CASaV monthly meeting – 17th February 2026

Our February monthly meeting was in The Globe Community Library, North Road, Stokesley on Tuesday 17th February from 7:30pm to 9:00pm.

Everyone was welcome to join us to take part in the Climate Coalition’s ‘Show the Love’ Green Hearts campaign. We made green hearts to send a message to our MP and council decision makers asking them to support initiatives which address climate change and protect our local environment.

Minutes from CASaV Group Meeting Tuesday 17th February 2026

Attendees: Caryn, Helen, Derek, Kate, Wendy, David, Robert, Kirk, Simon, Jenny, Bridget

Apologies were received from Ron, Barry, Pete & Joy, and Helen Herring.

Green Hearts Campaign (“Show the Love”)
Kate reported on the “Show the Love” campaign held in conjunction with the Repair Cafe. The campaign, spearheaded by the Climate Coalition, encourages people to create green hearts representing things they love that are threatened by climate change.
35 bags were prepared, with 5 remaining. Approximately nine hearts were collected on the day,.
Action: Kate will send the collected hearts to Rishi Sunak and David Skaith (Mayor) and submit a composite letter to the North Yorkshire Council,.
Caryn wrote the February Climate Column in the D&S Times tying her personal story to the campaign. Kate’s next column will focus on energy and potentially solar farms,,.

Upcoming Events
Great Big Green Week: Scheduled for June 6th–14th. A Repair Cafe will be held on the last Saturday of this week.
Great Ayton Fete: Occurs the same Saturday in June. Helen has offered to run a stall.
Catherine Howell Talk: Scheduled for March 17th. The topic is seed resilience.

April 25th Town Hall Event Planning

Bridget reported back on the Greening Leaflet sub-committee’s work.
Background: Based on inspiration from the Greening campaign it was decided that CASaV should leaflet our whole area to allow people to show their support for environmental action of all types and potentially hold an event.  So, a community outreach event is scheduled for April 25th at the Town Hall (Stokesley Room and Jack Brenton Room booked),.
Objective: To reach every household in the area. Leaflets/flyers will be delivered to Stokesley, Great Ayton, and surrounding villages,.
Branding: The group discussed names for the event, including “The Greening Event,” “Eco Fair,” “Eco Vision,” and “Our Green Tomorrow.” 
Funding/Support: The group is coordinating with the “Village Green” campaign (North Yorkshire/Community First Yorkshire). Patrick from Village Green is reviewing the poster design.
Theme: The focus is on “What If” (visioning a positive future) rather than just “What Is”.
Visual Aid: Pete created a weighted egg timer model to visualize time running out versus a positive future. The group discussed how to use this to balance urgency with hope,,.
Planned Stalls/Activities:
Nature: Focusing on the Codbeck project, Potash, invasive species, and citizen science.
Food: “Beans is How” campaign, Eat Lancet report, and seed/seedling giveaways,.
Health: Potential collaboration with HDRC regarding the link between climate change and health.
Waste/Resources: Repair Cafe promotion, upcycling, and reducing plastics. A children’s activity something like planting sunflower seeds in paper pots.
Energy: Focusing on warm homes and solar energy examples (e.g., Marian Wilston’s array and Pete’s passive house).
Transport: Promoting public transport (bus/rail) and the “20’s Plenty” (20mph zone) consultation for Great Ayton.
Interactive Visioning: A collage activity where attendees cut out pictures from magazines to visualize their hopes for the community.

Action: Siub-committee widen involvement in leaflet / event realisation

Group Updates
River/Erosion: The group is monitoring bank erosion at Holmes Bridge and Little Ayton. Data and photos are being sent to the North Yorkshire Council footpaths department. Teesside Rivers Trust has installed stakes and willow, but the top bank remains unstable,.
Himalayan Balsam: Training updates are expected at the end of March.
Heather Burning: Robert presented research from the Moorland Association regarding “cool burns” versus wildfires and methane spikes. It was agreed that a dedicated meeting is needed to discuss the pros and cons of managed burning versus the health impacts of smoke,,.
Clothes Swap: The event at the end of January was successful, with ~250 items exchanged. Swaps will now occur every four months (next in June). A link has been established with the Stokesley School to support their initiative of a pre-loved prom and interview clothing exchange scheme.  £75 was given to Stokesley School as the last Clothes Swap was held in Stokesley School and to support their clothing initiative.
Food Share: The volunteer rota is currently well staffed for weekly slots, but emergency cover is still welcomed.

AOB
Hedge Planting: Volunteers are helping David Huggill with planting on upcoming Saturdays (specifically the 21st and 28th).