Did you take part in Green September?
For the whole of September we celebrated all things green across our social media and newsletters! You can take a look back over everything on our Facebook page and give us a follow to stay up to date going forward.
 We've put together a short guide with lots of different tips to help you take steps to improve your home's energy efficiency. Click on the banner above to see what you can do.
 To celebrate 25 years of the Greenham Trust, and in support of the Queen’s Green Canopy, we are delighted to be working alongside Greenham Trust to help them offer local schools, councils, charities and community groups the opportunity to plant one or more trees to enhance the local environment for years to come.
The Trust plans to provide up to 25,000 trees to be planted throughout the region over the next planting seasons. If you are interested in receiving trees for next year’s planting season, register your interest and find out more below.
Did you know that the clothes we buy can make a big difference to the climate?
10% of global CO2 emissions are caused by the textile industry – more than international aviation and shipping combined! Fast Fashion is created quickly, in high volumes and often discarded.
Next time you need new clothes, think about how to make your choices more sustainable. For example:
 Buy something second hand instead
 Be seen wearing an item more than once by wearing clothes for longer. You can mix and match items to make a new outfit
 Donate clothes rather than throwing them away
 Buy sustainably sourced eco-friendly clothing and textiles
 Upcycle your clothes - repair it rather than throwing it out, add some sparkle, re-design it, make a bag or rug out of it
 Rent or swap clothes - there are lots of swap shops in local communities
 On 5 September we invited Sheepdrove Organic Farm, Thatcham Refillable and Cotswold Fayre to speak to us and answer your questions. The session was fascinating with lots of public engagement.
Have a go at introducing something new into your weekly travel plans and leave the car at home more often if you can. Did you know Newbury has a Car Club where you are able to easily hire electric vehicles? Find out more here.
We have installed electric vehicle charge points around the district to facilitate drivers. Find out their locations and read our strategy here.
You could swap some journeys to walking, cycling or scooting to get out and about in the fresh air. Or why not just try to reduce your car trips where possible. Lots of little changes can make a big difference.
Cycling is a life skill. Once you learn to ride you never forget, and it gives you the opportunity to explore our beautiful district. We want to reduce the barriers to cycling so that’s why we are working with Bikeability to provide cycle training opportunities for children, adults and families. October half-term brings another opportunity for your child to polish up their cycling skills by joining one of our fun and informative Bikeability sessions.
All your child needs is a willingness to learn, the right sized road-worthy bike and a cycle helmet which fits well and is in good condition.The courses are held at several easily accessible locations throughout the district from Hungerford Community Centre in the west to Linear Park in the east.
We offer a two day combined Level 1 and 2 course (suitable for age 10+) and a Level 3 course suitable for those ready for independent travel such as cycling to secondary school etc (children must have already passed Levels 1 and 2 and had plenty of time on the road to practice). Each course costs £20 per child.
Alternatively, if you want to get together and cycle as a family we also offer a Family Cycle course which will teach you the skills you need to cycle safely together on the open road. If you need any more details about the Level 1 – 3 courses or want to find out more about the Family sessions then send us an email: activetravel@westberks.gov.uk
Ever wondered what you can take to one of our household waste recycling centres for recycling?
View our new online virtual tours to see what we can accept for recycling and help plan your trip better.
Newtown Road view here!
Padworth view here!
Did you know our Newtown Road site has a re-use area which is run by The Community Furniture Project?
 From 31 October 2022 households can get their food waste collected weekly by using our new food waste collection service.
If you haven’t received your new containers yet don’t worry we are making deliveries up until 28 October 2022.
This new service will also be provided to households who receive a communal bin store collection from 28 November 2022.
The food waste we collect from residents of West Berkshire is taken to our In-Vessel-Composter in Padworth in West Berkshire. Here, it is turned into a PAS100 certified soil conditioner for use by local farmers and landscapers.
Did you know a terrifying 14.5 million pumpkins are expected to be left uneaten this Halloween? Pumpkins aren’t just for carving, the flesh can also be reused into many fang-tastic recipes for the whole family to tuck into! For recipe inspiration and more info on how to reduce your waste, take a look here.
If you can’t quite save it all, then once your pumpkin is carved and hollow you can use it for compost, or it can be chopped up and placed in your new kerbside food waste caddy where it will be turned into a soil conditioner.
Newbury Friends of the Earth have planted small woodlands across our district since the first lockdown, called Lockdown Woods. These are dedicated to ‘A healthy future for our families and our world, and in memory of all we have lost to covid19’. There are four Lockdown Woods in Hungerford and Newbury, with a fifth to be planted this winter.
Would you like to help look after the young trees as they get established? Activities include weeding, watering, mulching, and planting bulbs, as well as checking that each tree is growing healthily. See their Facebook group for details.
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Service 47 (Lambourn-Swindon) has been improved! A new, more efficient bus adds much needed additional capacity. It can seat 33 passengers, as well as take 12 standing and a wheelchair user, and provides level boarding. Although not always available, we will use it as often as possible. An additional journey has also been added on Saturdays and school holidays. |
Earlier in the summer, we launched a campaign to highlight some of the sustainable pubs, cafes and restaurants in West Berkshire and we are delighted to showcase below some of the environmentally friendly places to eat drink and relax!
Mrs B's Kitchen (Cafe/Catering)
Mrs B’s Kitchen is a cafe/kitchen in Newbury that serves up healthy, fresh food from Tuesday to Friday. They are passionate about food and offer great coffee with many options for gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan customers. They have a minimal waste policy and seek out excellent local and seasonal products as much as they can. Visit them to discover their amazing food!
Sustainability agenda
Mrs B’s Kitchen supports the environment in many ways, they use imaginative ways to utilise every aspect of their produce to ensure minimal waste. Recycling is also at the forefront of their business with the use of recyclable packaging and making sure they recycle what can be recycled on a daily basis. We also love the fact they work with local suppliers and businesses to showcase the local produce!
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Chequers hotel (Bar/Hotel/Restaurant)
A warm welcome awaits you in a stylish restaurant at the Chequers Hotel.
The Smoke House Bar and Grill, located in the heart of Newbury, featuring fashionable décor, comfy seating, mood lighting and cool music…not forgetting great food, wine & service. They offer the ultimate dining experience…Breakfast, Lunch Dinner & Everything in between! Formal, informal, friends, families, lovers…they’re here for everyone!
Sustainability Agenda
The Smoke House at he Chequers are proud to be part of the hotels project using LED lighting to reduce the buildings carbon footprint by 10.8 tonnes CO2e / year… that’s the weight of an African Elephant! The next project in their pipeline is to install solar panels and electric car charging points - Chequers hotel is committed to the future of this planet and the community.
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Colline's Kitchen (Cafe)
Colline's Kitchen is a café, and event catering business that provides wholesome home-cooked food that does not compromise on flavour. They pride themselves in providing food for different dietary requirements and working collaboratively with other local independent businesses.
They are all about food to nurture your body and mind, in a way that has as small environmental impact as possible. Colline’s Kitchen are exploring different ways to make the kitchen more sustainable by sharing ideas and taking recommendations on board.
Sustainability agenda
Colline’s Kitchen source 95% of their produce within a 5 mile radius of Newbury and grow their own fruit and vegetables too to use in the kitchen. They produce a huge range of vegan options too. They also work hard to not have single use plastic and are sourcing responsibility from suppliers that guarantee their packaging to be widely recyclable. In addition, Colline’s Kitchen offer 15% off to customers that bring their own takeaway containers for food and drink so don’t forget when visiting!
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The Corn Exchange (Cafe/Bar)
The Corn Exchange Newbury is a vibrant arts-centre playing an increasingly pivotal role regionally and nationally with creative participatory programmes and ground-breaking work in outdoor arts. Their thriving café/bar serves a fantastic range of sustainable and tasty drinks and snacks. The Corn Exchange strive to be a flagship organisation at our community’s heart, providing a rich mix of arts and culture to as many local people as possible. They look forward to giving you a warm welcome whilst you support the Corn Exchange.
Sustainability agenda
The Corn Exchange has clear and evidenced targets in place to achieve carbon neutral by 2050. Over the past decade, they have worked hard to improve their green credentials and reduce their carbon footprint by upgrading taps and toilets (70% water saving), installing a solar array (generating a reliable source of green energy), upgrading our auditorium HVAC system, installing a new building management system (maximising efficiency and reducing energy consumption), installing digital display screens and introducing a digital membership scheme (reducing the impact of printing, postage and single-use paper posters).
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The Dolphin (Pub/Restaurant/Hotel)
The Dolphin is a gastropub in the centre of Newbury that serves brunch from midday, light and hearty classic British dishes for lunch, and a perfect mix of meat, fish and vegan dishes for dinner. All dishes are prepared from fresh and they proudly champion local producers where they can. They have private rooms for dinner parties, tasting events and larger catered events as well as five boutique bedrooms.... and “the most beautiful garden for al fresco dining in Newbury”.
Sustainability agenda
The Dolphin are working with West Berkshire Council to install solar panels, double glazing and insulation to reduce their energy consumption. They have planted trees to offset their carbon footprint as well as to improve the greenness of Newbury. We always offer an excellent range of vegan and vegetarian dishes.
The Dolphin work with local suppliers and encourage their guests to use bicycles. To reduce waste, they recycle all glass, cardboard as well as food waste, and have also refurbished the pub with second hand and recycled furniture and fittings
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Goat on the Roof (Restaurant)
Goat on the Roof is a British Tapas Restaurant and Wine Bar using organic and sustainably produced local ingredients and natural wines
Sustainability Agenda
They use only renewable energy, they don’t use any gas at all. They have a comprehensive recycling and re-using policy in their business and only source from sustainable producers and they are all as local as possible.
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