Green News January 2021
Bury St Edmunds Green Fair a big success
The Green Fair at The Apex was a day filled with positivity, connection and conversation. A network of eco-conscious individuals, organisations and businesses began to grow, and the idea for the Eco Forum was born. Unfortunately, lockdown interrupted plans for any follow-on events, but the team is hoping to hold another Green Fair in June 2021.
The Apex event marked the launch of West Suffolk Hive Community Interest Company (CIC), founded by Green campaigner Steph Holland with the aim to create a safe space for families to connect with nature. Educational workshops and activities are available all year round, as well as volunteering opportunities with gardening. Members of The Hive’s team can also visit schools and businesses to give talks about biodiversity and nature connection.
Visit www.westsuffolkhive.org.uk for more information.
Founder and director of The Hive, Steph Holland (above), is thrilled to see the progress made:
“If we have inspired just one child to go home and make their own composting area or a bug hotel, then it will have been worth it.
“Watching children planting trees, harvesting fruit and vegetables, caring for seedlings, and getting stuck in with hard, physical work is so rewarding.”
Teaching children about the environment
Local children are invited to learn about biodiversity and permaculture in a hands-on way at The Hive’s site near Bury St Edmunds:
• Children from the Creative Education Centre in Fornham All Saints helped to plant trees and design a wildlife pond for the site, in the process learning about habitats and ecosystems.
• Home education groups have volunteered to help with the community garden, growing fruit and vegetables, and developing a herb garden.
• Sixth form students from Angel Hill College completed a five week work experience course, gaining a variety of skills including gardening, first aid and natural crafts.
• There will be regular online educational offerings to encourage families to connect with nature while learning about the environment.
Eco Forum Leads the way
The Eco Forum aims to pursue a sustainable future for West Suffolk by collaborating with resident groups, local organisations, businesses and councils.
It provides a platform to share the skills and expertise needed to bring about positive change in our communities.
Visit www.westsuffolkhive.org.uk/hiveecoforum to join the conversation and continue to expand the network of green voices across West Suffolk.
Growing Food with a positive perspective
Green campaigner Matt Rowe (right) has been running a regenerative market garden near Bury since 2018.
The farm uses no chemicals, cares for the soil and creates new habitats for wildlife. Matt said:
“The vegetables are fantastic and we are very positive for the planet.”
When farming uses regenerative practices, it has the potential to be a big contributor to a healthy planet.
Regenerative agriculture goes beyond organic and can offer a path to reducing the chemicals in both our air and water, whilst helping to reduce carbon dioxide in the air by bringing it into our soils.
During the first lockdown, Matt teamed up with self-help groups and donors in Bury to provide free organic vegetable bags to anyone who asked. The project ended up providing over 500 food bundles to support families in Bury – whether they were struggling to afford food, or unable to get to shops because they were self-isolating.
“We had access to vegetables and wanted to help. It was wonderful to do something useful. The truly powerful bit is that somehow the community also found a way to fund it, every vegetable bag being matched by a donation.”
Saving our Green Spaces
A new organisation in Suffolk is helping communities to own and manage their own green spaces to grow trees, protect wildlife and protect it from developers. Matt Rowe is one of the founding members of the Eastern Regenerative Land Society:
“There is a real fear that any spare piece of land with grass or trees will be lost to developers. We want to protect it whilst bringing life back into our green spaces. Our aim is to work with communities to collectively own their green spaces, and to reinvigorate them for both residents and wildlife.
Empowering our communities to take control of their own resources will be an important step in finding ways to protect our precious green spaces.”
Looking after the lark
Green campaigner Steph Holland has been volunteering with the River Lark Catchment Partnership throughout this year. She said:
“We hold work parties to remove invasive species, clear litter, maintain paths and restore the river so that it can flow efficiently.”
Work parties have been hindered during lockdowns, but the organisation has been holding training workshops for restoration work, monitoring and surveying the river, and offering online webinars and meetings. RLCP have also participated in several consultations about the River Lark.
If you’d like to help to care for such important habitats, you can volunteer with either RLCP or the Bury Water Meadows Group.
www.riverlark.org.uk
www.burywatermeadowsgroup.org.uk
