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Welcome to your monthly Climate Change update. It has been another fantastic year for climate change action in our county. We know we still have lots to do as a Council to reach our carbon neutral goals but we continue to rise to the challenge. The climate change team would like to thank you all for your ongoing commitment to helping us make Northumberland a greener and cleaner place to be. We look forward to seeing and sharing more success stories in 2024!
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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Northumberland Schools unite to combat climate change
We hosted a unique event which brought together high school and sixth form pupils across the county to address environmental issues. The student-led conference provided a platform for insightful discussions on critical topics such as transport, energy provision, heating solutions, and environmental challenges. Participants collaborated in workshops and engaged in a Dragon’s Den style scenario, where they created and pitched tangible climate-related projects which they can begin to implement within their schools; fostering a sense of responsibility and ownership among the students for the well-being of their local environment. Through activities such as presenting, debating, and negotiating, participants gained skills that will serve them well in their future careers. The event marks a significant step forward in the county's commitment to sustainability and youth engagement and it is hoped that similar events will follow.
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Success for Northumberland Environment and Climate Change Fund
We’re thrilled to have received 35 Applications to the Northumberland Climate and Environment Fund this time around. Collectively we have offered £55,000 worth of funding for projects which will help enhance and protect our county. Thank you to all who applied. We look forward to seeing your projects come to fruition throughout 2024.
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Contractor named for new Seaton Valley super-school
Cabinet has approved leading construction company BAM as the contractor for the construction of the new Astley High School and Whytrig Middle School. Designed by Ryder Architecture, the building will be the first net zero carbon in operation school in the county - keeping running costs to a minimum so more funding can be invested into teaching and learning. The £50m “super-school” is part of the council’s major investment in school facilities across the county and aims to transform education for young people.
Click on the image below to see a sneak peak at the plans.
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Prudhoe park path providing proper access
Eastwoods Park in Prudhoe is now more accessible than ever after a new path was created around its perimeter for the first time meaning dog walkers, those with mobility issues or prams, those watching sport or just enjoying a stroll can now access the entire area. The work, costing around ÂŁ150,000, was funded by the County Council and Thompsons of Prudhoe also provided support for the project. The Green Flag Award-winning Park is a popular local attraction, with a play area, football pitches, tennis court and pavilions.
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Bin compounds keeping town's streets cleaner
Over 40 bin compounds are now in place around Ashington in a bid to keep the streets cleaner and cut down on flytipping. The initiative, in the Hirst area of the town, is designed to help residents who have limited waste storage options by installing bin compound areas where larger general waste and recycling containers will be stored for people living in these streets to use.
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NEPO branches out to help plant Great Northumberland Forest
More than 300 tree saplings have been planted in Northumberland by local procurement organisation NEPO and business water supplier Wave. A total of 24 volunteers worked with the Great Northumberland Forest to create a shelter belt of native species trees and large shrubs have been around the boundary of cricket ground at Stamfordham Sports Pavilion.
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Northumberland teacher wins award at North East STEM AwardsDr Meryl Batchelder, Subject Lead for Science at Corbridge Middle School has won the Most Inspirational North East Secondary School Teacher at the North East STEM Awards. The awards ceremony was on November 3, 2023, and celebrates and recognises North East STEM Ambassadors, STEM organisations and teachers who, through their interaction, have inspired, engaged and enthused many young people and their teachers in STEM over the past year. Meryl was praised for empowering students through encouragement, mentorship, and a supportive learning environment, instilling curiosity, and a love for STEM subjects.
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Northumberland’s solar-powered community buildings project features at London conference
At the end of November, NICRE (the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise) hosted a national conference at the Shard in London highlighting rural innovation and enterprise. As part of the event, NICRE created a few short films to demonstrate particularly innovative projects including this one from Northumberland CAN.
Click on the image below to watch the video created by NICRE. |
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The Northumberland project putting solar panels and battery storage into a range of community buildings is picking up speed with the first two installations commissioned and due to take place in January, a further nine installations have received planning permission and 39 buildings in total have had initial feasibility and design work completed.
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The Community Energy Fund is now open
The Community Energy Fund (CEF) is a ÂŁ10m grant scheme for urban and rural communities to develop community energy projects, including local renewable and low carbon energy projects and energy efficiency retrofit and advice projects. |
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VCSE Energy Efficiency Fund This is for voluntary, community or social enterprise organisations (VCSE) to deliver more efficient services for people and communities by saving money on their bills. Eligible organisations can apply for the cost and delivery of an Independent Energy Assessment (IEA) and they can then apply for a Capital Grant of between ÂŁ2k and ÂŁ150k to install capital energy efficiency measures. |
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Call for volunteers
What a Wonderful World Festival needs a volunteer with good digital and communications skills (especially website and social media) to join the Organising Team. If you or anyone you know has these skills and a few hours a week to spare working from home please send an email headed to info@whataww.org with the subject line VOLUNTEER.
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This email has been produced by the Northumberland County Council Communications team. |
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