Welcome to July’s Update from Climate Action Stokesley & Villages
Thank you for your role in taking urgent action globally and locally on climate breakdown and biodiversity loss.
The Big Butterfly Count is this month
Diary dates
(details of all events below in Newsletter section)
- Tuesday 16th July 7.30-9pm Whole group Annual General Meeting & shared picnic supper, Howard’s Court, Great Ayton TS9 6RL
- Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th July 10-4 Roots Celebration of Nature Exhibition, East Rounton Village Hall
- Tuesday 9th July 1.30 – 3pm Yatton House Community Garden working party
- Tuesday 9th July 7.00pm CASaV Waste group meeting by zoom (link below)
- Friday 12th July – Sunday 4th August Big Butterfly Count, nationwide
- 21st July 1.30pm Restore Nature Now March in York organised by Extinction Rebellion York, starting at St Helens Square and ending near the Millennium Bridge, York
- Saturday 20th July 10am – 12 noon Repair Cafe, Swainby Village Hall
- Thursday 1st August 6.30pm CASaV Food Group meeting, shared potluck supper, Great Ayton (details below)
- Thursday 15th August 3.30pm Nature Group meeting, the Globe Library, Stokesley (NB No Nature Group meeting in July)
Newsletter
Our online newsletter / magazine focuses on our group’s values and purpose, summed up by our motto ‘Think global, act local’, beginning with global / national / county 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 and biodiversity loss.
“Think global”
National and global climate action news and campaigns
General election July 4th:
You’re just in time to Vote Climate
Climate Action Stokesley & Villages aims to be politically non aligned and we are delighted to be supported by voters from a range of ideologies who put the climate and biodiversity above their political allegiances. This coming election this week, more than those before, is an opportunity to cast your vote according to which party is promising to do the best by our environment by having clear actions to reduce climate change and biodiversity loss.
Climate Action Stokesley & Villages has been active in gathering candidates views on these important matters including helping arrange hustings. More information here: general-election-2024/
Richmond and Northallerton Prospective Parliamentary Candidates Views of Nature and the Environmental
CASaV contacted all the candidates for our constituency Richmond and Northallerton, that we had contact details for, inviting them “to send us a statement of, say, between 200 and 500 words setting out your views and priorities on some of those key environmental challenges that lie ahead, such as nature restoration, biodiversity loss, river pollution, active travel, climate change resilience, energy infrastructure, energy efficiency, sustainable agricultural methods, net zero targets, competing land uses (growing food, generating energy and protecting nature), public transport and funding mitigation and adaption – both in your constituency and more widely across the country. Please don’t feel you need to cover all these – perhaps just a few! It would be great to hear about your own personal and professional views on climate change and protecting the natural environment and how high you prioritise tackling the climate and nature emergencies.”
So far we have received responses from Daniel Callaghan, Kevin Foster and Tom Wilson. Their responses have been uploaded to the North Yorkshire Climate Coalition’s website. We thank them for taking the time to send us a statement.
Daniel Callaghan (nyclimatecoalition.org)
Kevin Foster (nyclimatecoalition.org)
Tom Wilson (nyclimatecoalition.org)
If we receive any more statements they will be added to the North Yorkshire Climate Coalition website North Yorkshire General Election Candidates (nyclimatecoalition.org) and we will also link these to our general election web page, where you can also watch recordings of the local hustings https://climateactionstokesleyandvillages.org/general-election-2024/
National
Following on from last month’s newsletter where Friends of the Earth’s and Greenpeace’s approaches to enabling people to be friends of the earth and vote for the climate were covered, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have now carried out a joint assessment of the main parties manifestos in summary:
- Labour’s plans for climate and nature have scored 4 times higher than the Conservatives, marking a big difference between the two biggest parties.
- But – and this is a big BUT – Labour still haven’t promised anywhere near the level of funding we need to stem the climate and nature crises. If they win they’ll need to invest bigger in our future.
- The Green Party scored a near perfect 39 out of 40, with the Lib Dems second on 31.5.
More info here https://friendsoftheearth.uk/system-change/general-election-2024-manifestos-final-scores
Please read FoE’s and Greenpeace’s ranking of the different manifestos to guide how you vote. No matter who wins, groups such as CASaV will still need to hold the new government to account to deliver the improvements we need to minimise climate change and increase protection and restoration of nature.
21st July 1.30pm Restore Nature Now March in York organised by Extinction Rebellion York
Following the hugely successful Restore Nature Now march in London in June attended by over 100,000 people Extinction Rebellion has organised a more local march in York. Starting at St Helens Square at 1.30pm there will be a march by a range of local nature and environmentalist organisations ending near the Millennium Bridge, York where there will be speeches. Check Extinction Rebellion York Group’s social media for more information.
Citizen Science: local, national and global environmental monitoring
Citizen Science, also known as Community Science, is a way anyone can help gather scientific information in their local surroundings or the comfort of their own home. Citizen Science initiatives focusing on the environment are becoming more common – such as the loved Big Garden Birdwatch – and with technological innovations increasing the ways in which individuals can participate, projects can even become global in scale, long-term, and engage hundreds of thousands of volunteers. The information Citizen Scientists gather is hugely valuable for furthering our understanding of the impact of climate change on biodiversity for example. People taking part as Citizen Scientists feel closer to nature and get great satisfaction of doing something valuable and purposeful.
Some Citizen Science environmental information gathering you can take part in now:
The Big Butterfly Count 12th July – 4th August
The Big Butterfly Count begins on Friday 12th July 2024 and will run until Sunday 4th August.
This is a nationwide citizen science survey organised by Butterfly Conservation aimed at helping to assess the health of our environment. It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world’s biggest survey of butterflies. Over 64,000 citizen scientists took part in 2022, submitting 96,257 counts of butterflies and day-flying moths from across the UK.
The Big Butterfly Count 2024 reopens on 1st July ready for the main event between 12th July and 4th August.
Why this matters: Butterflies are not only beautiful, they are vital parts of the ecosystem as both pollinators and components of the food chain. However, they are under threat. Numbers of butterflies and moths in the UK have decreased significantly since the 1970s. This is a warning that cannot be ignored.
Butterfly declines are also an early warning for other wildlife losses. Butterflies are key biodiversity indicators for scientists as they react very quickly to changes in their environment. Therefore, if their numbers are falling, then nature is in trouble. So tracking numbers of butterflies is crucial in the fight to conserve our natural world. That’s why taking part in this massive citizen science enterprise is of great importance not just for our butterflies but for the wider environment and biodiversity in general.
See here for more information on how to take part bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/
Sunset bat survey now – October
Did you know that there are eleven different species of bats living in North Yorkshire, according to the North Yorkshire Bat Group north-yorkshire-bats/
The Sunset Survey (running from now – October) organised by the Bat Conservation Trust brings you a perfect opportunity to get together with family/friends and discover bats and other wildlife in your local area. This is ideal for you if you don’t have previous bat surveying experience. Just spend an hour from sunset (or before sunrise) and let us know what you see/hear from your window, balcony, garden or local green space. More information here: national-bat-monitoring-programme
Bugs Matter now – September 2024
The Bugs Matter citizen science survey is an important initiative measuring insect splats on vehicle number plates as a marker of insect abundance. In previous survey years, with the valuable contributions of citizen scientists across the UK, we have made significant strides in understanding the challenges facing our insect populations.
This year, we need your help, once again, to build on our knowledge and make our impact even greater. Sharing the findings from your journeys will help us understand more about our insect populations, as growing evidence highlights their declines on a global scale.
Your participation in this nature survey is vital for us to monitor population trends, address causes of insect loss, halt and reverse them.
info here: bugs-matter
Kew Gardens has a list of 10 different projects you can take part in here:
kew.org/science/engage/get-involved/citizen-science
“Act Local”
This month’s local activities and ideas from our focus groups (Nature, Food, Waste, Energy, Transport) to address biodiversity loss and fight climate breakdown
CASaV Annual General Meeting & shared picnic supper Tuesday 16th July 7.30-9pm Howard’s Court, East Angrove, Stokesley Rd, Great Ayton TS9 6RL
Our next whole group meeting is our Annual General Meeting (and shared light supper) on Tuesday 16th July, at the beautiful outdoor (indoor if inclement weather) location of Howard’s Court, East Angrove, Stokesley Road, Great Ayton TS9 6RL 7:30 – 9:00 pm.
A report on our activities along with our accounts will be sent to CASaV members in advance of the meeting and will also be available at the AGM. The steering group were elected in July 2022 for a 3-year period, as per our constitution, so there will be no elections this year. However, as Jack Turton is now away at university, he has decided to step down leaving a vacancy. If you are interested in becoming a steering group member then please get in touch. The steering group meets at least once a quarter, usually via Zoom, and business between meetings is via email or phone.
All welcome to come and find out about what we have been up to in the last year and discuss plans for the coming year.
This will be a relaxed and convivial evening, after hearing and discussing our annual report we will enjoy a shared light supper (bring whatever picnic food you like) with the opportunity to see the progress of the many hundreds of trees the group has planted here over recent years.
We’re a friendly bunch and we welcome everyone!
This is the link to last month’s meeting’s minutes to give a flavour of what we usually discuss casav-group-meeting-18th-june-2024/
Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th July 10-4 Roots Celebration of Nature Exhibition, East Rounton Village Hall
Feel more connected to the wonders of nature and the changing seasons at The Roots: Celebration of Nature Exhibition which will feature:
- A vibrant Makers Market
- Live craft demonstrations
- Engaging nature activities
- And much more!
Come connect with the natural world through art, making, and discovery. Follow the facebook page for updates as they announce additional activities and attractions. Adult entry is £2 and children are FREE.
Tuesday 9th July 1.30 – 3pm Yatton House Community Garden Working Party
There is a monthly working party in the Yatton House Community Garden on Tuesday 9th July (2nd Tuesday of the month) from 1:30 – 3:00 pm. Jobs for July in the community garden include taking docks, thistles and nettles out of the grass area and weeding round the fruit bushes and paths. French beans, mangetout, rainbow chard and nasturtium seeds are starting to come up so will need thinning.
Saturday 20th July 10am – 12 noon Repair Cafe,
Swainby Village Hall
Our monthly Repair Cafe will be at Swainby Village Hall on Saturday 20th July 10-12
Our pink T shirted repair volunteers will be eager to fix your household items – clothing & textiles, electrical appliances, wooden furniture, toys & bikes, laptops & mobile phones, blades needing sharpening – as well as give you hands on demonstrations to encourage us all to extend the life of things we own by mending them when they get damaged or wear out, saving money from not buying new, saving resources used to make new and also reducing carbon emissions in manufacturing.
Bicycle Health Expert Andy from Sustrans is joining us again this month to provide free bicycle ‘health checks’ – a thorough check over of your bike to check it’s road worthiness plus small repairs and advice.
As usual, through coming to the Repair Cafe you can save yourself money, the earth’s resources and prevent climate damaging gases from waste going to incineration or landfill. On average, we manage to fix 70% of items, give advice on possible repair steps for 20% and how best to recycle the 10% that are sadly beyond repair (statistics). But 100% of attendees are offered free refreshments of tea, coffee or juice as well as cakes and biscuits and a great opportunity to chat with friendly, like minded people.
This month’s free refreshments include Fair Trade beverages and home made sweet treats made with Fair Trade ingredients, kindly donated by Stokesley Co-op, facilitated by Eileen Driver.
New repair and reception volunteers always welcome – come along, have a cuppa and a chat or email Simon Gibbon.
Last month’s events
There were several events last month including a range of activities during Great Big Green Week; we feature three events here:
Mend in Public event June 8th
The world’s first Mend in Public Day took place in May and we were only slightly later with our Mend in Public event on June 8th. Alongside our June Repair Cafe, Jane Mercer and Joanna Whitwell took to Stokesley High Street with needles and genius sewing skills to show busy Saturday shoppers how to mend their torn and damaged clothes. Dozens of shoppers stopped, chatted and were inspired by the ‘Street Stitchers’ who encouraged them to ‘Stitch It, Don’t Ditch It’. The idea behind the event is to stitch in protest against disposable fashion and to stand as a beacon of change in a world inundated with fashion waste. Further ‘Mend in Public’ days are planned, details in following updates. You can join in too and by participating, you’ll be part of a global creative action resisting the cycle of excess through repair and reuse.
Restore (local) Nature Walk 22nd June
Members of the Nature group walked from Stokesley to Great Ayton in support of the Restore Nature Now march led by Chris Packham being held in London on the 22nd June. We removed non native Himalayan Balsam (see feature on non native species below in Nature Group section) and removed litter. We were sorry to miss the London march, which you can see here, but good to do something to help restore nature in our own neck of the woods.
Wildflower and Poetry Walk, 30th June Great Ayton
.jpg)
CASaV organised and led a walk round Great Ayton’s floodplain meadow on Sunday 30th June. The group stopped every now and again to learn about the wildflowers that could be seen, how the meadow is being managed to increase biodiversity and hear poems written by Margaret Mawston. Poems were read by representatives of the groups involved in funding and managing the floodplain meadow: Cllr Ron Kirk, Chair of Great Ayton Parish Council; Carol and Peter Morgan; Trustees of the Margaret K Mawston Environmental Trust; Bridget Holmstrom, Climate Action Stokesley and Villages; and Caryn Loftus, Brighten Up Great Ayton group (and Climate Action Stokesley and Villages). The opportunity was also taken to pull up some Himalyan Balsam.
A new poem will be written, in the style of Margaret Mawston, using words and phrases collected whilst sat on the picnic benches funded by her Trust.
Find out more about the floodplain meadow https://climateactionstokesleyandvillages.org/nature/floodplain-meadow/
Issues / ideas from the groups: Environment & Climate Osmotherley (ECO) Group
Environment & Climate Osmotherley (ECO) is now an established part of Climate Action Stokesley & Villages. ECO organised a very successful Pre-Election Climate & Nature Meeting on June 14th. All the main parties were invited and the general election candidates from the Green party and the Labour party attended with a representative from the Liberal Democrats. The panel answered questions from the audience and local environmental groups and you can see a recording of the event here: https://climateactionstokesleyandvillages.org/general-election-2024/youtube-livestream/
ECO is a group of like-minded villagers with shared concerns around our environment & climate change. Their lead, Rebecca Wright notes “We meet once a month & also have four sub-groups exploring Decarbonisation, Sustainability, Flora & Fauna who meet regularly. We hope to encourage other residents & visitors to our village to adopt a more thoughtful & sustainable approach to our environment, and also work with the relevant local authorities to promote sustainable living.”
Contact for more information
Issues / ideas from the groups: Nature
Next month’s Nature Group meeting is at 15.30, Thursday 15th August (no meeting in July) at the Globe Library In Stokesley. Please join us there.
Contact Bridget Holmstrom for information
Extinction Rebellion York is holding a Restore Nature Now march in York on July 21st at 1.30pm starting at St Helens Square and ending near the Millennium Bridge
Coming up later in the summer / early autumn will be a ‘Bat Night’ which will feature an evening talk on these fascinating and endangered mammals and then after sunset a ‘bat hunt’ with bat detectors. Details soon.
Invasive Non Native Species Concerns
Invasive non native species are capable of causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats. The Wildlife and Countryside Link warned recent flooding and warming temperatures had increased the risk of these “problem species” already in the UK growing and spreading.
This includes plants such as Japanese knotweed, which can cause structural damage, giant hogweed, with sap that can cause burns to skin and Himalayan balsam, which out-competes native species and increases flood risks as well as animal species such as the Asian Hornet.
Asian Hornet
Asian Hornets were inadvertently brought to France in 2004 and have spread rapidly into adjoining countries including the UK. The hornet preys on a wide range of insects including honeybees, and disrupts the ecological role they provide. In the UK it is consuming large numbers of bees, including the well-known European honey bee and many lesser-known solitary and colonial bee species. Nature conservation organisations are concerned about the impacts of Asian Hornets on bees and other insects, as these pollinating species are an essential component of well-functioning ecosystems.
Conservation groups and the government urges everyone to be vigilant for Asian Hornets and to report any suspected sightings to the relevant authorities. The Asian Hornet can be easily distinguished from the native European Hornet, a species that poses no threat to UK ecosystems or bees. The British Bee Keepers Association provide information on how to identify the Asian Hornet and how to report it if seen so it can be dealt with including an handy app /identify-report-asian-hornet
Himalayan Balsam
Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is a relative of the busy Lizzie, but reaches well over head height, and is a major weed problem, especially on riverbanks and waste land, but can also invade gardens. It grows rapidly and spreads quickly, smothering other vegetation as it goes.
Himalayan balsam is considered an invasive non-native plant and is listed on Schedule 9. Under the provisions made within Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to plant or cause Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) to grow in the wild.
The main method of non chemical control, and usually the most appropriate, is pulling or cutting the plants before they flower and set seed. Conservation authorities regularly organise ‘balsam bashing’ work parties to clear the weed from marshland and riverbanks.
Ideas from the groups: Food
Next Food Group meeting Thursday 1 August, 6.30pm at Jenny’s. Social evening with shared potluck supper. Please contact Jenny to let her know you are coming & for address, contact Wendy for other group information
July Seasonal eating
Eating food in season (local as far as possible) can have substantial positive impact on climate breakdown by reducing high-energy input from artificial heating or lighting needed to produce crops out of the natural growing season.
July is a bumper month for local seasonal produce including artichoke, aubergine, basil, beetroot, bilberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, chard, chervil, chillies, cherries, chives, coriander, courgettes, dill, elderflower, fennel, french beans, garlic, gooseberries, greengages, jersey royal new potatoes, kohlrabi, lettuce & salad leaves, mangetout, mint, nasturtium, new potatoes, onions, oregano, pak choi, parsley, peas, radishes, rocket, rosemary, runner beans, sage, samphire, shallots, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, strawberries, tarragon, thyme, tomatoes, turnips, watercress and wild nettles!
This month’s seasonal recipe: Gooseberry Gin
Foodshare: Now Premier Food Store as well as the Co-ops
Every night, every week Jenny Earle, joint Food Group lead, organises volunteers to collect surplus food from our local Co-op stores as well as the new Premier Food Store in Great Ayton. The food is then distributed locally to those in need, not only reducing food waste which produces carbon gases affecting our climate but also providing a huge benefit to the community.
New volunteers are always welcome, please contact.
Ideas from the groups: Waste
This month’s Waste group meeting Tuesday 9th July 7.00pm CASaV by zoom – contact Simon Gibbon for a link to join, (previous notes)
Plastic free July
Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Plastic Free July provides resources and ideas to help you (and millions of others around the world) reduce single-use plastic waste everyday at home, work, school, and even at your local café.
More information here: plasticfreejuly
Locally, you can shop with less waste using local greengrocers and market stalls by reusing bags to put your fruit and vegetables in.
A number of local shops allow you to refill your own containers to reduce waste:
Roots Farm Shop & Café, East Rounton DL6 2LE;Fletchers Farm Shop, Woodhouse Farm Great Ayton TS9 6HZSpilman’s Farm Shop, Church Farm, Sessay, ThirskYO7 3NBFive Houses Farm Shop, Crathorne TS15 0AYEarth Unwrapped, Barkers Arcade, Northallerton DL7 8LNSweet Treats (refill section), 59 Market Pl, Thirsk YO7 1TFOff the Scale, 28 Church St, Castleton, YO21 2EQ
Guisborough Refill, Tony Gallagher Hairdressing, 12 Chaloner St, Guisborough TS14 6QD
And of course don’t forget your refillable water bottle, which you can find places to refill locally using the Refill app (https://www.refill.org.uk/).
Ideas from the groups: Transport
Holiday time? Ideas for lower carbon travel
Moorsbus 2024
Starting on June 29th and running on weekends and bank holidays throughout the summer and run by volunteers, the Moorsbus covers so much of the beautiful North York Moors, great walking and carrying bicycles as well. Plan a day out in nature! More information here moorsbus
The Man in Seat 61
Thinking of travelling further afield this summer? Have a look at The Man in Seat 61 website for detailed itineraries of how to travel across Europe and even worldwide without flying. Train travel can be a more rewarding alternative to flying which reduces our contribution to climate change and brings us closer to the countries we visit. This site explains how to travel comfortably & affordably by train or ferry, rediscovering the pleasure, romance & adventure of the journey. More information here: seat61
Signing off
If you have any news or any event / activity you would like promoting on next month’s (August) update please email Kate Gibbon by the end of July
Kate also helps promote activities via Facebook and Instagram so let her know if there is anything that you would like shared via our Facebook page and Instagram if you are not a Facebook / Instagram user.
Hope to see you at the CASaV AGM and shared picnic supper on Tuesday 16th July at Howard’s Court, Great Ayton
Kate Gibbon,
on behalf of the Climate Action Stokesley and Villages Steering Group Steering group:
Climate Action Stokesley and Villages 