April / May 2013 - Newsletter

"Meet, Make and Eat a Local Lunch"

10am-2pm, on Saturday 20th April at the Townsend Hall.
The "Local Lunch" event is being organised by Transition Shipston & Surrounding Communities to showcase some of the great locally produced and available food that is out there, to share skills and recipes, and of course to enjoy a sociable and delicious lunch out!
Visitors to the event will get a warm welcome, with the opportunity to sample some local produce such as local cheeses, get involved in some 'mini-making workshops', contribute to our 'Recipe Sharing Wall' for the chance to win a prize, eat some of the wares they have helped create, or that others have made if they just fancy coming in to relax and have a bite to eat!
Bread, pizzas and soups will be made on the day, using locally produced and available ingredients as much as possible. Each of these will be a 'mini-workshop' area where anyone can have a go and get hints and tips from the workshop leader and each other as they try their hand at making bread doughs, stirring up soups or choosing pizza toppings. All the family can get involved, with simple fresh foods being great to try with children in the kitchen.
The local Country Markets Co-operative will be at the event selling their tasty food to take home. From great ingredients like veg and meat, to fabulous cakes and pies - for those times when making your own from scratch is just not possible! Country Markets provide a great array of local produce - and their producers have a wealth of expertise, hints and tips too! We hope there may some other local producers at the event as well.
Bring in a printed copy of a favourite recipe that can or does use fresh, seasonal, local produce to pin up on our Recipe Sharing Wall. Name any local food producers or suppliers if you like to help others find the best sources for ingredients. Then click away with your digital camera to take home others' recipes from the Wall! The recipes will be shared on the Transition Shipston Facebook page after the event AND there will be a prize for the best recipe!
If you don't want to get your hands messy in one of our workshops, that's fine - come along and buy a slice of the action instead! Entry to the event is free and everything will be available to buy at just £1 per portion in our all-ages-friendly eatery! There will also be plenty of local apple juices, teas, coffees and cakes available to buy to round off your lovely Local Lunch.
The local food market is a vital part of building a sustainable and resilient local economy for ours and future generations. The local multiplier effect means that every £1 spent locally is worth 400% more to the local economy than the same £1 spent with a large national/multinational. When we can, buying locally grown and reared produce in local, independent shops supports both the producer and the shopkeeper, who then have the money in their pockets to spend again locally – instead of our money going out of the local economy, it remains with local people, to be spent again, so that the benefit of the spend is passed on to other local businesses as well – this is called the “local multiplier effect”. Buying local and regional food is also a great way to reduce food miles, thus reducing the carbon footprint of your shopping basket and helping in the fight against climate change. And isn't it great to know just where the food on your plate is coming from?

Erry Lilley


Supermarket – The threat has not gone away
Ainscough Strategic Land are appealing against Stratford District Council's Planning Committee decision to unanimously reject the planning application for a supermarket development along the Campden road.
The independent consultant commissioned by Stratford District Council to assess the retail impact of the supermarket predicts that the cumulative impact on the town centre shops would be a reduction of trade of at least 54% and lead to a ‘spiral of decline’. The supermarket would provide low-paid jobs but far more jobs would be lost when high street shops close and their local suppliers go out of business.
Recently the Sunday Times listed Shipston as one of the 'Best 10 High Streets' in the country. The article made the comment that with chains like Jessops and HMV going into administration, the smaller high streets with a unique feel and flavour are thriving. An out- of-town supermarket of the size proposed would destroy the most valuable asset that Shipston has in its high street shops.
The appeal is expected to be heard in the next 10 to 20 weeks. Transition Shipston has been supporting the Shipston Heart Alive! Campaign to keep our local shops and food suppliers. The next meeting is at 7.30 Monday 15th April at the George Hotel.
Contact: Dave Passingham davepassingham@hotmail.com

Community Chickens – Update
We now have two chicken houses and have started to clear out two old chicken pens at the Community Garden. We still need to do some work to make the pens secure from foxes. There is still possibly room for a another person on the chicken rota. We are still waiting for the “retired” chickens that we are getting for free from a chicken farm. If you are interested in being involved please email: transitionshipston@googlemail.com

Bag It - Is Your Life Too Plastic?

... is a 2010 documentary film exposing the effects of plastic bags and other plastic consumer merchandise, and its effects on land ecosystems, the marine environment and the human body. http://www.bagitmovie.com/  It's wonderful 'Edutainment' whilst also being rather amusing. Highly recommended to watch and share.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzEQ1FxC0fs

You are probably eating the rainforest, 
chunk by chunk, without even realising. 
Palm oil production is devastating the world’s rainforests because unfortunately, palm oil is a common ingredient in many food products available worldwide, including here in the UK. Food manufacturers don’t have to declare palm oil content on packaging until December 2014, but the Congo Basin’s rainforests are being destroyed to make way for new palm oil plantations. Right now.
For this reason, RFUK, together with Ethical Consumer, has launched a guide to foods containing palm oil to raise awareness of the impacts associated with the production of this common food ingredient.

Transition Shipston is non-political
Transition Shipston supporters come from all political parties and none. There are many pathways to creating a sustainable local community and Transition Towns recognise that each party has their own policies aimed at achieving this. Some supporters of Transition Shipston may be standing in the up coming County Council elections however, Transition Shipston remains a non-political organisation and welcomes people of all political persuasions.
Our constitution makes this clear when it states “Any person, irrespective of race, nationality, class, political views, religious opinion, gender, sexual orientation or disability, may register as a supporter of Transition Shipston” as long as they support the aims of Transition Shipston which are to:
  • encourage and support actions by individuals and organisations to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels; minimise their carbon footprint; adapt to the effects of climate change; reduce waste; and increase their resilience to higher energy prices
  • facilitate the sharing of ideas, information and other resources amongst individuals, organisations and neighbouring communities
  • promote the values of sustainability, inclusivity and social justice


No comments:

Post a Comment