 Energy
The heat from mine water project moves on apace. In mid October STS coordinated a meeting which was attended by representatives from Haltwhistle Swimming and Leisure Centre, Haltwhistle Partnership, the Rural Community Energy Fund, Durham University's BritGeothermal, Teesdale Environmental Consulting, and Haltwhistle Town Council's Climate Change group. Haltwhistle Partnership's Andy Dean heroically completed the feasibility study grant application for the Leisure Centre, gathering all the necessary information together, dotting the 'i's and crossing the 't's in time for the RCEF's submission deadline of Friday, the first of November.
The future of this project now depends on the outcome of the grant application, due in February next year, and then is in the hands of Haltwhistle Partnership and HSLC, but STS will continue supporting with volunteer help where appropriate and we'll include progress reports in this newsletter. Evidence of community support is one of the criteria on which RCEF applications are judged.
Plastics news
Single use, point of sale plastics in Haltwhistle.
I would love to hear more from readers about shops and businesses in our town taking measures to reduce single use plastics. I've received the following reports so far:
"At Billy Bells the fish is always wrapped in paper and now there are a variety of sizes of paper bags for loose veg, and of course you can just tip the loose veg from the scales into your shopping basket - without any packaging at all"
"Sainsbury's have removed point of sale plastic bags from their veg aisle. They provide thin, reusable muslin bags with a drawstring (30p each) and encourage you to bring your own bags, they have installed scales so you can weigh and price fruit and veg before putting it into a bag. Of course there are still pre-packed veg in plastic, but it's a start and in many cases offers the choice of avoiding unnecessary plastic."
I've also noticed that Sainsbury's seem to have removed the plastic lids, which used to sit over the foil closures on their own brand cream and similar dairy produce.
 Refill Hadrian's Wall
This project is now in full swing with volunteers from Carlisle's One World Shop starting with recruiting businesses in Bowness-on-Solway.
Sustainable Brampton has been busy around Lanercost and Walton and our own volunteers have been out between Gilsland and Wall, however there are still gaps to be filled so if you can help please get in touch.
As well as the stickers the information below has been prepared to explain the importance of the project and how it works.
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Zero Waste Shop
Julie Gibbon sent this report on the Zero Waste Shop, another project which came out of STS discussions but has been taken on by Haltwhistle Partnership:
Responses to the survey have been very good - there have been well over 200 with 95% supporting the idea and 75% saying they would purchase from the shop. 93% of those replying live in Haltwhistle or one of its surrounding parishes. So we are now looking for funding to help with preparing the business plan and the costs of setting it up.
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STS - Award nomination
 We've heard that we've been shortlisted for the 'Volunteer group' award in the National Park awards and have an invite to the award ceremony on Nov 16th at Kendal's Mountain Festival. Fingers crossed for returning with a trophy!
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South Tyne Wildlife Group
7.30pm, November 12th Comrades Club.
Genevieve Dalley; "Invertebrates on the map; the legacy of the cold blooded and spineless project"
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The current Lets Get Together program can be found here:
http://ncdc.org.uk/event/lgt-november-programme/ |
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There are currently still a couple of vacancies for stallholders in the Old Booking Hall, a donation of 10% of takings on the night is requested in lieu of a table fee. Contact Julie: secretary@tvcrp.org.uk |
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Still a few places for stallholders available:
Craftspeople contact me: sue@mosspeteral.com
Food producers: howardmaxted@gmail.com
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I hope I'll be forgiven a little plug for my own produce... and an offer - would you like to join our plucking team for a day (or two!) in return for a top-notch Christmas turkey?
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Town Council Climate Change group
Haltwhistle Town Council accepted Mike McGuire's policy paper on 'Climate Change and the Council' and the Council now has a group working on a plan to respond to the challenges of climate change. If you wish to contribute to this work please contact Councillor Mike McGuire directly (mikehalty@btinternet.com) or the Clerk (htcclerk@gmail.com)
View the paper: https://northumberlandparishes.uk/sites/default/files/parish-councils/documents/2019/October/HTC%20Climate%20Change%20Position%20Paper%20Sep%202019.pdf
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Road verge campaign reaches tipping point.
Plantlife recently launched a new guide to verge management and the demand from highways authorities and councils across the country suggests that the campaign to transform road verges into havens for wild flowers, and the wildlife they support, now has widespread support. Several of the case studies align with our experience - a small group from STS raising concerns about inappropriate cutting of specific areas led to a change in the management regime along the whole length of the A69 - other volunteer groups also acted as catalysts with their own modest initiatives prompting signifcant and far-reaching changes in verge management.
https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/our-work/publications/road-verge-management-guide
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Livestock's contribution to climate change
The British Veterinary Association recently published a blog crediting livestock with a positive role in reducing carbon emissions.
https://www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/bva-community/bva-blog/ruminant-agriculture-can-help-us-deliver-net-zero-emissions/?fbclid=IwAR3fYGZTWD52ycx7G8JectsSQ38ykh5s2SyXTUjeLPBn_qCpDJh7IAOloKM
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Get in touch
Any questions, comments or contributions to this monthly e-newsletter?
Please contact sue@mosspeteral.com 016977 47359
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South Tyne Sustainability aims to reduce the impact of the community of Haltwhistle and surrounding villages on our environment. This will help individuals, families and our community save money and resources and ensure a more sustainable future for us all.
To join STS contact Sue Seymour, sue@mosspeteral.com 016977 47359
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