August 2012 Newsletter

Proposed Supermarket: From a nation of shopkeepers to Clone Town Britain?
With the threat of a large development on Campden Road including a supermarket it is worth considering the affect that supermarkets have had on other towns. The following is from the Tescopoly website...

The UK's biggest supermarkets are grappling for ever greater market share. Small independent stores and suppliers, and ultimately consumers, are paying a direct price in the face of unfair competition. In the five years to 2002, 50 specialist stores including butchers, bakers, fishmongers and newsagents closed every week. In May 2005 the IGD revealed the loss of 2,157 unaffiliated independent convenience retailers, compared to only 1,079 the year before. Read more... http://www.tescopoly.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=176
Transition Shipston and Shipston Heart Alive” Campaign continue to work to defeat the Aiscough proposal.

Fruit Picking / Harvest Share
For the last two years Transition Shipston has picked unwanted apples and other fruit from orchards around Shipston then shared them with the High School who have pressed them for apple juice and made fruit pies. Last year the Scouts & Guides collected apples for their stall at the Shipston Harvest Fayre and made a good amount of money to boost their funds. One of the main attractions at the Fayre was the apple pressing on another stall at the Fayre. This year we have a bigger apple press which will make the juicing easier and quicker.
Despite these initiatives there is still tons of fruit in Shipston each year which goes to waste so we thought it would be useful to set up a wider Harvest Share group. If you are interested in helping please contact
Dave Passingham 01608661816 davepassingham@hotmail.com

“Field Day” Raises £215
The Queen's Avenue Play Area Action Group raised a fantastic £215 at the 'Have a Field day' event on Sunday 15th July. Participants were able to run with the real Olympic Torch donated for the day by Andy Taylor who ran on day 56 of the Olympic Torch relay. Throughout the morning we saw approx 60 people visit the park - the most it's had in a long time! Polly Taylor the organiser said “It was great to see the park being used for picnics, football and kite flying! As well as our mini torch relay track. It created a wonderful atmosphere - exactly what the park should have all year round instead of a depressing, dead space.”
The group should hear soon whether their grant applications which total £60000 to provide a new play area with football pitch has been successful. Transition Shipston has already raised around £800 towards the fruit trees to be planted around the play area
Kineton Community Solar Panels
Finally and after considerable effort, Kineton has its first 'community' array of solar panels on the roof at Kineton Sports and Social Club. They went up this last week, paid for in part by an award, in larger part through loans provided by good members of the community. Mark Levene one of the organisers said “Our installer Eco2solar have been great and KSSC and ourselves at Kineton Community Energy Group (KCEG) are responding to their request to encourage a wider take-up by individual householders by holding an event in the KSSC hall in parallel with Getting Kineton Growing's and Apple Pressing day on Sunday 14 October”.
TRANSITION NETWORK UK CONFERENCE 2012

This year we are back in London, hosted once more by the wonderful Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) (where we were in 2009), and the Conference teams are in the thick of planning a weekend of events and workshops that explore the theme of "Building Resilience in Extraordinary Times".
We have an ambitious programme for this year's event, with 5 distinct elements, which can be attended as stand-alone events or in combination (dates permitting):
Main Transition Conference: Friday 14th September (6.00pm) to Sunday 16th September (4.30pm)

 
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