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Welcome to your monthly Climate Change update.
Northumberland County Council is committed to making our county carbon neutral by 2030 and we need everyone to do their bit to help reduce carbon emissions.
How can you help make a difference? 👇
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| | Spotlight on the community |
| | The Soil Web
Keen permaculture enthusiasts and gardeners Claire and David Venus have turned their allotment gardens in Shilbottle into a haven for worms to process food waste, cardboard and weeds. The couple are impressed at the results from their five worm hotels and bokashi systems - a composting method that involves sealing kitchen scraps and organic waste in an airtight container. The finished product is an extremely nutrient-dense plant food that may be buried in compost trenches in a garden. Claire and David are offering free online and in person workshops from September 2023 where you can learn five different systems of composting and how to get started with worm hotels. |
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| | Grab yourself a free tree
Our free tree scheme is back for another year. We are giving away 15,000 tree saplings to residents, schools, community groups, town and parish councils as well as charities and businesses to help make Northumberland a greener and cleaner place to be.
Groups can choose from Hedge, Copse or Native Harvest species and residents will be given a choice of species depending on their garden size, whether small, medium or large, and even those with limited outdoor space, such as balconies, can apply.
Accessible collection points will be available across the county and confirmation and location pick up will be sent out to applicants three weeks prior to the collection date.
Planting trees is an opportunity for all ages and abilities within the community to come together, learn new skills and get outdoors. The trees available are small cell grown plants, sourced from the UK, and come provided with a biodegradable shelter guard and cane along with planting and aftercare instructions.
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| | | | EV update We are installing more 11 kW fast chargers across the county. We have installed them at: - Acomb. Village Hall, NE46 4NJ
- Alnmouth. Marine Rd, NE66 2RZ
- Bardon Mill shop, NE47 7DX
- Opposite to Traveller Rest. Choppington, NE62 5ST
- Sea Lane. Embleton, NE66 3UX
- Freehold Street Car Park. Blyth, NE24 2AG
- Gilesgate Car Park. Hexham, NE46 3QF
- John Martin St. Haydon Bridge, NE47 6AB
- Lynemouth, NE61 5UF
- New Market carpark. Morpeth, NE61 1LN
- Newbiggin Rd 1. Ashington, NE63 0SZ
- Castle Street. Norham, TD15 2LQ
- Prudhoe. Eastwood Park, NE42 5NQ
- Sixth Av. Ashington, NE63 0PQ
- Wark. Hexham, TD12 4RG
- Wylam, NE41 8ED
- Newton, NE43 7UL
These are just some of the chargers that we have installed already in 2023, with more going live in the coming months.
Click on the image below to watch the video about how to use our council charging points. |
| | | County parks once again among UK's best
Twelve Northumberland parks have been awarded prestigious Green Flag Awards by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, which recognises them as some of the very best in the country.
The Green Flag Award is a prestigious benchmark of quality for a park or green space. This international award, now celebrating its 27th year, is a sign to the public that the space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.
Northumberland’s winning green spaces are:
- Berwick parks (Castle Vale and Coronation Parks)
- Plessey Woods Country Park, Bolam Lake Country Park, Ridley Park (Blyth)
- Astley Park (Seaton Delaval)
- Sele Park (Hexham), Carlisle Park (Morpeth)
- Dr Pit Park (Bedlington)
- Hirst Park (Ashington)
- Alexandra Park (Cramlington)
- Eastwoods Park (Prudhoe)
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| | | | Corbridge pupils named as winners of Young Green Briton Challenge
The Go Green Gorillas at Corbridge Middle School were one of four teams to bag a £1,000 grant at the finals of the national Young Green Briton Challenge which involved 3,000 young people across 16 schools. The team travelled to the House of Lords in Westminster where they wowed the judging panel with their innovative seed kits designed to encourage other schools to grow their own meals. They now plan to use the cash to invest further in the garden, where the pupils have grown salad for school dinners, created a wormery to make fertiliser and hold plant and seed sales to raise funds.
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| | | | Call for donations of pre-loved school uniform in Northumberland
Community-based uniform services and groups around Northumberland are holding a week-long uniform collection in a bid to encourage families to recycle clothing while also helping others. Good quality uniform, coats, shoes, PE kits and bags can be dropped off at various locations across Northumberland between Monday 7 August until Monday 14 August 2023. Some schools may also have their own uniform support process in place, please contact your school to find out.
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| | | | | | Interested in solar panels on your home?
Solar panels can help you lower your carbon footprint and, typically, could save you up to around £565 a year on your energy bills.
If you’re considering solar panels, you'll need to know:
- How they work
- Potential costs and savings
- How to find a certified installer
If you live in an off-gas grid part of Northumberland, you can also get free independent advice from CAN’s Domestic Carbon Reduction Officer on solar panels and all the other options available. Email energy@ca-north.org.uk to book an appointment either at home or on the phone.
The Energy Savings Trust has recently produced a useful free guide to solar panels. |
| | | Technical Assistance for Community Audits
The North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub is establishing a technical assistance framework with consultants providing expertise across a range of areas. Community energy groups, and Local Authorities working with community energy groups, may bid for a consultant to complete an energy audit for a single building or site. The audits would be provided based on one audit per building/site to identify the most appropriate energy generation technologies and ancillary requirements for that building/site. Deadline: Midnight, Sunday 3 September 2023.
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| | | | This email has been produced by the Northumberland County Council Communications team. |
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