Our ‘Climate Action Newsletter’ is back and we plan to send you an issue every two months.
Since you last heard from us, the Cabinet responsibilities for Climate Emergency have moved to Councillor Paul Hiett. The Climate Change team has also experienced a change in personnel. Heading the team now is Dr Nick Murry, supported by Emma-Jane Williams (AURORA project) and Marcus Perrin. You can contact us via climate.action@fdean.gov.uk.
Please tell us what you what you would like to see in future editions and do forward the newsletter to friends, family and colleagues and encourage them to sign up to receive future editions.
Full details of our climate action can be found on our climate webpages, including our ‘Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan’ created with input from residents to help us secure our ambition of Net Zero carbon emissions for council operations and the district by 2030.
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What we are doing
'Show The Love’
The Council is publicly backing this month’s ‘Show The Love’ campaign organised by The Climate Coalition. The campaign is calling on people across the country to unite in asking for a quickening of the national response to the climate emergency and rising energy costs using the power of the green heart.
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Councillor Paul Hiett, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Communities and Climate Emergency supporting the campaign.
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Generating Solar Energy
Following our recent successful installation of solar PV and battery storage at our offices in Coleford, we are now planning to install further similar systems across our estate. We have been talking to business tenants in Cinderford and Coleford about working with us on a first phase of installations.
We plan to issue a tender shortly to help select a contractor who will work with us to install the systems. Where possible, we are keen to include local companies in tender opportunities when procuring goods, services and works, in order to support and develop local and regional economic growth. Businesses interested in receiving notifications about this and other procurement opportunities from Forest of Dean District Council, including those from our Publica Group partners, are invited to register their details on the Council’s portal.
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The AURORA Project
The AURORA Project, Forest Energy Community Initiative is underway and a range of workshops and events are planned to co-design the approach to community energy in the Forest of Dean. To get involved, please book a place at the workshop at Lydney Community Centre on Monday 27th February, 6pm to 8pm. Or contact us via fod.energycommunity@fdean.gov.uk.
The project will be developing an app to help local residents better understand and target reductions in their carbon footprint, relating to personal energy use from transport and home electricity and heating. This will be launched soon.
The AURORA project is a European project working alongside energy communities and partners in Denmark, Portugal, Slovenia and Madrid. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101036418. As well as our AURORA Forest of Dean website, you can also get regular information about this project by signing up to our newsletter.
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The Warm and Well service offers free energy advice and help to local residents . The service is run by Severn Wye Energy Agency on behalf of the Forest of Dean District Council, along with the six other councils in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. In the financial year to date (April to December 2022), the scheme has helped households in the Forest of Dean in the following ways:
- 426 households supported (61% of which where residents had health conditions)
- 38 energy saving schemes
- Estimated lifetime savings: £182k
- Estimated lifetime carbon savings: 1145t
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Community Lunch Club Grant Funding
The Council has created a one off fund for not for profit voluntary and community groups which is available this winter (2022-23) to help communities initiate projects and support pilot schemes responding to the Cost of Living crisis and warm spaces around community lunch or supper clubs. Applications are now welcome and will be considered on a first come basis and funds will be available until depleted. Find out more here. We are also actively promoting warmwelcome.uk to encourage local community venues to join the network and enable local residents to find their nearest ‘warm space’.
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Food Project Mapping
We're working with Forest Voluntary Action Forum (FVAF) to identify the different food projects happening across the district to find out what communities are growing locally and how food is being distributed back out into the community to help those in need - or simply as a means of reducing food waste and cutting down food air miles. The information will be used to create a map which can be used as a central reference for those needing to access help or those wanting to get involved in working towards a more sustainable future.
We’d like to hear from parish and town councils, allotment associations, community-run fridges and larders, food banks, community orchards, supper clubs, those able to share the skills needed to grow produce and create healthy and nutritious meals, as well as any organisation thinking about setting up a similar project. To take the survey please visit the FVAF website.
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Partner News
‘Robin’ Bus Service
Gloucestershire County Council has launched the new ‘Robin’ bus scheme to serve residents in a southern section of our district. The Robin is designed specifically to provide transport links from close to people’s homes to locations for onward travel, for example, to connect with the fixed route bus network or to services at times when there is no other transport option. The service will improve connections between rural areas which often have infrequent or no fixed routes available, increasing access to services and the wider transport network of our county, expanding access to employment, education, healthcare and shopping.
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£2 Bus Fare Cap
The UK Government has launched an initiative to encourage the public to use the buses for less this winter as part of its Help for Households campaign. Until 31st March 2023 participating bus companies across the country are offering single adult fares that will be capped at £2. To see which bus routes near you are eligible for the scheme, visit the Department for Transport webpage.
Participation can help also help reduce our district’s carbon footprint as an estimated 43% of carbon emissions in Gloucestershire come from transport with most of this coming from private cars.
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The Severn Treescapes Project
Three neighbouring Wildlife Trusts (Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire) have launched a ground-breaking project to connect two of England’s largest native woodlands. The Severn Treescapes project will create a 60-mile corridor of trees, hedgerows and native woodland stretching from the Lower Wye Valley and Forest of Dean in the south to the Wyre Forest in the north, connecting both people and nature.
While this landscape already includes two of the country’s larger forests - the wider landscape has seen a continued reduction in tree coverage, now exacerbated by ash dieback disease and extreme weather events.
Farmland accounts for about 75% of the land use in this area and so the project aims to support farmers to explore innovative ways of increasing tree cover while maintaining productivity, as well as encouraging whole communities to understand the value of trees and get involved by growing local native saplings through the ‘Ourboretum’ seed to sapling initiative.
Severn Treescapes provides a team of on-the-ground advisors to support land managers, farmers, Parish Councils and communities to navigate the many funding options available for planting, growing and managing trees and woodlands across this landscape. The results will be better connected woodlands, through increase tree cover and bigger, bushier hedgerows, creating more resources and places for wildlife to thrive, a more climate resilient landscape, providing better water infiltration, shade for livestock and crops, and more opportunities for people to connect with trees and the natural world.
The project is supported by the Trees Call to Action Fund. The fund was developed by Defra in partnership with the Forestry Commission and is being delivered by the Heritage Fund.
To find out more about the Severn Treescapes project visit the Gloucestershire Wildlife website. Or contact Ann Harris ann.harris@gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk or Charlotte Vincent charlotte.vincent@gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk.
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Getting involved
Energy saving tips
The UK government has published a new set of energy saving tips, covering quick and easy no cost actions, low cost home improvements and ‘spend-to-save’ improvements.
County-wide transport survey
Gloucestershire County Council (GCC), in partnership with UK100, held the Gloucestershire Decarbonising Transport Forum 2022 – Journey to Net Zero in July 2022. The forum’s aim was to bring together key stakeholders and experts to discuss Gloucestershire’s journey to net zero.
GCC wants to hear from its residents, businesses, and community groups, to understand what they think are the best methods for reducing the emissions and tackling the climate emergency. We want to hear from as many people as possible, so please share this link widely and take the survey.
Food Waste Action Week 6 - 12 March 2023
‘Love Food Hate Waste’ is dedicating a whole week of action to shining a light on how simple behaviours to reduce food waste can save time and money. This will ultimately reduce the impact of food waste on climate change. The theme for this year is ‘Win. Don’t Bin.’ and it will demonstrate how valuable food is in our lives, how it unites people and how using up everything we buy saves money, time and the planet. The campaign aims to increase citizens’ confidence in ‘using up leftovers’ by promoting a range of skills that can be easily adopted but potentially have the greatest impact on reducing food waste in the home.
Transition Newent – Evolving the Next Steps – An Open Meeting
Wednesday 8th March 7.30pm at Picklenash School, Newent
Transition Newent is part of the widespread, Transition Town network. The meeting will explore how a rebooted Transition Newent might assist the community’s collective efforts to achieve more. It will explore the range of groups in Newent that are taking forward a host of community programmes with short presentations from their representatives. The meeting is open to all and will include an introduction to the idea of Transition and what Transition Newent has been doing in the last 15 years.
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