Herefordshire Green Network

This week we held the first of our Free Funding Workshops, Small Funds for Small Groups, where we talked about the social benefits of urban community gardens and market gardens, how to share this with funders, and innovative ways to fund publications to spread a message of biodiversity and ecology – including kickstarters…

To get tailored top tips about how to get funds for your projects sign up to the second free workshop on Wed 26^th Feb.

Also coming up are workshops on ENGAGING THE PUBLIC ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES and SOCIAL MEDIA AND WORKING ONLINE which are free for HGN members, supporters, associates, and other interested parties

More details about the sessions and how to book can be found here: https://hgnetwork.org/spruce-up-your-skills-at-hgns-spring-workshops/

De Koffee Pot Talks & Discussion Evening

7.30-9.30pm, Wed 19^th Feb at the Left Bank Village/De Koffie Pot.

A presentation followed by round table discussion about the role of civil society in globalization and how we define these terms. We will discuss multilateralism, cosmopolitanism and with the United Nations 75th anniversary in 2020 in mind we will discuss possible reforms of the intergovernmental organization. How are rules of laws upheld? How do we create change in the face of challenges? We will discuss possible solutions with key themes being unity, justice and equality.

Discussion will be led by Rob Thistleton. Organized by : Rob Thistleton.

It is wonderful to see the rising energy from communities, businesses and individuals about our journey to a Zero Carbon Herefordshire and we are hearing lots of enthusiasm for tree planting across the county.

The Herefordshire Wildlife Trust along with partners will soon be issuing guidance to ensure that as well as storing carbon, trees are grown in the right places to ensure that our precious wildlife is enhanced and protected and other benefits realised: from cleaner air and water to natural flood management.

The guidance is coming soon, so watch this space!

Come along this Saturday 8th February 10am to 1pm to the Priory Church Leominster for the annual seed swap.

This year as well as seeds there will be a clothes swap, tools for self-reliance, community group stalls, Messy Church, and refreshments.

Everybody welcome, entry is free.

Transition Leominster

Extinction Rebellion members from across the county will be present at Herefordshire Council’s meeting on 14 Feb to congratulate the administration on making its first budget a “climate–friendly” budget.

And, to celebrate the first anniversary on 8 March of the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency, XR Herefordshire will be giving every local councillor a tree for them to plant in a suitable place in their ward.

Councillors will be invited to label their tree:

“In planting this tree, I pledge to consider the full life time of this tree and that from this day forward all decisions I make on behalf of the residents of Herefordshire will take all future generations into account.”

Only by properly considering all future generations and the health of the natural world on which they will depend can we adequately address the climate crisis. By recognising there is a climate crisis and putting the required changes into effect, XR believes there are huge opportunities to create a better, greener future for everyone in our beautiful county.

Across the county XR is already working with landowners, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, the Size of Herefordshire and others to dramatically increase the tree cover in the county.

“We want to see one new tree per Herefordshire resident (i.e. 192,000) planted in the next three years and over the next 10 years, (i.e. by 2030) we’d like to see a million trees planted in Herefordshire as part of a ‘Community Tree Planting’ scheme”.

We see this massive community-led tree-planting scheme as one small but key part of creating that better future we envisage. Business as usual is not an option!

… from being defeated by an alternative which takes out important carbon reducing initiatives. The alternative proposal includes replacing funds for electric buses with support for unsustainable road building: a short-term, high carbon solution totally at odds with the unanimously declared Climate Emergency!

XR are asking for your support at the Herefordshire council budget setting meeting on Friday 14^th Feb – details of the meeting are here: https://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=291&MId=7351&Ver=4

You can help by:

1) Being there – we are aiming to fill the public gallery with people, the Red Brigade included, so it will be more colourful and dramatic than usual. And alliance councillors will feel supported.

• gathering from 9am outside Shire Hall to welcome councillors going into the 10am budget-setting meeting
• 9am-10am arrival of climate striking students from Hereford colleges
• towards 10am, arrival of Marches Red Rebel Brigade & Green Spirits (who will have processed from Die Koffie Pot to Shire Hall)

2) Submitting questions to the meeting by the deadline of 5pm on Monday 10^th Feb. Guidance about how to do this is here: https://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CId=291&Year=0

3) We’ve asked XR people in wards represented by Lib Dem councillors to write to the councillor asking them to vote for the budget because it is climate friendly and consistent with the climate emergency declaration. The wards and councillors are:

Polly Andrews –  Whitemarsh ward (Hereford)

Kevin Tillett – Hinton & Hunderdon (Hereford)

Phillip Howells – Ledbury West

Chris Bartrum – Ross North

Louis Stark – Ross West

Paul Symonds – Ross East

Terry James – Kington

The email addresses and phone numbers of councillors are here – http://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=PARTY&VW=LIST&PIC=0

People can find their ward councillor from this page – https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/government-citizens-and-rights/democracy/find-election-information-for-your-area

(The possibility is that Lib Dem councillors – who are generally in favour of road building – will side with the Conservatives and try to vote out the budget or push through amendments which water down local climate action.)

Wednesday 12th Feb 5-7pm at St Mary’s Church Hall, Ross-on-Wye HR9 5HN. (There isn’t a car park but there is plenty of on-street parking)

SMALL FUNDS FOR SMALL GROUPS – Workshop and Q+A with Rebecca Tully What do you want to do in your area – who will it benefit and is a lack of money stopping you? As well as answering any questions you have, we will cover:

• Describing our aims – why it’s so important
• Grants available
• Matching our aims to grants
• Describing how, and for whom, our activities will have impact

Rebecca Tully has set up and run two community interest companies with a combination of grants and enterprise. She has also supported other organisations to develop, deliver and evaluate funded projects, and delivered successful crowd-funders.  She is an experienced facilitator, and a begrudging fundraiser! This evening will be an opportunity to pick up some tips for success in finding funding for your idea and learn how to take the first steps to get what you need.

TO RESERVE A PLACE, PLEASE EMAIL admin@hgnetwork.org

Leominster community centre, Church Street (turning into School Road), Leominster HR6 8NJ

The repair café gives visitors the opportunity to have repairs done on house hold items (which are considered commercially uneconomic to do). And also, to give visitors the confidence to do repairs themselves.

The team of volunteer have a wide range of skills, which include computer peripherals, electro-mechanical and needle crafts. But we suggest if you have a particularly specialised repair, you check with us, as the volunteer make up can change from session to session.

Paul Beeden, Repair cafe Leominster 01568 616411

Message from Extinction Rebellion Herefordshire

Herefordshire Council will decide its budget for the upcoming year at a meeting of full council at 10am on 14 February at Shire Hall Hereford. The intended budget has some provision for spending on climate action. Whether this is enough to deliver a net zero county by 2030 – the aspiration in the council’s climate emergency declaration – is of course open to debate. The administration has a wafer thin majority and would welcome a positive presence from us in the meeting to support what they believe is a climate-friendly budget, and to resist possible attempts by the opposition to water it down.

Please come to the Council Meeting on 14 February at Shire Hall to make our feelings known!

Background info:
Start with the draft Corporate Plan – one pager here, and the full version here

The proposed budget for 2020/2021 is here and the proposed capital budget here.

Several other more detailed papers to be found on this page if you want to dig deeper.

(The papers are dated 30 Jan for a preliminary Council meeting and amended versions will go to the meeting on 14 Feb – we are planning to attend the Feb meeting).

Questions for the Council: The meeting on 14th February is open to the public and we can submit questions in advance about the corporate plan and the proposed budget. The rules are strict, set out here, and for this meeting questions have to be submitted by 5pm on Monday 10 February. If you want to put in a question and would like help, please contact Rob at robertpalgrave@hotmail.com