The theme for this year’s Floodplain Meadow walk, organised by Climate Action Stokesley and Villages, is Bird Song.
Meet on Sunday 24th May at 11am in Waterfall Park, Great Ayton (opposite Suggitts on the High Steet). The walk is less than a mile but the ground is a bit uneven and there isn’t much shelter from sun or rain so come prepared.
Learn how to recognise birds from their song on a walk around the Floodplain Meadow. The walk will be led by Ali McLee from Teesmouth Bird Club.
We will also undertake a survey of birds seen and heard as part of the British Trust for Ornithology’s Greenspace project.
No need to book. Families welcome. For further information contact Caryn Loftus 0777 3048250.
All are warmly welcome to join the Mending Circle which meets every second Monday early evening. Learn sewing / mending super powers from scratch or get help and inspiration with your current sewing project. Mending clothes has a significant positive climate impact by reducing waste and conserving resources, as extending a garment’s life by just nine months can lower its carbon, water, and waste footprints by 20–30%.
As always, our friendly pink T-shirted volunteers will be here to fix your beloved household items – electrical appliances, toys & bikes, wooden furniture, clothing & textiles, clocks, glass & ceramics, electronic items including laptops and phones as well as sharpening household blades. 
You can also learn how to crochet a sustainable dishcloth (or soap saver) in our crafting corner to reduce plastics in the house (all materials and know how provided).
The theme for this year’s Floodplain Meadow walk is Bird Song on Sunday 24 th May. Meet at 11am in Waterfall Park, Great Ayton (opposite Suggitts on the High Steet). The walk is less than a mile but the ground is a bit uneven and there isn’t much shelter from sun or rain so come prepared. Learn how to recognise birds from their song on a walk around the Floodplain Meadow. The walk will be led by Ali McLee from Teesmouth Bird Club. We will also undertake a survey of birds seen and heard as part of the British Trust for Ornithology’s Greenspace project mentioned in last month’s CASaV Update. No need to book. Families welcome.
The Great Big Green Week (GBGW) is the UK’s largest celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. This year’s theme is “Together for good,” highlighting how everyday, collective community actions create real, practical benefits for our planet and our shared future.
Following two successful clothes swap events Jane and Jo now bring you the summer edition! The perfect opportunity to get a wardrobe refresh and some new to you preloved clothes for the warmer months.
The average household possesses a staggering amount of unused items, with studies estimating that between 20 and 80% of items in homes are never or rarely used, whilst due to the cost of living crisis more and more families are struggling to afford basic household necessities. Since January this year our successful monthly Repair Cafes have included opportunities to reuse and repurpose unwanted household items and resources which might otherwise go to waste, giving them a second life. Items are given freely and all go to good homes where they put back into use. In January surplus craft supplies were recirculated, in March & April dozens of items of gardening equipment & books were brought in and snapped up by keen gardeners with any remaining being given to our planet protecting compatriots at the Nest, Guisbrough’s eco community group for their garden swappery. This month we aim to get unwanted kitchen equipment being used again and for June and July we will do the same for toys, bikes and outside games. We would love to hear from you about other categories of household items we can give a second life to.
You may have seen some new red lidded bins across the area, this is part of the changes 
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 to those in need. This is fresh food such as fruit, veg and bread, NOT tins and dried food that are needed by Food Banks.
Recently, CASaV attended the “
As always, our friendly pink T-shirted volunteers will be here to fix your beloved household items – electrical appliances, toys & bikes, wooden furniture, clothing & textiles, clocks, glass & ceramics, electronic items including laptops and phones as well as sharpening household and gardening blades. 
To help re-launch the Brighten Up Great Ayton, now a sub-group of CASaV, we will be holding a Spring Clean session in the village hall garden on Saturday 18th April, 2-4pm. If you would like to help give the Village Hall garden a spring clean and meet others interested in brightening up the village then email 
Caryn is acquiring a water testing kit to monitor the water in the River Leven near the Floodplain Meadow in Great Ayton on Saturday 25/4 during the Spring Great UK WaterBlitz 
Get ready for Great Big Green Week (GBGW), the UK’s largest celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature, returning this year from the 6th to the 14th of June! This year’s inspiring theme is “Together for good,” highlighting how everyday, collective community actions create real, practical benefits for our planet and our shared future. Whether you are an environmental expert or just want to make a local difference, there are endless ways to get involved—from organizing a simple clothes swap, community walk, or a local climate conversation cafe, to simply bringing an existing sports club or choir event under the GBGW banner. By hosting an activity, no matter how small or “low effort,” you will be joining a massive national movement to show politicians that we urgently care about a greener, fairer world. Start thinking now about what fun, local activities you or your community groups could organize to help us come together for good! Our Repair Cafe on 13th June will be part of GBGW activities. Please get in touch if you want to help or have another event you want to come under the GBGW banner – 
Kate represented our Repair & Reuse Cafe at the Parliamentary Repair Cafe at the invitation of Helen Hayes MP (spot our signature pink t shirt!). Over 100 UK Repair Cafe representatives and several national reuse organisations attended to hear talks by Mary Creagh, Minister for Nature (biodiversity, net zero, water quality, and environmental sustainability). Repair Cafe representatives talked directly to nearly 100 MPs who attended and persuaded them to sign the 
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is launching this survey to understand how many birds use and rely on our greenspaces. Open to all experience levels, with simple and flexible methods, BTO would like us to record the location & how long we spent there, and which birds and how many observed. There is a free app (Birds in Greenspaces) or
This is an annual celebration of Britain’s wild mammals, and the people working to monitor, protect and restore populations of these vital species. Find out about local organised activities as well as projects you can do as an individual 
The recent warmer weather has brought out the first butterflies of the year. The website 
This month we have a talk on ‘Seed Sovereignty’ by Catherine Howell from the Gaia Foundation & co-ordinator for northern England. Seeds are kernels of life. They support our entire food system: providing sustenance and nutrition for all those we share the living world with. For millennia, small-scale farmers have freely cultivated, saved, and shared a vast diversity of seed, the source of the majority of food on our plates, and those of our ancestors. But today seeds have become one of the most controlled commodities in the world. Come and find out what seed sovereignty is and why it matters. More info here 
All are warmly welcome to join the Mending Circle which meets every second Monday early evening. Learn sewing / mending super powers from scratch or get help and inspiration with your current sewing project. Mending clothes has a significant positive climate impact by reducing waste and conserving resources, as extending a garment’s life by just nine months can lower its carbon, water, and waste footprints by 20–30%.
Last month we moved some of the perennial veg plants into a border so that they are easier to maintain and be more obvious for picking. The plants include Welsh Onions which make a great winter alternative to spring onions, Turkish Rocket which has leaves you can use like spinach and Common Sorrel with leaves that add a lovely lemon flavour to dishes. This month we will create a ‘pot luck’ area to sow the seed from the out-of-date packets from the Discovery Centre Seed Share Box. It will be interesting to see which are still viable!
Every second Saturday each month there is a gathering in the methodist church hall serving refreshments and a source of local information, guidance and support. CASaV have been invited to showcase what we provide for the community and how people can take part in our activities. There will be a special focus on home energy saving and a hands on activity. Pop along to find out more.
This month we celebrate four years of our Repair Cafe – reducing waste and extending the use of what you already own instead of buying new. Come along for a slice of birthday cake whilst our friendly pink T-shirted volunteers show you how to fix your beloved household items – electrical appliances, toys & bikes, wooden furniture, clothing & textiles, clocks, glass & ceramics, electronic items including laptops and phones as well as sharpening household and gardening blades. 
CASaV is affiliated to Friends of the Earth. They have recently published some useful articles considering the evidence and challenging widespread disinformation about climate breakdown. Read more here 
Following a discussion with Great Ayton Parish Council and CASaV’s steering group, the Brighten Up Great Ayton group will become a sub-group of CASaV to help formalise its status. There will be a re-launch of the group in April to hopefully attract a few more volunteers.
There are now two interpretation boards at the Great Ayton Station 
This project has been set up to control the invasive species Himalayan balsam which is destroying biodiversity on the river Leven and tributaries from its source in Kildale to Crathorne. People are already working to reduce the extent of balsam on the river but there are significant areas of balsam for example between Great Ayton and Stokesley that need to be worked on.
Everyone welcome to join us to take part in the Climate Coalition’s ‘Show the Love’ Green Hearts campaign. We will be making 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 followed by our monthly round up from our sub groups.
Show the Love to the planet by reducing waste and extending the use of what you already own instead of buying new. Our friendly pink T-shirted volunteers will be on hand to fix your household items – electrical appliances, toys & bikes, wooden furniture, clothing & textiles, clocks, glass & ceramics, electronic items including laptops and phones as well as sharpening household and gardening blades for the new year and beyond. 
Planting hedges benefits the environment by fostering biodiversity, storing carbon and managing water runoff. They act as essential wildlife corridors, providing food and shelter for insects and birds. Hedges also prevent soil erosion, reduce flooding, and act as carbon sinks. Photo above shows our most recent hedge planting at Great Ayton.
Stokesley School students and their teachers are organising a Fashion Show for Sustainable Fashion Week: Future Citizen Week as a launch for the school’s Pre-loved Fancy Clothes Boutique which will allow all students to have the opportunity to borrow ‘fancy’ clothes for proms, dances and work and university interviews. 
Warm Homes Plan
This subgroup focuses on low carbon travel solutions
Climate Action Stokesley and Villages 