Welcome to September’s Update
from Climate Action Stokesley & Villages
Supporting local action for a sustainable, greener and more resilient Stokesley & surrounding villages.
September has arrived with apples aplenty so book a slot at our apple pressing session this month or next to get your crop pressed into juice and save waste. Whilst you’re in the gardening mood consider Seed Gathering for cultivating in the future or lend a hand at the Yatton House Garden Working Party. Another chance for some great citizen science with the Big River Watch later in the month and lots of opportunities to be live more sustainably with this month’s Clothes Swap, Zero Waste Week, Second hand Month and Recycle Week. As the nights draw in consider an indoor crafting hobby like the Craft Forward project of knitting squares for blankets for the homeless in Teesside or pick up a free patchwork kit from this month’s Repair Cafe to repurpose textiles that would otherwise go to waste.
Diary dates: local, regional & national events & activities
(details via links or in newsletter)
Tuesday 16th September 19.30 – 21.00 Whole Group Meeting & talk about ‘The Big River Watch’ citizen science project at the Globe Library, Stokesley
1 – 5/ 9 Zero Waste Week – national campaign, local solutions see CASaV Waste & Circularity Group below
1 – 30/9 Organic September– Soil Association national campaign with free organic living guide to download
1 – 30/9 Mindful September – mindful events to connect with nature organised by North York Moors National Park
1 – 20/9 Second Hand September – Oxfam national campaign
Now – 13/9 North Yorkshire Nature Children’s Photography Competition – see CASaV Nature Group below
Now – 9/11 Craft Forward knit Blankets for Middlesbrough Homeless – see CASaV Waste / Circularity Group below
Wednesday 3/9 18.00 – 20.00 People Planet Pint Northallerton – local meet up with like eco minds and free drink for first 10 to register, all welcome
Friday 5/9 10.00 – 14.00 CASaV information & action stall at Multi-Agency Community Action Day, Stokesley Town Hall – organised by Broadacres to support the local community
Saturday 6/9 CASaV information & action stall at Kildale Agricultural Show – CASaV
Monday 8/9 17.00 – 19.00 Stokesley Mending Circle, Stokesley Town Hall
Tuesday 9/9 13.30 – 15.00 Yatton House Community Garden Working Party – CASaV
Tuesday 9/9 19.00 – 20.30 Waste & Circularity Group Meeting by zoom – CASaV
Sunday 14/9 10.00 – 14.30 CASaV Apple Pressing, Faceby – CASaV
Thursday 18/9 15.00 Nature Group Meeting face to face, Stokesley Community Library – CASAV
19 – 25/9 The Big River Watch – Rivers Trust, national citizen science project for all
19 – 28/9 The Great British Beach Clean – Marine Conservancy Society, national activity for all
Saturday 20/ 9 10.00 – 12.00 Repair Cafe and Patchwork Pack Giveaway, Swainby Village Hall – CASaV
20 – 21/9 Festival of Thrift Billingham – free festival for sustainable living – CASaV Repair Cafe volunteers invited to gathering there of all local Repair Cafes on 21/9
22 – 28/9 Recycle Week – national campaign run by Recycle Now – CASaV recycling displays in local libraries
Thursday 25/9 ‘Brink of Extinction’ book presentation by Megan McCubin Richmond Book Festival
Saturday 27th September 13.00 – 16.00 Stokesley Clothes Swap St Joseph’s Church Hall, Stokesley
27/9 – 5/10 Sustainable Fashion Week – national campaign with local activities
Newsletter
Tuesday 16/9 Whole Group Meeting & Big River Watch Project presentation 19.30 Globe Library, Stokesley
There will be a short presentation on taking part in the Big River Watch, a national citizen science project run by the Rivers Trust, followed by updates from the sub groups. All welcome to come and chat – apple cake too!
CASaV membership
Thank you for reading this free monthly Update on all things climate, nature and more both local and further afield which we send out to our mailing list of 567 (August 2025). We appreciate all the support people give us whether it is through undertaking actions highlighted in the Update or helping with one or more of our many activities.
Following our AGM, we are now in a new membership year of 2025-26. If you would like to be a formal member of CASaV, the annual membership is now £10. As a member you now won’t need to remember to bring a contribution to cover the costs of room hire for meetings and can vote at general meetings. To renew or join for the first time please complete our membership form here https://casav.uk/join) and make a bank transfer using the details given in the form.
Friday 5/9 10.00 – 14.00 CASaV information & action stall at Stokesley & Great Ayton Multi Agency Community Action Day, Stokesley Town Hall
Broadacres, in collaboration with agencies such as North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Council, and Citizen’s Advice has been running these sessions for local groups to engage with the community for two years. CASaV will have a stall providing information on locally living more sustainably and ways everyone can take action to protect the environment and address climate change.
What can I do now?
Come along to chat to us or volunteer if you have an hour free to help, please contact Simon Gibbon
Saturday 6/9 Kildale Agricultural Show CASaV Information & Action Stall
Following our successful stall at Bilsdale Agricultural Show in August, Climate Action Stokesley and Villages will also be at Kildale Agricultural Show (kildaleshow) on Saturday, 6th September with their information and action stall.
Our local agricultural shows are a highlight of the local calendar and a brilliant opportunity for us to connect with our community. In previous years, our volunteers have had a wonderful time chatting with visitors, helping with on-site recycling, and sharing the positive work CASaV is doing.
This year, our stall will be a hub for friendly conversations about the climate and nature. We’ll be letting people know about our popular activities like the Repair Cafe, our guided nature walks, and the work of our active groups focusing on waste, transport, energy, food, and nature.
We will also be supporting Friends of the Earth’s national ‘Planet over Profit’ campaign, gathering support for a new law to ensure companies are legally required to protect our environment.
What can I do now?
Come along to the show and have a chat! Thank you to all the great folk who have volunteered to staff the stall but if you’d like to help please email Simon Gibbon at simongibbon@casav.uk .
Monday 8/9 17.00 – 19.00 Stokesley Mending Circle, Stokesley Town Hall (every second Monday monthly)
The Stokesley Mending Circle continues, a monthly textile mending group where the purpose is to reduce textile waste, encourage sustainable consumption, and celebrate the art of mending through free face to face hand mending support where you can learn and share sewing and darning skills including how to mend holes, sew up seams and hems, alter and adapt your existing clothing, sew on buttons and patches to make your cherished clothing or textile items last longer, giving them a new life and saving textile waste.
What can I do now?
All materials will be provided or you can bring an item you are working on. Session is free but donations to cover costs welcome. More info email mending@casav.uk
Tuesday 9/9 13.30 – 15.00 Yatton House Community Garden Working Party
The garden is being much appreciated by visitors, both young and old, this summer. They particularly like being able to taste some fruit or even take some away to eat later.
What can I do now?
This month’s working party will be Tuesday 9th September from 1:30-3:00pm. The main task will be preparing the perennial vegetable area ready for some new planting at the October working party. Just turn up and join in on the day and enjoy time in a beautiful garden.
Sunday 14/9 10.00 – 14.30 (& Friday 10/10) Apple Pressing, Carlton
Yes, it is that time of year again. This year the fruit seems to be riper earlier than usual so the sessions will be run earlier than normal. CASaV will again be running a couple of public apple pressing sessions in Faceby.
Sunday 14th September: slots available to book from 10.00 with last slot starting at 14.30
Friday 10th October: slots available to book from 10.00 with last slot starting at 14.30
For further information, contact Caryn Loftus tel. 0777 3048250 or email
NB We no longer loan out our equipment for use elsewhere.
There is a suggested contribution of £5 per half hour slot to cover costs and you will need to bring your own bottles.
If you would like to help run the sessions, please contact
Saturday 20/9 10.00-12.00 Repair Cafe with free Patchwork Packs giveaway & crafting demonstrations, Swainby Village Hall
To date over 2000 household items have been saved from going to waste – saving our local community money and allowing them to carry on using their cherished items for longer as well as saving waste from landfill or incineration and so reducing carbon emissions.
Bring along your treasured household items in need of repair on Saturday 20/9 at Swainby Village hall. This month you can also pick up a FREE patchwork pack of fabric squares and our volunteers will show you how to turn them into useful items for your home whilst also saving a valuable textile resource from going to waste. Circularity in action!
Our incredible pink T-shirted volunteers will endeavour to fix your items, saving you the cost of buying new and protecting the climate and the earth’s natural resources by reducing waste going to landfill or incineration and reducing the need to manufacture new. Household items for repair can include: electrical appliances, wooden furniture, toys & bikes, clothing & textiles, laptops & mobile phones. Plus we have blade sharpening so bring along your garden and home tool blades to give them a new edge!
On average, we manage to fix 75% of items, give advice on possible repair steps for 10% 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 and learn new repair skills.
This month’s free refreshments include Fair Trade beverages and home made sweet treats (including vegan!) made with Fair Trade ingredients, kindly donated by Stokesley Co-op.
What can I do now?
Come along with your item in need of repair and sit with our skilled repairers as they share their fixing knowledge with you. New repair and reception volunteers always welcome – come along, have a cuppa and a chat or email Simon Gibbon. If you are not sure come and bring an item to be repaired to get a feel for the Repair Cafe.
Stokesley Clothes Swap September 27th 13.00 – 16.00, St.Joseph’s Church Hall, Stokesley
The climate impact of clothing is significant, with the fashion industry considered one of the most polluting industries globally, contributing heavily to greenhouse gas emissions through its production processes, material sourcing, and waste generation, primarily due to the high water usage, energy consumption in manufacturing, and reliance on synthetic materials like polyester which are derived from fossil fuels.
Not only this, but “fast fashion” encourages frequent clothing purchases and quick disposal whilst garment workers are often exploited with low pay, unsafe working conditions, and long hours. Fast fashion’s affordability and new trends can make consumers value clothing less so instead of taking care of our clothing and repairing any damage to extend the life of our clothing we end up buying more and more that will sit in our wardrobes and never see the light of day.
What can I do now?
– Support sustainable and ethical fashion brands and choose high-quality clothing that lasts longer.
– Recycle or repurpose clothing when it’s no longer needed.
Most of us have far more clothing stuffed in our wardrobes that we no longer wear or in some cases have never worn after an impulse buy.
There will be a new to you good quality clothing swap event on 27th September 13.00 – 16.00 at St Joseph’s Church Hall, Stokesley to coincide with Sustainable Fashion Week (27th September to 5th October) where our local community can have a wardrobe refresh by exchanging the clothes they no longer wear for ‘new to you’ clothes they would like to wear.
If you would like more information to participate please contact clothesswap@casav.uk.
Watch for updates casav.uk/clothesswap, on Facebook Stokesley clothes swap, on Instagram @Stokesley_clothes_swap
Ideas & news from the groups: Waste & Circularity (including Repair Cafe)
https://casv.uk/waste
This subgroup focuses on reducing waste through circularity: rethinking & reducing consumption; and repairing, repurposing and recycling materials that might otherwise go to landfill or incineration.
Please join us at this month’s zoom meeting on Tuesday 9/9 19.00-21.00: contact email Simon Gibbon for a zoom link
Recycling news
North Yorkshire Council have confirmed that we can put empty toothpaste tubes in our kerbside plastic recycling bins and they will be recycled alongside pots, tubs and trays. The tubes must have the ♻️recycling logo♻️ on.
The tubes must be empty and as clean as possible. Please also ensure the top is on, as this avoids them getting lost in the sorting process.
22 – 28/9 Recycling Week: displays and competition quiz
For Recycling Week there will be displays in Stokesley & Great Ayton Community Libraries on local recycling both kerbside and specialist recycling like blister packs plus a competition / quiz.
Zero Waste: soft toys for Ukraine
About 80% of stuffed animals and other toys are eventually thrown away. And, according to a 2022 study, they make up 6% of plastic in landfill globally. Repurpose any unwanted and reasonable quality soft toys for a good cause by donating them to Ukranian children who have recently fled war zones to come to the UK. Slava Ukraine in Redcar are collecting these for re-distribution please contact Kate and I will collect from you locally to pass on.
Zero Waste: fabric for draught excluders
Each autumn for two years the Repair Cafe has run hands on draught excluder workshops where fabric which would otherwise have gone to waste is transformed into characterful draught excluders to keep local homes toasty and cut energy bills. Our local MP Rishi Sunak even accepted a lovely grey sausage dog draught excluder from us! If you have any spare strong natural fabrics i.e. cotton / woolen mix but not 100% synthetic such as old curtains and duvet covers please contact Kate and I will collect from you locally for our next workshops at the October / November Repair Cafes.
Zero Waste: knit blankets for the homeless locally – last date for collection 9/11
Redcar Palace is taking part in Craft Forward’s Blankets for the Homeless initiative, appealing for local knitters (and / or those with spare acrylic yarn) to knit 20cm squares to be made up into easycare blankets for homeless people on Teesside or to donate unwanted yarn. They are also running knitting workshops every Wednesday. Please contact Kate for more info or collection of knitted squares.
Zero Waste: small electrical appliances wanted for Mind charity shop, Stokesley
The Mind charity shop in Stokesley needs your unwanted small electrical appliances to replenish their department. They have a trained PAT tester to check the safety of any donated appliances.
Ideas & news from the groups: Nature Group
This subgroup focuses on discovering more about and supporting biodiversity and our living environment. Face to face meeting 18th September 15.00 at the Globe Library, Stokesley. Contact Bridget Holmstrom for more information.
Enjoy time in nature this September!
The more we connect with nature, the more motivated we are to protect it.
Lots of ideas for getting up close to nature on the North York Moors National Park here: northyorkmoors.org.uk/blog/things-to-do-in-summer
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust website is also a great place to find ideas of ways to connect with nature. You can find the nearest reserves including those of Tees Valley Wildlife and Durham Wildlife Trusts. A great resource.
Ideas & news from the groups: Food Group
This subgroup focuses on food & its impact on climate change – from growing your own and eating seasonally to reducing food going to waste. Meetings held bimonthly, next meeting online in October, date tbc contact Wendy Smith for a link to join
Growing Your own: September Tips of the Month
What are the benefits of growing your own?
Environmental benefits: You can avoid pesticides and herbicides, which pollute the air and water, you can practice water conservation, you reduce food miles, you help pollinators by providing food for them.
Health benefits: you can eat more fruits and vegetables, and include them in healthy meals, homegrown vegetables are more nutritious and taste better because they are free of artificial additives.
Economic benefits: you can save money on food by growing your own vegetables and be more self-sufficient in case of food shortages or price increases.
What can I do now?
Sow hardy greens, such as kale, land cress, pak choi, mizuna, lamb’s lettuce and mustard, for winter pickings
Prune out all the fruited canes of summer raspberries, cutting down to the base, and tie in new canes to supports
Pot up herbs, such as chives and parsley, and place on a sunny windowsill to use during winter
Start sowing hardy varieties of broad beans and peas for early crops next year
Foodshare: surplus food prevented from going to waste and helping those in need
Foodshare is a joint initiative by the Food and Waste groups and is organised by Jenny. EVERY evening at 9pm a Volunteer collects surplus food from the Ayton Coop and Premier supermarket and both Stokesley Coops and takes it to various distribution centres (often in Middlesbrough) such as Nitelight (for homeless) for use/distribution amongst those in need. This is fresh food such as fruit, veg and bread, NOT the tins and dried food that are needed by Food Banks.
Foodshare collects 40 – 60 kilos of food each day with a value of approx £250. This is £78,000 worth in a year!
What can I do now?
Jenny is always keen to recruit more volunteers to support the foodshare so if you feel this is something with which you could help, please contact Jenny here Jenny Earle.
September 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.
September is probably the most abundant month for British grown produce. Summer crops, such as salads, tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers and runner beans are still highly productive. Meanwhile autumn crops such as apples, pears, squash and leeks are nearly ready for harvesting.
More information here:
Ideas & news from the groups: Environment & Climate Osmotherley (ECO) Group
Environment Climate Osmotherley (ECO) meets regularly and holds events which raise awareness and address local environmental issues such as becoming a Dark Skies Village and increasing local biodiversity.
Contact Becci Wright for more information
Signing off
If you have any news or any event / activity you would like promoting on next month’s (October’s) update please email Kate Gibbon by Thursday 25/9
Hope to see you at the whole group meeting Tuesday 16/9 19.30 at the Globe Library, Stokesley
Kate Gibbon,
on behalf of the Climate Action Stokesley and Villages Steering Group Steering group:
Bridget Holmstrom, Caryn Loftus, Ron Kirk, Barry Warrington, Joanne Whitwell, Simon Gibbon
Climate Action Stokesley and Villages 