Stop
the Supermarket – Thursday 24th
January 6.00
One
of the main aims of Transition Towns is to help build the local
economy by supporting local businesses and preserve existing small
shops. This is not just nostalgia but a practical way that we can
save local jobs and expertise. Experience has shown that when a
supermarket moves into a town at a distance of more than 300 metres
from the existing town centre the footfall in the centre falls
drastically and the traditional shops start closing. This leads to
the decline of a whole local supply chain involving not just food &
goods suppliers but also many other suppliers (e.g. plumbers,
electricians, shop fitters, printers, accountants etc.). See
http://www.tescopoly.org/
Shipston is lucky in
having one of the best traditional High Streets in the country. If
the proposed ASL development on the Campden Road which includes a
supermarket goes ahead it will inevitably lead to the decline of the
town centre. The jobs that are promised
by the supermarket will not make up the loss of local jobs. The jobs
they offer will be low skill and low wage. With the weather we’ve
been dealing with this week, it’s been noticeable that the
supermarkets completely ran out of fresh produce but the local shops
had an abundance of fruit and veg; meat; fish etc. Where would we
have been in Shipston if we had relied on supermarkets during the
snowy weather?
If
you want to keep Shipston as a thriving Market Town come along and
OPPOSE
THE ASL DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE CAMPDEN ROAD
at
the
Stratford
District Council Planning Committee
6pm
24th Jan, Shipston High School
What
Should We Put In The Recycling Bin?
On
Friday Nov 30th
a
group from Transition Shipston visited the
Material Recycling Facility (MRF) run by Pure
Recycling
in Ettington. This is where all our household recycling is taken to
be sorted. It was agreed by all that it was a fascinating visit. The
building is a massive hangar covered with conveyor belts and
hoppers. Giant drums somehow separate the paper and magnets sort the
metal. But most amazing was the optical sorting of the plastic into
three different bins. Each plastic type is identified by a “magic
eye” as the item passes along the conveyor, a nozzle then tracks
the item and blasts a jet of air which blows it into the correct
bin. This happens several times a second!
After
the tour we had a very informative chat with one of the engineers in
charge. We asked questions about exactly what we should be putting
in our recycling bins at home. These are some of her answers:
Yes
to soft plastic bottles and containers. No
to Plastic bags
Yes
to glass bottles and jars. No
to other glass, e.g. windows, glasses
Yes
to aluminium containers. No
to plastic coated aluminium foil e.g. coffee packets
She
said that although people put some quite inappropriate things in
their recycling e.g. mattresses! Pure will find a company who will
take it away for specialist recycling rather than it ending up in
landfill. 85% of glass can be recycled. The remaining 15% is
classed as dust and used as aggregate for roads and cement.
For
more information on what happens to your material, please visit Pure
Recycling's website
for an in-depth look at the recycling process. Alternatively, you
can watch a short film showing how the material is processed.
http://www.purerecycling.com/home.html
Queen's
Avenue Play Area & Orchard – Volunteers Needed
At
a meeting with Wicksteed the chosen play equipment suppliers for the
Queen's Avenue Park last week it was decided to go ahead with the
first phase of the construction starting at the end of March. This
would entail selecting the main items of play equipment that can be
purchased for £35000 - which is the total amount of funding already
committed.
In
order to save some money it was agreed that the works listed below
could be undertaken by local contractors and/or a volunteer group.
Volunteer
Group Tasks
- Removing rubber tiles and recycling.
- Removing concrete bases and re locating swing A frames.
- Re-filling the hole with top soil, rolling out and adding grass seed/turf.
- 3 metre high kick fence can be erected any time before or after project. Can we source and install – Mike?
- Pathway. Needs re edging with timber edging and re surfacing – to be completed after all construction work.
- Orchard tree planting... Wicksteed will provide a grid drawing for location of trees so that they will not obstruct the installation of the play equipment at a later date..
The
first volunteer day (date to be arrange) will need to to removal of
rubber tiles/concrete swing bases. Could anyone volunteering please
contact: Polly Taylor tinkers@btinternet.com
or davepassingham@hotmail.com
WOULD
YOU LIKE TO KEEP BEES?
A
lot of people keep bees because they produce honey, one of the
healthiest and most natural foods and one which has been valued by
man since prehistory as a sweetener. Others keep bees because they
are interested in the study of bees and of their habits; bees are
fascinating creatures and there is always something new to learn
about them. With no means of dealing with the varroa mite that is
now present in all UK honey bee colonies, a feral honey bee nest is
unlikely to remain viable for more than a couple of seasons. With
the help of beekeepers it is only managed colonies that can survive
to carry out the essential pollination our food crops. Beekeeping is
an enjoyable open air hobby bringing you in contact with people from
all walks of life. Bees can be kept by almost everyone except a very
small minority who are allergic to bee stings.
Shipston
Beekeepers are holding an “Introduction to Beekeeping” day on
Saturday 9th March at the Old Free School, Brailes OX15 5HT.
The day will deal with the basics of beekeeping for the complete
beginner or those with very limited experience of this craft.
Arrive
at 09.30 for coffee prior to a prompt 10.00 start.
Refreshments, a light lunch and a practical beekeeping reference
manual are included in the day’s price of £40. The event is
scheduled to finish at 15.30 approx.
Contact
Douglas Nethercleft on 07850 352905 or djn0001@aol.com
to book your place. Numbers are limited.
This
year I have produced wool from our flock of Portland Sheep , the
oldest registered rare breed in England and our Black Welsh Mountain
Sheep. I wondered if this locally produced, British Rare Breed,
undyed wool, may be of interest to members of Transition Shipston.
The wool is sold at the Shipston Needlecraft shop. See
http://www.armscotemanor.co.uk/Armscote%20Manor%20-%20Portland%20Sheep%20Wool%20-%20Order%20Form.pdf
With
best wishes
Deborah
Williams
Brailes
Gardening Club Talks
Brailes
Gardening Club meets once a month at the Free School, Lower Brailes.
Visitors and new members are very welcome. Talks start at 7.30 pm.
Future
talks include:
|
21st
February 2013
|
Rosemary Collier –
‘Controlling pests of vegetables’
|
|
21st March 2013
|
Neil Cook - 'The
recreation of the gardens at Hanbury Hall'.
|
|
18th
April 2013
|
David Willatts –
‘Twenty five years in Brailes - organic fruit and vegetables
from my cottage garden’
|
To
join the club, or for further information, please call Rosemary
Collier on 01295 680127.
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