CAP QUARTERLY REPORT
The Climate Action Group’s April 24 Quarterly Report to the BC Town Council can be read hereBC CAP April 24 Quarterly Report
Climate Action Initiatives
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Read or download Part 1 of the 2024 BC Climate Action Plan here BC CAP 2024-25 Part 1 Final v4.5
Bishop’s Castle Climate Action Group [BG CAG] has been working on various initiatives throughout the year:-
- A Town Council carbon footprint audit has been completed.
- ‘Going Wild in BC’ continues to deliver walks and talks, and positive actions such as installing swifts’ boxes, publishing leaflets, helping to develop ‘management plans’ (i.e. how parts of the land can help to improve bio-diversity) for Castle Land, and the Community College. As well as this winter’s Talks in the Town Hall, the projects will continue ‘greening’ activities in and around Bishop’s Castle.
The project is now hoping to get funding for a substantial expansion of the project. - The 2023 BC Climate Action Plan has been adopted by the Town Council;
- The BC Community Heat Network has submitted a pre-planning application and will shortly be issuing a Feasibility Study;
- Responding to the draft Neighbourhood Development Plan with suggestions for environmental improvements;
- Finally getting some Electric Vehicle Charging Points installed in Harley Jenkins St car park;
- Running the Community Seed Bank , and
- The Town Council has adopted the Local Food Strategy making it will be the first in Shropshire.
- A Car-sharing initiative is exploring the feasibility of introducing one in Bishop’s Castle.
If you’d like to get involved e-mail us at: climateaction@lightfootenterprises.org
Climate Action Initiatives
Lightfoot has also been working closely with
South Shropshire Climate Action (SSCA) on the following activities:-
- Clun Climate Emergency Action Plan, and river monitoring
- Action planning to help Parish and Town Councils’ climate emergency aims
- Climate conversations across South Shropshire
SSCA resources leaflet now produced! https://southshropshireclimateaction.org
SHROPSHIRE GOOD FOOD PARTNERSHIP PRESS RELEASE
Shropshire’s first Local Food Strategy and Food Policy Council
The Town of Bishop’s Castle has become the first in Shropshire to develop and adopt a bespoke local-level Community Food Resilience Strategy. This was adopted as part of the Town’s Climate Action Plan.
The Strategy was developed as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain instability from Brexit, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the cost of living crisis. The aim of the strategy is not only to plan for and support the Community through unforeseen shocks, but to build-up skills and community growing capacity for greater self-sufficiency, improved food access, affordability and health, as well as supporting local producers and food businesses.
Bishop’s Castle Town Council along with community members at the grassroots, and with the support of the Shropshire Good Food Partnership, have developed a special task group to deliver on the aims of the strategy. The first of its kind in Shropshire, this is an example of Food Policy Council seeking to be pro-active and address a range of local food issues.
As Deputy Mayor for Bishop’s Castle, Councillor Andy Stelman says: “I believe that Councils in rural areas have a duty to support local food producers and retail outlets, and do everything possible to encourage people to eat healthily and sufficiently.”
Bishop’s Castle Carbon Footprint Report
Using the Centre for Sustainable Energy’s updated tool, we have extracted the carbon footprint report for Bishop’s Castle.
You can download it here: Impact Report 2022 – Bishop’s Castle or use CSE’s tool for other reports https://impact-tool.org.uk/
Walter’s Workshop (Enterprise House)
Can we fix it? Often we can
Lots of household items are sent for recycling or to landfill because they are damaged or faulty. In many cases, with a bit of time and knowledge, these items can be repaired or refurbished and put back into service.
This is where Walter’s Workshop (aka The Repair Shop) in Bishop’s Castle comes in.
Walter’s Workshop meets every Friday morning from 10 to 12 in the basement of Enterprise House in Bishop’s Castle. We will, where we can, repair items of mosts sorts – radios, dolls’ houses, furniture, mowers, sewing machines or just put in new zips in clothing. There is no charge but donations are welcome. We also accept items which we can do-up and sell for funds. Our capacity is limited so, if we say we can’t, please don’t be offended.
You can also follow Walter’s Workshop on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/waltersbcworkshop
IPCC Climate Report Explained
The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit have produced a helpful explanation
of the science behind the latest IPCC Report, using lots of graphic to help us understand
more clearly. You can find it here:-
Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit | IPCC Explainer: The Science of… (eciu.net)
We already know the planet is facing a life-threatening climate and ecological emergency. While Bishop’s Castle and its hinterland may be a relatively good place to be for the next 20-30 years, it may also be affected in that time by changes to the Gulf Stream, melting ice caps, other serious climate changes, or the critical loss of pollinator insects with the risk of severe flooding, power outages and food supply problems.
More widely, the UK is being affected by changes elsewhere. Large-scale, climate-led population upheavals and migration will almost certainly cause significant political, economic and social disruption. Climate-related crises (drought, forest fires, flooding, crop failures) elsewhere in the world could have serious knock-on effects. This kind of disruption could well occur in the next 2 decades.
Photograph by Daphne du Cros at Little Woodbatch Market Garden, Bishop’s Castle
All the proposals in the CAP spring from two starting points:-
i) mitigating the worst effects of the climate emergency; and,
ii) adapting and building resilience to prepare for major change.
These proposals are not complete and will remain under continuous review as conditions change and as we consider priorities and time-scales. For example, time and resources have not allowed the production of chapters on issues such as Transport and Health.
There are many practical suggestions in the CAP, and even slight modifications in the way we live our everyday lives can make a significant difference to our environment. We would urge you to read the full document.
Any comments or suggestions you have would be most welcome and can be made by contacting the Sustainability Working Group chair: Mike Watkins
Contact at: bccap@lightfootenterprises.org