish work out their Carbon Footprint - full details are in the flyer but this can be done online using the web site or you can call one of the numbers on the flyer and have a paper questionnaire dropped off to you or one of the Sustainability Group volunteers can pay a visit and help you. |
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Sun 12th October |
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Over 20 households participating |
Sat 11th October CHIDHAM SCHOOL HALL |
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CHIDHAM & HAMBROOK SUSTAINABILITY GROUP
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Hate Litter? This is your chance to do something about it.. Litter Blitz - Sunday Sept 21 'The Big Push'. Meet at the Village Hall at 2pm If you think you have what it takes to wield a litter picking stick let me know. |
| Note on the same day there is a Sea shore litter clean up that starts at 10.30am |
A great Father's day midsummer walk around the village in company, enjoying our beautiful countryside...and ending in 'The Old House at Home'. Lucky with the weather, too. |
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I came across a stag beetle crossing the road near Harbour Way. I helped it across the road .....and didn't think to take a photo! Kicked myself all the way back to 'The Old House at Home' |
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Charlotte (ex Chidham Primary School) came over for the day and came on the walk. Isn't Father's day great! |
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Thanks to Clare Smith and Nicky Bell for the idea, and for arranging it all. |
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Sunday June 15th 4pm |
Come for a Walk around Chidham starting from and ending outside 'The Old House at Home.' Enjoy a stroll on a summer's afternoon in company. How long? - perhaps an hour and a quarter, but a short cut is possible. |
Sponsored by the Transport Group of the Sustainability Network. Why not car share, walk or cycle to The Old House at Home? |
Cot Lane Land for Sale: 8 acres, for sale by informal tender on June 26 |
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Wed June 11th 7.30pm |
Public Meeting | St Wilfrid's Church Hall, Broad Road | |
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to discuss purchase of the land for the benefit of the environment and the community. |
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Also attending Chichester Harbour Trust |
Chichester Harbour Conservancy |
Parish Councillors - Southbourne, and Chidham & Hambrook |
Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network. |
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This is a rare opportunity for the community. Please come along - Find out more - support the project |
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Want to know more? Whatever your thoughts - e mail me |
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Community Carbon Footprint Audit Do your own audit |
Follow the story of a migrating Osprey from Africa to Scotland (via Heathrow!) |
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Osprey's also pass through Chichester Harbour on their migration |
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Community Carbon Footprint Audit |
Launch Sat April 19th - report |
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The plan is to make an assessment of the Carbon Dioxide emissions for which our community is responsible, and then help people to make their own reductions. Everybody needs to play their part. |
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| You can assess your carbon footprint on line. | |||
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| Progress will be displayed on a giant indicator designed with help from the children at Chidham School. | |||
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| It was a good turnout on a less than Spring like day. | Diana Beale and John Wyatt covered the 'what' 'why' and 'how' of the audit | ||
The timetable for the audit programme is |
April to July 2008 - the Audit August to October 2008 - Collate the data November to February 2009 - Feedback to Households March 09 to Mar 2010 - Practical Help |
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Friday 29th Feb |
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| The School hall was packed with close to a hundred people - and Sarah Chadwick (Cunliffe), Director of Big Wave Productions treated us to clips from some of the award winning films produced for televison and film by her wildlife film company. These included films still in production. | ||
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| Sarah (left) with Diana Beale | ||
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Sarah explained some of the secrets of making these films, and some of the difficulties. A highlight was clips from a documentary following the magical 20 year journey of a loggerhead turtle, due for completion by the end of the year. There was also stunning film of Whalesharks. I can't wait to see the film on Manta rays, graceful giants, and with the largest and most developed brain of any fish. Thjere was a poignant moment with clips from Death on the Amazon, about the death of Peter Blake, murdered by pirates on the amazon. The evening ended with clips from Sarah's favourite documentary about rescuing Orang-utans in Borneo. |
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| If you would like to be on the Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability e mail list, or for more info e mail the postmaster. | Link to Save the Orangutang | |
| Feb 2008: Greening Campaign | |
West Sussex County Council have selected Chidham and Hambrook to be one of five villages to participate in a Greening campaign. The Greening campaign is a response to the threat of global warming. It is an innovative idea to help motivate people to reduce their energy consumption and therefore lower their personal and community carbon footprint. |
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From Left to right:
Carla Allen, Siobhan Walker of WSCC,Terena Plowright (Greening Campaign Leader), Maggie Haynes, Emma Livett (Chi DC), Richard Weavis (Hartings Greening Campaign) |
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| In the first stage of the campaign, households in the Greening Campaign area will be given a card that lists simple ways to save energy in the home. They would make a pledge to undertake a number of these measures, and then display the card in their front window to show their commitment to the campaign. see more about the Greening Campaign | |
Feb 21st
About 35 people turned up on Thursday morning to make Bat Boxes in St Wilfrid's Hall. Dave Molloy, a Chichester Harbour Conservancy Ranger, showed us how. |
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C&H Sustainability Network Another great event |
'Solar Power Information Evening' Wed 14th Nov at Cobnor House, |
30 people gathered at Cobnor House for presentations about Solar Power. Clearly this is a technology making great strides from a relatively low base, and with the current and expected rise in fuel prices, something all homeowners should look into. It could make a radical difference to monthly heating bills, as well as reduce the nations carbon footprint. As with any home improvement investment getting the best advice from experienced and reputable suppliers is crucial. This is an investment with a high capital cost, but one with the potential to pay you back for many years to come.
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Diana Beale chaired the evening |
Thirty people attended |
| Many thanks for interesting and informative presentations from Mike Mckeown of Worcester Bosch and Tom Cartwright of Greenheart Installations giving a fascinating explanation of solar power systems and related technologies, as well as really useful background information. Follow the links for more information about these companies. Thanks also to Worcester Bosch for sponsoring refreshments for the evening, and to Diana Beale for welcoming us all into her home. | |
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| My arty photo of a high efficiency solar glass tube panel. | From left to right - John Wyatt, Douglas Pattison and Tom Cartwright of Greenheart installations, Mick McKeown of Worcester Bosch, Dave Ball (Dave Ball Plumbing and Heating) and Diana Beale. |
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Sat 10th Nov - Chidham & Hambrook Local Produce & Craft Fair photos and report |
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Can you spot the bat? You have to be ever so quiet, and look very very carefully! |
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| Aug 07: New carton recycling scheme for Chichester District |
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Saturday 28th July - The Big Yellow Eco Bus meets Chidfest more |
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| Report on the visit to Roll Royce (by our very special correspondent) |
| Weds June 20th 7pm: MidSummer Guided Tour of Cobnor Estate | |
| We met at Cobnor House for a magical midsummer guided tour of Cobnor Estate. We were given a wonderful view of the diversity of life and habitat on the Cobnor peninsula, an insight into some of the history of this beautiful area, and what needs to be done to maintain it for the generations to come. | |
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Yes, the sheep did seem to be paying attention. |
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Our thanks to Diana Beale |
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June 18, 2007: Drawing up an Energy Strategy for the village - First Meeting: Notes (PDF) |
| Green & ethical phone company | 19/6/07 |
| I thought that the wider group might like to be aware that the Phone
Co-operative www.thephonecoop - a green & ethical phone company that
has its own sustainability fund & donates some of its profits to the
Centre of Technology, has now taken on residential lines so you can
transfer from BT. Their rental line service is maintained on their
behalf by BT Openreach so there's no change in the quality of service &
they provide all the same call features such as 1571 & 1471. More
importantly they handle all issues themselves regarding line faults, new
lines etc.
As BT are charging customers £1 a month for their 1571 service if you are not using them for at least 2 chargeable calls per month along with a charge for customers who fail to pay by direct debit & a charge from £5 - £7.50 for all late bills - it might be worth looking at the Phone Co-op. They charge £11.90 a month for line rental with BT being £12.50. Line rental switches can be done free of charge up till 31 August & can be done online or by calling 0845 4589000. They also offer a good broadband service. I have used their service for about 3 years & have had no complaints. Maggie |
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| Energy efficiency and renewable energy meeting: Cobnor House at 8pm on Monday June 18th |
| At the end of the consultation meeting held earlier this year several people indicated that "energy" was an area they were interested in. Sorry that it has taken us a while to get moving on this, but we are meeting shortly to look at the best way of taking things forward re energy efficiency and renewable energy. If you would like to play a part in this, then do come to a meeting to be held at Cobnor House at 8pm on Monday June 18th ... and please let Diana know if you intend to come. We intend to stay focussed on actions rather than be a "talk-shop", and to finish before 9.30pm! |
| Transport group May 15th |
| Clare Smith, Nicky Clark, Nicky Bell, John Keynes, Sue Bramwell Smith, Stephen Johnson and Diana Beale (part time) got together at Clare's house to discuss what we could do locally on transport issues. Main problem areas were vehicles speeding through the village, how to reduce car journeys, and make the village more friendly to cyclists and walkers. It was felt that better information and publicity about public transport would also help. One difficulty was taking bikes on trains. It was agreed that there was no need for traffic to exceed 30mph in the village. The School was to be congratulated on the walking bus project. Stephen Johnson thought it would be difficult to get lower speed limits without a residents campaign. The campaign on speeding by Steve Clark was very much welcomed. Better facilities for cycles - cycle lanes, smoother surfaces, and more cyclists on the road - would have the effect of slowing traffic down, something of a chicken and egg situation. The group plan to meet again on July 3rd |
| Bike Week - Can you Get Involved? |
Bike Week, the UK's annual ‘celebration of cycling', takes place on the 16th - 24th June this year. Bike Week includes the Bike2Work promotion that encourages car owners to try commuting by bike.
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| Tuppenny Barn Open Evening - Wednesday 23rd May |
 In fact quite a few people turned up after I had taken the photo, so there must have been about twenty people who enjoyed the open evening at Tuppenny Barn to see first hand the workings of a Soil Association Organic smallholding. Thanks very much to Maggie Haynes for a very interesting evening. www.tuppennybarn.com |
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A Spring walk and El Nino A floral extravaganza with wonderful photograpy From Robin Yeld of the Country Diary Team: see the photos |
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Look out for an article by Sue Gilson in the Chichester Observer about the Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Group. Sue came down to Tuppeny Barn (Maggie's organic farm in Southbourne, to interview Maggie Haynes, Diana Beale and Stephen Johnson about community action on climate change inititiated by the Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Group. |
from left to right: Stephen (trainee reporter) Diana Beale, Maggie Haynes, and Sue Gilson (reporter for the Chichester Observer) |
Chichester District Council launches revised Local Biodiversity Action Plan - Residents encouraged to get involved in protecting their local wildlife - CDC news |
| Information from West Sussex County Council |
| Feedback from the meeting : The next steps | |
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We've had a lot of positive responses from the meeting and from the feedback forms, and as a result we (the Chidham and Hambrook sustainability group) are considering setting up teams to look at some of the different areas. |
| These are not set in stone but currently we're looking at food, energy (building-related renewable energy and energy efficiency), school, church and possibly waste. | |
| If there is sufficient interest in other areas, these too will be considered. We feel that it is important for now to ensure we get some early actions agreed (alongside some longer-term plans). The groups will be open to all those who are interested and are not intended to be exclusive or rigid in their make-up. | |
We hope to be able to send you an outline of the planned approach in the next 2 weeks as well as all the possible ideas compiled from the workshop group. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts or comments, please contact Diana Beale at diana@cobnor333.freeserve.co.uk or the Impetus team (Dave, Julie and Flo) via flo@impetusconsult.co.uk |
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| Following the selection of Chidham as one of three villages in West Sussex to be part of a project to help rural communities reduce their impact on the environment and climate change, St Wilfrid's was packed for a Consultation Meeting initiated by the ChidHam Sustainability Network and Impetus Consulting |
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| After an introduction form Dave Barton and Julie Robinson of Impetus Consulting, and Diana Beale and Robin Yeld, the meeting split up into groups to discuss the areas of concern where it was felt that, as a Community, we could make a difference. These areas were Transport, Renewable Energy, Food, Waste, and Domestic Energy Use. |  Travel and Transport |
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 Domestic Energy Use |
 Local Food |
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 Waste |
 Renewable Energy |
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| The group that discussed Travel and Transport felt that there should be better provision for cycles eg cycle lanes, and that car speeds should be reduced to improve safety for both cyclists and pedestrians. Improvements were needed to public transport to recognise that many people lived away from the main public transport routes. Also the provision of specialist services should be looked at so that these were available locally and thus car journeys could be reduced. The idea of a walking bus was raised. Linda Aplin said that Chidham School was in the process of seeking funding to get such a scheme off the ground. | The Domestic Energy group felt that more information about products and their performance was needed. eg Low energy bulbs. Also information about local sources and prices would be helpful. The suggestion was made that the community might be able to buy these in bulk, and thus bring the priice down. The group also felt it was important to improve standards of insulation and draft proofing. Ground source heating could make a contribution to reducing the impact of some domestic energy requirements. people should not forget the implest and quickest way of tak9ng action which was to put on warmer clothes and turn the heating down. | |
| The Waste group felt that more garden waste could be composted. Every garden should have a compost heap. Otherwise the council could improve arrangements for the disposal of garden waste. Food waste could be composted with proper precautions against vermin, or put in a wormery. We could all use consumer power to persuade manufacturers to use less packaging. Shops could be pressed to retain unwanted packaging materials. Litter is not a global warming problem, but is an indicator of peoples concern or otherwise for the environment, and this was very much a topic where local community action could and was making a difference. | Renewable energy was a diverse and rapidly developing area. The group felt that we badly needed reliable information about the different systems so that anyone investing their money in these products could be sure that they would work as claimed. There were doubts about the domestic application of wind power and solar photovoltaic systems, and the grants available. Ground source heat exchange systems had a part to play, but were better suited to larger projects. For this reason it might make sense for the community to cooperate on certain projects. Biofuels were an attractive possibility, but again more information was needed. The possibility of such a fuel being sold from a local garage was mentioned. | |
| The Food group felt there was a demand for locally produced fruit and vegetables. These could be better advertised on the website. The possibility of a local market, possibly at the school could be investigated. There was a possibility that a local farmer would sell fruit and veg from his farm on Saturday mornings. |  |
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| Areas of interest to group members : |
| Efficient use of energy, materials, water. Sources of information and suppliers.
Ground Source Heat Exchange systems (Heat pumps). Community action, education and advice on environmental matters, global warming, waste and litter minimisation, bio-diversity and habitat, woodland and green spaces. |
| Chidham moves to being a ' Low Impact Village Environment' |
| Chidham has been selected as one of three villages in West Sussex to be part of the LIVE 'Low impact village environment' project. Impetus Consulting, based in Bognor, have won funding from the Pilkington Energy Efficiency Trust to assist selected communities to promote the issues of climate change and saving energy - in effect a 'green makeover' . |
| Jan 2007 Meeting notes |
| Dave Barton and Julie Robinson came to the meeting to tell us about the LIVE! project (Low Impact Village Environment) which their environmental consulting group is involved in, with funding from the Pilkington energy efficiency Trust. Chidham, along with South Harting and Angmering, has been chosen to have a "green make-over" with their help .... to look at how to reduce out "carbon footprint" as a village. More info on Impetus from www.impetusconsult.co.uk |
| The next big step is to have a get-together for as many interested people in the village as possible - we're looking at this taking place at St Wilfreds hall on Wed Feb 28th in the evening. There will be presentations (Impetus can do much of this), pooling of ideas, small groups looking at particular areas (e.g. local food, transport, energy efficiency in the home...) .... generally setting our priorities for what we can achieve this year with the help of LIVE! |
| Next Tuesday, Feb 6th, at 7.45pm there will be a short and very focussed (!) meeting in the pub for those wanting to plan the consultation evening on 28th - doing poster, publicity etc |
| Then, on Tues Feb 20th at 8pm , Robin Yeld is hosting the next meeting of the network at his house, Manor Cottage, Cot Lane (first house North of the Old House at Home) - focussing on final planning for the 28th - do come if you can. |
September meeting report |
| The September meeting of the Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Group was to discuss Ground Source Heating. However we had a quick round of points raised by each person present. The first general point was what to call the group as sustainability although informative is not a great word. We vowed to think of an alternative before the next meeting. Each person present was asked to flag up a subject that they were interested in. They were: A minimal car use week would be a great idea to get people thinking about the alternatives to the car. To work towards Chichester DC gaining Green Council status. Many initiatives would be needed and targets would have to be met. It was felt that as well as focusing on the community the wider and bigger picture should not be forgotten. An initiative to highlight the pollution and the costs incurred by leaving things turned on, heating, lights and electrical items on standby, such as TVs and phone chargers. More practical advice on composting, vastly simplifying the present advice on what and what not to compost. A wish was to try and find a source of factual and accurate information on energy saving products, particularly when it comes to cost benefits. Improving the personal community through improving the environmental status of the community. A wish to look carefully into micro-generation of power and how it could apply to the village To look into the idea of appointing 'Green Doctors' to help people with practical advice on green issues |