Our April News

News and recent activities
Future of Transition – meet up
A group of around ten of us met up on 17th April to discuss how to take Transition forward – gain more momentum, get younger people involved, widen our offer and so on as Philippa and Pam are finding it hard work to keep things going.
It was agreed to have a follow up meeting and then to decide how best to proceed – regular decision making meetings or more events with activities and speakers….or both?  We have been given the opportunity to make use of some consultancy time from Paul Moseley, an ethnoecologist who provides research and consultation in sustainability, place and rewilding. Date of next meeting is on the calendar at the end of the newsletter.
“The Big One” – XR Gathering in London, 21st April
Some members of Transition Lichfield took a trip down to London, along with many other NGO's and community groups trying to tackle the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency alongside Extinction Rebellion. We thought we would report back on what we saw and perhaps dispel some myths along the way.
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💚 Extinction Rebellion aims to be a non partisan group of individuals. Reflecting the fact that we are in a man made Climate and Biodiversity Emergency - it is non partisan. For further information see www.scientistsforxr.earth

💚 Extinction Rebellion have changed tack this time. Disruption to civilians was not the aim of the game. It was fundamentally about groups gathering together in numbers to share ideas and demonstrate the urgency. Stewards worked together with the police. Buses were honking in support as they drove past. We saw ambulances being guided through.
💚 XR are worked together with the police and organisers of the London Marathon to avoid disruption.
💚 There was a lovely festival-like atmosphere. No rubbish, a lot of shared sadness and concern but also celebration of what is possible. XR are an optimistic group, they tell the truth, which is hard to take, but it is in order to find solutions for us to survive in the future. At the moment it may feel like this is something far away but we are already feeling some of the effects and the global south they are feeling it even more. To avoid acting now is to accept the suffering of those in those counties. 
💚 You may have heard "the UK isn't the problem - it is China". To say that is to take our emissions at face value without considering where all of our products come from. We have very little industry in the UK. You only need to look at the plight of British steel if you want to see how the UK deals with industry. Outsourcing all of our production and then blaming the producers is not the answer - we need to take responsibility.
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Three Tree Triangle, Festival Gardens
There is now a small box of nature related books/magazines for people to make use of whilst at the site or to take away. Feel free to add to it if you are passing.
Children from Christchurch School came to the site to decorate the wooden planters. They had a lot of fun and it was an opportunity to talk to them about the importance of leaving nature to do its thing!
We also have a new sign for the site (and at the Tamworth Street wild area too).

​City Nature Challenge 2023 – 28th April to 1st May
CNC is a global citizen science project with over 450 cities across the world asking citizens to record the plants and animals they see, using the free iNaturalist app. or website, over 4 days.  Your records will contribute to conservation locally, nationally and globally.  You can record in your garden, waste ground, woods and meadows etc. Do try and take part if you can!
We hope to do a survey of what’s growing on the Tamworth Street wild area as part of this and you can join in a survey at the Pipe Green Trust site, just off the A51 (towards the Hedgehog pub – parking by the football pitches) on Sun 30th April, 2pm
Lichfield Cathedral
At the end of March, over 300 whips were planted along the East Wall to form a new hedge. Thanks go to Staffs Wildlife Trust and Lichfield Cathedral School for their contributions. The new mowing regime is in place so people can appreciate where the grass and wildflowers are being left to grow. Lichfield Wildlife Group ran a training session in iNaturalist which led to more people recording the species around the Cathedral Close. Churches Count on Nature 2023 runs from 3rd to 11th June. We’re looking towards a series of events in the autumn to coincide with the installation of Gaia within the Cathedral, including a talk on Nature Recovery by Chris Baines on 4th October.
Monks Walk Garden
A bench dedicated to Lichfield Town Crier, Ken Knowles, has been installed in the peaceful Monks Walk Garden, behind the Chapter House apartments, with funding from the We Love Lichfield fund. A ceremony was held and attended by councillors and volunteers from the gardens.
The inscription reads: Ken Knowles 1949-2020 Lichfield Town Crier 2009-2020 World Champion 2015, Thespian Teacher Wordsmith Entertainer Outstanding Ambassador for Lichfield.  Worth a visit when you are passing.