Welcome to November’s Update from Climate Action Stokesley & Villages

Thank you for playing your part in taking urgent action globally and locally on climate breakdown.

This month we continue to focus on our values and purpose, summed up by our motto ‘Think global, act local’, with the update now beginning with global / national issues including ways in which you can influence policy, followed by local news and activities you can participate in that develop our relationship with the environment and fight climate change.  

Think global

COP28: 30th November – 12th December

World leaders are set to discuss tackling climate change at a big UN summit in Dubai.

It follows a year of extreme weather events in which many climate records have been broken.

COP28 is the 28th annual United Nations (UN) climate meeting where governments will discuss how to limit and prepare for future climate change.

The summit is being held in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 30 November until 12 December 2023.

COP stands for “Conference of the Parties”, where the “parties” are the countries that signed up to the original UN climate agreement in 1992.

It is hoped COP28 will help keep alive the goal of limiting long-term global temperature rises to 1.5°C. This was agreed by nearly 200 countries in Paris in 2015.

The 1.5°C target is crucial to avoid the most damaging impacts of climate change, according to the UN’s climate body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Long-term warming currently stands at about 1.1°C or 1.2°C compared with pre-industrial times – the period before humans started burning fossil fuels at scale.

However, the world is on track for about 2.5°C of warming by 2100 even with current pledges to tackle emissions. The window for keeping the 1.5°C limit in reach is “rapidly narrowing”, the UN says.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be taking part, and unlike last year Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles will also attend. He will deliver an opening address to delegates on 1 December.

Environmental charities, community groups, think tanks, businesses and faith groups will also take part.

More information here: RainforestAllianceCOPinfo

Your voice matters at COP28! You can call on the UK government to show leadership on climate action at COP28 through a number of petitions including  

WaterAid who are calling on the UK government to:

1. Invest one third of the UK’s international climate finance budget towards locally-led adaptation projects that will bring a year round supply of clean water to those most in need.  

2. Call on donor governments to invest further in WASH resilience as a cost-effective way to empower vulnerable communities to adapt to climate change, lift themselves out of poverty and save lives.  

3. Show leadership at COP28, by promoting water, sanitation and hygiene adaptation programmes.

Repair and Reuse Declaration

Our Stokesley and Villages Repair Cafe is a signatory of the Repair and Reuse Declaration which was launched on International Repair Day on Saturday 21st October. By signing the declaration we have declared that we are working to increase repair and reuse through our repair cafes. The declaration is asking that government and companies make repair and reuse normal, by: “Making repair more affordable, through tax reductions and repair vouchers; Expanding the UK’s right to repair regulations to cover all consumer products, strengthen design standards and remove barriers to repair for everyone; Introducing a repair index to help the public choose more repairable and durable products; Introducing requirements and targets for reuse and repair to be prioritised over recycling and providing investment to make this a reality. This should be a key part of amended extended producer responsibility rules; Supporting a new generation of repairers through repair training, accreditation and apprenticeships.”

Now you can help:

• By asking your MP to sign the declaration too and work in parliament to ensure that legislation is passed which helps and does not hinder repair and reuse.
• By making sure you repair and reuse your product and when you need to buy products choose products which can be repaired and reused.

More information here:

UK Repair and Reuse Declaration

Light pollution & biodiversity loss

We are all too familiar with the pollution in our rivers and in the atmosphere but how many of us consider the damage being done to wildlife and indeed to us through light pollution. It has been estimated that 83 percent of the world’s people live under light-polluted skies and that 23 percent of the world’s land area is affected by skyglow. Artificial light upsets natural body rhythms in both humans and animals. Nocturnal light interrupts sleep and confuses the circadian rhythm—the internal, twenty-four-hour clock that guides day and night activities and affects physiological processes in nearly all living organisms. Light pollution lowers melatonin production, which leads to sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, anxiety, and other health problems. It seem there is also a connection between reduced melatonin levels and cancer. It is important to note that preventing light pollution does not mean that there should be no light. Rather there should be the right light in the right place at the right time.

Wild life suffers as well.  Migration patterns, wake-sleep habits, and habitat formation can be impacted because of light pollution and creatures such sea turtles and birds that are guided by moonlight during migration get confused, lose their way, and often die. Insects, a primary food source for birds and other animals, are drawn to artificial lights and are instantly killed upon contact with light sources.   Light pollution has a very adverse affect on moths. Their decline in numbers has been significant and it is also important to note that moths are responsible for around one third of all pollination.

However, we are very fortunate that we have a dark sky park here on the North York Moors, one of only 21 across the planet. Events are taking place throughout the year culminating in the Dark Skies Festival in February.   We have the opportunity to see the grandeur of the dark skies just on our door step. Don’t forget to wrap up warmly though.

North York Moors Dark Skies

The Council for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE) organises an annual ‘Star Count’ to monitor how light pollution is impacting on dark skies essential for wildlife in England. You can see this year’s results here, how to donate to support their work and how to take part as a citizen scientist next February CPREDarkSkies

NHS & Net Zero

4-5% of all carbon emissions in the UK are produced by the NHS. In response to this, in October 2020, the NHS became the world’s first health service to commit to reaching carbon net zero, acknowledging their responsibility to address the profound and growing threat to health posed by climate change. The “Delivering a Net Zero Health Service” report sets out a clear ambition and two evidence-based targets. After one year from setting out these targets, the NHS reduced its emissions equivalent to powering 1.1 million homes annually and they are working on more.

For example in May 2022, a team at Solihull Hospital performed the world’s first net zero carbon operation. It involved a range of colleagues making several changes to their standard practice, including those set out in the table below:

• using reusable gowns, drapes, and scrub caps
• giving medications through the veins for general anaesthesia rather than anaesthetic gases, which have a strong greenhouse effect
• implementing a plan for minimising electricity use, including heating and lighting
  recycling of single-use equipment used in surgery, working with industry partners
• recycling of “clean” paper and plastic waste
• using individually packed equipment, and only opening items as they were required
• one consultant surgeon jogged to hospital, and the other cycled.

One of our CASaV members Jenny Earle is involved in GPNET-0, an NHS study addressing the following:

To understand how general practice is implementing decarbonisation actions to help achieve a net zero NHS.

To generate recommendations on how to support and accelerate the implementation and sustainability of actions to decarbonise general practice to help achieve a net zero NHS.

For more information on this project: GPNet-0

Jenny will update us with more information as the study progresses.

The South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has committed to becoming net zero carbon by 2040 with regards to emissions it controls directly and wants to achieve an 80% reduction by 2032 at the latest. An Eco Shop which prevents surplus food going to waste has been established and a fleet of electric cars is available for use by staff. The Trust’s Sustainability Manager has been in touch with our Waste Group about our Repair Cafe activities and we hope to support their activities in encouraging staff to repair and reuse to prevent waste as soon as we can. They have a Clothes Swap Shop arranged for 23rd November, if anyone is interested in supporting this by demonstrating clothing repairs, please contact.

Act Local

What’s Going On: this month’s local activities to promote care for our environment and fight climate breakdown

CASaV Monthly Meeting Stokesley Globe

Tuesday 21st November 7.30-9pm

Following our last meeting, we have completed the first stage of the application process for funding from the North Yorkshire Council’s Shared Prosperity Fund, for a place-based decarbonisation plan for Stokesley to complement the Local Area Energy case study that has already been undertaken. We would then hope that the plan for Stokesley can be used to create similar plans for the rest of our area.
Our next whole group meeting will be on Tuesday 21st November, in The Globe Community Library, North Road Stokesley, from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. As well as hearing updates from the various sub-groups we will focus on the next steps in the United for Warm Homes campaign following the day of action on Saturday 18th November. See below for further details of the campaign.

United for Warm Homes Day of Action November 18th:  

Community Quilt Project

United for Warm Homes is calling for:

1. Urgent support for people dealing with sky-high energy bills. Millions of people are struggling with soaring bills and the rising cost of living. The average energy bill has skyrocketed since 2021, leaving people facing impossible choices between staying warm and putting food on the table. Far more help is needed – through price guarantees, targeted extra payments, and fair energy pricing. The government must ensure everyone can afford the energy they need to keep their homes warm.  
2. A new emergency programme to insulate our heat-leaking homes. Upgrading our homes with insulation is the cheapest and easiest way to permanently reduce our bills and cut emissions. We’re calling on the government to roll out a rapid, street-by-street insulation programme, coordinated by councils. This should start with the neighbourhoods hardest hit by the crisis and be provided free of charge in areas where people are living on low incomes. This must be followed with deeper measures to upgrade our homes to ensure they are cheaper and greener to heat by 2030.  
3. An energy system powered by cheap, green renewables. To end the need for expensive and polluting gas in the long term, we must move to a homegrown, renewable energy system. This will require fitting millions of homes with modern electric-powered heat pumps and a rapid expansion of onshore wind and solar power across the UK, as well as our vast offshore renewable resources.   

On Saturday 18 November 2023 there is a nationwide Day of Action, calling for lower energy bills and warm homes for all, putting pressure on politicians to act, by showing that communities are united for warm homes.

Locally we are creating a United for Warm Homes community quilt to present to our MP /PM Rishi Sunak.

Please take part in this by making a 15cm x 15cm fabric square with a design that captures any of the three issues above. You can embroider, applique, collage your design or draw with a felt tip and bring it along to our monthly Repair Cafe on this date (Saturday 18th November 10-12 at Swainby Village Hall where we will sew all the squares together to complete the quilt. Some ideas for your square shown below:

If you’d like to contribute a square but are unable to attend the November Repair Cafe contact Kate Gibbon for collection / postal address.

More information here: United For Warm Homes

November’s Repair Cafe – Saturday 18th November 10-12

Swainby Village Hall

Waste collection, treatment, disposal and material recovery in the United Kingdom produced 3.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2021. Our Repair Cafes aim to help cut waste by repairing and restoring to use items that would have otherwise gone to landfill or incineration, whilst also saving the energy and resources that would have gone into manufacturing new items alongside sharing repair skills and knowhow and encouraging people to think more sustainably about consumable items.

This month’s Repair Cafe will be on Saturday, 18th November, 10-12 at Swainby Village Hall.

Everyone is very welcome to bring along household items in need of repair – computers, mobile phones, electrical items, clothing & textiles, ceramics & glass, wooden items, all blades in need of sharpening including gardening tools – and our friendly pink T shirted repairers will aim to restore your items to working order or give advice if they can’t. All for free including refreshments, donations to cover costs welcomed.

There will also be opportunity here to take part in the United for Warm Homes Community Quilt (see above) by making a square highlighting relief for fuel poverty, insulating homes and green energy which will be presented to our MP / PM Rishi Sunak.

Upcycled Christmas Decorations Workshops:

Great Ayton Discovery Centre Wednesday 22nd November 3-5pm

Stokesley Globe Community Library Saturday 25th November 10-12

We all want to enjoy Christmas but it’s one of the most wasteful (not to mention expensive) times of the year, creating a rise in the volume of waste materials being produced and disposed – decorations, wrapping paper, cards etc –  most of which unfortunately, is sent to landfill or incineration where it produces environment damaging emissions.

Beautiful, unique and lasting decorations can be easily hand made and upcycled from materials which might otherwise go to waste. We are holding two free Upcycled Christmas Tree Decoration workshops locally:

1) The Discovery Centre, Great Ayton Wednesday 22nd November 3-5pm

2) The Globe, Stokesley Saturday 25th November 10-12

Both are free to attend, all materials will be provided and are suitable for all ages but we recommend that children aged under 12 are accompanied by an adult. Please spread the word and encourage all to come along!

The materials we will be using will be old / surplus CDs, buttons, fabric, cardboard, knitting wool. Although we do have some supplies if you do have some of these resources that you would like to donate please contact Bridget Holstrom or Kate Gibbon

The workshops are timed to prepare some upcycled decorations for our Climate Action Christmas Tree – see below!

Climate Action Tree at the Christmas Tree Festival at Stokesley Parish Church: December 1st – 5th January

The CASaV Nature Group has secured a ‘tree slot’ at the Stokesley Parish Church Christmas Tree Festival in order to raise awareness of the impact of climate breakdown on the living environment and promote sustainability at Christmas.

There will have a Preview Evening for all the trees from different organisations in the area on Friday December 1st at 7pm. Tickets for this event are available at The Yorkshire Store in Stokesley or from Sue Wardle suewdl5555@aol.com or leave a message on 07909901240. The cost of the preview evening is £5 and will include Wine and Canapes.

Please pop in either at the preview evening or anytime December 2nd to January 5th and support our Climate Action Tree!

Find out how peat bogs fight climate change:

site visit 16th January 2024

What’s climate change got to do with peat bogs? Peat bogs play a crucial role in the carbon cycle. Peat bogs in good condition have the potential to offer a significant nature-based solution to tackling climate change as they are capable of absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide known as “carbon sinks”.

Since 2009, the Yorkshire Peat Partnership (YPP) has been working to help restore Yorkshire’s internationally important peatlands. Sadly more than 80% of Yorkshire’s peatlands are in poor condition. Without projects to help stop these habitats degrading we will lose a very precious resource.

The CASaV Nature group have been in contact with the YPP and organised a visit to the restored peatlands on the moors around Rosedale on Tuesday 16th January.

Bridget Holmstrom, Nature Group lead says: ‘We should be able to see them working on the site and the methods used. If anyone would like to join us please let me know. It will be a very interesting session and hopefully the weather will be kind to us’. Contact Bridget Holmstrom for more information or to book a place.

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle: current local actions you can take to prevent waste and benefit our community

Whether household waste goes to landfill or incineration climate damaging carbon gases are produced. Here are some current local options for your unwanted or waste items that will not only cut carbon emissions but in some cases benefit those in our local community. It’s a big win / win.

Warm winter clothing – coats, jackets, hats, scarves, gloves (until 12th November)

Be quick as this project is only running until Sunday November 12th. Warm winter outer clothing is being collected – at Stokesley Leisure Centre, the Hub Hutton Rudby, Great Ayton Methodist Church, Larchfield Community – then will be distributed to charities supporting vulnerable people including the homeless all over Teesside.

Crisp packets into waterproof and warm sleeping bags!

Metallised crisp packets, as with all composite packaging are very difficult to recycle and usually go to landfill or incineration. However, they can be upcycled into valuable waterproof and warm emergency sleeping bags for homeless and vulnerable people. Nite Light CIC in Middlesbrough, where our Food Group take surplus food to weekly (see below), is appealing for your metallised (i.e. foil on the inside) crisp packets.

There is a collection point in the Globe, Stokesley or you can take directly to Nite Light at units 3 & 4 North Street, Southbank, Middlesbrough (just opposite Asda Southbank).

Affordable toys for Christmas and funds for local hospice

Christmas is coming – save and repurpose your foil cases and stamps

Louise Coidan is repurposing your used metal foil and stamps for good causes. She has asked people to collect as much as they can and drop off to her home at Baysdale House, 1 School Lane, Gt Ayton TS9 6SH, either through the letter box or in a bag on her back gate. The stamps will go to Teesside Hospice and the foil will go Great Ayton Methodist Church to raise funds for Ukrainians.

Medication blister packets – postal recycling by Aldi / Terracycle

Medication / tablet blister packs are complex to recycle as they are composites of plastic and metal and can only be recycled at specialist facilities such as Terracycle which comes at a cost. Superdrug Pharmacies (closest are at Harrogate, Bridlington and Chester-le-Street) are now only able to take personal amounts from individuals so there are no longer community collecting pointing at our local libraries.

Aldi is now sponsoring free postal recycling via Terracycle. You just register online and you will receive (per person / email address) two postal labels per month to send up to 60 packets in an A4 sized envelope (repurposed of course!).

More information here: Blister Pack Recycling

Ideally this packaging would be recycled at production source i.e. by the pharmaceutical companies but this requires a voluntary change of practice by the companies or government legislation. You can sign a petition for this here:

Pharmaceutical Company Recycling Petition

Recycling for Good Causes: household items needed!

The CASaV Waste Group are collecting unwanted items which will raise funds for MacMillan Cancer Support via the Recycling for Good Causes scheme whilst saving them from going to waste in landfill.

The scheme has provided us with a large collecting bag and free collection of a minimum of 10kg of items, with funds going to support people affected by cancer.

Items we are collecting are:

Jewellery and watches

Any currency UK or foreign of any age / unchangeable currency (banknotes and coins)

Mobile phones, video / film / digital cameras, computer games and accessories, MP3 players, ipods, tablets, computers of any age or condition

Stamps (loose /single stamps, first day covers, presentation packs)

Please have a look through your household and if you have any of these items going spare, please bring them along to the Repair Cafes on November 18th in Swainby and December 9th in Stokesley and the bag will also be available at the next CASaV monthly meeting on November 21st.

More information here: Recycling For Good Causes

Recycling Reminder: Soft Plastics

Co-op stores have just released a summary of how they recycle / process soft plastics to encourage us to recycle more. Along with most other larger supermarkets in Teesside, our local Co-op stores in Stokesley and Great Ayton have drop off collection points for soft plastics (defined as those which don’t bounce back when you scrunch them up).

Last month’s events & updates from the sub groups

This season’s apple pressing

Thank you to all those who helped make this a successful season for apple pressing. A total of approximately 725 litres of juice was pressed at the various events that took place. This equates to nearly 2,000 kg of apples along with some pears used to create lovely juice and cider rather than potentially being left to rot. And all the spent apple pulp was usefully turned into local farm animal feed!

Yatton House Community Garden

Thank you if you chose 

Yatton House Community Garden as your local Co-op cause last year: a total of £7,220.56 was raised. This will be used towards developing the next stages of the garden such as the sensory area, more flower beds for pollinators and seating. This project is a great way of bringing different groups, including CASaV, together with the common aim of creating a garden to:• Provide a safe and accessible community garden and space for groups and individuals.
• Provide a space which is fully inclusive by ensuring accessibility and safety are central to the design.
• Bring different sections of the community together.
• Promote awareness of mental health and loneliness.
• Champion environmental impact and climate change through wildlife, biodiversity, and the growing of sustainable organic fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Deliver educational experiences.

Northallerton Eco Festival

CASaV were pleased to be invited to have an organisation promotion stall and clothing repairs demonstrations at the first Northallerton Eco Festival arranged by Climate Action Northallerton alongside partners from One Northallerton One Planet and Northallerton Incredible Edible. There was an emphasis on promoting a Northallerton Repair Cafe and several people signed up to start this.

Nature Group

– meets regularly by zoom, next meeting 7pm Thursday 30^th November (see separate email for joining details)

Sustainable Farming Walk and Talk

Robert Campbell kindly took a group around his farm on 25th October to show how he is trialling more sustainable approaches to farming. Participants found it illuminating and enjoyable.

Wildlife gardening to encourage biodiversity leaflet

The Nature Group has produced a concise guide to encouraging greater biodiversity in your garden, available to download from our website or pick up the leaflet at one of our events.

Waste Group

(page) – monthly zoom meetings, next meeting Tuesday 14th November 7.00pm, please contact if you would like to join

Green Libraries Week 2nd – 6th October

The Waste group was active in Green Libraries Week in October, running a mini ‘Pop up’ Repair Cafe and a Make Your Own Draught Excluder Workshop.

October’s Repair Cafe

Last month’s Repair Cafe took place at the Globe, Stokesley on Saturday 14th October. Alongside the dozens of household items brought in for repair and advice we also had two visitors keen to see how our Repair Cafe operates.  A freelance journalist, who is writing an article on repair cafes was blown away by the amount of activity happening, the range of things being repaired and the whole feel of such a constructive community. Also a member of the budding Saltburn Repair Cafe came to take photographs as part of their planning for their own Repair Cafe in February next year.

This year to date the Stokesley and Villages Repair Cafe is in the top three of the most recorded repairs carried out of all the UK repair cafes that share a public record of their repairs:https://dashboard.repairmonitor.org/?cafe=401&country=gb&year=2023

Allerton Waste Recovery Park Visits

Last year the Waste Group organised several popular visits to the Allerton Waste Recovery Park to see at first hand how our black bin waste is dealt with, including incineration. Due to demand, further visits are now being arranged, if you are interested please email or contact Bridget Holmstrom.

Food Group

(site) – monthly zoom meetings, next meeting Monday 27th November at 18.00, please contact if you would like to join

Support for organic farming

At the October meeting the Riverford ‘Fair to Farmers’ petition was discussed. This collective of organic farms is hoping to persuade supermarkets to commit to five sourcing principles which would help prevent food going to waste and a better deal for small farmers. More information and how to sign the petition here: Get Fair About Farming

Co-op Foodshare

Every night, every week the Food Group organises volunteers to collect surplus food from our local Co-op stores and resdistributes it locally to those in need, not only reducing food waste which produces carbon gases affecting our climate but also providing a benefit to the community.

New volunteers are always welcome, please contact.

Stokesley U3A: Food, glorious food, veggie style!

This veggie food group meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm in Stokesley Town Hall, next meeting Wednesday 15th November. The group is for collaborative folks who are interested in sharing ideas,knowledge,recipes and enthusiasm for veggie style food.

Sustainable eating: autumn recipes leaflet

The Food Group has produced another sustainable eating leaflet, focusing on seasonal growing your own, avoiding waste and low energy cooking including how to use up any windfall fruit in a tasty vegan traybake. Download the leaflet via our website or pick up a copy at one of our events.

Signing off

If you have any news or any event / activity you would like promoting on next month’s (December) update including Book of the Month and Podcast of the Month recommendations please email Kate Gibbon by the end of November.

Kate will also be helping promote activities via Facebook and Instagram so let her know if there is anything that you would like shared via our Facebook group or Instagram page if you are not a Facebook / Instagram user.

Hope to see you at the CASaV whole group meeting on Tuesday 21st November, 7.30 at the Globe, Stokesley

Kate Gibbon,

on behalf of the Climate Action Stokesley and Villages Steering Group Steering group:

Bridget Holmstrom, Caryn Loftus, Jack Turton, Ron Kirk and Simon Gibbon