Category Archives: Uncategorized

This is a fantastic idea, one we should try to replicate in Purbeck!

District council holds its first Give or Take Day in Dorchester

Posted on 09 March 2011 by West Dorset District Council

Local people are being invited to take part in West Dorset District Council’s first Give or Take Day in Dorchester on Saturday 19 March at Brownsword Hall, Poundbury from 9.30am to 12.30pm.

The event is free and the aim is to bring household items you don’t want and take ones you do want home for free.

Even if you don’t have anything to give you can still come along and see what is on offer.

West Dorset District Council Leader Robert Gould said: “The Give or Take Day is about reducing waste and reusing items is one of the best ways to help the environment.

“These events are a brilliant way of recycling unwanted household goods and maybe finding something you really want for absolutely free.”

During the morning the district council’s Recycling Team will be at hand to give free and expert advice on recycling, composting and waste reduction.

What can you bring?

• Small furniture
• Kitchenware and other household items
• Tools
• Home entertainment (DVDs and CDs)
• Bicycles
• Toys and books
• Clothes and reusable linen (curtains and sheets)
• Bric-a-Brac
• Working electrical items

What not to bring?

• Duvets and pillows
• Hazardous and toxic items
• Gas appliances
• Items that are not reusable
• Large items (items that will not fit in a car)

Where possible items that are left at the end of the day will be donated to charities or furniture reuse centres. This will reduce unwanted items going to landfill.

For more information about West Dorset District Council’s Give or Take Day contact the district council’s Recycling Team on 01305 251010.

http://news.dorsetforyou.com/2011/03/district-council-holds-its-first-give-or-take-day-in-dorchester/

Plans to farm energy alongside livestock

RESIDENTS in Crossways could have one of the first solar farms in the UK on their doorstep.

VOGT Solar has submitted a planning application to West Dorset District Council for the farm which could provide enough energy to power 1,200 homes.

Crossways Parish Council chairman Andrew Brewer said residents and councillors were generally in support of the proposal for land off Redbridge Road, to the east of Crossways

He said: “The council was given a presentation by the firm. The reaction has been generally favourable, but some residents have raised concerns over the visual and environmental impact.

“We will continue to talk to the developers.

“The energy it would produce would apparently satisfy a village the size of Crossways.”

Vogt considers the site ideal for its plans which involve putting 1.6 metre by 1 metre panels in a field. They would be mounted between one and three metres off the ground. Livestock can continue to graze around them.

Sunlight intensity levels, grid connection to a sub-station and good road access are all major factors.

The site is also free of any landscape, ecological, archaeological or conservation issues.

Sue Sutcliffe, from Vogt Solar, said: “The site is suited to a solar farm. It will be built using recyclable material and tends to look like a lake from a distance.

“It’s the quietest neighbour anyone could ever have.”

John Greenslade, West Dorset District Council development services manager, said: “The planning application we have received is incomplete and so has not been registered yet.

“When it is complete we will publicise the application and consult with the local parish council and any neighbouring residents.”

Vogt is already consulting residents in Farrington, North Dorset, over plans for a similar-sized solar farm there.

http://www.thisisdorset.co.uk/westerngazette/Plans-farm-energy-alongside-livestock/article-3258923-detail/article.html

Here’s a snapshot of stories concerning envrionmental issues posted on the Dorset County Council‘s website so far in 2011. Click the titles to read the full article.

Night-time switch-off for residential street lights in Dorset
04 February 2011
An energy saving scheme for switching off most street lights after midnight in residential areas has been approved by Dorset County Council’s Cabinet. The full part-night street lighting programme follows an earlier trial in some rural villages and is a direct result of the 23% reduction in Government grants to the county council.

Silton Wind Farm
02 February 2011
The long awaited Silton Wind Farm planning application will go before a special meeting of the North Dorset District Council Development Control Committee on Tuesday 1 March at 10.00am. The meeting will be held in the main sports hall at the RiversMeet Community Centre, Hardings Lane, Gillingham because it is expected to attract considerable interest from people who live and work in the Gillingham area.

Public consultation planned on the future of Dorset libraries
01 February 2011
Proposals to re-shape Dorset’s library service have been referred back to councillors for more detailed work.  Dorset County Council’s policy development panel will consider plans to reduce the county’s network of libraries from 34 to 14 and inviting local communities to take over responsibility for the remaining 20.

Jurassic Coast roadshows coming to a venue near you
19 January 2011
Dorset residents can find out more about the World Heritage Site on their doorstep at a series of roadshows.  The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Team, which is responsible for managing the site, will be visiting towns along the coast to give presentations and host family activities.

Popular energy monitors available from more libraries
17 January 2011
Seven more Dorset libraries have come on board a scheme to help local households slash their electricity bills by borrowing free home energy monitors. More than 160 library members have borrowed the money-saving gadgets since they were launched at 11 Dorset libraries in October.

Cut waste, bin less and save money
14 January 2011
Reducing waste could help save Dorset County Council a massive £800,000 this year. Last year Dorset households threw away a total 200,000 tonnes of rubbish – the same weight as around 14,000 double deckers! Around 97,000 tonnes of this household waste was sent to landfill resulting in a cost to the Dorset taxpayer of £6.8m. Over the next four years landfill tax is set to rocket by an extra £32 a tonne costing around a further £3m per year.

West Dorset on track to tackle climate change
07 January 2011
Just over one year on from the launch of West Dorset’s climate change strategy, a report published on dorsetforyou.com highlights the progress made by West Dorset District Council and other members of the West Dorset Partnership. Launched in October 2009 by Oliver Letwin MP, the climate change strategy aims to help residents, businesses and other organisations across West Dorset reduce their carbon emissions by 30% by 2020 from levels recorded in 2005.

Carsharedorset.com seeks its 3,000th member
04 January 2011
If your bank balance is feeling the aftershocks of the festive period, carsharedorset.com has a financial pick-me-up for you. By car-sharing to work every day, you can save yourself about £800 a year. Wouldn’t it be nice to have hundreds of pounds saved in time for next Christmas to cover those festive bills? In Dorset there are nearly 3,000 other people looking to save money and help the environment by sharing a lift. If you sign up today and become the 3,000th member you could be the lucky recipient of £25 of high street vouchers.

On the 28th of February 2011 a county-wide voluntary and community sector conference will be held to discuss how voluntary & community groups in Dorset can react to, and survive, the government’s spending cuts and wide-ranging policy changes.

No matter the size of your voluntary or community organisation you should be represented at this important event if you are concerned about the affects of these changes on your community.

Hear high-level decision makers explain what cuts will be made and question them on the impact of these cuts.

This is a FREE all day conference with talks and discussions in the morning, a networking lunch and workshops in the afternoon giving you practical advice and support to respond to these challenging times.

For more info please visit: http://www.dorsetcommunityaction.org.uk/surviving_cuts

Following a few problems with the previous site, we now have a new website! We’ll be working hard to get it updated over the coming months and will start posting blogs again regularly. All those signed up to the previous website will be signed up to this site, but you’ll need to confirm your subscription when you receive the email.

This is a get-together for local transitioners and anyone else who may be interested, organised on behalf of Transition BH Hub.

Venue : Upton Country Park (see http://www.uptoncountrypark.org)

Date: Saturday 31st July

Time : 12:00 noon

We’ll meet on the grass to the north of the house, where there’s plenty of space for a picnic. Please bring food to share.
There’s no handy vicarage, so also bring your raincoat if wet!

Travel: For those coming from the far east, (e.g. Christchurch), it may be cheaper and it will certainly be quicker to catch the train to Poole station and then to walk or cycle around Holes Bay, which has to be one of the loveliest routes on the south coast. There are directions on the website.

Any questions, please let me know.

Cheers,
Theresa.
07958 138053

Some interesting news from the 10:10 campaign (which is a project to unite every sector of society in reducing our carbon footprint by 10% in 2010):

“…Last wednesday the coalition government announced a commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of the entire central government by 10% in a year

The government’s 10% announcement – equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road – is a monumental victory for 10:10 and testament to how far the campaign has come in the eight short months since its launch.  http://www.1010global.org/uk/2010/05/new-government-commits-1010.

The 10:10 team are meeting with Chris Huhne (the new energy and climate secretary) – you can add any issues you’d like them to raise here:http://www.1010global.org/uk/askchris.

10.10.10 is set to be the biggest day of climate action yet -SO WHAT SHALL WE DO IN PURBECK TO MARK THE DAY?  Please post your suggestions here….

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! 8.15PM ONWARDS

:O)

A huge thank you to Collette for hosting this event and providing a lovely supper….

Our first reskilling – Wednesday 5th May..
 
Helpers to thank are Pat,Bev, Ann…experienced crafters in knitting, spinning, crochetting and weaving
 
Jean – learnt to crochet/Pat showed Jean how to spin
Tor – learnt to knit and purl
Janine – learnt to knit and purl
Adrianna – learnt to knit and purl
Katie – learnt to follow a pattern, be more confident and hold the needles and wool in an easier way                                                                                                            Sophie -unlearnt/learnt to plain stitch and learnt to purl
Andrew-improved his knitting skills – plain and purl and discussed with Ann re shaping a jumper 
 
and me…that was 11 of us..
 
We shared supper, food and crafts from 7pm – 10.45 pm !!
 
Watch this space there will be more opportunities for reskilling in the future to learn to spin, crochet or knit…or if someone else has a skill they would like to share then please feel free to offer their skill..or if anyone would like to learn something new, then send an email and we will try to find someone that can teach a group of us.
Its all possible !!!
Collette

The Purbeck Environmental Action Team (PEAT) invite you to an evening introducing the Transition movement and explaining how you can help the environment in your home.

• A screening of the ‘In Transition’ film
• Everyone welcome! Free tea and cake
• A talk about the green energy cash-back schemes (renewable energy for your home)

Wednesday 2nd June 2010
7pm for 7.30pm
Leeson House
Langton Matravers

Download the poster here: Langton Transition and Renewal Energy event