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Welcome to the August edition of Somerset West and Taunton Climate News.
This month's header photo was taken on the Quantock Hills by Craig Stone, Town Centre Specialist.
Please share this newsletter with friends, family and your community, this will help us engage with more residents and support more people to take action.
We hope you find this newsletter useful and we would love to hear from you.
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If you have a story to share, please contact us here.
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Wessex Water provided free water refill points to support Taunton Pride and Salisbury Pride UK as well as taking part in the Bristol Pride parade.
Wessex Water's ARC alliance stands for Accept, Respect, and Celebrate, run by their people for their people, giving LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies a chance to represent and be represented.
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The Wessex Water team were pleased to walk alongside other local businesses, spreading love and awareness. As a result of the free water refill points, Wessex Water prevented more than 1,600 single-use plastic bottles being used.
Wessex Water thanked everyone who came and supported them; "We are committed to a culture where everyone thrives and is supported all year round."
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We can all save water by making simple changes to our daily habits.
73% of the water you use in the home is typically used in the bathroom.
Here are some top tips to try and reduce how much water you are using:
- Try the 4 minute shower challenge or try to take a minute less than usual by not washing your hair or shaving every day. Each minute less could save you 10 litres of water.
- Replace one of your weekly baths with a short shower – it could save around 40 litres of water.
- Fit a water efficient shower head or flow regulator which restricts the flow to eight litres a minute*. This will save money on energy costs too.
* most water efficient shower heads are not suitable for electric showers.
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Order your free water saving pack:
A free water saving pack has devices to help you save water in your home. It contains:
- a four-minute shower timer to remind you when it is time to get out of the shower
- a cistern bag to save 1.2 litres every time you flush (not suitable for dual flush toilets, or for cisterns with a capacity of less than seven litres)
- a leaky loo strip to help you identify if your toilet has a leak.
- a twin tap aerator kit to save up to 18 litres a day.
Read more about how you can save water in the home.
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Somerset businesses are being urged to play their part in combating the climate emergency – with a conference offering insight into practical steps they can take to become more sustainable.
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The Somerset Business Climate Summit 2022 will take place at Queens College in Taunton on Wednesday 21 September between 10am and 1pm and will highlight best practice and raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges for businesses.
Read more about the upcoming Somerset Business Climate Summit.
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Are you worried about your home energy costs and your carbon emissions? Is your home too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter?
A retrofit is a great solution to these problems. Rising energy prices and the climate crisis are a concern for many, and improving our homes is a great first step to making a real difference, for our wallets, our comfort, and the planet.
A retrofit refers to any home improvement work to improve a buildings energy efficiency, making them easier to heat, retain heat for longer and replacing fossil fuels with low carbon options. Making homes more self-sufficient, through measures like insulation and renewable energy, helps to protect against rising energy costs.
With winter approaching, the summer months are the optimum time to consider home improvements in preparation for the colder months ahead. With rumours of further price increases in Autumn, a retrofit can help to protect you from further costs. Even during summer, a well-insulated home prevents your home from overheating by slowing the flow of heat from outside to inside - so you spend less on fans and aircon to be comfortable during heatwaves.
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There are some key stages for any retrofit journey; start by thinking about realistic energy-saving behaviours, then how to improve your home insulation before moving on to larger installations such as solar PV and heat pumps.
Retrofit experts at the Centre for Sustainability advise homeowners on the most suitable options for each home, providing the essential order of works and likely costs and disruptions. If you’re already planning home improvement works, seeking advice can help you to include energy efficiency measures simultaneously, reducing disruption.
Are you interested in learning more or booking a retrofit survey? Visit CSE’s Futureproof website for information about how to begin your journey. There are currently discounts for homes in Somerset.
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Somerset Wildlife Trust have recently announced their latest project within the Great Somerset Wildlife Count initiative: The Big Bat Count.
Run in partnership with the Somerset Bat Group, this special, one-night-only event is all about inviting people to enter into the fascinating world of bats — to identify them, understand their importance in our ecosystems, and ultimately support efforts to conserve these very special creatures.
The Big Bat Count is your chance to get involved in the night-time monitoring of a variety of bat species across Taunton, which is one of the county’s biggest urban environments.
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Somerset Wildlife Trust and the Somerset Bat Group will be providing cutting-edge, bat-detecting technology to help you collect data about different species of bat, and are encouraging people to get involved in one of two ways: either through the guided bat walk they will be hosting, or through independent group survey work.
This event is a very special opportunity to learn more about the bat populations living in Taunton. It will take place on Friday 26th August 2022 at 7pm, and as it will only be running for one night only, ticketing may be limited, so act quickly if you want to get involved!
Find out more and book your place on The Big Bat Count.
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A rescued bookcase upcycled into a plant stand is the winner of the first Somerset Reuse Week competition.
Last week’s awareness event was run by Somerset Waste Partnership, aiming to raise awareness of reuse as an alternative to buying new, recycling or throwing away.
It saw nearly 200 people get face-to-face advice about local reuse options and throughout the week residents were asked to share their reuse success stories.
The randomly chosen winner was Maggie from Highbridge who found an unwanted bookcase in the yard of a retirement home, destined for a rubbish skip.
After a sanding down and a lick of paint, it is now covered in plants and taking pride of place in Maggie’s back yard.
As her prize, Maggie has chosen a ‘repaired for reuse’ laptop – a prime example of reuse in action.
Maggie, a member of the Highbridge Ladies’ Shed group that regularly fixes things, said: “I try to reuse everything I can and if I can create something useful out of waste, that’s even better.
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 “It can take time and a bit of effort, but it’s good fun and very rewarding.”
Reuse Week activities included a busy schedule for the Fixy van – Fixy McFixface – which visited Yeovil, Chard, Ilminster, Frome and Hemyock.
The van was promoting the repair and reuse of electricals and electronics, supporting Somerset’s Repair Café network and encouraging reuse volunteers.
Thanks to Somerset-based DonateIT, Fixy also runs a “tech amnesty”, taking donations of broken or unwanted smart tech including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, digital cameras and games consoles.
Dozens of items were collected last week. They will be repaired if possible and passed on to schools, community groups and people who need them, or recycled.
Find out more information about the Fixy project.
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 Help to inform the new Local Transport Plan for Somerset by having YOUR say on our interactive Heatmap - Somerset Sustainable Transport | Commonplace
Have you seen the Local Walking and Cycling Plans for Taunton, Bridgwater and Yeovil – it’s the blueprint for a comprehensive walking and cycling network for the future and we want to hear your views.
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Somerset West and Taunton News |
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Evelyn Stead, 14, from Court Fields School in Wellington has been announced as the winner of Somerset West and Taunton (SWT) Council’s ‘Recycling On-The-Go’ school poster competition.
The competition was launched at the end of last year to encourage more recycling and responsible litter disposal with the introduction of 130 new public litter bins.
In addition to litter, dog waste and cigarette butts, the configuration of the new bins enables plastic bottles and aluminium or tin cans to be deposited separately, making ‘Recycling On-The-Go’ easier whilst out and about within the district.
The competition aimed to inspire secondary school pupils to raise awareness of the new bins within their local communities and to promote their use through the creation of an informative and engaging poster.
The submissions received were assessed by a panel of council officers and councillors, with the winning design announced at a presentation ceremony held at Wellington Park last Friday (15 July).
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The ceremony was attended by staff from Court Fields School including Evelyn’s Art Teacher, Rachael West; the Mayor of Wellington, Councillor Mark Lithgow; Executive Members for Climate Change and Culture, Councillors Dixie Darch and Caroline Ellis; and SWT's Climate Change staff, Sue Tomlinson and Franc Parreira.
Evelyn said: “I am inspired by nature. I have experienced its turbulent changes due to global warming throughout my lifetime and it has made me feel that I need to spread awareness about how we can stop these negative impacts on our environment."
During the ceremony, Councillor Darch presented Evelyn with a cheque worth £500 towards her school along with her poster, now mounted and framed, which will be used in SWT’s communications to promote the ‘Recycling On-the-Go’ campaign.
Read more about the Recycling On-The-Go competition.
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In line with our Somerset West and Taunton’s Carbon Neutrality and Climate Resilience action plan to reduce our carbon footprint and energy consumption along with promoting green active travel, the upgrading and installation of new staff bicycle storage facilities at Deane House has now been completed.
These new facilities are part of a larger scheme to promote green and active travel not only internally with staff but across the district.
The facilities also contain a number of council pool bikes to encourage staff to cycle rather than drive to meetings when transport is required if the location is not walkable.
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 Somerset West and Taunton also encourage the staff to use green and active travel by offering a cycle to work scheme.
The old storage unit has been relocated to our Westpark Depot in Wellington to minimise waste and will be used to store sandbags.
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The Council is holding a public consultation on its plans for a network of walking and cycling routes which would connect key developments (the Garden Communities) across Taunton Garden Town.
The draft “Connecting our Garden Communities” plan builds on and complements the existing Taunton Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) and is designed to ensure that futureproofed walking and cycling infrastructure accompanies the delivery of key developments.
It aims to ensure that the Garden Communities at Comeytrowe, Staplegrove, Monkton Heathfield, Nerrols, Ford Farm, Firepool and Nexus25, link in to the strategic routes identified in the LCWIP; and connect to key services and facilities beyond their site boundaries.
When adopted the plan will be a material consideration in the determination of relevant planning applications and masterplanning activities, ensuring they knit into existing communities.
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Wide engagement and participation is an important part of developing an effective plan, and community buy-in will be integral to successful scheme delivery. Therefore we want to know what you think.
To respond to the consultation, and view the draft plan and consultation documents, we encourage you to use the consultation portal. Here you can view and comment directly on an interactive map, respond to survey questions and review all of the supporting material.
More information and alternative ways to comment can be found on our website.
Consultation is open until 30 September 2022.
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 Somerset West and Taunton’s parks and open spaces have retained their ranking as some of the very best in the country thanks to the hard work of the Council’s teams and local volunteers.
Seven parks across the district have been recognised with the international mark of quality by the Green Flag Award Scheme this year.
Blenheim Gardens in Minehead and Taunton’s Vivary, Victoria and French Weir Parks have retained their Green Flags, along with Wellington Park which also kept its Green Flag Heritage Award.
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Comeytrowe Park, Taunton, managed jointly by the Council and the Friends of Comeytrowe Park, retained its Community Green Flag Award along with Swains Lane Nature Reserve in Wellington, which is managed by the Swains Lane Community Group.
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Cllr Derek Perry, Executive Member for Sports, Parks and Leisure, said: “I’m delighted that we have retained all our awards this year. Achieving these Green Flag Awards shows that by working together our staff and wonderful volunteers can make our green spaces such great places for everyone to enjoy."
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 Somerset West and Taunton Council has launched a public consultation on a proposal to create new flood defences between Firepool Lock and Obridge in Taunton.
The consultation is seeking views on the proposed scheme which will benefit 219 properties in the Priorswood and Crown Industrial Estates and Bathpool by preventing floodwater from the River Tone entering the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, reducing the risk of floodwater overspilling into Maiden’s Brook and Allen’s Brook.
Plans to manage the flood risk from the River Tone and its complex network of tributaries were identified in the Taunton Strategic Flood Alleviation Improvements Scheme (TSFAIS) approved by SWT in February 2020.
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The document sets out a number of improvements to reduce flood risks over the next 30-plus years.
Two of the short-term projects - the Firepool Lock to Obridge scheme and another to improve flood defences along the left bank of the River Tone between Town Bridge and Frieze Hill providing flood alleviation to the Firepool Regeneration site, North Town area - are underway.
Both are now going through the design, consents and permissions phase and will be subject to public consultation with feedback helping to shape the final schemes.
Consultation on the proposal for Firepool Lock to Obridge started on Monday 11 July and runs until Sunday 7 August.
The plan is to raise Firepool Lock gates and the area around them; and create defences between the River Tone and the Bridgwater to Taunton Canal, from Firepool Lock to the A358 Obridge Viaduct.
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Grants and Funding Opportunities |
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UK Community Tree Planting Grant
International Tree Foundation’s UK Community Tree Planting Programme supports grassroots community engagement in tree planting.
The programme has supported more than 70 small-scale projects over the last 20 years, from community orchards to native woodland planting. ITF award grants of up to £6000 to local community projects.
Find out more about the ITF UK Community Tree Planting Grants.
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Free Cycle Stands for Local Businesses and Community Groups
If you're a local business or community organisation in the Somerset West and Taunton and Sedgemoor districts, then Life Cycle UK have some exciting news for you!
The cycling charity are offering eligible groups FREE delivery AND installation of four sturdy 'Sheffield Stands'. These will come at zero cost, thanks to the HPC Community Fund and the Somerset Community Foundation.
The scheme will help organisations cater to the increased numbers of cyclists, whilst contributing towards cleaner air and healthier communities by encouraging more people to cycle.
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For more information, full terms and conditions and to apply, visit Lifecycle UK.
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Life Cycle UK are offering £100 off the cost of a new bike and one-to-one cycle skills from qualified instructors.
To find out if you're eligible visit Lifecycle UK.
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 Free trees for Schools and Communities
The UK needs millions more trees to reach its 2050 carbon net-zero target. By digging in with us, you'll help bring us nearer this important goal.
Woodland Trust want to make sure everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree.
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So they're giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities. Together, lets get millions more trees in the ground.
Find out more about free trees for schools and communities.
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 Retrofit Discounted Plans
With the heating and energy crisis continuing, please remember that the Somerset Retrofit Accelerator Project is ongoing, in collaboration with Future Proof.
There are up to 50 discounted Home Retrofit Plans available to households in Somerset, starting from £50 for an introductory guide to retrofitting your home, and from £100 for a detailed survey and report.
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If you want to make your home a more comfortable and sustainable place to live, but don’t know where to start, these plans will help you understand what measures may be the most appropriate and impactful for your home and will be based on your needs and budget.
Find out more and apply for Retrofit Discounted Plans.
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On 23 May 2022, a new Government grant scheme for home owners upgrading from gas boilers to either an Air Source Heat Pump, a Ground Source Heat Pump or a Biomass Boiler may be eligible for a grant of £5,000 or £6,000.
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The Green Register is delighted to offer a number of fully funded places for construction professionals on their online Futureproof Essentials training course.
The course will help you to improve your confidence when discussing retrofit with householders, understanding materials and technologies used in retrofit and provide practical skills that you can take straight to your projects.
Find out how to apply for Community Renewal Fund Retrofit Training.
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Greater Quantock Landscape Development Fund
The Quantock Hills AONB Service is delivering the Greater Quantock Landscape Development Fund providing grants of up to £5,000 to local communities, farmers, landowners, individuals and landscape enhancement projects.
The fund has been provided by EDF Energy and is part of the mitigation measures associated with the Hinkley Point C development.
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Cycle To Work Day
4 August 2022
Cycle to Work Day is the UK’s biggest cycling commuting event.
This year on 4 August 4, workers all around the country are being encouraged to get on their bikes and get into work the best way possible – on two wheels!
It’s an event for everyone, from people who haven’t hopped on a bike since their school days to committed cycle commuters.
What matters is jumping on a bike, giving it a go and joining a community of cyclists sharing all that’s good about cycling to work.
Find out more about Cycle to Work Day.
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National Allotments Week
8 August - 14 August 2022
National Allotments Week started in 2002 as a way of raising awareness of allotments and the role they play in helping people to live healthier lifestyles, grow their own food, develop friendships and bolster communities.
The campaign week is still thriving 20 years later and interest in growing your own fruit and vegetables has never been stronger since the WW2 Grow for Victory campaign.
Find out more information or find events near you celebrating National Allotments Week.
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 Did you know that Somerset West and Taunton owns 8 areas of land within central Taunton, which are operated as Allotments.
These sites are maintained and managed by Local Allotment Associations.
If you want to get involved, you can find out more information about your local allotments.
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Love Parks Week
29 July - 5 August
Love Parks Week is back, taking place from 29 July to 5 August, giving people across the country the chance to shout about their wonderful green spaces.
Whether it’s walking the dog, picnicking with friends, or pushing our little ones on a playground swing, our parks give our communities, our children, and our pets a vital space to play, grow, and bond.
Love Parks Week is set up to celebrate and support the efforts of volunteers and workers up and down the country to maintain and protect our green spaces.
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We want to improve our communication and engagement with you around the sustainability of our area.
If you have enjoyed Somerset West and Taunton Climate News, please forward it on to someone who you think will enjoy it too.
If you have something you think would be useful to include, would like to share your story or be featured in an upcoming issue, please get in touch with us, email climatechange@somersetwestandtaunton.gov.uk
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