Events
The Sustainability Show – Sunday 19th June
Taunton Transition will have a stall at the very excellent Sustainability Show this Sunday.
What’s green, combines cider, bee-keeping and electric cars and happens in Taunton? It must be the West Country’s first ever Sustainability Show on Sunday, June 19th at the Queen’s Conference Centre in Trull. Guest of honour, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will perform the opening ceremony.
Entry to the show and parking are free and visitors will find over 90 exhibitors ranging from Nissan’s brand-new Leaf saloon to demonstrations of willow-making, and from live music to car clubs. Younger children will love the chance to see lambs, ducks and chickens up close.
“There will be something for everyone; from growing your own food to learning about renewable energy sources. Children will find lots of hands-on activities and demonstrations since as every parent knows, they’re our environmental conscience!” Simon Ross
Acclaimed folk/rock Elephant Talk will provide the live music in an entertainment area adjoining the stage – plus real ale from Cotleigh Brewery and cider from Tricky’s of Churchinford. Food Tech students from Queen’s College will be using their new wood-fired mud-brick oven to produce pizzas galore, plus many more food and ice-cream stands.
All in all it adds up to an entertaining, educational and inspiring day out.
Venue: Queen’s Conference Venue, Trull Road, Taunton
Time: 10am – 4 pm
Pedestrians welcome from the Trull Road entrance and road access from College Way.
Social Enterprise Training - Tues 21st June
Special Offer . . . Social Enterprise bursaries . . Tues 21 June (Taunton)
Cascade Training are pleased to confirm that they are continuing to offer bursaries on new Social Enterprise programme this summer! This is a special initiative to fund a small number of places for Grassroots network members on our Social Enterprise programme.
There are now special bursaries available for places on both Half day courses on Tuesday 21 June (Taunton)! Their morning event is ‘Social Enterprise: Income generation’ . This workshop explores a whole range of financial resources and options to help you identify which are best suited to your needs. Their afternoon event is ‘Social Enterprise: Spotlight on Co-ops’. This workshop discusses the co-operative model for running a social enterprise and clarifies its particular values and principles.
These workshops – normally costing £75 – are each offered for a nominal fee of just £20 per delegate! Places available on a first come, first served basis. Phone Lauren Evans now on 07854-208369, or email her at : lauren@cascadetrainingplus.co.uk to check availability and book your bursary place!!
UK’s First Willow Cathedral Grand Opening – Friday 24th June
Not to be missed!
The Friends of Longrun Meadow invite everyone to the grand opening of the UK’s first willow cathedral.
Meet at the Oak Barn in Longrun Meadow for a procession to the Willow Cathedral which leaves about 6.45-7.00pm.
Enjoy an evening of music and song, story telling, willow weaving, natural art, willow wetting, orienteering and lots more. There will be an ‘Enchanted Wood’ fancy dress theme for children of all ages (and adults if you want) – think fairies, elves and woodland creatures.
Bring a rug, a picnic, your family and friends, your next door neighbour and a candle in a jar as the evening will end with a candle ceremony!
Venue: Longrun Meadow, between Somerset College and French Weir, Taunton, Somerset
Time: 6.30pm – ‘til dusk
Transition Drop-in Café – Saturday 25th June
Venue: Friends’ Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton, Somerset
Time: 10.30am-12.30pm
Forum 21 – Walk and Talk - Monday 4th July
Where: Woodcombe, Bratton Ball & North Hill.
Start and meeting point: Moor Road Grid Ref 957470 opposite the
camp site at 6pm prompt.
When: Monday 4th July 2011.
Duration: approximately 2 hours for the whole walk.
Logic behind the walk: It’s nice to be out and about! In addition to
this, Forum 21 is in discussions with the Exmoor National Park about
the development of a community woodland. Forum 21, in partnership
with others, might wish to lead in the development of a community managed
woodland. Such a scheme would maintain and enhance
the landscape, protect and promote biodiversity and, at the same
time, produce wood fuel and other timber products.
The Forum 21 steering Group has discussed the development and
meetings have been held with ENPA and Climate Action West
Community Interest Company. We would appreciate members’ views
and welcome involvement; or just come along for the walk, the
landscape and the wildlife. The walk will be followed by a pub
supper for those who want to join us (at own cost).
Access and Terrain: The first 1.5 km of the walk is on a level
bridleway, which runs from Moor road round the hill into Woodcombe
(those wishing to stay on level ground can return to the parking
area). The whole of the proposed community woodland can be seen
from this first part of the walk. The remainder of the walk is mostly
on undulating footpath through Bratton woods, round Bratton Ball
and up to the cattle grid on Moor Road and over North hill back to
the parking area.
No need to book, just come along and enjoy!
The Economics of Happiness Film Show - Wed 6th July
Our sister group in Wellington are showing the movie 'The Economics of Happiness' at the community centre. From 7.30pm.
Quantock Eco – Electricity from Panels on Your Roof – Friday July 8th
If you are based on the Quantock Hills then find out all about how to produce electricity from panels on your roof.
Venue: Nether Stowey Village Hall
Time: 7.30pm
If you are a member of Quantock Eco it is free and £2 to everyone else. Find out how to join Quantock Eco at the end of the newsletter.
News
Living Landscapes
Our focus is more on food production and the expansion of public food growing in and around Taunton with protection and inclusion of wildlife habitats in mind.
Following a successful walk and talk along the River Tone as part of the Taunton Wildlife Week on Tuesday 31st May we have put together some of the suggestions that people put forward from TTT, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Civic Society, Taunton Deane Borough Council and others.
The particular area of interest was around Children’s Wood and how that area could be improved though the full report of the day which I will post shortly (check the blog for details) gives suggestions for the whole route from around the Brewhouse to the Children’s Wood.
Suggestions put forward were:
- Seating areas and perhaps tree trunks for more family interaction
- Raised beds for community planting
- An area for the collection of apples in the autumn
- Fruit tree planting – medlars, plums, quinces, alongside the apples currently in the area
- A bit less managed space
Remember you can still contribute your thoughts and offer up ideas on. In the next couple of days I will update the blog with details about the Living Landscapes project and just how Taunton Transition is getting involved.
Zero Food Miles Blog
If you are in the Somerset area and love food log-on to your computers and look up this excellent blog.
The blog contains recipes using local food gathered in different ways, bought, foraged and home grown. The blogging team of Carol Stone and Eleanor Rose Burgess will start with 3 seasonal recipes a month and are always open to suggestions, local recipes and tips for local producers.
Food Mapper
Another online resource is Somerset’s very own Food Mapper - http://www.foodmapper.org.uk/. This is resource for letting you know where the local allotments, public food growing projects, co-ops and food producers are. So in the future if you are interested in getting an allotment say you can look it up on Food Mapper and find your local contact. Furthermore it is being used as a resource to find just how we can get more land into food production by putting people with suitable land in touch with local people who wish to produce local, sustainable food.
If you are tech savvy please log on to add your knowledge on local allotments, co-ops, food producers, schools who are growing their own, and other food projects. All the details are on the website. If you are not please come along to a Taunton Transition Town meeting or contact Vicky Briggs (shuunyanet@gmail.com) with any information.
Quantock Eco
If you are a little out of Taunton and are based in and around the Quantocks get involved in Quantock Eco.
QE’s mission is to help Quantock villages develop resilience in the face of rising energy costs and changes in our environment.
Its purpose is to initiate, lead, and facilitate activities which address these concerns through:
- Practical projects for individuals, groups and communities;
- Encouraging small changes in lifestyle;
- Using sustainable technologies;
- Sharing ideas and results with likeminded groups.
Quantock Eco is currently running nine projects aimed at building village resilience, details of which are available on their website www.quantockeco.org.uk.
*****
Membership fee £5 per annum.
For further information please contact:
Treasurer Carole Darke
Wordsworth Barn, Bicknoller, Somerset TA4 4EH
Tel: 01984 656 222
E-mail: treasurer.quantockeco@virg
