Don’t spend New Years Eve alone, join us on Zoom for GREEN DRINKS
So it works, if everyone could have Jools Holland on that would be great
Let’s all party for a better New Year!
Don’t spend New Years Eve alone, join us online this year!
Join in on Zoom for GREEN DRINKS
Time: Dec 31, 2020 11:00 PM London
Join us on Zoom:
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Meeting ID: 882 2263 4317
Passcode: 223513
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We would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy Christmas, plus thank each and everyone of you for everything this year. This month we have featured lots of great eco-friendly services available locally on our Advent Calendar; for those that may have missed some, here is all of them:
Click on the links below to find out more:
All of the above and more will be on Wellingborough Eco Map when it goes live… But until then, please do support them or use their services, and share our blog posts and videos (also available on our YouTube channel) to promote them.
It’s the season to be jolly, so with this Christmas Eve’s Advent Calendar window, we want to share the happiness that has been delivered by One Wellingborough to some of the most vulnerable, isolated and elderly members of our community.
One Wellingborough is a partnership between Glamis Hall and the Victoria Centre, funded by the Borough Council of Wellingborouth, linking community organisations and volunteers with those in need of a little help from time to time. It was set up in March 2020 to help those who are struggling due to the Covid pandemic.
They prepare meals and distribute them to local people who need it most. The Victoria Centre cooks the meals for One Wellingborough and their partners at Glamis Hall distribute all these meals and goodies with volunteers, who deliver them. Most of the food has been donated by local people, by local food companies, shops and supermarkets; and by Fareshare. Much of the donated food is surplus food from the food industry that would otherwise go to waste.
Over the last 7 days Jaya, Dani and Pavina from One Wellingborough, have made over 600 meals for people and families struggling or self-isolating this Christmas at Victoria Centre. Since March, 3,000 meals have been cooked by Jaya and her merry band of cooking volunteers for One Wellingborough, an amazing feat for such a small crew!
Most of the food ingredients used to make the meals has been donated by Fareshare. Fareshare are an organisation that redistributes surplus food from the food industry that would otherwise go to waste. Some of this food has also been used by One Wellingborough to make food parcels for local families, and to create goody bags to make Christmas a little easier for people who are struggling.
They are there for you if you are struggling, particularly at this difficult time. If you need help, please call 01933 677326 or email info@glamishall.org.uk – One Wellingborough is administered at Glamis Hall by their staff and staff from the Victoria Centre. New volunteers are always welcome. You can also find out more on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OneWellingborough.
Today’s Advent Calendar window opens for the Refill Van, a mobile shop based in Rushden that serves Wellingborough, Northampton and North Northamptonshire. Their mobile shop is a weigh-and-pay style household goods refill store, with plastic and packaging free products. The Refill Van was started by friends Tarnya Bayes, Adam Mattacola and his wife Emma Mattacola in March this year and began trading in May during lockdown.
When Tarnya recently experienced a few big life changes, it made her seriously rethink how sustainable her lifestyle was. She’d always been passionate about ethical shopping, but it wasn’t always possible or easy to get exactly what she required without travelling. This inspired her to solve this problem for herself and other people by teaming up with Adam and Emma to set up the Refill Van. Here Tarnya gives us a tour of their mobile shop at one of their regular locations, Glendon Lodge Farm:
Emma, who takes care of the business’ social media and marketing, said: “We thought it was going to be really hard to start a business during a really difficult time, but actually, with people shielding, our van can turn up and it’s like a mobile market. It’s perfect for people avoiding shops or public transport or anything like that, because we can come to them. We like the idea of community and neighbourhoods coming together so groups could book the van to come and a few different households can visit.”
Designed to support sustainability and reduce waste, the mobile shop is stocked with a variety of dried goods including pasta, pulses, beans, cereals, nuts, loose teas and coffee beans. Customers can also replenish things like shampoo and conditioner, washing up liquid, household cleaners and hand soap, while items for sale include a range of bamboo toothbrushes, deodorants, reusable sandwich bags, plus much more. The full range can been seen on the website, at www.refillvan.co.uk, where you can also book your delivery or collection.
Refill Van brings the plastic-free market shopping experience to your doorstep, in a safe and contact free way. By booking online, via the website, you can have the van visit your house or street, allowing you to refill your own containers with household staples, thereby eliminating the excessive amount of packaging used in supermarkets. There is also the option of collecting directly from Rushden or visiting one of the many local markets that Refill Van frequents; Northampton, Kettering, Raunds, Scotch Lodge Farm and many of the Outdoor Vegan Markets!
More information can also be found on their social media pages at facebook.com/refill.van and at instagram.com/refill.van
Today’s Advent Calendar window features our friend, The Chalk Paint Guy. He is a bold furniture re-designer with a shop based in Raunds. Exclusively using Annie Sloan products, he rescues unwanted classic pieces from being destroyed or sent to landfill with imaginative and inspired designs to add boldness to your home interiors.
The Chalk Paint Guy is your one-stop local shop for quirky and unusual re-use furniture items. Featuring a range of vintage, retro, rustic and creative designs, you’re sure to find something you love painted by The Chalk Paint Guy. Here Marly, aka The Chalk Paint Guy, tells you all with some of his fantastic items:
The Chalk Paint Guy’s shop at 48 Brook Street, Raunds, NN9 6LP is currently closed to visitors due to the pandemic; he is open online on Etsy, and is currently offering FREE LOCAL DELIVERY on anything that fits in his van, including Annie Sloan products (charges apply for deliveries elsewhere or where a courier is required.)
The Chalk Paint Guy also sells giftware made by local creatives and craftspeople. All of the giftware he stocks is made in Northamptonshire – This reduces carbon emissions, supports local creatives and is usually cheaper than the alternatives, examples include:
Gift Vouchers are available too, at your chosen value, with a free handmade greeting card (blank), sent directly to your door! New painting commissions are also welcomed. All commissions are available with safe and contact-free delivery/collection available. Find out more on The Chalk Paint Guy on his Facebook page or at his online shop at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheChalkPaintGuy
At Wombledon, the Wombled Workshop are local creative carpenters who ‘make good use of the things that they find’. They take things that ‘the everyday people’ dispose of, and make them into something new! They have a small workshop based in Wilby, making garden and housewares from recycled and repurposed materials to sell locally. Here Jamie, workshop owner and local multi-skilled handyman, shows us around Womledon:
Examples of what they have Wombled include furniture, shelves, bird feeders, childrens garden furniture and even craft knives. Here are a few of their creations:
Yes, they even make eco-friendly firelighters from scrap wax and workshop shavings. Clean, slightly scented burn for minimum of 5 minutes, giving plenty of time for fire to catch. You can buy what they have made and find out more about them on their Facebook page.
Today’s Advent Calendar window opens for Northamptonshire Wood Recycling CIC, a registered Community Interest Company based in Northampton. They rescue “waste” wood from local businesses and the community, then get it back into use again. Great news – They are open today! Due to Covid, they are now open by appointment only. To book a 30 minute slot click HERE
They offer a wood and timber collection service throughout Northamptonshire which is usually cheaper than hiring a skip. Because they charge by the square cubic yard rather than for a skip , their customers make extra savings. Their teams are trained to load our 3.5t caged tippers efficiently so that there are no gaps.
The wood is then re-used or recycled. They sell all lengths and types of wood at their warehouse at a cheaper price compared to the DIY shops. This includes construction timber, scaffold boards and decking. They also sell cheap kindling & firewood to the community using the best, dry, untreated wood available. Their warehouse is at Unit G2, Kingsfield Close, Northampton NN5 7QS. They also offer a delivery service.
As a CIC, they are a social enterprise operating on a not-for-profit basis. They aim to reduce the amount of wood going to waste whilst offering training & employment to the long term unemployed. By buying your wood from them you help them give something back to the community and reduce wood going to waste, see their website for more details.
Today our Advent Calendar window opens for our wonderful friends at Animals In Need. They are an organisation dedicated to rescuing sick, injured, trapped and distressed wild and domestic animals. They provide veterinary treatment where necessary, care for and rehabilitate animals until they can be released or re-homed. Animals In Need was set up in 1990, the aim of the organization is alleviate suffering in animals.
The animal Shelter is at Pine Tree Farm, London Road, Little Irchester, Northamptonshire, NN8 2EH and is open to the public between 12 midday and 3pm Tuesday to Sunday. It is run by 8 members of staff and a team of volunteers at Pine Tree Farm and out attending to both domestic and wild animals in the Northamptonshire area. They also work with Northamptonshire Police attending road traffic accidents and out of hours emergencies. Here founder of Animals in Need, Roy Marriott, tells us about the charity with their latest rescued animal, Ruby:
Feeding and caring for the injured animals they rescue is most important especially in cases of young orphaned birds, which need hand feeding every hour from dawn till dusk. Also young hedgehogs which haven’t reached the required weight to survive hibernation over the winter months, need to be kept warm and fed as do swans that have incurred injuries, many from fishing tackle that they have swallowed or become entangled in.
The shelter has a vegan cafe which is open 11:00 until 4:00 Saturday and Sunday. Pop in for some wonderful vegan food, breakfasts, toasty, shepherds pie, mac n cheese, or beyond burger with chips. There are incredible cakes from Motley bakes plus sweets and chocolate. All funds raised support the animals in there care. Hand sanitiser, masks and gloves are all available.
They also have a charity shop at 89 Lea Red, Abington, Northampton. It is open 9am til 5pm Monday to Saturday but closed on Sundays. Pop in and grab a Christmas bargain whilst raising vital funds for the animals at the shelter. Find out more at http://animals-in-need.org
With Christmas just a week away, today’s Advent Calendar window opens for a fantastic independent gift and homeware store in Wellingborough called Lunar Tree, which specialises in unique, handcrafted and ethical goods.
Lunar Tree is dedicated to providing fairly traded, local and ethically sourced goods. Everything they sell is 100% Vegan Friendly & Cruelty Free! Here Amy, the shop’s owner, shows you around her shop:
They stock an exciting range of incense, candles and other smellys including bath bombs, soaps & brulee’s that smell & look good enough to eat. Other Products include:-
And a bunch more nice things and stuff to make you feel ZEN! Additionally if you’re thinking about having dreadlocks, this is the place to be. Amy offers customers new dreads, dreadlock maintenance, permanent dreadlock extensions and temporary dread extensions.
Lunar Tree is at 34 Cambridge Street, Wellingborough, NN8 1DW, two minutes walk from the Swansgate Shopping Centre; find out more on their Facebook page or pop in and have a look for yourself, you won’t come out empty handed!
Our Advent Calendar today features an amazing project called Shop Zero in Northampton and Kettering. They are part of Revolution Zero, who are all about zero hunger, zero waste. Day in day out, their revolutionaries collect food that would otherwise end up in landfill, from shops, manufacturers and farms across the Midlands to nourish people within the community!
Great news, Shop Zero Northampton will be open today from 3-5pm and on Sunday 11-1! They will have £10 boxes with a selection of tinned, baked and frozen goods, and £5 bags with a selection of store goods. Visit them at 134 St James Road, NN5 5LQ. If possible, card payments are preferred.
Another member of the Revolution Zero family is Cafe Zero, a Surplus food kitchen. They rescue food from well known supermarkets and their chefs create delicious, nutritious & well priced meals!
They have also responded to the Covid-19 outbreak by delivering their packages too. This project is called Bags of Good, and is helping those most in need of food aid in, delivering to the most vulnerable members of the community in Northampton, during the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more about about Revolution Zero by clicking on the various links to Facebook pages in this article and by reading the following slides:
