Fresh Connections

The Stop Climate Chaos - Big Climate Reconnection public meeting in Uckfield last week was a perfect opportunity to engage with those who are in a position to make real changes which will have a direct impact on local people it included prestentations by the DECC minister Charles Hendry and project coordinators of WWF, RSPB, CAFOD and Transition Forest Row. This initiative involved countrywide meetings with climate ministers. For detailed responses by the member organisations see the following link: www.stopclimatechaos.org/scc-org-ccc-response

I asked a few Village Connections questions about the particular problems of rural households associated with living off grid and the urgent need to find ways of keeping our homes warm that are much less dependent on oil, he agreed that this was a real problem and said that the government will announce some help this autumn. He spoke about the Green Deal and the potential of the new Green Investment Bank to encourage development of renewables and to stimulate green growth in green jobs. He also a expressed a very keen interest in encouraging local food security.

There was praise from all present for the instsitence by DECC on stringent long term carbon emission targets in the new Energy Bill, 80% by 2050, but much presssure to encourage the government to make detailed plans and policies to ensure that these targets will be met!

I met some very friendly people at the meeting of the Hassocks, Keymer and Ditchling Transition group which included a picnic and calley, - it was a great way of encouraging better connections between sustainable communities in Sussex. These included Cuckfield, Haywards Heath and the Mid Sussex Sustainability Partnership. Open house energy projects were being organised and most Sussex towns and villages had started new local food markets and garden share schemes... with more gardens available than gardeners at present! www.hkdtransition.org.uk

It was a wonderful blustery Sunday afternoon for the walk to Mount Caburn for the Life Cairn Commemoration of Extinct species which was accompanied by music and singing - a poignant way of drawing attention to the worrying future for very, very many endangered species.

The Wilmington Foraging walk last Wednesday was led by Anna Richardson and Louise Gorst who got the group started with a daisy and dandelion tasting session, we were told fascinating stories about downland and woodland wild trees and plants and offered advice about edible leaves, seeds and roots. Watchmakers lens were distributed so that we could get a really close up look at elderflowers.. this was amazing, managed to take a good photo through the lens.

The Fine Art of Foraging project has caught the imagination of lots of people - all with very different ideas about how to find artisitic inspiration in the hedgerows... looking forward to getting started... The project is now registered as an Artwave exhibition!

Action in Rural Sussex have offered to help to produce a quarterly events calendar for Ouse valley village events, at a recent Ouse Valley meeting we discussed the Fine Art of Foraging project and the possibility of organising an Autumn celebration as a way of improving village connections, this would probably be held at the new Kingston village pavillion. Please send any ideas for this and details of local events to me at villageconnectionsinfo@gmail.com or post online in the forum discussion.