January 2025 Edition
 Coventry City Council have recently been awarded £294,915 from the Forestry Commission’s Local Authority Treescapes Fund to the plant 151 semi-mature trees and 7068 whips in 10 Wards across Coventry. 3600 of these whips will be planted as Tiny Forests. This project is in partnership with Citizen Housing and Earthwatch Europe, with opportunities for local people to help with the planting.
Tiny Forests are dense, fast-growing native woodlands, about the size of a tennis court. These trees capture carbon from the atmosphere, absorb pollution, help with urban cooling by providing shade, provide much-needed homes for urban wildlife and create visually diverse green spaces for local communities to enjoy.
Each of these forests will be designed by, cared for and enjoyed by the local community. Under the careful management of ‘Tree Keeper’ volunteers, communities can water, weed and care for their local forests. The Council’s Ecology team has started to design the forests with local residents through community drop-in days and a survey on the Let’s Talk Coventry website.
 The Council has approved plans to replace the lanterns on 29,500 lighting columns in Coventry with light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which will use half the energy and last four times longer than the existing bulbs. As well as a yearly saving of £900,000 the scheme will reduce carbon emissions in the city by 1200 tonnes annually – the equivalent to taking 258 cars off the road. The Council is also exploring opportunities with Warwick Manufacturing Group for recycling the old lanterns.
 Last month, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) announced a £23 million funding package to power up the Coventry and Warwick Gigapark with the installation of a dedicated energy supply capable of supporting large-scale battery production. The Gigapark site - part of the region’s flagship Investment Zone - includes Greenpower Park, the UK’s Centre for Electrification and Clean Energy.
This major investment by the WMCA will make this key Investment Zone site development-ready. It will put the region into pole position to secure the major international investment to attract battery manufacturers along with other associated electric vehicle and energy storage supply chain businesses. Fully developed, the Gigapark could create up to 6,000 jobs in battery manufacturing and in the EV supply chain.
 The National Trust will be taking on the management of the Charterhouse. In working with partners like the John Muir Trust, this will help to deliver plans for the wider Heritage Park and green corridor between the park and the city, to support biodiversity and nature and improved greenspace for local communities.
The Charterhouse is a Grade I listed 14th century former monastery located in the Heritage Park, just outside the city centre opposite the London Road Cemetery. It is owned by Historic Coventry Trust, a heritage development trust set up in 2011 to restore historic assets in the city. Historic Coventry Trust raised the £11.9m million needed to restore the Charterhouse and managed every step of the restoration process. It has entered into a new partnership with the National Trust, which will help the Historic Coventry Trust to draw on the specialist experience of others to help share the Charterhouse’s story more widely and to create a sustainable future for the site.
The site is set to re-open to visitors in spring. Coventry’s Charterhouse is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers who help with everything from gardening to visitor tours.
People in Coventry are asked to give their views on the plans for bus franchising. This would mean that instead of private companies running the bus network, Transport for West Midlands would be able to set their bus fares, timetables and routes to bring buses back under public control. In December the proposals were agreed to go out to consultation, after an independent audit concluded that franchising would deliver better value for money and improve services.
The scheme is similar to transport for London and is very much like what has recently happened in Greater Manchester and Liverpool. Head over to the link below for more information, including supporting documents and how to complete the consultation survey.
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 Keeping warm throughout the season is important. Cold weather can bring many challenges to our health and wellbeing, especially if you need extra help during winter.
You can also visit one of our places providing a warm welcome near you by clicking the link below and scrolling to the bottom of the page.
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Apply before March to volunteer in Water Quality Monitoring for the River Sowe with Severn Rivers Trust.
This volunteer opportunity to become a Citizen Scientist will enable you to carry out water quality testing in the River Sowe catchment. It will provide volunteers with all of the equipment and training needed to undertake monitoring on river health. This will help to understand the health of the River Sowe and its main tributaries. We are aiming for volunteers to take water quality measurements through the River Sowe catchment which includes the River Sherbourne, Finham Brook, Canley Brook and the River Avon.
As a volunteer, you will carry out monitoring in a pair or small group a minimum of once per month at times to suite you, with on-going support from staff. Severn Rivers Trust will aim to find a suitable monitoring site in your local area and arrange in-person training before monitoring commences. No prior experience needed. Click the link below to find out more including how to apply.
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Would you like to do something proactive to tackle climate change?
How would you like to inspire the next generation by delivering climate action workshops in a local primary school?
Climate Ed is a charity that runs free climate change workshops in primary schools from Years 4-6. Operating in London, West Midlands and Thames Valley, so far it has already delivered workshops to nearly 10,900 pupils.
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 Climate Ed is aiming to expand to Coventry and are seeking volunteers to help facilitate workshops in schools across the city. The programme consists of five 1-hour workshops spread over five weeks, combining drama, knowledge sharing, conversation and games. It is fully resourced, great fun to deliver, and they provide training to each volunteer.
No teaching experience is necessary but passion for, and some foundational knowledge about, climate change is helpful. Volunteers can expect a flexible time commitment over a 2-month period that includes training for workshops and 15hrs total that go into preparing and delivering them.
If you are interested in participating as a volunteer, click the link below to get in touch with Climate Ed.
Coventry Outdoors are providing two programmes this February half term.
Outdoor Activity Camps gets children and young people from ages 9-13 into the wild, where they will learn and experience an unforgettable adventure whilst making new friends. Activities include:
- Combat Archery
- Laser Tag
- Bushcraft
- Survival Skills
Forest School programme running for children who are aged 4-7 years old (accompanied by an adult) for the chance to experience an inspirational environment building on self-esteem, confidence, being active and healthy. Activities include:
- Den Building
- Firelighting
- Outdoor Cooking
- Tool Use
- Nature-based Exploration
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Find out what free events are happening this coming month with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust – ranging from Wildlife Watch After School Club at Brandon Marsh, to a Nature Journaling session at War Memorial Park.
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Sign up to free child (ages 11-16) and inclusive cycle training opportunities around Coventry, taking place in January and February. Training for adults and children younger than 11 is fully booked at the moment but you can keep an eye out for future sessions.
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For regular updates subscribe to our newsletter. To get in touch with the Council regarding climate change and sustainability, including featuring in an article in a future newsletter, please email us at Climatechange@Coventry.gov.uk
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