News & Events
Here are the latest upcoming events, news items, recent newsletters and blog posts from ChalCAN
Latest News
Our Parish Council has recently adopted a nature recovery plan aimed at making the way it manages community land like playing fields and verges more environmentally friendly. ChalCAN is working alongside the council to promote this greener approach and to make sure it is fully understood and supported by the local community.
The Bikes
Available for booking are 2 Benno eJoys, flexible step through e-bikes, capable of carrying 2x more weight than the typical bike. Comes with all accessories, including safety and carrying equipment for one rider plus child. More information on the Benno website.
At Brimscombe, we also have the larger Benno Boost to loan out, for extra carrying capacity. The bike comes with all accessories, including safety and carrying equipment for one rider plus 2 children (either with child seats or using seat pads for older children).
How to book
You can reserve any of our e-bikes for a week-long booking on the booking site, subject to a reservation fee / donation of £50. You will need to register for an account with us to book, but it’s very quick and easy. See all our currently available e-bikes here, and our full terms and conditions of booking.
If you want the bike for less or more than 1 week, please contact the relevant hub directly to see what is possible – you can find the contact details for each hub location here. Please be aware that our E-bike Loan Hubs are volunteer run, so you may not get an answer straight away.
We have had a lot of interest in this project, so please be patient as we launch as there may be a few people all trying to book at the same time – if you can’t book straight away in the calendar, try looking further ahead to see if there’s a slot available in May or June that might suit you instead.
- plant a 150m hedge at Bussage School working with parents, Friends of Frith Wood and of course the children themselves
- plant trees at Dorrington Court
- coppice the hazel at St Marys Church in Brownshill
- replace a few trees that had died in the Spinney woodland on Middle Hill
- plant 3 trees by the bus stop on the Green in Chalford Hill
- The garden at Chalford Hill School
- The Parish Centre
- Bisley Greenshop
- Stroud Valleys Project, John Street
The community survey undertaken last year indicated considerable interest in such a scheme. Applications are now being made for funding. If you fancy getting involved, email Karen Phiminster at kjpmail66@gmail.com.
Recycle Your Food to Help Cut Waste and Carbon
Gloucestershire Recycles have launched their latest campaign ‘Food Waste – It All Adds Up’.
Both the environmental and financial costs of food waste are huge. About 55,000 tonnes of domestic food waste were created in the county last year and 137,500 tonnes of CO2 are created producing and transporting this food. The average 4 person household could save £60 a month by reducing food waste.
- Sign up to Gloucestershire County Council’s Waste newsletters to find out more
- Recycling and composting any food waste that you can’t avoid.
The Thomas Keble GCSE Citizenship pupils’ campaign to prevent food poverty(PDF)
Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP)
We’ve produced a summary about ASHPs (PDF) and another outlining local housholds that have installations ChalCAN Case Studies (PDF). Contact us if you’d like more information or to visit a working example.
Biodiversity Trail
A circular wildlife trail 12 km long through Chalford Parish. Maps and info here….or pick up a leaflet from the Parish Centre or Chalford village shop.
Follow us on Instagram! @chalford.can
Upcoming Events
Entangled Life – an evening with Merlin Sheldrake
Wednesday 13th November at Thomas Keble School at 7.30pm
https://www.tickettailor.com/…/chalfordclimatea…/1345936
Transition Stroud Repair Cafes
These take place regularly at either the Trinity Rooms (Stroud) or the Sub Rooms in Nailsworth. All sorts of repairs are offered: textiles, electrical, along with hat restoring and the repair and maintenance of bikes and garden equipment and tools. Don’t chuck things out – get them repaired! Book in here E
Newsletter Archive
Keep up to date with ChalCAN’s recent newsletters
Latest Blog posts
Events and Workshops
Chalcan Biodiversity offers a range of events and workshops which provide practical help in how to support and better understand local biodiversity. Over the last year, these have included: a
Trees and Hedgerows
First the good news … About a third of our Parish is currently covered in trees and hedgerows. Many of these trees are on the steep slopes of the Frome
Green Spaces
There are lots of community owned green spaces scattered over the Parish, all managed by the Parish Council. Some are tucked away, quietly acting as mini wildlife reserves without the
Gardens
About a third of our parish is covered over with houses and gardens. If we are going to increase biodiversity, all those hundreds of gardens need to be put to
Biodiversity Survey
Chalford Parish Council has acknowledged that there is a climate emergency and that we should become carbon-neutral by 2030. To do this efficiently and effectively, ways need to be found
Wildlife Friendly Allotments
Your allotment is mainly for growing fruit and vegetables, and maybe keeping some chickens; but allotments are also really important for biodiversity. There are lots of things you can do
Roadside Verges
Yet, the way we currently manage our verges unintentionally reduces this richness of life year by year. Research shows that most verges are cut too often and at the wrong
Eat better for the planet, your health and your budget
What we eat has a significant climate impact. The UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation found that about 14% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from meat and dairy production. Changing
Can a Local Handyman become Carbon Neutral ?
Can Bisley Handyman become Carbon Neutral? We’re literally suffocating the planet with our CO2 emissions, so making sure that our impact is as minimal as possible is everyone’s responsibility, business
Take a Climate Walk
Do you already have some awareness of climate change but nothing much more? The ‘Climate Walk’ can show you how the choices you make can have a real impact
Did your t-shirt cost the earth?
Did you know that…… The UK sends an average of 300,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill each year. One wash load of polyester clothes can release 700,000 microplastic fibres into
Plastic and General Waste
We need to change our habits and consume less, buying wisely. This applies across all areas of shopping from food, to clothes, to electrical appliances. ChalCAN is looking at how
Upcycling and Repairs
Reuse, recycle, swap…and the impact of fast fashion Buy less junk and less new ‘stuff’. Buy things which are designed to be repairable and when you have finished with
Food
Do you want to learn something shocking? Meat, egg and dairy production use up 83% of the world’s farmland, are responsible for 58% of the world’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions,
Home Energy Saving
Actions to reduce carbon emissions in the home can range from tiny changes in your own behaviour, to installing energy efficient heating systems with smart controls. Here are some