April Newsletter

"Never doubt for a single instant that a small group of dedicated, committed people cannot change the world, indeed, it is the only thing that ever has". Margaret Mead

In our April edition find out how to Dragon Dream and what food projects could be growing in Taunton.  Try your hand at a new skill or invest in the future of Somerset. Remember to save those plastic bottles and keep a look out for all those wildlife sightings in Taunton.  

Events

A Day of Mindfulness and Meditation - Saturday 16th April

A gentle and nourishing programme of easy meditations and yoga, perfect for relaxation and unwinding, will be held in a lovely country venue in the Blackdown Hills, with Maya Spencer, teacher of Zen meditation and mindfulness and Karen Atkinson, teacher of Yoga and mindfulness of York House, Taunton, Centre for Integrated and Complementary Medicine

Time: 10-4, then tea
Venue: Eastcott Barn, Sheldon, Devon (with car pooling/lifts)
Cost: £30, including snacks and vegetarian lunch
For enquiries and booking, contact:
Karen or Sarah at York House
info@yorkhousecentre.co.uk
01823 - 323206

Transition Drop-In – Saturday 23rd  - Dragon Dreaming
 

‘Where Dragon Dreaming contributes to the Transition Town movement is that it provides important tools that assist people, once they have committed themselves to making these differences, with the tools to run outrageously successful community projects. ‘    John Croft

Fran Hicks leads us into Dragon Dreaming, a way of tapping into the collective power of people who wish to make a positive contribution to the future.
Dragon Dreaming is a process pioneered in Western Australia, to assist individuals, community organisations, and ecologically responsible businesses develop, undertake and complete outrageously successful projects. With an experience of over 611 projects, it draws its inspiration from chaos and complexity theory, ecological living systems theory, New Physics and Aboriginal Dreamtime wisdom. Using this method, it creates a game, which when played by a team of people, will make your dreams come true.

From http://dragondreamingtraining.blogspot.com

Also find out how to support the latest project launches to bring a practical and tangible food project to Taunton (find out more later in the newsletter).


Venue: Friends’ Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton
Time: 10.30 am – 12.30 pm




Basket-Weaving - May 7th

If you fancy trying your hand at basket weaving then book up on a course today.  Based in Uplowman, the cost for the day is £40 which includes all the materials and tea and coffee. You will need to take your own lunch.

If you would like to do this course then please send Gill Bowers (sustainablevillages@tiscali.co.uk) a deposit of £10 to secure your place.
 Find the booking form here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rDQ07ioVyS4yuCBWGndKy_NKSsCFM6-0zqD43_R_ibo/edit?hl=en

Felt-Making Courses

 More courses to try your craft skills with through the spring.  Find information and booking form here.... https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B4n4c73ZY0-wNzJlMWRhZDktYjNjOS00OTUwLTk3Y2UtMTA0ODQzY2E5NTg5&hl=en



MOP - Raising the Profile of Local, Green and Sustainable Work - Monday 9th May
Following the success of TTT's first MOP (monthly open planning) meeting on Making Local Food Work, our second will be on Monday 9th May, 7.30-9.00, Friends Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton.  

This time, the topic is RAISING THE PROFILE OF LOCAL, GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE WORK that Transition and other groups are involved in. 

Getting press coverage is always difficult - Taunton Deane based Transition groups got together nearly two and a half years ago to compile a full page of stories for the County Gazette, which was great - but what could we do together that would bring us more visibility, and more public awareness?  How might we involve businesses in shouting about their efforts to cut carbon?  What part might our local Council, or Project Taunton, or other bodies play in this?  This is definitely one we can't crack from within our own individual groups, but together, perhaps we can start to tell more and better Positive News stories in our locality.  

Come along and help make something different happen!

Venue: Friends Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton. 
Time: 7.30pm - 9.00 pm

Want to help publicise it.... download the A4 poster here! - https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B4n4c73ZY0-wMDFiN2I0N2EtNzU5OC00MTM3LTk4NTQtYzA0NDA2NTRkN2Ey&hl=en



 Ancestor's Trail- Sunday 29th May


A 'biological pilgrimage' on the Quantock Hills in Somerset

A celebration of our shared origins with all life inspired by Darwin's Tree of Life, walking back 3.7 billion years, reuniting with our ancestors as we go.

Along the Trail we will encounter a range of scientific, philosophical and musical performances from acts/speakers such as Jonny Berliner (science-focussed folksinger), a Butterfly conservation speaker, the Treefrogs (bio-Blues) and even a small choir.

After the walk we will throw what has to be the most spectacularly belated birthday party on earth, at St Audries Bay Holiday Club, where many of the trail acts will perform again.

Walking distance is optional and varies anywhere from 1- 13.5 miles, starting at Kingston St Mary, finishing at Kilve Beach.

2011 is our Year of the Butterfly, and walkers are invited to raise sponsorship for Butterfly Conservation.

Camping and accommodation are available at the Trail-end site. Full details via our website: http://www.ancestorstrail.net/

Book your tickets @ http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/investment/ancestor-s-trail-72


 
News

Call out for Plastic Bottles

 I have two call-outs for your empty plastic bottles this month so which ever is your nearest get saving!

Learning from the Land are having an appeal for empty, clean 2-litre clear plastic bottles for use in their greenhouse building programme. They can also take the 750cl size (large tonic bottles). If you have any and live nearby Learning from the Land headquarters, would you please let Nicky Saunter - nicky@learningfromtheland.co.uk-  know so that she can be here to receive them or collect them? Alternatively, you can always leave them at Milverton Sawmill, care of Philip Chambers, if that is more convenient. Please pop them in a sack or bag if possible.



The second call-out is from Ruishton School who want to build a greenhouse out of plastic bottles.  Again save your clean 2-litre bottles without labels. At the moment just set them aside and at a later stage I will send out a call-out to send them all Ruishton’s way! Any queries please contact Christina Dithmar  - cdithmar@btconnect.com

 Ruishton School are also thinking of starting a gardening club at the school and is need of a gardening volunteer who could run it as an after school club. If you are interested or know of anyone please contact Christina.  Please note that this would be as a volunteer as there is no money!



Living Landscape Project

“Many of us spend the majority of our time in an urban environment… The only greenery comes from butchered street trees and the occasional weedy patch of derelict ground. We are so removed from nature, is it any wonder we’re all depressed? Where are the flowers, the bugs, the bees, the birds, the sights, the sounds, the parcels of intrigue, the inspiration? Where are all the little reminders that life in all its diversity is amazing? ”

Somerset Wildlife Trust is working hard to achieve a vision of a Living Landscape for our county: a working landscape that has nature at its heart, where people and wildlife can thrive. They aim to act as catalyst and inspiration for local communities to work together in achieving this vision for Somerset. Following from the successes of the Brue Valley Living Landscape and the Mendip Living Landscape, SWT has been liaising with organisations around Taunton Deane to discuss growing a grass-roots urban Living Landscape focussed on the county town, including Taunton Transition Town.




Although Taunton has some wildlife havens, much more needs to be done if wildlife is to thrive across the town.

Wildlife loss affects us all – it has environmental implications, as well and cultural, social, and economic consequences too.

So make your contribution – you probably already have! Log on to Somerset Wildlife Trusts’ website and find out all about it.... http://www.somersetwildlife.org/taunton_living_landscape.html  and add your wildlife sightings at http://www.somersetwildlife.org/taunton_sightings.html



House of St. Martins and Food for Life

Some great news from the local food co-op Food for Life run by the mental health charity Mind….. they are expanding operations on the land at the House of St. Martins in Norton Fitzwarren to produce more fruit and vegetables  and a wider variety for the Food For Life veg box scheme.  It gives volunteer opportunites to individuals who are experiencing mental health related issues and there is no better therapy than growing things!


If you have not already signed up to Food For Life’s wonderful veg box scheme do so now.  It is local, seasonal, organic and cheap. Currently the vegetables come from the Plowrights Farm in Over Stowey on the Quantocks. Most are harvested on the Wednesday of each week, while getting packed on the Thursday morning ready to be picked up in the afternoon.  What is more not only is there vegetables but also bread, honey, eggs, meat and fish - all can be ordered.

Find out about it here - http://foodforlifeco-op.giving.officelive.com/default.aspx
 

So how do you order something?

*  Chamberlains Cafe, North Street Congregational Church, Taunton 12.30pm - 3.30pm on Thursdays

*  MIND office (Canal Rd, Taunton) on Thursday or Friday

*  by phone 01823 334906 / 07854 678847

*  email: foodcoop@mindtws.org.uk

 
Somerset Co-operative Community Land Trust

SCCLT is a new co-operative society working to address the chronic shortage of affordable sustainable housing in Somerset whilst at the same time creating incubators for new and growing community enterprises - especially those using sustainable technologies.

Our mission is the provision of land, buildings and related services in accordance with co-operative principles for the benefit of the community in Somerset in order to:

• reduce inequality and social exclusion in housing 

• provide workspace for community enterprise

• create sustainable buildings and enhance the built environment

You can invest in the society with small investments - Somerset residents can subscribe with as little as 100 £1 shares.  However larger sums will enable them to do more. The bulk of the funds that are raised will be invested in bricks and mortar and will be able to compensate investors with regular interest returns.  

 If you are interested in finding out more download this leaflet.... https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B4n4c73ZY0-wZjdlMmVhOWItMTdjMy00ZWQxLTg4ZTMtZWZkODkzNWVmZGY2&hl=en

 or write directly to: Somerset CCLT, 12 North Street, Stoke Sub Hamdon, TA14 6QP. You can contact them on 0845 458 1473 or email on landtrust@somerset.coop


 

MAKING LOCAL FOOD WORK

Taunton Transition Town hosted an open planning meeting last Monday 11th April. 14 of us turned up to talk through issues and see what practical projects or ideas might make a difference to the way local food works in Taunton.

Our concerns

- domination of the supermarkets - keeping down food miles - avoid destruction of soil and water quality by current farming practices - food labelling - wish for out food to be local, seasonal and of good quality and available to all - re-skilling in growing, cooking and preserving food -

Our ideas

We turned our minds to thinking of practical projects or campaigns we might initiate to strengthen the way local food works. Lots of suggestions and ideas and but 2 project ideas shone through and were taken through to the next stage..... (I will post up the process and some of the ideas that fell by the wayside on the community microsite - http://www.transitionnetwork.org/cms/taunton.... it doesn't mean that we will not do them only not NOW!)

2 ideas were worked through and supported - so keep looking out for either of these projects in the near future....

• Gardening Education Projects including campaign that 'growing your own' is cheaper and better for you, notice boards on allotments with information on how to grow and cook certain vegetables, and supporting people with small or no gardens to do pot gardening.  A starting point would be to do a survey in a particular area of town to gauge interest. 
• Creating an edible landscape in Taunton - this fits in with Somerset Wildlife Trust's 'Living Landscape' new initiative.  There would be more fruit trees and bushes to complement the existing orchard at Childrens Wood.  Planting would consist of fruit and nut bearing trees, fruit bushes and hardy foody perennials co-ordinated with support from local landowners.  Sponsors could adopt a tree bringing in business into community work. The next step is to meet as part of the Somerset Wildlife Trust's  'Taunton Wildlife Week' and have an afternoon 'mapping' walk (2-4 on Tuesday 31st May) to look at growing potential along the River Tone. 

If you are interested in joining any of these groups and finding out more please contact Vicky Briggs - shuunyanet@gmail.com.

We did work through a wonderful idea for a People's Supermarket that fell by the wayside.... have a look at the full meeting summary to find out all the ideas and if any appeal to you. 

Taunton Transition Town are up for helping to put together a group to look at this if anyone is interested in taking it further. Contact Chrissie on chrissie@visionjuice.com and she will network you with other interested bods.

You're receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to our mailing list. Not interested anymore? Please contact Vicky Briggs - shuunyanet@gmail.com.

You're receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to our mailing list. Not interested anymore? Please contact Vicky Briggs - shuunyanet@gmail.com.

March Newsletter

I found the T-Tog course very useful. Although I pride myself on being fairly 'Global Warming' aware I found that there were lots of useful tips that hadn't occurred to me, allowing me to save on bills while benefitting our planet at the same time

Sylvia Nash and her neighbours from Peile Drive (read all about T-Tog later)

PassivHaus Design - Tuesday 22nd March

Come along to the Taunton Quaker meeting House in Bath Place on Tuesday evening 22nd - March 7 pm.

Brief presentation, just half and hour, plus questions,

Free, to any who might be interested.

Taunton Quakers have invited Janet Cotterell of Cotterell Thomas & Thomas LLP with a view to making significant changes to the meeting house so some reference will be made to the building itself.

Janet Cotterell is a chartered architect with an MSc in advance environmental design and is also a Certified European Passivhaus Designer. She will be talking at Taunton Meeting House about her approach to low energy design. The talk will look at new construction methods and materials, particularly when looking to achieve ultra low energy targets. Her approach will be discussed in terms of the need to provide excellent indoor air quality and comfort levels, as well as using low embodied energy, breathable materials wherever appropriate. There are some common myths surrounding ultra low energy design and hopefully this presentation will address these as well!



Tuesday 22nd March

Venue: Friends' Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton.

Time: 7.00pm

Climate Week - Talk and Discussion @ Brendon Bookshop - Friday 25th March

Our local bookseller Brendon Books are celebrating Climate Week with bringing two influential authors to Taunton: Andrew Simms and Graham Harvey for a talk and discussion followed by a book signing.

Andrew Simms is author of Eminent Corporations, Ecological Debt and Tescopolopy and Graham Harvey is author of the most recent The Carbon Fields and We Want Real Food as well as being the agricultural story editor of 'The Archers'.

The event will be chaired by Nicky Saunter, local food advocate and co-founder of Learning from the Land. A further reading list will be available on the night..

Tickets £4 including drinks and nibbles

RVSP Brendon Books

Bath Place, Taunton

Transition Drop-In - Saturday 26th March


It’s that budding time of year when green fingers get twitching and our collective sap bubbles up into that irresistible desire to grow something edible. Whether you have an estate, an allotment, a back garden or a couple of pots, now is also the time to look at your seed needs.

What do you want to buy, what do you have spare to give away, and what do you hope to pick up from someone else?

Our monthly drop in for March is the annual Grand Seed Swap (plus the usual cake, tea and low carbon chats) so all green, or would-be green fingers welcome.

Add your tips to our Grow Your Own advice corner too, or collar one of the Transition garden mentors for some timely help.

Venue: Friends' Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton.

Time: 10.30am-12.30pm,

PLUS.........TAUNTON TRANSITION TOWN’S “AWFULLY GOOD MEETING”

12.30-1.00pm


OK, we mean AGM really, but why not make it fun? Stay to chat about the past year, the coming year and how lucky we seem to be at getting the resources we need to do what we want to do! No one will ask you to be Secretary or anything – unless you fancy it of course.

Hunger for Justice- Wednesday 3oth March 

WORLD DEVELOPMENT GROUP inaugural meeting and talk: HUNGER FOR JUSTICE


Small farmers are locked into a world food economy controlled by a large supermarkets, multinational institutions and international financial traders. In 2008, the price of maize in Kenya doubled, pushing large numbers of the country’s population way below the poverty line. This crisis was one that affected many other developing countries along with millions of the world’s poorest people. At the same time, huge banks were making billions from speculating on world food prices, essentially betting on hunger, and causing this massive spike in the global cost of food.

James O’Nions from World Development Movement discusses his trip to Kenya to investigate the impact of the 2008 food crisis, what caused it, and how we can act to stop it happening again.


This evening will also host community activists from local food projects working to reclaim our control over what we eat including Taunton Transition Town - meet us there!

Wednesday 30th March at Taunton Library, Paul Street, Taunton (7.30 till 9.30)



The Work that Reconnects - Saturday 9th April 2011

The Work that Reconnects - From Overwhelm to Vibrant Living

10am-5pm. Saturday 9th April 2011

Quaker Meeting House,
High Street, Wellington. TA21 8RA

Feeling overwhelmed and helpless in the face of environmental, economic and social challenges?

The Work That Reconnects is an experiential workshop process that supports individuals to:

· connect to themselves, each other and the natural world,

· express feelings of concern for planetary issues and

· find ways towards a sustainable future.



Developed by visionary ecologist elder Joanna Macy (www.joannamacy.net), it can transform worry and despair into creative, collaborative action with the aim of rekindling our joy and gratitude for life and our sense of purpose in the world.

Facilitated by Fran Hicks and Sally Lever.

Fran Hicks is a trained Art Therapist, Counsellor, Quaker and founder member of Transition Taunton. She has run groups in mental wellbeing, deep ecology and exploring spirituality.
Sally lever is an experienced personal and business coach, writer, speaker and workshop leader, specialising in living and working sustainably.
Both are trained Work That Reconnects facilitators.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
£12 per person booking fee + optional dana (donation) on the day.

Vegan soup and bread based lunch provided. Please bring a small vegetarian or vegan salad or dessert to share.

Chairs available or bring your own meditation cushion or stool.

Bookings and further information: Sally Lever, sally@sallylever.co.uk, 01749 674842.



Open Space Planning Meeting - Making Local Food Work- Monday 11th April


NEW FOR TTT: MONTHLY OPEN PLANNING MEETING

Monday 11 April 7.30-9.00pm,

Friends Meeting House:

“MAKING LOCAL FOOD WORK”


Well, the first thing we need to do is find a much MUCH better name for what the intention actually is – to hold a monthly “Open Space” style forum for people who want to get more eco-active with others in the town to meet up and chat around a particular issue.

No speakers, no pre-planned outcome, just a shared look at what people think they would like to put a bit of creative time and energy into. Each MOP meeting may birth something new, or may just join up existing stuff much more effectively.

Following on from Patrick Holden’s visit to Taunton courtesy of Somerset Wildlife Trust, which looked at whether we can feed ourselves in the UK, our first MOP-in will be about LOCAL FOOD: what might we do more of and better to improve Taunton’s food security?

Want to help publicise it: download the poster here.





Ancestor's Trail- Sunday 29th May


A 'biological pilgrimage' on the Quantock Hills in Somerset



A celebration of our shared origins with all life inspired by Darwin's Tree of Life, walking back 3.7 billion years, reuniting with our ancestors as we go.



Along the Trail we will encounter a range of scientific, philosophical and musical performances from acts/speakers such as Jonny Berliner (science-focussed folksinger), a Butterfly conservation speaker, the Treefrogs (bio-Blues) and even a small choir.

After the walk we will throw what has to be the most spectacularly belated birthday party on earth, at St Audries Bay Holiday Club, where many of the trail acts will perform again.

Walking distance is optional and varies anywhere from 1- 13.5 miles, starting at Kingston St Mary, finishing at Kilve Beach.



2011 is our Year of the Butterfly, and walkers are invited to raise sponsorship for Butterfly Conservation.



Camping and accommodation are available at the Trail-end site. Full details via our website: http://www.ancestorstrail.net/

Book your tickets @ http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/investment/ancestor-s-trail-72


Transition Together

"Our group is doing a community gardening scheme based on my garden and we will all share the produce - good for me as I will have some help to be more ambitions with the sowing. We decided to spend the money coming to our group on seeds I think. We all agreed it was well worth doing and we have enjoyed the company of the group. It has focussed my mind on some of these issues in more depth”.

Deb Howell and her Galmington group

This time last year we asked for volunteers to host small groups of friends, neighbours or work colleagues to join a pilot scheme to support each other in taking practical steps to cut householders’ carbon – oh, and save money at the same time.

Under a Recession Relief scheme funded by TDBC, we were able to research and write a handbook to help these groups, packed full of information and advice on topics such as Energy, Food, Transport, Water and Waste. The handbook was based on a similar scheme dreamed up by our chums in Totnes, and fondly referred to as “T-Tog” (Transition Together being a bit of a mouthful after a while......). Each group also got the loan of an energy monitor, and a modest grant (£10 per participating household) to spend together on something inspired by the handbook.

One year on, and we now have seven groups going strong of between 3 and 7 householders each. Some have already finished working with the handbook and are feeling rather pleased with themselves for the positive changes they have made. Now we can pass their feedback on to inspire others to follow suit, as we are actively looking to support a further seven groups.

So read below, and if you feel you would like to start up a group of your own, give us a shout! Contact Chrissie Godfrey on 01823 321731 or email her on chrissie@visionjuice.com to find out more about how it all works.

"We have been very good at sharing what we do and can achieve, sending off for offers and recycling stuff to raise money for events. I am attending a beekeeping course to be able to get bees on to the allotments at Galmington to help pollination of our crops in town (apparently some other allotments in town have bees – so watch this space!) We are also hoping to get together to get a fish delivery from a sustainable source for sharing”.

Faith Dethier and her chums from Somerset College


Energy Auditors

local army of trained volunteers from Taunton Deane has carried out its first 50 inspections in a missions to help people save money on their heating bills.

The Deane Energy Savers have now visited 50 homes across the area providing help and advice to local residents which will help them save money on their fuel bills, as well as reducing their carbon emissions.

One local resident who was helped was Fran Hicks from Holway, Taunton who was extremely grateful for the help she received.




"I had such a reassuring and helpful visit. The advisor showed a real interest in the house and my thoughts about possible solutions. He showed me how to increase and decrease the water temperature in my hot tank and adjusted the timer on my boiler. He was also able to advise me on easy to fit draught excluders, secondary glazing, interior insulation to bathroom and options for my attic. It was a very helpful and pleasant visit: I cannot recommend the service highly enough.”.

Fran Hicks


The Deane Energy Saver Scheme is staffed completely by volunteers who have qualified through support by Bristol-based charity - the Centre for Sustainably Energy. As the service is independent of any company the energy auditors can give free, unbiased advice to anyone living in privately owned or rented properties in the Taunton Deane area.

"Unlike some insulation advisers who are tied to a particular company or product, the Energy Savers are interested in all aspects of energy conservation. The advice is often simple and practical - things people can do for themselves to keep costs down while staying warm.”.

Keith Parsons - one of the Energy Savers



The volunteer advisors wer recruited through a joint initiative by Taunton Transition Town and Taunton Deame Borough Council who paid for the training. For a free inspection and advice please contacte Keith Parsons - 01823 321667 - kdparsons@talktalk.net




Learning From the Land

Event Listings Spring 2011

March

26 How to Build a Compost Loo.


April

15 Lime Pointing for Beginners.

26 Sourdough Master Class - held at Tracebridge.

30 How to Build a Cob Pizza Oven.


May

7 May - Learn How to Make and Use Natural Paints

9 Train the Trainer - learn how to train effectively.

10 Cob Fundamentals - preparation and use of cob for building and repair.


June

12 Green Scythe Fair- Thorney Lakes, Muchelney, TA10 0DW

14 Rainwater Harvesting Systems.

All courses and open days are held at the “Learning from the Land” site near Milverton, unless otherwise stated.

See www.learningfromtheland.co.uk for more details. Please feel free to get in touch for more information 01823 400 696 Monday to Friday 9am- 5pm

More Taunton Transition


Head’s up on future dates:


APRIL DROP IN – Saturday 23 April 11am: “Dragon Dreaming” – how to create irresistible, sustainable projects, led by with Fran Hicks.
MAY MOP-in (hmmm, so the title may stick!) – Monday 9th May 7.30pm: “Getting Green Coverage” – what can we do together to get more stories about sustainability into the local media?
MAY DROP IN – Saturday 28th May: “Sustainable Storytelling” – a chance to share those stories about making sustainable, meaningful change that have inspired you

Notes

I always need input, news and events to update this newletter. If you know of any events or have news about Transition please email me, Vicky Briggs on shuunyanet@gmail.com by the 2nd Monday of the month for publication on the Wednesday

There are some new ways to follow what we are doing. Join our Facebook Group , find out what we are up to on the blog, or follow us on Twitter.

Taunton Transition Town February Newsletter

Wednesday 23rd February

February Newsletter

"Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finate world is either a madman or an economist”.

Kenneth Boulding, economist from The Great Transition(New Economic Foundation)





Taunton Transition Drop-In - 26th February



Come along to watch a 43 minutes 44 seconds "edge of the seat" thriller - no, not the latest movie blockbuster, but Chris Martenson's "Crash Course: essential knowledge for uncertain times." This abbreviated version of the popular and influential Crash Course video lecture gives us the eye-opening and groundbreaking research into the true predicament presented to us by our reliance on economic growth within the limited environmental and energy resources of our planet.

No, not a laugh a minute we grant you, but an unflinching and also uplifting look at the issues that define our moment in history, and a glimpse at the opportunities we have to reshape our world based on a new vision of prosperity.

The DVD will be shown at 11am and we hope people will stick around afterwards to talk about their responses, and what this might mean for our endeavours to create a "resilient" town.

Saturday 26th February

Venue: Friends' Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton.

Time: 10.30am-12.30pm

Plus all the usual catch up on all things Transition.... come along to the Friends'Meeting House, Bath Place, just off the High Street in Taunton.


Get, Set, Grow - starts 2nd March


Another Get,Set, Grow session starts in March - a series of 5 FREE sessions about how to grow food. Share what you know, learn something new and enjoy the spring!


Get Set Grow - Wednesday afternoons 1.00 - 3.15 in Priorswood, Taunton with Jane Sweetman

March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th at St Peter's Church Community Centre, Eastwick Road, Taunton, TA2 7HD.
With practical activities indoors and out, you'll get ready to grow your own food, and learn how to get the best from whatever space you have including

• All-the-year-round fresh produce
• Healthy soil for healthy plants
• Seeds and seedlings
• Crops in containers.

If you are more interested in cooking than growing then Get Set Cook is also running on March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th at St Peter's Church Community Centre, Eastwick Road, Taunton, TA2 7HD from 10.00 am to 12.20pm. This course is open to everyon, covering the basics of cooking healthy meals to fit your household budget.

To book your free Get Set Grow or Get Set Cook place in advance drop-in at or phone Priorswood Community Centre 01823 353643. Or phone or email Jane Sweetman 07734 753788. - communityfood@tiscali.co.uk.

Get Set Grow and Get Set Cook is organised by Somerset Community Food.





Compassionate Communication - Sat/Sun 12/13th March



Taunton Transition Town is delighted to host
COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION:
Essential skills for challenging times

Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 March 2011
10am-4pm
Bishops Hull Village Hall, Taunton
£45 full price (£15 concessions)
For people who are seeking to create meaningful change in their lives and the lives of their communities

Based on Marshall Rosenberg’s “Nonviolent Communication” framework (NVC), this practical workshop will teach the simple, yet profound skills we can all learn to stay in authentic connection with others when it matters most. It will explore:

how we can communicate with others and have compassion for ourselves

how we can really listen to what others are saying and hear what they need

what keeps us from being compassionate

how increased self awareness helps our own heartfelt expression of feelings and needs – and so inspires co-operation with others

how to make our group experiences irresistible!



Led by experienced NVC practitioners, the weekend will give participants practical strategies to support compassionate communication to take back into their different community groups and work teams.
To book:
Email Chrissie Godfrey - chrissie@visionjuice.com - or call her on 01823 321731.


The workshop leaders
In his career as Human Resources Director in the NHS, Steve Jupp noticed how often people were frustrated with their ability to communicate their experience in a way which led to them being fully heard. Since leaving the NHS, he has developed a deep appreciation of NVC by exploring its potential with others. He currently leads a flourishing NVC Practice Group associated with Transition Exeter.
Penny Spawforth has been living and teaching Marshall Rosenberg’s work of Nonviolent Communication for the last 4 years and runs a regular NVC fortnightly practice group. She has over 20 years experience in teaching the Alexander Technique which has many overlaps with NVC – supporting people to have choices rather than automatic reactions, and having presence in mind and body.


The venue
Bishops Hull village is on the edge of Taunton, accessible by bus from the town centre. Taunton Transition Town will organise shared transport for people arriving by train. Directions will be provided with booking confirmations.





The Work that Reconnects - Saturday 9th April 2011



The Work that Reconnects - From Overwhelm to Vibrant Living

10am-5pm. Saturday 9th April 2011

Quaker Meeting House,
High Street, Wellington. TA21 8RA

Feeling overwhelmed and helpless in the face of environmental, economic and social challenges?

The Work That Reconnects is an experiential workshop process that supports individuals to:

· connect to themselves, each other and the natural world,

· express feelings of concern for planetary issues and

· find ways towards a sustainable future.



Developed by visionary ecologist elder Joanna Macy (www.joannamacy.net), it can transform worry and despair into creative, collaborative action with the aim of rekindling our joy and gratitude for life and our sense of purpose in the world.

Facilitated by Fran Hicks and Sally Lever.

Fran Hicks is a trained Art Therapist, Counsellor, Quaker and founder member of Transition Taunton. She has run groups in mental wellbeing, deep ecology and exploring spirituality.
Sally lever is an experienced personal and business coach, writer, speaker and workshop leader, specialising in living and working sustainably.
Both are trained Work That Reconnects facilitators.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
£12 per person booking fee + optional dana (donation) on the day.

Vegan soup and bread based lunch provided. Please bring a small vegetarian or vegan salad or dessert to share.

Chairs available or bring your own meditation cushion or stool.

Bookings and further information: Sally Lever, sally@sallylever.co.uk, 01749 674842.






Bee-Keeping Course

Description:

An introductory course over 6 weeks, starting 25th March, Friday evenings at West Somerset Community College, for anyone interested in learning practical beekeeping skills, with scope for taking on a hive in Alcombe/Dunster through the 'rent a hive' scheme at the end of the training.

Organised by the Exmoor Division of Somerset Beekeepers

Who is the course aimed at? Anyone in the West Somerset/Exmoor area who has an interest in learning to keep bees.

All equipment and protective bee suits provided for practical sessions, held on Saturdays between

7 May – 24th Sept at the Divisional Apiary from 2pm

Contact name: Gail Johnson

Contact email: gail.johnson2@virgin.net

Contact phone number: 01643 851622

Website: http://www.somersetbeekeepers.org.uk/Exmoor%20Division.htm

Website: http://www.somersetbeekeepers.org.uk/index.html



Local Skill Swap

We like to champion all things with a Transition edge and anything that can make your life easier is always a good thing.

Katrina from Crystal Palace Transition Town has pointed us in the direction of www.localskillswap.com which she founded. She is trying to expand the membership.....

It is almost effortless to start a group (it's free, all you do is register as a member then submit the names of 6 people who would be interested in joining the new group) and then you would have a resource at your fingertips which you could use to monitor and tap into skill swapping activities in your area.

She started www.localskillswap.com in 2009 and there are now over 400 members. She started the website as she couldn't find a (fast) way of finding people in my local area who I could join forces with to swap skills and get things done for free. She wanted to have a resource where she could flag her skills for others to see as well as search her local area for people she might want to swap with. So she built www.localskillswap.com and it now provides the following facility:

- you can reference the skills directory of members in your local area
- you look at individual member profiles
- you can approach members directly to see if they will swap skills with you or you can post "adverts" on the local home page
- you can ask and answer local knowledge questions
- you can use the website as a reference for like-minded trades people (i.e., those with an interest in the community)
- you can use the website to promote yourself and your skills
- you can swap skills and get things done for free without leaving your neighbourhood!

We need a critical mass of around 30 members for a group's members to start swapping, so a Taunton group would definitely need some local encouragement once started. If you are interested please contact me: Vicky Briggs shuunyanet@gmail.com.





Notes

I always need input, news and events to update this newletter. If you know of any events or have news about Transition please email me, Vicky Briggs on shuunyanet@gmail.com by the 19th of the month for publication on the 20th or there abouts.

There are some new ways to follow what we are doing. Join our Facebook Group , find out what we are up to on the blog, or follow us on Twitter.

Transition 2011

Wednesday 5th January

Greetings from Transition Taunton for 2011

"A Transition council would value contributions and initiatives from all its staff right across the board on sustainability matters. It would open to partnership, working with the community, rather than having a them-and-us mentality”.

Chrissie Godfrey, Taunton Transition Town in Communities, Councils and a Low-Carbon Future



A belated newsletter for the new year but we just had to tell you about some of the exciting events that are coming up in 2011.

I always need input, news and events to update this newletter. If you know of any events or have news about Transition please email me, Vicky Briggs on shuunyanet@gmail.com by the 19th of the month for publication on the 20th or there abouts.

There are some new ways to follow what we are doing. Join our Facebook Group , find out what we are up to on the blog, or follow us on Twitter.

This months Transition Drop-In Cafe delves into the world of diets - the 50 mile radius diet.. Patrick Holden visits Taunton next week to talk about feeding ourselves and sustaining biodiversity at the same time! And find out about some new allotments opening up in Taunton - yes, really!





Can We Feed Ourselves and Sustain Biodiversity- 11th January 2011

One date to put into your diary is the talk by Patrick Holden director of the Soil Association. Come along and listen and give your views in a discussion after.

Patrick Holden was brought up in London. He visited a dairy farm near Epping aged five and decided he wanted to milk cows. He studied biodynamic agriculture at Emerson College in 1972 and started a community farm in West Wales in 1973.

The 93 hectare mixed organic farm is now the longest established organic dairy farm in Wales, with a herd of 65 Ayrshire cows - the milk from which is being made into an unpasteurised cheese by his son Sam. Patrick still milks his cows at weekends.

He has worked for the Soil Association since 1988 and as Director since 1995. During that period income has risen from £200,000 to £10 million and sales of organic food from £50 million to £2 billion.

He is a regular broadcaster and speaker and was responsible for Tony and Pat Archer's conversion in 1985 and still advises for the Archers on matters organic. He was awarded the CBE for services to organic farming in 2005.

The evening is organised jointly by Somerset Wildlife Trust and Taunton Transition Town.

Venue: Meeting Rooms, Taunton Library, Paul Street, Taunton.

Time: 7.30pm-9.30pm

Suitable for wheelchair users/limited mobility.

Refreshments available

£3

Please help to promote this event by  telling your friends and colleagues.






Comments on Wind Turbine Proposal- 7th January

7 January 2011 is the closing date for comments on Ecotricity’s proposal for four new wind turbines on agricultural land near Highbridge - the proposed Black Ditch Wind Park. Ecotricity requests support which can be submitted at; http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/planning%20online/enl.aspx by email at Chris.Gomm@Sedgemoor.gov.uk or write a short letter to: Planning Department, Sedgemoor District Council, Bridgwater House, King Square, Bridgwater TA6 3AR


Please also encourage others to write too.

See www.ecotricity.co.uk/black-ditch for images & blog.



Solar Farm Public Consultation & Exhibition - Tuesday 11 January

Tuesday 11 January 2011 3pm - 8pm

Solar Farm Public Consultation & Exhibition
Great Bow Wharf, Bow Street, Langport, TA10 9PN


West Country based, The Green Company, is proposing to develop solar PV farms across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Gloucestershire. See plans for sites in the Langport, Long Sutton and Middlezoy areas. + Independent solar and wind energy project developer and installer + accredited under the UK DTI's wind turbine MCS scheme + UK Feed-in tariff experience.

Details from Sarah Robertson, Wind and Solar Energy Planner 0117 905 5082 The Green Company (Europe) Ltd is a UK registered company no. 5969880 www.the-green-company.com






New Allotments!- Thursday 20th January

A fantastic new opportunity for people to grown their own produce is about to be launched in Taunton – thanks to the Borough Council.

New allotments are being created at Higher Holway, not far from the state-of-the-art playground, to meet the increasing demand for grow-your-own sites in the district.

A launch meeting is being held at the Blackbrook Pavilion on Thursday January 20, starting at 6.30pm, when people keen on taking a plot can register their interest – and volunteer to join the allotments association that will be responsible for the site.

Demand is expected to be high as there is a three-year waiting list for allotments in Taunton Deane so this is a chance not to be missed.

The new plots will be slightly smaller than average to encourage people who may be daunted by a large site to get stuck in to the fun of growing your own.

The site will also be run along environmentally friendly lines with plot-holders using harvested rainwater rather than piped mains supplies.

Taunton Deane Borough Council owns 20 allotment sites in the Borough – some in Taunton, some in villages – which are leased to allotment associations to run on a day-to-day basis.

Demand is currently outstripping supply as more and more people are keen to grow and eat their own fruit and vegetables so the provision at Higher Holway is being warmly welcomed.



Taunton Transition Drop-In - 22nd January



Venue: Friends' Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton.

Time: 10.30am-12.30pm

50 Mile Radius Diet!

You might have heard of the Atkins' Diet or the Cabbage Diet but have you heard of the 50 miles Radius Diet!

What would you eat if imported food became a luxury? How would we survive without coffee, tea, chocolate, red wine, olive oil, citrus fruit etc etc. Ruth Gofton of Transition Clevedon only ate food and drink produced within a 50 mile radius for a whole month to see if Somerset could provide a balanced diet - come and find out what Ruth ate and what she learnt!

Plus all the usual catch up on all things Transition.... come along to the Friends'Meeting House, Bath Place, just off the High Street in Taunton.



Cycle Route Planning Lessons

Moving Somerset Forward are currently running some cycle route planning lessons.



They are offering one to one sessions to help people plan a route for a trip (or a few short trips) they would like to make by bike. Their instructor will find the right route for you and take you out to ride it in a one to one lesson.



Lessons can be arranged for a time that suits you and only cost five pounds! Find out more on:



http://www.movingsomersetforward.co.uk/cycling/cycling-safely/cycling-road/cycle-training/cycle-route-planning



Anybody who might be interested should contact Ryan Bunce on the details below.



Ryan Bunce

Transport Policy Officer

Environment Directorate

Somerset County Council

County Hall, Taunton

Somerset, TA1 4DY

Tel: 01823 358291



Email: rbunce@somerset.gov.uk

November

November Transition

"Local enterprises are more likely to employ local people, provide services to improve the local quality of life, spend money locally and so circulate wealth in the community, promote community cohesion and, by reducing transportation of goods from across communities, are likely to have a smaller environmental footprint”.

Ward, B, Lewis, J. (2002) The Money Trail. New Economics Foundation



Welcome to the November newsletter.

Remember you can always catch up on the website - http://transitiontowns.org/Taunton/ until the 31st December when Taunton Transition Town will be moving over to the new, super-duper Transition Network - http://www.transitionnetwork.org/cms/taunton. It is not ready yet but do have a look around the rest of the Transition Network site and sign up.... it is a great resource and there is plenty of opportunity to discuss Transition topics with like-minded people!

I always need input, news and events to update this newletter. If you know of any events or have news about Transition please email me, Vicky Briggs on shuunyanet@gmail.com by the 19th of the month for publication on the 20th or there abouts.

There are some new ways to follow what we are doing. Join our Facebook Group , find out what we are up to on the blog, or follow us on Twitter.

Events

This months Transition Drop-In Cafe looks again at the new Taunton Living Landscape Scheme.. Learning from the Land have some have some great events this month and Transition Athelney are hosting permaculture guru Aranya to introduce the course that will be run in the new year.



News

Wish to cut back on your car usage then maybe the new car club is for you..... Find out how you can invest in the land with the Land for Food scheme.



Permaculture Talk - 22nd November

Aranya of Designed Visions (strongly recommended by Patrick Whitefield) is giving a talk about Permaculture at North Curry village hall next Monday evening, (22nd November, 7.30pm). All are welcome.

It is a stand-alone event, but Aranya will also be outlining his 2011 training.

This builds on the basic introduction provided by Mark West earlier this year. Permaculture is a key ingredient, and inspiration behind Transition. It is an utterly practical approach, helping us to avoid waste of time, money and precious resources.

Do come and bring a friend!


Organised by Transition Athelney



Buy Nothing Day- 27th November





Lock up your wallets and purses, cut up your credit cards and dump the love of your life - shopping.

Buy Nothing Day is on 27th November this year..... toddle along to www.buynothingday.co.uk to find out more....

As consumers we need to question the products we buy and challenge the companies who produce them. What are the true risks to the environment and developing countries? We all know recycling is OK for the environment, but consuming less is better and Buy Nothing Day is a great way to start!






Taunton Transition Drop-In - 27th November



Venue: Friends' Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton.

Time: 10.30am-12.30pm

A Talk on the Taunton Living Landscape Scheme

Somerset Wildlife Trust is the county’s leading nature conservation charity, with over 20,500 members. Our vision is for a Living Landscape in Somerset, a natural environment rich in wildlife, sustained and cared for by all, within which people enjoy happy, healthy and prosperous lives. We work at all levels to educate and inspire people about wildlife. The Trust manages over 80 nature reserves, part of the backbone of Somerset’s living landscape, and works with partners, landowners, members, and volunteers to restore, recreate and reconnect wildlife habitat throughout town and countryside. Our work will allow wildlife to thrive in our county. Through town and village, along hedgerow and verge, through field and garden, down the coast and over the hills, a riot of life, colour and sounds for all to enjoy.

But just what is a “Living Landscape”? What does one look like, how do you achieve it, and what benefits does it bring? Michelle Osbourn from Somerset Wildlife Trust will cover all this and more on Saturday 27th.

Plus all the usual catch up on all things Transition.... interested in finding out about Taunton Living Landscape Scheme or just a chance to find out about what we do come along to the Friends'Meeting House, Bath Place.



Have a Handmade Christmas - Make, Do and Mend

This November we invite you to make your own Saltdough gifts and decorations with us . This traditional folk craft is a cheap and easy way to create endless designs, bringing added cheer to any home.

Alternatively bring your current project, gift ideas or mending along to Friends Meeting House, Bath Place from 2-5pm on the 27th.

Please note this will be the last Make, Do and Mend session of the year as our usual timing in December falls on Christmas day. We will be back on January 22nd with a Swapshop Extraordinaire - so look out and bring all your unwanted presents, clothes and books etc. and turn your cast-offs into something more desirable.


We are currently looking for people to help out both with informal skill shares and general tea making. If you can help please email Pixie:tauntontransitiontown@live.co.uk





Grassroots Social Enterprise Network - 25th November


GRASSROOTS Social Enterprise Network (Somerset) will be holding its first meeting on the afternoon of Thursday 25th November at Great Bow Wharf in Langport, Somerset.

If you are a social enterprise in Somerset, or interested in setting one up, please join us! This is a free event.

The meeting will be addressed by Howard Moorey from the Hojomo group in Gloucester as follows:



“HAVE A JELLY TO COMMUNICATE & CONNECT”



Why? Because if you are a Social Enterprise, or you are trying to go it alone, you need your own Network. Social Networking is a great tool, but it doesn’t satisfy the human soul in quite the same way as meeting in 3D. Howard has been running Jelly events since April in Gloucester, Cheltenham & Stroud.



(In Stroud they use the Social Enterprise Centre, with publicity through Social Media & bookings on the Net, free of charge, through Eventbrite.com, it really helps to put the Centre on the map, drawing people in who didn’t know it was there, and giving it free advertising to the business community with Twitter & Facebook coverage before & after each fortnightly event. This can only be to the Centre’s advantage, when they have “Hot Desks” available to rent on a daily or monthly basis……….)



The afternoon will also include a chance to get to know each and what we do, as well as a guided tour of Great Bow Wharf and the amenities available there.

To book your place for this free event, please email Lindy Booth at: lindy@cascadetrainingplus.co.uk



Please extend an invite to the event to other social enterprises & interested parties.

Further information about the Grassroots Network which is funded by the Empowering Communities Development Fund and South West Foundation, can be found at: http://www.cascadetrainingplus.co.uk/?Grassroots_Network



The Power of Fire - 28th November

Learning from the Land are holding another great event on Sunday 28th November - The Power of Fire..... A day to explore the energy of fire from rocket stoves to gasifier, wood-filled kiln to making charcoal.... Lots of fun for the family.

2- 5pm

Free Entry.

On Friday 26 November Secret Meadow are receiving delivery of enough tiny trees from Kittisford Trees man, Richard Wood (yes, his real name!), to plant a hedge to mark a border. If you are interested in learning how to put one in and are willing to give a hand, please bring a shovel, wellies, wet weather gear and the good folks at Learning from the Land will feed you hot chocolate!

Please let them know if you are interested and able so I know who might be turning up.

01823 400696
nicky@learningfromtheland.co.uk
Secret Meadow, Nr Milverton, TA4 1QE, www.learningfromtheland.co.uk






Can We Feed Ourselves and Keep Bio-Diversity in Nature- 11th January 2011

One date to put into your diary early is the talk by Patrick Holden director of the Soil Association. Come along and listen and give your views in a discussion after.

Patrick Holden was brought up in London. He visited a dairy farm near Epping aged five and decided he wanted to milk cows. He studied biodynamic agriculture at Emerson College in 1972 and started a community farm in West Wales in 1973.

The 93 hectare mixed organic farm is now the longest established organic dairy farm in Wales, with a herd of 65 Ayrshire cows - the milk from which is being made into an unpasteurised cheese by his son Sam. Patrick still milks his cows at weekends.

He has worked for the Soil Association since 1988 and as Director since 1995. During that period income has risen from £200,000 to £10 million and sales of organic food from £50 million to £2 billion.

He is a regular broadcaster and speaker and was responsible for Tony and Pat Archer's conversion in 1985 and still advises for the Archers on matters organic. He was awarded the CBE for services to organic farming in 2005.



The evening is organised jointly by Somerset Wildlife Trust and Taunton Transition Town.





Somerset Land for Food

Buy a piece of Somerset for Christmas!

A new scheme has been launched to help people in Somerset buy land for food production.

A share offer has been issued for Somerset Land For Food a new non-profit society which raises money to buy land for growing food. An undersupply of allotments and the expense of buying cultivatable land can frustrate the ambitions of community groups or smallholders who want to produce more food locally. When land does come up for sale at auction, it may take a community group too long to organise fund-raising, thereby missing the chance to bid.

Now people have a chance to invest in shares in Somerset Land for Food, a Community Benefit Society, creating a pot of available money to bid for land as soon as it becomes available for sale.


This is how it works:

the share offer is open to investments in shares of between min.£100 – max £20,000 (people can group together to buy shares e.g. 5x £20)

share capital is used to buy land, which is then rented at low rates by SLFF to community groups or growers wishing to produce local food

tenants may eventually buy the land outright, releasing more capital for further land purchase

the use of the land is protected in law – it may only be used to grow food

shareholders can withdraw their capital after a minimum of 2 years, or begin to be paid interest of 2% on their investment




The target for the share issue is £100,000 to start the community land pool in Somerset. If less capital is raised, the company will buy less land.


The share offer closes on 30th November 2010. For more information and for a share application form, visit www.wessexca.co.uk or call one of SFFL’s Directors:


Kim Robinson (Chair) 01749 689037

Paul and Sarah Sander-Jackson (Secretary) 01458 833489

Jane Birch 01823 442442

Peter Millar 01458 223444

Dan Keech 01373 451402

If you are interested but cannot manage £100 why don't you think about investing with others in a group organised by Taunton Transition Town. We are gathering a group that are interested in investing £20 each. If you are interested please contact Vicky Briggs - shuunyanet@gmail.com .... We will be getting together at our drop-in on the 27th to gather a few interested parties together and sign the documents.... As the deadline has been put back we have a little more time to gather together.

Invest in some land for food production today!







Taunton has a car club!


Taunton Transition Town are really proud to have helped start up a car club in Taunton. With our help, Co-cars, a not for profit social enterprise, currently operating in and around Exeter has managed to set up a car club in Taunton.

Car clubs are a way of saving money by using a car without having to own one. They might also be a way of getting rid of your second car.

You can use the car for an hour, hours or a day and pay for what you use. All bookings are through their web site.

As their flyer says, “WE buy it, insure it, tax it, maintain it, repair and clean it.... YOU drive it!”

The first car will be based at Taunton Deane Borough Council’s offices at Deane House any day now. It will then be available to members for 24 hour booking.



Save our forests

The government is getting ready for a huge sell-off of our national forests to private firms or local communities.. This could mean ancient woodlands are chopped down and destroyed. The government is insisting that conservation will not be compromised and would not lead to the mass felling of woods. Critics are worried that the revenue that is made from the sales would not be used to invest in other national forests and in the creation of new native woodland.

This could be an opportunity for local communities to invest in their future and protect valuable forests or a disaster for biodiversity.

But they need to push new laws through Parliament before these plans can go ahead. That means we have time to stop them.

Sign the petition now to tell the government to “save our forests”.

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-forests

October Newsflash

Thursday, 28th October

News Flash

A few items that came in late and we just had to tell you about! Want to find out about bees- well Somerset Skills and Learning have a course just for you.....they can do the same about solar energy as well.

And make this an opportunity to invest in land for food production.Somerset Land for Food have a great share option that could make a difference for many local communities wanting land to develop for food. It's an investment, it helps local communities and it supports future sustainability!


Bee Smart - Saturday 13th November

Saturday 13th November 10am - 1pm

Corams Lane Adult Learning Centre , Wellington

Cost £15

Somerset Skills and Learning have some fabulous courses available. If bees are not your area then maybe other courses might take your fancy.... checkout on their website - http://www.learnsomerset.co.uk/

A taster workshop for the absolute beginner, with an interest in bees, and how they impact on our environment. By the end of the day learners will be able to outline the basic anatomy and physiology of bees and have an understanding of how bees make honey. For more details or to book a place contact 01823 663000




SOLAR PANEL DIY - Saturday 20th November

Saturday 20th November, 10am – 4pm

Broughton House, Taunton

Cost - £37

The aim of the workshop is to impart information and knowledge to allow informed choice when opting for the technology or for the proficient DIY person to select, design and install their own system.

Also covers other aspects of solar energy gathering systems.

If you would like further information about this course or would like to book a place please contact: 01823 446770.

This is another great course organised but Somerset Skills and Learning....


Update on a previous post

Apologies to everyone who tried to find the link www.freegadgets.co.uk/home/direct.... it did not exist.

Through an error somewhere (probably on my part) the link was transcribed incorrectly. But do not worry I managed to find the correct link so you might be able to get free free remote controlled socket that switches off TVs etc. plus an attachment for your shower that reduces water flow (70% saving). The offer is only open to 1 per household but you can make some great cost savings.....

Goto http://www.freegreengadgets.co.uk/


Somerset Land for Food

Buy a piece of Somerset for Christmas!

A new scheme has been launched to help people in Somerset buy land for food production.

A share offer has been issued for Somerset Land For Food a new non-profit society which raises money to buy land for growing food. An undersupply of allotments and the expense of buying cultivatable land can frustrate the ambitions of community groups or smallholders who want to produce more food locally. When land does come up for sale at auction, it may take a community group too long to organise fund-raising, thereby missing the chance to bid.

Now people have a chance to invest in shares in Somerset Land for Food, a Community Benefit Society, creating a pot of available money to bid for land as soon as it becomes available for sale.


This is how it works:

* the share offer is open to investments in shares of between min.£100 – max £20,000 (people can group together to buy shares e.g. 5x £20)
* share capital is used to buy land, which is then rented at low rates by SLFF to community groups or growers wishing to produce local food
* tenants may eventually buy the land outright, releasing more capital for further land purchase
* the use of the land is protected in law – it may only be used to grow food
* shareholders can withdraw their capital after a minimum of 2 years, or begin to be paid interest of 2% on their investment


The target for the share issue is £100,000 to start the community land pool in Somerset. If less capital is raised, the company will buy less land.


The share offer closes on 30th November 2010. For more information and for a share application form, visit www.wessexca.co.uk or call one of SFFL’s Directors:


Kim Robinson (Chair) 01749 689037

Paul and Sarah Sander-Jackson (Secretary) 01458 833489

Jane Birch 01823 442442

Peter Millar 01458 223444

Dan Keech 01373 451402

If you are interested but cannot manage £100 why don't you think about investing with others in a group organised by Taunton Transition Town. We are gathering a group that are interested in investing £20 each. If you are interested please contact Vicky Briggs - shuunyanet@gmail.com by Friday 19th November... this will give us time to organise the signing of the form (everyone in the group has to sign) and send off in time for the close of the share offer.

TTT October 2010

Wednesday, 20th October October Transition "Everything’s possible. That’s one of the things I’ve learnt from being part of the Transition movement. If you can imagine a different future then you can build it." Alexis Rowell (author of ‘Communities, Councils and a Low Carbon Future’) in interview with Rob Hopkins Welcome to the October newsletter. Remember you can always catch up on the website - http://transitiontowns.org/Taunton/ until the 31st December when Taunton Transition Town will be moving over to the new, super-duper Transition Network - http://www.transitionnetwork.org/cms/taunton. It is not ready yet but do have a look around the rest of the Transition Network site and sign up.... I always need input, news and events to update this newletter. If you know of any events or have news about Transition please email me, Vicky Briggs on shuunyanet@gmail.com by the 19th of the month for publication on the 20th or there abouts. There are some new ways to follow what we are doing. Join our Facebook Group , find out what we are up to on the blog, or follow us on Twitter. Events This months Transition Drop-In Cafe looks again at the Wild Food, Free Food Map of Taunton. Come along and share your knowledge. Learning from the Land have some great courses taking place this month and remember to book up now to become a compost champion in November. Plus there are number of food orientated talks upcoming. Back to top News Learn how Taunton Transition Town got a mention in the new Post Carbon Reader Series in an article by Transition founder, Rob Hopkins and hear about the fabulous fun day at the Brewhouse - Abundant Taunton. Find out how you can save money or invest in a local sustainable living project. Wish to cut back on your car usage then maybe the new car club is for you..... Or make a contribution to the new land for food mapping project -Food Mapper. Plus hear all about the new Transition book out now 'Communities, Councils and a Low-Carbon Future'...... Back to top Transition Drop-in Cafe - 23rd October Venue:Friends Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton Time: 10.30am-12.30pm The Transition Cafe stays in it's old haunt this month; the Friends' Meeting House. Come along to sign up to the new car club in Taunton - Co-Cars. It's coming very soon.... initially with a car outside the Taunton Deane Borough Council offices but hopefully more soon. But it is up to us to sign up and show interest... more people interested will mean potentially more incentive to get a few more cars. And remember that the Co-Cars are not just interested in expanding in Taunton. If you are interested in having a car club in your local area not currently covered contact Co-Cars now.... details on their website. Contribute to the expanding free food map of Taunton. Pop in to add what you know to the physical map or alternatively you can contribute to the map online - http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid= 117552551291077348239.00047046780868b2e3915 If you have any spare produce from your garden or too many jars of jam or some spare packets of seeds come along to swap your produce.... Come along and discuss all things Transition.... from energy projects to local food production, from new transport solutions to a better way of life. Back to top Make, Do and Mend - 23rd October Make, Do and Mend also returns this month to the Friends' Meeting House - 2-5pm. Come along and learn a new skill or pass on some of your skills to others. Back to top DIY FOR WOMEN - 30th October The local Learning from the Land people have another course coming up. DATE: Saturday 30 October VENUE: Secret Meadow, Weekmoor, Milverton TA4 1QE TIME: 9am-1pm A half day session for women to learn basic DIY skills in a friendly and businesslike environment. Power tools, hand tools including chisels and planes will be tackled! Learn to ease a sticking door, fix a dripping tap and hang a shelf on an awkward wall. These tasks will be used to illustrate a wide range of issues and you will learn principles to suit other situations, so don't worry if you don't need to do these actual jobs. This is a great opportunity to learn skills that could save you money and enable you to do some of those annoying jobs that never get done!This course is suitable for those from beginner to intermediate and will be followed by more advanced courses on making specific items. COST: £25 per person PLEASE BRING: Your own set of basic tools if you have them (hammer, screwdrivers, chisel, spanners, plane, drill and drill bits). We will have spare sets for those without. Wear old clothes and hard-toed boots. Biscuits and tea will be served. Find out about this course and others on.... http://www.learningfromtheland.co.uk/ Look out for their Power of Fire day on Sunday 28th November..... Back to top GM Crops - Feeding Or Fooling The World?- 30th and 31st October Two One Day Conferences in Shaftesbury, Dorset, 30/31 October 2010. 10 until 3.30 each day.... A variety of speakers on the contentious issue of GM crops.....Many see GM crops as the solution to solving the problem of feeding the world by providing greater yields and the decrease in use of pesticides (very important in a low-carbon world) but can GM crops really achieve that? This conference clearly comes down in the anti-GM lobby but asks those important questions of how can we feed ourselves in the future and can we do that using less fossil fuels. Admission by pre-booked tickets(£10) only from 01747 811 853 £10.00 includes drinks and lunchtime buffet. In the spirit of balance listen to One Planet's interview with Dr Roger Beachy, expert on plant viruses and the biotechnology of plants and one of the researchers who developed the world's first genetically modified crop (a tomato) - The father of GM foods For details of the programme and speakers visit: www.springheadtrust.co.uk Organizers GM-Free Dorset, South West Genetic Engineering Network and GM Freeze. Back to top Become a Compost Champion- Saturday 6th November You might be interested in becoming a Compost Champion.... The aim of the scheme is to encourage more people within Somerset to compost their kitchen and garden waste at home to create rich compost for their garden. For those people who are already home composting we are aiming to encourage them to compost a greater range of items such as their vacuum cleaner contents and cardboard packaging. The Somerset Waste Action Programme is seeking individuals who live in Somerset and would like to attend a free training day about home composting. All we ask in return is that you take the time to pass your composting knowledge onto others. This may involve talking to friends, family and neighbours or attending local fairs, events and fetes – we’ll even pay your travel expenses for you and provide you with everything you will need for a display. The training days are suitable for anyone who has an interest in home composting and would like to share their composting knowledge with others. The training days are designed to accommodate all levels of knowledge of home composting. The training day will cover many aspects of home composting including: Benefits of home composting The composting process Building and locating a bin Getting the right composting mixture Solving composting dilemmas Uses of compost Saturday 6th November: 10am till 4:30pm, at Hestercombe Gardens, Cheddon Fitzpaine near Taunton, TA2 8LG. The training day at Hestercombe Gardens includes free access to the gardens during lunch and at the end of the day. Fill in the form from here...... if you want to go. A talk by Quentin Clark, Head of Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing at Waitrose - Wednesday 17 November Wednesday 17 November South Somerset Green Party Henhayes Centre, Crewkerne 7.30 A talk by Quentin Clark, Head of Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing at Waitrose Interested in where your food comes from? Concerned about climate change? Looking for high animal welfare standards? Your chance to talk to the UK’s ‘Compassionate Supermarket 2010’ Waitrose & Sustainable, Local, Ethical food More info: 0845 456 2592 Can We Feed Ourselves and Keep Bio-Diversity in Nature- 11th January 2011 One date to put into your diary early is the talk by Patrick Holden director of the Soil Association. Come along and listen and give your views in a discussion after. Patrick Holden was brought up in London. He visited a dairy farm near Epping aged five and decided he wanted to milk cows. He studied biodynamic agriculture at Emerson College in 1972 and started a community farm in West Wales in 1973. The 93 hectare mixed organic farm is now the longest established organic dairy farm in Wales, with a herd of 65 Ayrshire cows - the milk from which is being made into an unpasteurised cheese by his son Sam. Patrick still milks his cows at weekends. He has worked for the Soil Association since 1988 and as Director since 1995. During that period income has risen from £200,000 to £10 million and sales of organic food from £50 million to £2 billion. He is a regular broadcaster and speaker and was responsible for Tony and Pat Archer's conversion in 1985 and still advises for the Archers on matters organic. He was awarded the CBE for services to organic farming in 2005. The evening is organised jointly by Somerset Wildlife Trust and Taunton Transition Town. Back to top Abundant Taunton Taunton Transition Town celebrated the harvest with the Abundant Taunton event at the Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre on October 2ns. Citizens of Taunton could enjoy a drink of freshly squeezed apple juice made from apples picked for free from all the locally available trees in the area. If apple juice was not your tipple of choice then you could have tea made from boiled water from the fuel efficient kelly kettle.... Many added to our free food map of Taunton which you can access online. Check out where you can find your nearest apple tree or hazelnut. Someone even divulged the location of an almond tree! And if you did not know where to go to get free food our very own food foraging Oli Handcomb led an interested group around Taunton pointing out all the known edibles. As a quick reference download the guide. Even the kids could take part in the Really Useful Trees and Plants Trail pointing out all the possible fruit, nuts and useful plants that are just a short walk away from the Brewhouse. You can download the map, the checklist and the useful information. Somerset Community Food were there to map all the local areas of food production including community gardens, orchards and allotments. If you know of a local allotment or community garden please sign into the online resource Food Mapper - www.foodmapper.org.uk and map it now! The idea is get all the areas currently used by the community for food production mapped in one place to gain information about supply and demand for land for food. The plan is to get more land in Somerset into the production of food for the local people. Please sign in today and map that allotment. If you own land that maybe could be used by the community map that too! There was an opportunity to learn simple methods to smoke vegetables, meat and fish and how to make a simple apple wine with wine tasting included! Passers-by could sample vegan/vegetarian food courtesy of the vegan and vegetarian society and by fabulous local produce from local farmers and producers. Thanks to the Brewhouse for giving us an area to have our stalls, to the Farmers Market for making this such a success, to Somerset Community Food for the loan of the apple press and the Vegetarian and Vegan Society for providing scummy food to taste. We would also like to thank all the people who gave up a little bit of their time to front a stall or give a demonstration...... we couldn't have done it without you all! Back to top 'Community Matters' Days - 8th, 9th October Somerset College opened their doors to all those interested at the Award Winning Genesis Centre; a sustainable construction resource and learning centre for the South West. Taunton Transition Town joined them to celebrate the launch of the new Environmental Training Centre. You could learn about solar energy and feed-in tariffs, enjoy a pizza from the Learning from the Land rocket stove oven, contribute to the Wild Food, Free Food Map of Taunton with us (TTT) and learn how to build a plastic bottle greenhouse plus much, much more. As a little aside our Free Food Map of Taunton has inspired Transition Cork to create their very own free food map... so remember if you ever holiday in Cork check out all the free, and wild food! Back to top Plotgate Venture - Sustainable Living A low-impact rural co-housing project based in Somerset is looking for prospective residents. Plotgate Venture is sustainable affordable, self-build, live/work cohousing project with access to agricultural land. We have 23 acres of agricultural land and going to challenge the system and apply for planning permission to self-build 8 low impact houses with access to land plus 2 bigger smallholdings. Planning application is almost ready and although we expect strong resistance from planning authorities, there are precedents and we are supported by leading low-impact planning consultants. Now we are at the stage when we are looking for input from people who are interested to join us or to support the idea as we do need community support to persuade planners. Please see more details at http://www.plotgate.org.uk/ and if you are interested to join or support Plotgate please email info@plotgate.org.uk. Back to top Save Money, and Carbon! Grass Roots is offering a free remote controlled socket that switches off TVs etc. plus an attachment for your shower that reduces water flow (70% saving) for nothing as part of the governments carbon reduction targets. It is open to UK households - one per household. The website is www.freegadgets.co.uk/home/direct Back to top Taunton has a car club! Taunton Transition Town are really proud to have helped start up a car club in Taunton. With our help, Co-cars, a not for profit social enterprise, currently operating in and around Exeter has managed to set up a car club in Taunton. Car clubs are a way of saving money by using a car without having to own one. They might also be a way of getting rid of your second car. You can use the car for an hour, hours or a day and pay for what you use. All bookings are through their web site. As their flyer says, “WE buy it, insure it, tax it, maintain it, repair and clean it.... YOU drive it!” The first car will be based at Taunton Deane Borough Council’s offices at Deane House any day now. It will then be available to members for 24 hour booking. Back to top New Transition Book - Communities, Councils and a Low-Carbon Future Alexis Rowell’s new addition to the Transition Books series, ‘Communities, Councils and a Low-Carbon Future: what we can do if governments won’t’ is now available to order here at Transition Culture. Communities, Councils and a Low Carbon Future: what we can if governments won’t includes current examples of best eco practice from local authorities across the UK and elsewhere, as well as a look at the background to unsuccessful projects. This book is designed to inform and inspire councils and councillors, as well as local environmental activists, community groups and Transition Initiatives. Local government can be a huge driver for positive change, but not on its own. Communities need to understand what they can reasonably (and unreasonably!) ask for from local councils, and they need to know exactly what levers they can pull. The Author: After working as a BBC journalist, Alexis Rowell was appointed Camden Eco Champion and Chair of the council’s all-party Sustainability Task Force. He has led the transformation of Camden’s Development Control Committee (Planning) which now requires every new development to install a green roof, rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling, and 20% on site renewables or CHP, and is a member of Transition Belsize. Alexis has his own eco-political blog – http://alexisrowell.blogspot.com/ Back to top You Gen - Useful Website You Gen are looking for groups and individuals that can give feedback or tell a story about renewable energy and energy efficiency. The site looks like a useful resource that people can use in picking their way through some of the complex ideas and numerous suppliers and learn from the experiences of others. Community action is key to a successful transition to a low carbon UK, and You Gen hope that they can help you in getting stories of good practice to a wider audience. They are always on the look out for case studies and stories that can inspire, educate or inform. Here’s a couple they have run recently: eco-renovation transforms Devon village hall and are council planning departments making it difficult to install solar panels.... ·Let them know what you’ve done that works – and which doesn’t work – they are both such valuable learning, and they will make sure others can benefit from it. They welcome guest bloggers, but if you prefer not to write an article, they will talk it through on the phone with you. Knowing which installer to trust is one of the barriers to investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy – and that’s one of the key things that they want to help people overcome. You Gen have built up a database of more than 500 installers covering the UK, and theye rely on low carbon & microgen pioneers to tell us which the good ones are by recommending them using our star rating system. If you have used a good installer, please do share your experience with You Gen, so others can benefit. There is even a chance to win a GEO Minim energy meter every month if you do. This site is run nationally so some of the suppliers we might know are not listed.... this is your opportunity to contribute to the site to make the advice better. Very much how making recommendations on Amazon helps you to choose a book to read. Back to top The Post Carbon Reader - Managing the 21st Century’s Sustainability Crises - Another New Book The Post Carbon Reader features essays by some of the world’s most provocative thinkers on the key issues shaping our new century, from renewable energy and urban agriculture to social justice and community resilience, including Transitions' very own Rob Hopkins. You can download his chapter on building resilience in communities to read from http://www.postcarbon.org/reader/downloads. Taunton Transition Town even got a mention in the chapter highlighting the visioning workshops that took place with Taunton Deane Borough Council asking the question 'what a resilient Taunton Deane might be like in 2026'. They envisioned a future in which the Borough has developed a successful low carbon, “localised” culture and infrastructure, capable of withstanding upheavals in the wider world likely to occur as a result of our changing climate and increasingly expensive and insecure oil and gas supplies. Take a look at the that vision for the future in Towards A Resilient Taunton Deane. Back to top 21st Century Dig for Victory As FoodMapper gathers pace, take a look back at how mapping land in the 1930's led to a blueprint for Dig for Victory. Work on www.foodmapper.org.uk is hotting up - more than 30 allotment sites in Somerset have been mapped. This pioneering work does have a precedent, however. A far sighted geographer between the wars saw the writing was on the wall concerning food supply in Britain. Lawrence Dudley Stamp recruited 250,000 mappers, many of them schoolchildren, to map land use around where they lived. For a fascinating insight into the maps that became a blueprint for Dig for Victory, a story in the http://www.maturetimes.co.uk/node/8599 explains more. Are you a 21st Century Dig for Victory pioneer – Somerset Community Food urgently seek community mappers in all parts of the county. Get in touch if you want to be part of this groundbreaking, literally, survey! e: linda.hull@somersetcommunityfood.org.uk w: http://www.somersetcommunityfood.org.uk