​So are we ‘just a bunch of tree huggers’?
There has been a lot of discussion in the press recently about citizens who are concerned about global warming and the loss of biodiversity and the use of the term ‘tree hugger’ as a derogatory term. Just read how it came about and you will understand why there would be such anger. What a sad origin story.

Planting and Growing and Wilding
Huge thanks to Louise and friends of Lichfield Kindness Rocks for creating the lovely ‘Welcome’ stones for Three Tree Triangle. Don’t they look great? And we have added slate signs to Tamworth St plot to explain what is happening there too.
Summer Solstice Evening at Forest Harvest, Yoxall
A most enjoyable evening of being in nature, picnicing, chatting, wood whittling and folk singing was had and will certainly be repeated!  Thank you to Nick Burton for hosting us and showing us around your amazing achievements at Forest Harvest and to the Edwards family for the entertainment.

Friends of Lichfield City Station
A new group has been established to ensure that the station gets some TLC.  The first meeting was held on 17th July and there was a lot of enthusiasm for projects to improve on what is currently there – more planters for flowers and herbs, artwork, more regular litter picking, music, local school involvement etc.  Inspiration was taken from the Wylde Green station group who achieved a lot since they set up 2 or so years ago.  If you are interested in supporting the group then there will be a meet up at the station on Mon 14th August, 7pm to have a look round at what needs dealing with, followed by a drink at the Bitter Suite. Contact Kathy Maskell if you want to get involved [email protected].
The CO2 Bubble
Just a reminder that this representation of a tonne of CO2 will be visiting Lichfield on 2nd August – Beacon Park – from 10am and there will be lots of family fun activities happening alongside in the park. This 10-meter installation that helps people visualize how their daily activities can impact carbon emissions. Staff from the county council climate change team will provide advice and tips to help residents reduce their carbon footprint. Full details can be found here.  It is certainly a good talking point! Transition will have a stand there and we would appreciate some help on the day – get in touch with Pam via [email protected] if you can help. 
​The Apiarist Gin
Keep an eye out for the grand opening (hopefully late August) of a small distillery run by our local beekeeping/honey making/gin and whiskey making business in Lichfield city centre!  We will definitely be arranging a group visit!
 
Learning opportunities, inspiration and handy hints
Watch
 
BBC i-Player :
– “Reporting from the Climate Frontlines”. The BBC's science editor David Shukman tells his story about following climate change across the world.
- “Electric Cars – what they really mean for you” (from Tues 25th July). A look at the current issues relating to driving an EV and the various infrastructure challenges.
 
Read
 
Staffs Wildlife Trust have released a report about the positive impact that nature has on wellbeing.
 
Copper Consultancy produce some excellent research reports about public attitudes towards various environmental topics. Their latest is about attitudes to nuclear power. Read it here.
 
 
 
 
Find out and Feedback
 
A ‘Right to Grow’ initiative - should we follow Shropshire’s lead and do this in Lichfield District? Take a look at what they have been doing and then give us your feedback.
 
Have you watched the animation showing the proposed redevelopment plans for the Birmingham Road site in Lichfield (check their Instagram feed if you have access – not found it on their website yet…)?  A lot to fit in in a very short timescale and not much detail on the ‘sustainability’ aspects of it.  The same goes for the proposed Stychbrook Park Leisure Centre.  Start here on the LDC website…
 
 
Get involved
Community Speed Watch - Volunteers Still Wanted!
Full training will be given and we can agree when we operate so we can fit it around other commitments. Training happens quite regularly at venues around the county. If you’d like to find out more, without committing yourself to anything, please get in touch. Simon Johnson, [email protected]
Community Support
Sessions being hosted by LDC to help people with issues relating to the cost of living crisis – benefits, housing, council tax, recycling advice, volunteering, mental health support etc.
27 July in the reception of Lichfield District Council House, Frog Lane, Lichfield between 9.30am and 11.30am
3 August in Burntwood Leisure Centre café area between 9.30am and 11.30. Full details here.
Green Conversations
Transforming the Trent Valley (TTTV) are running an ‘green’ networking day on 26th July (possibly too short notice for this newsletter)  - 1-4pm, Rugeley Community Centre, Burnthill Lane, Rugeley WS15 2HX for Staffordshire groups to discuss their projects and ideas with one another but please report back if you did make it!
Transition Lichfield would like to run some events for the autumn, to encourage green discussions amongst local residents – a film night or games night of some sort – if anyone would be interested in helping organise?
School Uniform – a message from LCC
Lichfield Back to School Bank is back for 2023! Last year we recycled and reused more than 100kg of school uniform and supported more than 60 families with the cost of school uniform just as the energy price hike began to bite. This year we’re hoping to do even more good with the support of Lichfield City Council who are helping to deliver the project this summer.
We’re again asking for any laundered school uniform which is no longer needed, or has been grown out of, to be donated to the Back to School Bank so that we can distribute as much as possible to families ahead of the new term. Collection points are already in operation in Tesco Extra and the City Council offices at Donegal House, with plans for another 3 more to make donating unwanted uniform as easy as possible. We’ll then be holding four distribution events where families can come along and collect preloved uniform free of charge before the new term starts in September. If you have any preloved school uniform that’s no longer needed, please do consider dropping it off at Tesco or Donegal House so that we can reuse it and help drive down some of the carbon cost of uniform."
 
 
 
 
Spotlight Slot
Woodhouse Farm, Whittington
Just a little plug for them….
The Farm is a brilliant venue for all kinds of gatherings, parties and events:
Weddings; Birthday Parties for adults, children and young people; Anniversary parties; End of Term parties; Rainbows and Brownies gatherings; Choir Practices; Club Meetings; Music Events; Afternoon Teas; Treasure Hunts; BBQs, Hog Roasts, Picnics and much more....
You can self-cater or they can do it for you, including the appropriate licensing.
“We pride ourselves on our flexibility and our ability to create a lovely atmosphere in a rural setting for your special event. Our volunteer activities now include a new Events Group, so get in touch if you'd like to help out” said Annamarie.
If you're interested in holding an event please email [email protected]
They also run a veg box scheme - the 2023-2024 CSA scheme is well under way. Try Before You Buy! If you are interested in becoming a member but are concerned about the commitment, we suggest you have a 4 week trial. The trial costs £13 a week and a one-off payment of £52 is payable in advance. Contact [email protected] to arrange your 4 week trial.
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Dates for your diary
You can also check out the Events listing on the Transition website.
July
30th – 10.30am, Lichfield Re:Cycle community bike ride. Meet at Melbourne Café on Bird St, Lichfield
30th – 11-1pm, Dovehouse Gardens volunteering/open day. Just turn up!  Dovehouse Fields.
August
No Repair Cafes during August.
2nd – Staffs CC CO2 Bubble and LDC Fun Day at Beacon Park, 10-00 until 4pm.
9th - walk looking at the TTTV work on the Burton Washlands and the cattle grazing project, led by Lawrence Oates, mobile 07432 608931
Throughout August - Exhibition of Art and poetry in the Shenstone library coffee shop. Open during library opening hours.
September
2nd - NCT Cloth Nappy Library. 10.00-12.00am, Lichfield District Children's Centre WS13 7PH. [email protected]
2nd – Burntwood Repair & Share Café, 10-1pm, St Joseph’s RC Church, Cannock Road, WS7 0BB
5th  – Transition Meetup at the Bitter Suite pub, 7pm. Email [email protected] if you would like to attend.
9th – Sandfields Pumping Station – the Musical! The story of Sandfields History in words and music performed in a sea shanty style by the Lichfield Lighthouse Company. Tickets: £10 This is a fundraising event in aid of the RLNI and Sandfields pumping station. Booking is via Eventbrite.
16th – Lichfield Repair & Share Café, 2-5pm, Curborough Community Centre, WS13 7NY
22nd – Climate Expo, 10-4pm Keele Hall, Keele University with Chris Packham as the keynote speaker. Orgnaised by the Globe Foundation, Uttoxeter. Book your free ticket here.
October
4th – Chris Baines of SWT will be speaking about Nature Recovery Networks. To be held at the Cathedral. More details to follow.
7th - Burntwood Repair & Share Café, 10-1pm, St Joseph’s RC Church, Cannock Road, WS7 0BB
7th - NCT Cloth Nappy Library. 10.00-12.00am, Lichfield District Children's Centre WS13 7PH. [email protected]
21st - Lichfield Repair & Share Café, 2-5pm, Curborough Community Centre, WS13 7NY
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 per person

We are so grateful to Louise from Lichfield Kindness Rocks who created this 'Welcome' for us out of gorgeous painted pebbles at our Three Tree Triangle site at Festival Gardens!  Don't they look fabulous?!  Thank you Louise!

News and recent activities
Future of Transition – meet up
Attendees of our recent meetings seem keen to make meetups a regular occurrence so check the diary or website events listing – all welcome!
Planting and Growing and Wilding
Our sites at Tamworth Street and Festival Gardens are coming along nicely and we have been getting some great feedback from passers-by. We always ask them to post on social media about their joy and also to tell LDC and LCC so that they get a balanced view – the complainers tend to be the ones that get their voices heard! Thanks to our regular volunteers for their help and also to Carrie and Sadie from the Real Wedding Collective shop on Tamworth Street who have been watering the tree and plants for us!  Nice to get a local business involved.

​Nurture Community CIC have just kicked off their ‘Growing Communities’ project. It will involve a wide range of groups/age ranges - from people in care homes right down to toddler groups - learning about growing vegetables, fruit, herbs etc. They will plant the seeds, tend to them, harvest and then cook what they have grown. Watch out for updates on this. Further information can be found here.
The ‘No Mow May’ initiative
What are your thoughts on the council’s No Mow May project?  SCC, LDC, LCC and other Parish Councils all joined in with this initiative and we have yet to see any feedback on how they thought it went. Many people have said how much they have enjoyed seeing the roadsides full of buttercups, dandelions, oxeye daisies and poppies. Some places have never been allowed to flourish and it has been amazing to see the result of not being cut.  Transition are happy to gather your feedback and pass it on, so do let us know your thoughts and send photos too.
Repair Café’s ‘Thrift Fest’
The 17th June repair session in Lichfield was enhanced with a new initiative – a ‘Thrift’ festival!  The idea was to show people how to make the most of the things that they already have, whether that be making better use of your sewing machine, upcycling clothes to turn them into other outfits or items, making your own cleaning materials, growing your own veg and making compost, keeping your bike in good repair, knowing what certain tools can be used for, advice on reusable nappies, reducing your food waste and buying zero waste/packaged items. Two local traders joined in too, to show off their amzing selection of products that are made from using scrap items or everyday objects.  It was a great success and enjoyed by all.  Thanks as always to all the participants.
The CO2 Bubble
This representation of a tonne of CO2 will be visiting Lichfield on 2nd August – Beacon Park – from 10am. This 10-meter installation that helps people visualize how their daily activities can impact carbon emissions. The bubble will be accompanied by staff from local council climate change teams who will provide advice and tips to help residents reduce their carbon footprint. Full details can be found here.  It is certainly a good talking point! Transition will have a stand there too so please let us know if you are able to help with that. 

We have come a long way in quite a short time!  And getting positive feedback from passers-by is a bonus!  
The bed planted to encourage wildlife is looking pretty and the crab apple tree is healthy and starting to fruit already.  
Get in touch if you fancy helping to maintain the site (and the Festival Gardens one too!).  Our thanks go to Sadie and Carrie at The Real Wedding Collective on Tamworth Street for taking on watering duties for us!

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.
​
💚 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.
​
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.

​News and recent activities
Lichfield District Council Consultation - Housing
Work has started on a new set of guidelines for housing development in the Lichfield District to ensure that future homes meet residents’ expectations for design, quality, beauty and sustainability. Workshops took place on 7th and 8th March, chaired by BDP, a build design consultancy, and representatives from Lichfield District Council and Staffordshire County Council and you can now contribute your views via a Community Survey, which will run until 17th April. Link should be available via the LDC website (not available at time of going to press).
You can check out this New Scientist article about the Future Homes Standard for 2025 here and see how different designs fare.
Three Tree Triangle, Festival Gardens
The space is coming along nicely and has had a small pond added to it, and a hidden beetle home!  Great Tits are nesting in one of the boxes and lots of bulbs/plants popping up for Spring!

City Nature Challenge 2023
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.
Lichfield Wildlife Group is running two training sessions to help you get familiar with iNaturalist so you can take part.
Thursday 20th April, 2pm – 4pm, College Hall, Lichfield Cathedral.  Free refreshments.
Let us know you are coming (01543 257812 [email protected]) or just turn up on the day.
Saturday 22nd April 2pm – 4pm, Beacon Park Discovery Hub (behind the bowling greens). Booking required.  01543 257812 or [email protected]
Everyone is welcome.  It would be helpful if you could download the iNaturalist app. on your smartphone before the session from your usual app store.

The “Art of Inclusion” Project
Nurture Community CIC started this workshop-based project in February, with funding support from We Love Lichfield. It aims to connect and create a collective outcome of art that represents the Lichfield District Community. It will conclude in June, having worked with around 500 people from 20 groups. Collectively this artwork will be exhibited within an installation at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre in June and Fuse Festival in July.
During the workshop the participants have a choice of art materials that encourages them to explore – not only in terms of materials but in terms of ‘self’ and the art of making everyone feel seen and included for who they are. Truly inclusive.
Further details can be found here.

Tackling Climate Change
Well done Stafford Borough Council for being the first council in the West Midlands region to produce a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.  Our own Council has a section of its website about climate change, if you haven’t seen this yet.
 
Learning opportunities, inspiration and handy hints
Reading
The People’s Plan for Nature Report, published mid-March, is certainly worth a read. It sets out the UK public’s recommendations for reversing massive declines in Britain’s nature. A hundred people were invited to come together, in a citizens’ assembly, to agree on a plan for how to renew and protect nature.
 
Have you checked out the LDC website recently?  There is a lot of detail about nature, green spaces and biodiversity in the district.
Exploring
Fancy a local walk but fed up with the same routes?  Take a look at the maps here!
 
Get involved
Transition Meet-up
A small group of ‘members’ will be meeting up at 7pm on 17th April to discuss the future direction of Transition locally. All welcome! Email [email protected] to confirm attendance and details of venue.
Spark in Burntwood needs your support
There are loads of things going on at Spark!
Community Fridge: Spark's community fridge is accessible Term time Mon-Fri 9am- 5pm. Unlike food banks, the fridges are available for anyone to use. They are there to donate and take food, share recipes and save things going to waste. A simple solution to wasting less food through the sharing of good quality food.
 
Spark Baby and Children's Bank - Provides good condition second hand items to families in need. We also have donations of re-useable sanitary wear thanks to Lichfield Soroptomists.
Toy Library at Burntwood Library – 11.15am on Thursdays
Join as a member for a small fee and borrow toy packs each week. Saving money and swapping and reusing toys over again. Good for your pocket and for the environment. [email protected] for more info.
 
Community Garden
Would you like to be involved in making our environment and spaces greener and filled with nature? We are looking for volunteers who would like to use and help tend our community garden at Spark. At the moment we are meeting on Friday afternoons. In the garden we have water recycling, composting and growing areas and particularly want the garden to be a space for the community and children to engage with nature.  
 
The Slow Food Network
 A heartfelt update….you might want to consider joining them?
“Another month, another crisis….. Tomato or Turnip? Empty vegetable aisles in the supermarkets have been hitting the headlines as conventional, transnational supply chains show their fragility once more. Yes, there is good ministerial advice that we should eat our indigenous seasonal vegetables, but it misses the point. We don't actually grow enough of them to feed us.
There will always be a need to import food in the near future. As a nation we have - because of our colonial history - always taken food from far and wide and it to our shores. But that fact shouldn’t obscure why we still need to reset our food system here at home.
We have to create a food and farming system which allows our existing farmers to produce good food, with a grants system which provides support for farming which enhances rather than harms nature and ultimately becomes net zero. It’s something which Slow Food campaigns on week in, week out.
There needs to be a way to get land back into cultivation, and a means for new entrants without land to be able to rent it at an affordable price. (Farmland is now more than £10,000 an acre - making it near impossible for the next generation to farm).
Vitally, we need retailers to pay farmers a fair price for the food they produce - currently they get as little as 1-3% of the shelf price.
But aren’t we already suffering from the soaring price of food? Absolutely, but that rising cost is not being shared with the people who need it most, the producers, vast numbers of whom are in debt and earn the equivalent of below the minimum wage.
 We as consumers have a part to play. By eating everything we buy, and celebrating the richness from these shores where and when we can.
Some of this requires education, some of this is about accessibility. Slow Food tackles these issues. Like running food hubs, providing school and community education. Or supporting schools and communities to produce food on a small scale themselves with our grants for community growing. Elsewhere, we work on social media, connecting with people who may not have otherwise have seen our messages, explaining what is good just now, and telling the stories of those who produce it.
Good, clean and fair food - shared with love around the table. It’s a simple concept, but utterly complex in its issues - issues that we fight for, day in, day out. Whether that is the corridors of our national parliaments, with the FSA, supermarket boardrooms, or working with other NGOs, we are there.
Everyone deserves something good to eat today. And those who produce it need a just reward too. We won't rest until both become a reality.”
Find further information here.  And for your local food network supplier, check out Ruth Redgate’s site, the Mercia Farmers Market. Local collections each week.
 
Sharing Resources
There must be lots of groups around Lichfield who own equipment/resources that other groups might want to make use of on occasion. For example, Transition Lichfield have items that we use for events – x2 fold up tables, x2 chairs, lightweight display boards, a 3x3 gazebo, and of course the 2 polar bears with face cutouts! And it all has to be stored in members’ homes! No point everyone having the same items when they often only get used a couple of times a year.
We could create a list of items and contact info and put it on our website perhaps. Would that be useful? Feedback please and perhaps a volunteer to make that happen!
 
Spotlight Slot
Grace Cares is a not-for-profit organisation which has been set up to support older people and care workers across the UK. They collect, donate and sell pre-loved care equipment to enhance people’s quality of life, support care workers and older people in need via community groups and grants.
Get in touch if you are in need of equipment or have items to donate. 01543 326819  [email protected]
​
Dates for your diary
You can also check out the Events listing on the Transition website.
1st April - Burntwood Repair & Share Café, 10-1pm, St Joseph’s RC Church, Cannock Road, WS7 0BB
1st April - NCT Cloth Nappy Library. 10.00-12.00am, Lichfield District Children's Centre WS13 7PH. [email protected]
1st April – 10-4pm Churchyard Nature Day, St Michael’s Church, Greenhill, Lichfield
8th April – 10-1pm, Watercolour Florals with Bryony Halstead, Forest Harvest, Yoxall. Booking required.
15th Apr – 2-5pm, Lichfield Repair & Share Café, Curborough Community Centre, WS13 7NY
17th April – 7pm, Transition meet-up, Venue TBC. Email [email protected]
20th April, 2pm – 4pm, City Nature Challenge training. College Hall, Lichfield Cathedral.  Free refreshments. 01543 257812 [email protected] or just turn up on the day.
21st April – XR and other groups gathering, surrounding the Houses of Parliament – details here
22nd April 2pm – 4pm, City Nature Challenge training. Beacon Park Discovery Hub (behind the bowling greens). Booking required.  01543 257812 or [email protected]
22nd April – Earth Day – details about the campaign can be found here
29th April - 10.00-12.00 Transition visit to Woodhouse Farm and Garden, Fisherwick Wood Lane, Lichfield, WS13 8QG. Free drink and cake, and opportunity to shop at the farm shop.
29th April - 10.00am Piggott’s Bottom Bluebell Wood Walk, Upper Longdon with Lichfield Wildlife Group
6th May – NO REPAIR CAFÉ AT BURNTWOOD DUE TO CORONATION!
13th May - 10-3pm ‘Be Proud of Your Community’ Day, various locations around North Lichfield. A joint clean up exercise with LDC, Bromford Housing, local police and Litter Legends.
20th May – 2-5pm, Lichfield Repair & Share Café on tour, in conjunction with WFEG!  Thomas Spencer Hall, Church Lane, Whittington with an ‘Art of Inclusion’ session by Nurture Community CIC
Save the dates!
17th June – 2-5pm. Thrift Fest at Lichfield Repair & Share Café

Well, we remembered that the clocks had gone forward so all the volunteers for Festival Gardens 'Three Tree Corner' arrived at the right time on Sunday!
The plan was to do a tidy, dig a hole to put a small pond into, create a beetle home and plant some wildflower seed.  It was a cold start to the day but we soon warmed up with our efforts!

Some definite signs of spring with bulbs coming up in lots of areas, the raspberry canes starting to sprout and Great Tits nesting in one of the boxes!  Excellent to see this!

Just a quick update to say that planting and tidying work will be taking place on Three Tree Triangle and Tamworth Street as the weather improves!  Look out for info on social media and on our noticeboards.

If you want to get involved then get in touch!  [email protected]

What is a Transition Town?
Given that a lot of new people have joined our mailing list, we thought it would be useful to explain/remind what Transition is all about, and in turn, hopefully garner more interest in contributing to initiatives.  We really DO need more input and support from the community to make it viable.
Taken from ‘The Essential Guide to Doing Transition’
Transition is a movement that has been growing since 2005. It is about communities stepping up to address the big challenges they face by starting local. By coming together, they are able to create solutions together. They seek to nurture a caring culture, one focused on connection with self, others and nature. They are reclaiming the economy, sparking entrepreneurship, reimagining work, reskilling themselves and weaving webs of connection and support. Courageous conversations are being had; extraordinary change is unfolding. It's an approach that has spread to over 50 countries, in thousands of groups: in towns, villages, cities, universities, schools. Telling inspiring stories helps the movement grow.
Why do people get involved?
People get involved with Transition for all sorts of reasons:
• To get to know their neighbours
• To feel that they are making a difference in the world, both now, and for future generations
• To overcome the sense of disconnection they feel from self, others and from the nature around them because the world's huge challenges feel more manageable if addressed at the local scale
• To catalyse all manner of new projects, enterprises and investment opportunities
• To learn new skills
• To feel like they are creating a more life-enhancing story for their place
• To feel connected to other people, to the natural world, and to something historic and exciting happening around them
• Because they feel it is "the right thing to do"
• Because they feel disenfranchised by politics and want to be able to take back a sense that they can influence the world around them
 
Head, Heart and Hands
‘Doing’ Transition successfully is about finding a balance between these three things:
The Head: we act on the basis of the best information and evidence available and apply our collective intelligence to find better ways of living.
The Heart: we work with compassion, valuing and paying attention to the emotional, psychological, relational and social aspects of the work we do.
The Hands: we turn our vision and ideas into a tangible reality, initiating practical projects and starting to build a new, healthy economy in the place we live.
 
So, our question to you Lichfield is ‘Are we achieving this?’
Does Transition add value to the community? What else can we be doing?  Which existing groups could we be working with?  How do we bring about more obvious change for good in our District?  We would love to initiate discussion on these topics if there is appetite for it and if it will result in action. Take part in our poll HERE so we know whether to organise a gathering.
 
News and recent activities
Woodhouse Farm Celebrate 15 years
Andrew and Annemarie have been at the farm for 15 years this year. Some of you will remember what the space was like when they first took it on, and the complicated ownership issues! What an amazing job they have done though since 2008.
To mark the occasion they are creating a special photo book which future visitors can look at and follow the development of the business and the farm itself and would like contributions. Cast your minds back...Did you attend a cider day, volunteer or have a party or event here? Do you have stories to tell and photos they can share from the last 15 years? If you do, then email them to [email protected]. If you don't have them in electronic format or would like to tell your story rather than write it down, just let Annemarie know and she will arrange a convenient time.
Transition will be having a visit/tour there on Saturday 29th April, 10.00am. Come and join in and enjoy a free drink/cake on us!

Repair & Share Café
This initiative is going from strength to strength!  Both the January and February Lichfield sessions had over 50 repair requests, which has kept the volunteer repairers busy from start to finish. The Burntwood one has now been running for a year and is not quite as busy as Lichfield yet so please do spread the word to Burntwood residents. Although not everything is repairable, it is just as important to get items checked over to see if it is viable. Generally, around 60% of items brought are repaired, with another 10-15% needing parts or further investigation. Great work repair team!
The sessions have also been used as a skill share opportunity, with Becky from Yarny Bees teaching the basics of crochet and Debbie from Protean Art making flowers from aluminium drinks cans for a community art project. More ‘learning’ opportunities to come.
The 17th June Lichfield Repair and Share Café (2-5pm) will become ‘Thrift Fest’, celebrating the ‘make do and mend’ mentality. The date falls at the end weekend of the Great Big Green Week and it seems fitting to show people other ways of saving money such as clothing upcycling, grow your own, making things from ‘scrap’, swapping/sharing, cooking on a budget and so on. More detail to follow but do save the date!
The next big idea to be explored is to create a ‘Library of Things’ for Lichfield if funding and a suitable space can be found. Anyone interested in helping with this then get in touch.

Lichfield District Council Consultation - Housing
Have your say on housing development in the District at the Lichfield District Design Code Workshop. Work has started on a new set of guidelines for housing development in the Lichfield District to ensure that future homes meet residents’ expectations for design, quality, beauty and sustainability. Workshops are taking place on 7th and 8th March, chaired by BDP, a build design consultancy, and representatives from Lichfield District Council and Staffordshire County Council. The sessions will focus on the design coding for Lichfield, Burntwood and local villages and provide an opportunity to discuss the existing character of the area, your likes and dislikes and suggest how the design code could enhance developments. If you have not received a personal invite to attend but would like to participate then email [email protected] for more information. We need to press for immediate zero carbon and sustainable infrastructure.
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Sewage in our Waterways
The XR Tamworth & Lichfield Group in conjunction with Transition unveiled a ‘blue plaque’ at Speakers’ Corner in Lichfield to shine a light on Michael Fabricant, who on 20/10/21 voted to allow raw sewage to be dumped into local waterways. Similar initiatives took place across the country where MPs had voted in the same way. It is shocking to see how many had done this.

City Nature Challenge 2023
Started in 2016 as a competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the City Nature Challenge (CNC) has grown into an international event, motivating people around the world to find and document wildlife in their own cities. Run by the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM), the CNC is an annual four-day global bioblitz at the end of April (April 28th - 1st May), where cities are in a collaboration-meets-friendly-competition to see what can be accomplished when we all work toward a common goal.
Over the 4 days, all wildlife observations made in the county of Staffordshire, not just our cities, will go towards our total where we will be competing with areas across the globe to see who can record the most species.
The Lichfield Wildlife Group are hoping to provide a Lichfield focus to the Staffordshire participation in this project, and they are planning to organise at least one training event to help people not familiar with iNaturalist (where observations need to be recorded) get started with the app.  Please contact Lin Norbury for further details - [email protected]
 
 Lichfield Cathedral
Working with Staffs Wildlife Trust, who have provided the know-how and seeds, pupils from year 7 at the Cathedral School joined other volunteers in a special Forest School session. Seeds were planted along grassed areas along with south-side of Lichfield Cathedral. Grass around the Close will be left to grow longer. A laurel tree by Minster Pool has been removed to give the native trees and flora space and light in which to thrive. Plans are progressing for a hedge by the East Wall.
They are currently looking for volunteers to adopt and maintain some of the large flat gravestones in the Stowe Pool vicinity. Feedback is welcomed on the changes that are being made.
David Primrose from Lichfield Cathedral comments “In 2022 we achieved our Silver Eco Church Award and we are committed to ‘go for gold’ in the coming year. Our commitment at Lichfield Cathedral is to help make a positive impact on the environment for generations to come and the groundwork we are doing is just a small part of our work this year.”

Zero Emissions Flights
Recent news via the Birmingham Chamber on a collaboration at Birmingham Airport for hydrogen-powered air travel for short haul flights by as soon as 2025. Worth looking into!

Learning opportunities, inspiration and handy hints
Reading
Juliet Davenport, Founder of Good Energy has written a book for startup businesses with advice on being sustainable - an essential toolkit for the modern-day entrepreneur. More detail here.
 
Food and farming dilemmas. Find out more about plans for a way forward for the future of farming, on the Nature Friendly farming Network website.  And the issue of disappearing food varieties in the UK which need urgently addressing.
Coastal erosion – not a topic that immediately concerns us as residents of Lichfield, being bang in the middle of the country! But we SHOULD be concerned for those people whose lives are being affected it. This map highlights the 21 English coastal communities most at risk of coastal erosion, which is accelerating because of the climate crisis.

Watch
‘Fashion Reimagined’ is in cinemas from 3rd March – a documentary about sustainable fashion designer Amy Powney (she runs the high-end Mother of Pearl label) and the other pioneering women who are leading the way with connected sustainable businesses.

Get involved
Green spaces work
The WFEG (Whittington & Fisherwick Environmental group) Events Programme for 2023 is taking shape and they have some fantastic talks and walks planned.
Regular working parties - first Sunday of the month - are great opportunities to get involved and transform our local area as well as meet like-minded people. The next one is Sunday 5th March - please meet at Swan Meadow (off Burton Road before the Swan Bridge) at 10am. If you'd like to know more please email Lisa at [email protected]. The events in March focus on gardens and "rewilding" to encourage native plants and wildlife.
The Whittington village Open Gardens event takes place on 24th and 25th June. If you would like to open your garden but have not done so before or would like to know more before committing, please contact Clare Jansz via [email protected].
St Michael’s Church in Lichfield will be running a churchyard nature day on Sat 1st April 10-4pm – talks on wildlife, herb and lichen walk, churchyard working party work, children’s activities and more. As their churchyards is one of the largest in the country then there is plenty to keep on top of!
Don’t forget to keep us posted on your events/activities so we can share!

Spotlight Spot - Missfit Creations
Although Missfit are not officially part of Transition, we thought we would introduce you to Debbie Murphy’s business and her fascinating story.
Based in Tamworth, Debbie provides an alternative to fast fashion by restoring and reworking second-hand and vintage clothing – anything from 1940s de-mob suits to 1970s psychedelia, to the present day.
The Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute at Aston University used her business as a case study relating to carbon emissions in the fashion industry - with a production of 4% of global carbon emissions and 920,000 tonnes of clothing sent to landfill annually, the clothing industry is a significant source of environmental concern. By analysing the recirculation of second-hand clothes alone, EBRI found Debbie’s current fashion collection has the potential to save the CO2 equivalent of three tonnes – equal in size to at least three semi-detached houses. Read the case study here.
 
As well as running her business, Debbie runs community sessions in Tamworth each month (The Mending Circle) to encourage repair of clothing or re-use of fabric.

​JANUARY 2023
Happy New Year! Let’s make it a year of positive action to reduce consumption, reduce carbon and get involved in our community more!
 
News and recent activities
Planting on Tamworth Street grass verge and bank
At the start of December a few of us braved the cold and met at the Tamworth Street site to plant up a bed with a lovely range of plants for biodiversity. Kathy Maskell, a new recruit, created the planting plan and sourced everything from a local nursery, using funds allocated by LDC Cllr Deb Baker. A crab apple tree was also planted – a great food source for birds in the autumn months.  Bulbs have already been planted so they should be making an appearance soon.
Let’s hope that the plants and tree are not trampled on my dogs and car park users! If you are walking past there, please do report back if you see any problems. 
And on the topic of reporting things back, why not give some positive comments to the Councils if you like what they are doing in green spaces eg the wildflower beds on the edges of Festival Gardens?  We hope to be seeing a lot more ‘wilding’ going on and grass not being mowed as often so rather than them just getting complaints that things should be tidied up and cut back, why not let them know that you LIKE the wilding?! We need more voices about giving nature a chance.

​We also made use of some of the fabulously decorated wheel hubs from Litter Legends members to liven up the car park barrier. The Christmas themed ones will be replaced with generic ones in the next few weeks.