Wilton Community Centre will also be open, with information about the homes open, displays, talks, expert advice and details of the Centre’s own energy improvements.

Further details available from www.wiltshiregreendoors.org.uk.

Event organsised by Wilton Community Land Trust, with support from Wiltshire Council.

“We hope the prodution of a shortened version of Plastic Shores will help to get the message about the environmental damage caused by plastic waste through to Wiltshire’s schools”

Plastic Shores, an environmental documentary from young Wiltshire film producer Ed Scott-Clarke, was shown in Salisbury in January 2013.  The film explains the problems of plastics, particularly small ‘microplastics’, which are now present throughout the world’s oceans and entering the food chain through ingestion by marine animals.

It was felt that the film had the potential to reach a wider audience if there was a shortened version available for use as an education tool in secondary schools.  And thanks to generous sponsorship from Barchester Green Investment, South Wiltshire Agenda 21, Campaign to Protect Rural England South Wiltshire Group, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and private donations this has now been achieved.

The abridged version runs for 30 minutes and a copy is now being sent to every secondary school in Wiltshire.  The full version of the film can be bought online on www.plasticshoresmovie.com and the abridged version will be available on the same website shortly.

Many local environmental organisations will get together to showcase what they do, provide information and opportunities to get involved. Come and find out what you can do at home and what’s happening in the community.

Free prize draw – Bee Lovely Gift Box donated by Neal’s Yard

Children’s Quiz

Programme of short films and talks will be shown throughout the day.

For how to get there & the A-Z of what you can see and do at the Green Fair see below

How to find us:

By foot or cycling: Salisbury Quaker Meeting House is easily accessible from the city centre. Secure bike parking on site.

By public transport: Less than 1/2 mile from the train station & on the R3, R8 and Wilton and Britford P&R bus routes.

By car: If you have to come by car, there is parking in the vicinity of the Meeting House – on site only for disabled parking.

What you can see and do:  Arts and crafts, Bees, Bicycling , Birds, Car Clubs, Carbon Conversations, Conservation Volunteering, Energy saving advice, Gardening, Greenpeace, Greenspace Partnership, River Bourne Community Farm, Walking for Health … find out all about it at the Green Fair!

	Arts and Crafts – Children can get creative with wildlife themed activities.Learn to do willow weaving, spoon carving and make beeswax candles with the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (WWT)
	Bees – see the amazing behaviour of bees in the demonstration hive.Taste Honey from around the world (WWT).Get wild about plants at the Plantlife stand and learn about their Bee Scene campaign.
	Bike Surgery with Alice and Nick. Inspiring, educating and supporting cyclists. Bring your bike for an MoT.Find out about COGS, the Cycling Opportunities Group for Salisbury; pick up cycling maps and dixcover more about cycling in and around Salisbury.
	Birds – learn all about birds from the South Wiltshire RSPB local group.Find out from the RSPB Winterbourne Downs Farm display how farms can be managed for wildlife and learn more about Wiltshire’s chalk country, its wildlife and protection.
	Car Clubs – take a look at the hOURCARS vehicle; you don’t need to own a car to drive one. Find out how the club works, why it reduced parking problems and congestion on our roads. Join today!
	Carbon Conversations – Reduce your carbon footprint with South Wiltshire Agenda 21 (SWA21).LEARN about carbon emissions at home, in travel, food and things you buy, PLAY games about how to cut carbon, CHOOSE actions which fit your lifestyle, SHARE hopes, fears and plans.
	Conservation volunteering – be part of the action!Information about all the opportunities for getting involved in active conservation work. Salisbury Wildlife Group and Local Supporters Group (WWT), RSPB – coppicing at Garston Wood, Friends of Harnham Slope (FoHS).
	Energy saving advice, all about keeping warm and cutting your bills, from Wiltshire Council’s SEACS project officer. Practical examples of what you can do in your own home.Find out about the first Green Open Homes event in Wiltshire to be held on 18/19 May.  10 homes in the Salisbury area will open their doors to visitors to share their experience of energy saving. Organised by the Wilton Community Land Trust (CLT). www.wiltshiregreendoors.org.uk
	Gardening – how to attract birds, bees and other wildlife to your garden.Find out how to make good compost using the Green Johanna or Green Cone. Try making useful things out of ‘waste’ material to stop them going to landfill. (WWT)Cookery demonstrations using herbs Plant Sale.
	Greenpeace – will highlight their campaign on Climate Change.
	Greenspace partnership – keen to keep your local area green and learn more about the value of your local green space?What’s happening in Salisbury and how you can get involved.
	River Bourne Community Farm – a community based project creating a 1960′s working farm. The farm enables local people and school children to come into close contact with the land and animals.  There are plenty of opportunities for volunteers to get involved.
	Walking for Health – walking is one of the best forms of exercise, it’s fun, it’s free and good for the environment! Maps available to help you enjoy the countryside on your doorstep or travel further afield using local buses.

Some useful background was given in Roger’s presentation which can be downloaded here:

Presentation re WSLNP & SGP (PDF, 2.89 MB)

What is the Warm and Well Scheme?

The Warm and Well insulation scheme is open to all Wiltshire residents who own their own home or who rent privately.

A survey will be done of the householders existing insulation and if below the scheme’s maximum level the insulation will be free. If the existing insulation exceeds the nationally set limits customers are asked to make a contribution.

And the changes…..

Wiltshire Council now offers a further top-up grant of up to £200 to cover these extra costs (depending on circumstances) which means in most cases insulation will be free.

Can you help?

We will be developing promotional material for you to use, help us spread the word and ensure your community, especially those most vulnerable benefit.

For more information about Warm and Well.

Wiltshire Councillor John Brady joins local walkers and cyclists and Mike Ginger from the Highways Agency to formally open the crossing

A campaign for a safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists across the A36 at Petersfinger was started in 2005.  Nearly 7 years later a crossing has finally been installed and was formally opened on May 16th 2012 by Wiltshire Council Cabinet member John Brady.

  
Walkers and cyclists turned up to help celebrate the event, representing just a few of the over 1000 who had supported a petition for this crossing back in 2006. 


The crossing provides a safe link from Alderbury and Whaddon to Salisbury, and will also improve the links to destinations further afield, such as Downton and the New Forest – popular destinations for cyclists. 

“We wanted to build for the future in a responsible way by harnessing new technologies.  We wanted to flood the house with light , which was quite a challenge as it is on a north-facing slope surrounded by mature trees.  We thought the new build should interact with the site and surroundings in a sensitive manner, using natural materials, transparency and embrace the concept of touching the ground lightly.”

Building it was a steep learning curve for all concerned!  They used local architect Stuart Pike of Favonius & Co in The Close and local builders Mark Bugden of Castleway.  Eco-building is still in it’s relative infancy in this country and new technologies are being developed all the time.

South Wiltshire Agenda 21 were pleased to support the planning application in 2009 and delighted to be invited to see the end result.

Some of the main features include: a timber frame and walls, large double glazed windows to make maximum use of natural light, Earth Wool insulation made from recycled glass bottles, a sedum roof (see photo on right), rainwater havesting,  an air-source heat pump for under floor heating and hot water and a wood burning stove

60 delegates attended the event representing a wide range of interest in green space in and around Salisbury – the local authority, parish councils, environmental agencies, local specialist groups, as well as community and volunteer groups

The message from the event is that open space and green infrastructure is vital for the health of ourselves, our community and for wildlife. Keynote speaker Ian Phillips, landscape architect and town planner, challenged the audience to consider greenspace in new ways and to plan, design and manage it to provide an even greater range of sustainable benefits for the whole community.

The meeting was also addressed by Anna Lee of Wiltshire Council who is playing a key role in developing Wiltshire’s Green Infrastructure Strategy.  This will ensure that Wiltshire protects the county’s existing greenspace and sets out a vision for improving and extending green infrastructure.  This includes everything from woodlands, rivers and hedgerows to parks, allotments, footpaths and cycleways.

The partnership is to be taken forward by a steering group drawn from a wide range of the organisations represented at the event.

A series of working groups will also be set up to look in more detail at the issues raised on the day and there will be lots of opportunities in the future for the involvement of local people.

More information about the Salisbury Greenspace Partnership is available on their website.

2012. Farley Nursery School

Awaiting information

2010. Neals Yard Remedies

We have a committment to making our environmentl impact, locally and globally as small as we can.  To this end we buy as much of our enery as we can from ‘green’ suppliers, bank with an ethical bank, recycle assidiously, encourage our staff to travel by public transport and offset our carbon emssions with CarbonNeutral.

We will appoint a staff green-rep to look at further ways we can improve our environmental performance and would like to get involved in a Community wide green project.

2009 & 2011. Bill Wyatt of W.S. Wyatt & Son roofing

Bill Wyatt was delighted to be named Salisbury’s greenest business 2009 by the Chamber of Commerce and proudly displays this on the back of his van. What impressed the judges was not only the firm’s own environmental policy, but the criteria they have drawn up for their suppliers.

Bill goes out of his way to find new and innovative products such as recycled steel guttering and, his latest discovery, recycled plastic roofing tiles.

In this way he is spreading the message of the importance of green practices and low energy, low impact products to the building and construction industry.
2008. Sue and Cavan Mitchell of Autocrash

“Autocrash have taken a lot of time to understand the implications of their impact on the environment. Working in the automotive industry, we have become increasingly conscious of the environment as a result of the negative impact the private car can have, so we have sought to minimise our own impact on the environment, wherever possible.

Receiving this award was therefore a great pleasure for us as it reflected the amount of hard work and expense we have put into recycling and also has made it very worthwhile and rewarding.” Cavan Mitchell.

2007. Andrew Bunt (second right) of Country Coffee.

Winner of the first Green Business Award, Andrew’s enthusiasm has continued leading to further environmental improvements so that he has been chosen as one of the finalists each year of the award.

Andrew aims to cut the firm’s carbon footprint year on year by reducing unnecessary travel, using biodegradable materials rather than plastic and recycling everything he can.  He is an advocate of a fairer deal for his suppliers, promoting Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance products.

“Small businesses can do their bit and increase their profitability by greening their business” said Andrew.

Wiltshire Council is offering a grant for loft and cavity wall insulation, to keep your home warmer and save on heating bills and carbon emissions.
Residents may be able to have the work done for free if they fall into one of these categories:

• Householders over 60 years old.
• Households whose total income is less than œ16,000 per year gross
• Families with children under 16 with an income below œ22,000 per year gross
• Households with an income of below œ30,000 per year gross where a member has been made redundant, lost overtime or taken lower paid work.
• In receipt of benefits

But everyone is entitled to at least a partial grant.

Home owners and private tenants are eligible to apply. Residents of flats are also able to apply provided all in the block are in agreement.

All grant offers are subject to survey, as the grant covers a maximum area of loft or wall, and has a maximum value of œ200 per insulation type.

To register for the scheme, please tel: 0800 512 012 or go to: www.warmandwell.co.uk

Please publicise this scheme to friends and neighbours and other members of your community. Leaflets are available from the Wiltshire Energy Efficiency Officer, Rachel Ross; tel: 01722 434349 or email rachel.ross@wiltshire.gov.uk