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Sustainability
Last updated: 11/5/2012
Expires: 20/8/2018
Action at Home
Annual Family Bike Ride
Back-2-Bikes
Community Orchards
Cycling for Health
Local Food Links
Local Environmental Quality Group
Millennium Shades
Staffordshire Community Action Pack
West Stafford Bridleway Improvement Group
Wildspace
Sustainable and Health Communities run a wide variety of initiatives and projects some of which have run their course. This page gives brief details of some of the initiatives that have been completed or discontinued.
The Action at Home group encouraged households to make simple steps to a more sustainable lifestyle. Over 200 households joined the project. Based on five themes (Energy, Water, Waste, Travel and Shopping), the group promoted sustainable lifestyle change for many years before these ideas were taken on more widely. The group also produced the Stafford and District Green Pages and a series of Tip Sheets. Many members of the
group have gone on to work closely with other local sustainability groups.
Links: Tip Sheet 1 | Tip Sheet 2 | Tip Sheet 3 | Tip Sheet 4 | Tip Sheet 5
The Annual Stafford Family Bike Ride took place as part of National Bike Week and Green Transport Month in June each year. There were two routes (short and longer) and several stops for refreshments. The route used the quiet lanes and cycle tracks to the west of Stafford and was free to everyone. It aimed to promote cycling by all ages in Stafford Borough. The Sustainable and Healthy Communities team have now successfully bid for
funding to initiative a Cycling for Health pilot project to further these aims.
Link: Map
Link: Cycling in Stafford Borough
Back-2-Bikes is a charitable project originally set up as part of the Bicycle Recycling Project by Stafford Borough Council's Local Agenda 21 programme. The aim was to establish intermediate labour market opportunities, based on the recycling and re-use of bicycles, for people with mental health issues facing barriers to employment or to full participation in society. Initial funding was obtained from Esmee Fairbairn and a
successful workspace was set up. Back-2-Bikes is now independent from Stafford Borough Council although the Sustainable and Health Communities Co-ordinator continues to sit on the steering group and there are still close links with the project.
Link: Back-2-Bikes
Links: Bicycle Recycling Project - Main Objectives
| BRP Feasibility Study Report | BRP Business Plan |
Community Orchards offer a way of saving vulnerable old orchards and opportunities to plant new ones. They provide places for quiet contemplation or local festivities, a reservoir of local varieties of fruit and a refuge for wild life. Stafford Borough Local Agenda 21 was a member of Staffordshire Orchards Initiative. This partnership was led by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and involved local authorities, health authorities and interested parties from across Staffordshire. SOI mapped existing orchards and orchard trees, collected samples for identification and supported the establishment of Community Orchards. A county collection of orchard trees was also set up at Staffordshire Wildlife Trusts headquarters at Woseley Bridge. Contact: Graham Peake, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust T: 01889 880100
The Cycling for Health project provided cycling refresher courses designed to enable people to access cycling to improve their health. Each 2-session course helped lapsed and hesitant cyclists to ride safely, feel confident cycling alone and with groups and build up to cycling regular led health rides that were organised by the Cycling for Health project. The Cycling for Health project also organised a series of monthly, short led health rides. The pace was gentle with nobody left behind! The routes were mainly traffic free or on quiet lanes. It is anticipated that similar projects will now be organised by Cycle Stafford, www.cyclestafford.org.uk, or by Beaconside Sports Centre.
The aim of the Local Food Links group was to encourage and promote sustainable food production, transportation, access and consumption in Stafford Borough in order to improve the health and well-being of residents, support the local economy and protect our environment both locally and globally. It initiated local food projects and initiatives such as Stafford's Farmers' Market and the Staffordshire Local Food
Directory, provided a forum for information exchange and set out to educate and inform the public on sustainable food issues. The projects set up by the group have become self sustaining and the many of the issues dealt with by the group have now become more widespread.
Link: Farmers' Markets in Stafford Borough
Link: Staffordshire Local Food Directory
Local Environmental Quality Group
The LEQ aimed to bring together local community groups, schools and other organisations to work together to combat environmental quality challenges in the Stafford town. It was originally set up as part of Stafford in Bloom and the Local Agenda 21 team became involved to improve sustainability within the In Bloom bid. Over time the group undertook more conservation and biodiversity projects and became the acting 'Friends of'
group for Kingsmead Marsh Local Nature Reserve and played a large role in getting the reserve declared. Stafford no longer competes for In Bloom.
Link: Kingsmead Marsh Local Nature Reserve
The Millennium Shades Project was originally set up to promote sun-awareness amongst children. The key element of this project involved the creation of live willow structures, which provide excellent shaded areas within school grounds, acted as play areas and classrooms, promoted biodiverrsity and enhanced school grounds. British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) and Stafford Borough Council worked in partnership to plant willow structures in grounds at several local schools.
Staffordshire Community Action Pack
The Community Action Pack was developed as part of the Local Agenda 21 process in Staffordshire and contained a collection of information, advice, suggestions and contact details to help community groups and individuals contribute towards 'sustainable development' and a better quality of life for all, both today and in the future. Full of ideas and information to help and inspire Town and Parish Councils, community groups and individuals, the Pack encouraged us all to take action to promote more sustainable communities.
West Stafford Bridleway Improvement Group
The West Stafford Bridleway Improvement Group came together in 2004 to improve the bridle path network in the area to the west of Stafford. Its objectives included extending access to safer routes for riding, promoting rights of way and contributing to the Rights of Way Improvement Plan. The group also produced a leaflet to help learner drivers around horses.
Link: Horse Sense for New Motorists
Link: Minutes
In 2002 the Local Agenda 21 team successfully applied to the 'Wildspace!' grant scheme to obtain funding for managing and declaring five local wildlife sites as Local Nature Reserves. English Nature distributed these 'Wildspace!' grants on behalf of the New Opportunities Fund. A Community Biodiversity Officer was also employed as part of the Wildspace! Project. The Wildspace! funding was for 3 years and Stafford
Borough Council now continues to manage the Local Nature Reserves, open new ones and has employed a Biodiversity Officer within the Sustainable nd Healthy Communities team.
Link: Local Nature Reserves in Stafford Borough
For more information on any of these initiatives please contact
the Sustainable and Healthy Communities Team
Link: Contact Us
