Sustrans celebrates ten years of volunteers

Sustrans is celebrating the ten year anniversary of its Volunteer Rangers and appealing for more people to come forward and help make a real difference to their local cycling and walking routes.

The first Volunteer Rangers began helping the sustainable transport charity in 1999. Ten years on, there are now around 2,500 volunteers giving their time, which amounts to a grand total of 140,000 hours of work every year at a value of almost £1.5million!

But, as the National Cycle Network continues to grow – it currently covers more than 12,000 miles across the UK – more people are needed to help maintain and promote it.

Tony Ambrose, Sustrans Volunteer Programme Manager, said: ‘A decade of dedication from our Volunteer Rangers is a huge achievement, well worth celebrating. It’s the perfect opportunity to say thank you to all those that have given their time during the last ten years, and encourage more people to get involved.

‘With the help of volunteers, Sustrans has managed to create and improve a vast network for healthy and environmentally-friendly travel. It’s a lasting legacy that will continue to benefit people across the UK for many years to come.’

Volunteer Rangers give an average of four to five hours a month to check on their local section of the National Cycle Network, by bike or on foot, and make it more pleasant and safe for everyone who uses it.

Ranger tasks can involve anything from clearing overgrown plants and branches, putting up route markers or organising litter-picks, to leading guided walks and bike rides for the public.

Rupert Douglas has been a Volunteer Ranger on National Route 7 near Penrith in Cumbria since the very beginning. He said: ‘During my ten years as a Volunteer Ranger I’ve seen the Sea to Sea route in Cumbria grow enormously in popularity.

‘It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m helping to maintain and improve the route for both local people and visitors to enjoy.’ The National Cycle Network runs within 2 miles of 75 per cent of the UK population, and is increasingly well-used, with more than 354 million trips made on it in 2007.

To find out more about the Volunteer Ranger opportunities in your area, call 0117 9150110, email volunteers-uk@sustrans.org.uk or visit www.sustrans.org.uk and click on ‘Support Sustrans’.

Real nappy week event

April 29, The Grafton Centre (near Goldsmiths), 9.00-14.00

Come and see why the council’s free real nappy starter kits are so popular. See a demonstration on how to use them, quiz a real nappy expert and, if you’re convinced, put your name on our waiting list for a kit.

Free kits are available for Cambridge City residents only, but information will be available for all.

Spring Watch event – Trumpington

Sunday 19th April 11-1pm , Trumpington Community Orchard, Foster Way

Family activities and opportunites to volunteer: For children there will be the chance to spot and record the signs of Spring happening all over the orchard, and we are also repeating the opportunity to weave a bird house to take home for your own garden. For older children and adults we will be taking a good look at the trees, seeing what needs to be done to maintain the orchard over the growing season, as well as practical maintenance on site with our volunteers.

For details of how to get there go to the ‘how to get there’ page on

http://www.geocities.com/trumpingtonorchard/home.html

 

Our email is

 

trumpingtonorchard@yahoo.co.uk

Renewable energy survey

Cambridgeshire Horizons works with local councils and other organisations to achieve sustainable growth for the county. Planning decisions are made by the partner organisations and Cambridgeshire Horizons works to implement the agreed policies. The partnership aims to deliver new homes in sustainable new communities, alongside schools, public transport and leisure facilities. You can read more about the partnership and its goals on the Cambridgeshire Horizons website http://www.cambridgeshirehorizons.co.uk/.

Renewable energy consultation

Cambridgeshire residents are invited to give their opinions on the use of renewable energy. The survey was launched on Friday 6 March 2009 and will run for three months. As well as asking for public opinion, the Cambridgeshire energy survey website http://www.cambridgeshireenergysurvey.co.uk/ provides information about renewable energy options and demonstrates how they can be installed.

Fairtrade Fortnight 23rd February – 8th March 2009. Special events in Cambridge to celebrate and promote Fairtrade.

Throughout the fortnight

Go bananas

 

Cambridge University Fairtrade Steering Group

This student led group is running lots of internal events during Fairtrade Fortnight including Fairtrade football, pancake stalls, formal dinners and speakers events.

 

Emmanuel United Reformed Church Fairshares Café, Trumpington Street

This year the theme of Fairtrade Fortnight is ‘Go Bananas’ so the URC’s Fairshares Cafe has added a special selection of ‘banana’ dishes to their menu, including Banana cake, Banana split and Banana smoothies.

Please do pop in during the fortnight for a banana-flavoured treat!

Open 10:30am – 3:00pm Tues – Fri.

Anglia Ruskin University

Staff and students will have the opportunity to enter the Go BANANAS challenge, try Fairtrade snacks, buy Fairtrade clothing, play with Fairtrade footballs and find out what Fairtrade is all about, with Oxfam, Cambridge World Development Movement and Wombat (Fairtrade clothing). 

 

Thursday 4^th March

 

Cambridge Market  - Fairtrade Stall

9:30 – 4:00pm

The Cambridge Fairtrade Steering Group is running a market stall selling Traidcraft products including nuts, chocolate, cereal bars, sweets, crafts and stationery.  Why not show your support for Fairtrade and treat yourself to some ethical chocolate!  And if you are keen to get involved in local Fairtrade work by joining the Steering Group, leave your details with one of the stallholders.

 

 

Friday 6^th March

 

Emmanuel United Reform Church, Trumpington Street

12 Noon!

Start of the ‘GO BANANAS’ challenge – to set a world record for the largest number of Fairtrade bananas eaten over a 24 hour period!

Buy your banana at Emmanuel URC to register your participation in the challenge.

 

Saturday 7^th March

 

Fairtrade Fair at Bourn village hall 

11am – 3pm

Join in this family event – with great coffee and fabulous cakes served with a smile!  There’s face painting for the little ones and a lovely fair-trade projects to browse for those a bit older!  Includes stands from Abantu, Traidcraft, Tearcraft, Hatti Trading, Hearfelt, Believe You Can and Madderaff.

We look forward to celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight with you.

www.abantufairtrade.co.uk  Tel: 01954 713997

New litter recycling bin pilot

If you are out and about in the city centre this week, you might notice

New litter recycling bin on St Andrews St

some new additions to the street furniture – four specially designed litter-recycling bins.

 

 

The bins, located on St Andrews Street, Market Square and Kings Parade, mark the beginning of a pilot scheme to recycle litter in the city. If successful, the council hopes to extend the scheme to further sites.

The new recycling bins have been specially designed for Cambridge, so that they fit in with the historic buildings in the city centre and match the existing litter bins. They have sections for collecting drinks cans, plastic bottles, and general litter.

Introducing the Comfort Zone

Thursday 12 February. St Luke’s Church centre. 3pm-7pm.

The Comfort Zone is a scheme designed to focus home energy efficiency promotional activity in a specific area of Cambridge. Our primary aim is to assist local residents in increasing the energy efficiency of properties and at the same time reducing the quantity of households in fuel poverty.

Members of this year long scheme will be able to receive tailored energy efficiency information and advice. The Comfort Zone will include special events, work shops and courses in an attempt to breakdown the barriers in installing efficiency measures.

Targeting all the homes in an area like this means that resources are concentrated where there is greater potential to make improvements and specific issues can be addressed.

The properties encompassed by Castle Road, Victoria Road and Chesterton Road have been selected as the new zone for 2009. Details of an  introductory event will  be announced soon and regular information and advice that have been raised by this area will be posted on this website.

If you would like to be involved in the 2009 scheme or for further information on the Comfort Zone project, email Justin Smith, home energy officer, justin.smith@cambridge.gov.uk

Recycle your Christmas tree

Don’t forget to recycle your real Christmas tree this year. There are 3 ways to recycle it:
1. Chop it up and put it in your Green Bin for collection (please make sure the bin lid is closed)
2. Take it to Cherry hinton Hall car park before January 18th, and leave it near the recycling point
3. Take it to any of the County Council Recycling Centres – the closest to Cambridge are on the A10 near Milton and the A505 near Thriplow – and put it in the green waste skip

The trees will be shredded and used for mulch or composted to make soil conditioner.

Weekly Tuesday Conservation Group

Working in partnership with the City Greenways Project Officer Iain Webb, a variety of tasks are carried out on a number of sites across the city including local nature reserves and green corridors. A full programme can be obtained at Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough Wildlife Trusts’ website

Things you need to know

* Bring a packed lunch
* Wear old clothes, strong shoes and bring waterproofs
* All tools and necessary training is provided
* Arrive at site for 9.30am
* Don’t forget your tetanus jab
* And most importantly of all….tea and biscuits are provided!

For more details please contact:

Iain Webb (City Greenways Project Officer)

01954 713500
Email Iain.webb@wildlifebcnp.org

Orchard maintainance

Sunday 8th March, 11am-1pm. Trumpington Community Orchard near Foster Road allotments will be performing site maintenance and tidy-up.

This will take place on the second Sunday of every month.

Email trumpingtonorchard@yahoo.co.uk for more information

Orchard trees