On Thursday 21st March, elected members from Parish Councils and Somerset Council representing the Poldens, came together at Cossington Village Hall to discuss how they could work collectively to take positive action for the climate. The seminar aimed to support local councils and communities to create an action plan to combat the effects of climate change, including flooding and heat waves.
The annual event, sponsored by Gravity, was hosted by the recently formed Polden Environmental Network (PEN), which is made up of individuals from villages across the Poldens. PEN representative from Puriton, Jamie Kingscott-Edmunds, opened the event by explaining, “The Network was created in 2023 to promote positive action for the climate, grow and connect the wild spaces across the Poldens and support and enable residents to take action for nature in their villages”
Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT) Climate Adaptation team was invited to lead the climate change workshop, and SWT will now support each community represented at the event to create a climate adaptation plan for their village. Somerset Council Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, Dixie Darch, attended the event with other local County Councillors, who were encouraged to see parish councils discussing collaborative ideas to tackle the local effects of climate change on residents and communities across the Poldens.
For more information about Climate Adaptation please visit Somerset Wildlife Trust
To join the Polden Environment Network please email poldensgroup@outlook.com
You can also visit their Facebook page.