October Newsletter

​News and recent activities
Repair Café and International Repair Day
The recent Lichfield repair session co-incided with International Repair Day and the launch of a campaign to get the Right to Repair brought into UK law.  You can read more about the campaign here and contact our MP about it – shocking to read that the UK will be number one in the world for the amount of electrical waste we produce per person!  What a sad accolade!
The session proved very popular with around 40 items brought along and the clothing upcycling workshop was well received, so thanks to Debbie from Missfit Creations for hosting that. Maybe Lichfieldians are bucking the trend?
“Welcome to Lichfield” Signs
Litter Legends have taken on responsibility for improving and maintaining the areas around the ‘Welcome to Lichfield’ signs that can be found on the main routes into the City.  Volunteers will be planting up new or existing troughs with bulbs and plants and keeping on top of their maintenance.  Well done to them!

Start ‘em young!
Nurture Community CIC’s ‘Growing Communities’ project has proved a great success!  Members of Fun Club Hub youth group have loved raising and tending their veg and flowers (as have the slightly older residents of Barchester Care Home who had a wonderful crop of courgettes!). Recipes are going to be shared in a cookery book shortly, that will be sold to raise funds to expand the growing project for next year.
Spark in Burntwood are doing a great job of encouraging children and their families to embrace recycling.  A lovely picture of a ‘recycling’ toy being enjoyed!

Stychbrook Leisure Centre proposals
Take a look here to see images of what the proposed leisure centre might look like. We will be keeping a close eye on the planning process via Lichfield District Council.
Climate Scorecards for Councils
Check out how well our Council has done on climate action since they declared a climate emergency in 2019, compared to other UK councils.
The Apiarist Lichfield Distillery
The beekeeping/honey gin/whiskey/rum producer from Stonnall are opening their lovely local distillery in November. Follow them on social media to find out more - @theapiaristco.
Lichfield Cathedral
Chris Baines’ talk on Second Nature attracted an audience of 70 and there are lots of follow on activities planned. Last year the Cathedral entered the RHS ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ and the Diocesan Churchyard Award schemes. This year saw it leaping forward to “thriving” in the former and “Gold” in the latter, with plenty of encouraging comments. Preparations continue for an application for Gold Eco Church in January.

Learning opportunities, inspiration and handy hints
Read
Did you know that the UK can actually produce enough energy from solar and wind?
A national citizens assembly on biodiversity loss was held in Ireland– very impressive event and report.
Boyan Slat was scuba diving off the Greek coast when the epiphany came. Surrounded by marine life and more than a few plastic bags, the then 16-year-old remembers thinking: “Why can’t we just clean this up?” A decade later, and after dropping out of his aerospace engineering degree to start non-profit the Ocean Cleanup, Slat is dedicated to confronting our polluted seas.
The Right to Grow movement (using council owned land to grow food) has had a positive outcome in Hull.
We can highly recommend signing up to the Guardian’s ‘Down to Earth’ weekly email.  Some excellent coverage of a wide range of issues - positive stories as well as areas of concern.
Sunday 22nd Oct edition of the Sunday Times Home section has a ‘complete guide to retrofitting’ feature. Good to see big papers like that covering the topic. (Pam has a copy if anyone has difficulty accessing it online).

Watch
Some positivity for a change – TED talk from a data scientist, explaining that the current generation of young people might turn out to be the first sustainable one.
The True Cost – a film we may have highlighted before but worth a watch to learn more about the ‘true cost’ of our clothing.
Contribute
If you have a little spare cash to invest in something that benefits others then take a look at Shared Interest and Lendwithcare. Both offer a way to ensure that your funds are helping people in other parts of the world who might just need a little financial boost.
 
Listen
Podcasts on Spotify (and may be on other platforms!): ‘Outrage & Optimism’ and ‘Sustainability Champions’.
 
Crafters – don’t forget to check out the Craft Barn at Chasewater before you buy any new materials!  They have a vast selection of fabric, wools as well as general crafting equipment and materials at the fraction of the cost of other suppliers, and all profits go to Saxon Hill Special School. Open Wed, Fri and Sat 10-2pm. 

Spotlight Slot
Two sisters on a mission to help people live more sustainably. Launched in May 2020 with the aim of bringing greener options to the public. Their newly established shop has a wonderful array of eco products including beauty, stationery, kids items, vegan and homeware. They also have a range of household cleaning and laundry refills and a gift box range.
 
They have Terracycle recycling options – you can drop off Pringles tubes and bread and cheese packaging.
 
Online as well as the shop and they plant trees with every online order received. 
 
​Find them at The Plant Plot Garden Centre, Stafford Road, Lichfield, WS13 8JA. Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays or online at www.gracenandmayhome.co.uk.
 
Get involved
Transition Meetup
We will try and make the 2nd Thursday of each month an informal ‘meetup’ date from Jan 2024 where updates and ideas can be shared.  We will hold them at 7pm at the Bitter Suite pub but other venues may be an option from time to time or the meeting might be replaced with an event such as a speaker or film showing.
The last one for 2023 will be 9th November (December too busy for everyone!) and then back into the swing on 11th January.

Green Conversations – 29th November
​​An initiative to provide an opportunity for organisations, community groups and members of the public to discuss issues relating to nature, the environment, sustainability and to network with other likeminded people. Organised by Support Staffordshire, Transforming the Trent Valley, Lichfield Re:Cycle and the City Council – book via Eventbrite.

Repair & Share Cafes
The 4th Nov session at Burntwood will include a craft session with Nurture Community CIC – making Christmas decorations which will be used on the community Christmas tree in Lichfield Cathedral and at the Garrick Theatre.
Back at Lichfield, the November 18th session will have a calligraphy/lettering expert there to teach some new writing skills and you can try your hand at willow weaving with Ellen Spry, and make a Christmas ring or star.  All FREE!. And don’t forget to bring your Christmas lights or electronic decorations along to get checked over before the festive season begins.
And January will see a furniture upcycling/advice session so watch out for details on this.
Curborough Brooks – proposed housing development
Have your say on this development application.  2,900 houses plus 2 primary schools and 1 secondary school. It will have a massive impact on Lichfield.  There are a number of events taking place so that the community can input:
Drop-In Hub 4pm - 8pm at Lichfield City Football Club, Brownsfield Road off Eastern Avenue, Lichfield, WS13 6AY
Wednesday 1 November | Thursday 2 November
Drop-In Hub 11am - 3pm at Lichfield City Football Club,
Friday 27 October | Friday 3 November
Drop-In Hub 11am - 5pm at Lichfield City Football Club
Monday 30 October | Tuesday 31 October
Drop-In Hub 10am - 1pm at The Hub at St Mary’s, Market Square, Lichfield, WS13 6LG
Saturday 28 October | Saturday 4 November
Website – www.curboroughbrooks.co.uk
 
Global Day of Action - SAVE THE DATE: 9th DECEMBER
Message from Friends of the Earth – “From 30 Nov to 12 Dec, world leaders will be gathering for the Conference of Parties (COP), hosted and presided over by the United Arab Emirates.  We don't expect the COP processes to provide the solutions, but we still need to tackle the climate catastrophe. So, the Day of Action will be a vital moment to build the strength of our movement across the UK and the globe. “
And on the subject of COP28, there are a couple of useful articles looking at the man tasked with leading on it, despite him being an oil company executive and the controversial venue of the talks – the UAE.
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Dates for your diary
You can also check out the Events listing on the Transition website.
October
25th – Lichfield Cathedral Gaia Earth exhibit, 7pm. A Vigil – an hour of prayer and reflection, followed by 30 minutes of silence. More detail from [email protected]. ‘Gaia’ installation there until 5th Nov.
28th - Lichfield Wildlife Group’s fungal foray 2:00 - 4:00 in St Michael's churchyard.  The event will be led by Beverley Rhodes, a most knowledgeable mycologist. £2:00 per person
29th - Dovehouse Garden Working Party, 11-1pm. Meet at the site.  Growing spaces available so contact [email protected] if interested.
29th – Forest Harvest, Yoxall, DE13 8PG. Samhain Halloween Gathering, 11-3pm. More details and to book here.
Oct and Nov - Consultation re Curborough Brooks housing development
November
4th Burntwood Repair & Share Café, 10-1pm, St Joseph’s RC Church, Cannock Road, WS7 0BB with craft activity
4th - NCT Cloth Nappy Library. 10.00-12.00am, Lichfield District Children's Centre WS13 7PH. [email protected]
4th – Lichfield Cathedral Artisan Market, 10-3pm. Explore a range stands by local craftspeople and producers - from food and drink to unique, handmade gifts. Held underneath the stunning Gaia artwork.
7th – Lichfield Wildlife Group talk ‘The Wildlife of Chasewater’ by Graham Evans.  (Graham will be leading a walk at Chasewater on Saturday 6th of January at 10:00, meet in the car park). Wade Street Church Hall, Frog Lane, Lichfield WS13 6HL. £3:50.
9th - Transition Meetup. 7pm, Bitter Suite pub, St John St, Lichfield. Please email [email protected] if you intend to come in case plans changed and you need to be notified.
16th – Friends of Lichfield City Station meetup, 7.30pm Bitter Suite pub.
18th – Lichfield Repair & Share Café, 2-5pm, Curborough Community Centre, WS13 7NY. FREE calligraphy and willow workshops on offer.
18th – Forest Harvest, Yoxall, DE13 8PG. Crafty Christmas Workshop run by Little Trees, 2-4pm. Book here.
25th – Vintage & Craft Fair, 11am – 3pm. Burntwood and Hammerwich Labour Party event, Burntwood Memorial Hall. £1 entry. Pop up Repair Café at this event!
26th – Dovehouse Garden Working Party, 11-1pm. Meet at the site.  Growing spaces available so contact [email protected] if interested.
29th – Lichfield ‘Green Conversation’ session, 10-12.30, The Guildhall, Lichfield. Join in the conversation about all aspects of Lichfield District’s green ambitions.
Woodhouse Farm in Whittington will be taking Christmas orders for meats, pies etc so keep your eye out for that or go along to the Whittington Market to pick up some items. Check out their Facebook page.
 
Save the Date!
9th Dec – the Global Day of Action being organised by the Climate Justice Coalition during the COP28 meetings.