We are relaunching Wellingborough Swap Shop at Glamis Hall‘s Indoor Car Boot Sale tomorrow! And it’s more than a lick of paint; we’re taking the food out of our Swap Shop events to concentrate on saving items that otherwise might end up in landfill.
We’re changing the way it works too, to make it simpler for everyone. All items will now be available for swaps or a small donation to the group. Tomorrow’s stall at Glamis Hall will be a ‘bring and buy sale’. You can bring something and swap it for something else or you can buy something on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis with a donation to the group.
All donations will be be split 50/50 between Wellingborough Eco Group and the venue, Glamis Hall. Donations received by Wellingborough Eco Group will go towards our other projects, including a new food project that we’re launching on Monday…
The Wellingborough Swap Shop Facebook group will be run in the same way, with lots of new items going to be added by admins daily from various businesses locally. New Swap Shops will also take place every Tuesday afternoon 2-6 in Glamis Hall’s Community Room, which will be a collection point for items from the Facebook group too.
So, pop along, grab a bargain or swap with us, save items from landfill and support the other stalls at the Indoor Car Boot Sale. See you there!
Wellingborough Eco Group and Glamis Hall are hosting the Repair Café at the Indoor Car Boot Sale, 9 -12 tomorrow Saturday 12th February (on every 2nd Saturday morning of the month)
Repair Cafes are community events that match people who need stuff fixed with people who like fixing things. Repair Cafes are completely non-commercial. There are no promises and no guarantees, but if something can be saved the repairers will give it their best efforts. Repairers are always keen to teach you how to do the repair – or at least have you watch while they do it.
There is no charge for entry or repair but donations are gratefully received and help pay for costs. You can basically bring anything you can carry that will not make a mess in the venue. Whatever it is, it might not even be broken – just dirty, and you don’t know how to clean it without damaging it – or you can’t work out how to use it without the manual – bring it along!
A Wellingborough charity and community activists have successfully accessed funds to help local residents, community groups and local business work together to begin to tackle the many challenges we face as a result of climate change.
Glamis Hall for All have been awarded just over £20,000 by North Northants Council (NNC) from its Recovery and Innovation Grant. This will be used to deliver a range of community events, practical actions and training sessions to support people, community groups and local business to better understand climate and environmental challenges and to create local solutions to help cut carbon emissions and support people and communities transition to more sustainable ways of living and working.
Inspired by the presentations and speeches at COP26 last Nov 2021, Glamis Hall’s Chair of Trustees Heather Saunders, said ‘We are deeply concerned about the lack of action regarding climate change locally and want to work with others across Wellingborough to kick start local action and learning, helping us work out how we can respond in positive ways to the enormous challenges we face’.
Glamis Hall for All, a Wellingborough based charity, is no stranger to taking on big challenges, having been born out of community action to save the day centre from closure in 2014. Since then, the community run centre has gone from strength to strength, supporting many families and older residents as well as playing a prominent role in helping many thousands of struggling local residents during the most difficult COVID days.
‘We pride ourselves in working alongside many community groups to make a difference in all parts of people’s lives, says Heather. ‘One such partnership has been with Wellingborough Eco Group and Wellie Wombles, where we regularly support their weekly litter picks, host the Wellingborough Repair Cafe and Swap Shop and help struggling families access excess food that would otherwise end up in landfill.’
As an organisation already transforming the way they operate, Glamis Hall for All is determined to help local people and business learn how to do the same. ‘When we started, we wanted to be as ‘green’ as possible’, says Heather. ‘We now have solar power generated from panels on our roof which, as well as reducing our energy bills, also powers our 6 electric/hybrid cars (funded by a National Lottery Power to Change grant) that bring centre users to and from our day centre. We are delighted with the results and want to do more for our charity and to help others locally. Glamis Hall and its partners, Wellingborough Eco Group, jumped at the chance to apply for funds to offer a range of learning and activities to help us begin this important work, and with new gas heating boilers due to be ‘phased out’ by 2030 and petrol/diesel cars soon becoming a thing of the past, the need to tackle these challenges could not be more urgent’, says Heather.
Marion Turner-Hawes will be coordinating this project.
The range of activities planned through the project include; holding a number of climate conversations and workshops about issues such as how to heat our homes, how to travel in a low carbon way, better understanding of climate issues by attending Carbon Literacy training, and learning how to ‘map’ our own carbon footprint. Residents and businesses will be able to hear from specialists on topics such as local renewable energy generation, how to feed ourselves more sustainably, and how to change our homes and businesses to ‘adapt’ to the many of the ‘baked in’ consequences of existing climate impacts, such as increased flooding events. Many people locally have already suffered as a result of this..
There will be lots of opportunities for practical action and this can be done individually, by organisation, or even by street or block. We also plan to explore how those from BAME communities and residents living on the lowest incomes can upgrade their homes with new energy options, and save money, making sure we can all transition to more affordable to rewarding lives.
‘This project is an exciting opportunity and just a start for the town, says Heather, ‘and we hope to work with the local Council and many partners and people to move it forward successfully. Any residents, community groups, organisations and businesses interested in this work are invited to get in touch’.
People wishing to take part should contact the Project Manager, Marion Turner-Hawes, on marion@glamishall.org.uk or call 07584 350 308
Thank you to the 17 litter heroes who took part in our Two Hour Tidy Up at a very windy Dale End Park this morning. Together we picked 47 bags full of litter, a chair, a road works barrier and cycle handlebars from around the field and surrounding roads.
Thank you to Rachel and Tim, Freddie and Georgina, Peter and Trina, Caroline, Glen and Hazel, Bob and Gill, Sian, Kate, Jess, Sue, Judy and Jonathan. Thank you also to Adrian and Sue, leaders of St Marks Scouts, Queenway, for opening up the Scouts HQ to make us all a cup of tea!
A huge litter pile picked at today’s Two Hour Tidy Up
We set up with our Recycling Station at 9:30 near the Scout Hut at the Croyland Road entrance to the park, for litter picking between 10 and 12. This was the first time we have litter picked this area.
Members of Wellie Wombles and Wellingborough Eco Group spent most of the time around the overgrown areas around the field picking up litter that has been there for years. The hope is now that we have cleared the majority of it individual Wellie Wombles and Scouts can keep it tidy.
Next month’s Two Hour Tidy Up will be on Saturday 26th February from 10-12 at a location to be decided in need to TLC, if you have any suggestions please do let us know via info@wellingboroughecogroup.org.uk
This Month’s Two Hour Tidy Up takes place on this Saturday (29th January) at Dale End. We will be setting up our Recycling Station from 9:30 near the Scout Hut at the Croyland Road entrance to the park, for litter picking between 10 and 12. We will be litter picking the park and the nearby streets.
This location has been chosen by one of our Wellie Wombles. As a group we have not tidied up this area before, and unfortunately there’s a lot to do. We have decided to do this park at this time of year, because much of the litter is in the overgrown areas around the main field.
To help us and keep us safe at this and future litter picks, Wellingborough Eco Group have purchased some litter pickers, hi-vis vests and safety equipment including road signs. Wellingborough Norse are also lending us some equipment, so everything is provided but please bring your own gloves if you can.
Social distancing is a must, hand sanitiser will be available, please do not come if you have covid-19 symptoms, but apart from that, ALL WELCOME!
Here are lots of pictures of the park to get you in the mood:
This month we have featured lots of great community and eco-friendly services available in and around Wellingborough on our Advent Calendar. It has been a real treat being able to talk to so many amazing people, and it’s been a pleasure sharing their groups, charities and businesses with you. For those that may have missed some of our Advent Calendar windows, here are all of them:
All of the above and more are on Wellingborough Eco Map and on the Wellingborough Organisations website. Please do support them or use their services, and share our blog posts and videos to promote them. Our videos are also available on our YouTube channel. If you want to discover more ‘eco-friendly’ services available locally, last year’s Advent Calendar is also worth a look.
Just for fun, here is a Christmas treat for everyone:
Festive fun with the Raunds Ukulele Group, featuring two of our committee members, Judy and Freddie
We would like to thank you all for everything you have done for us and for our community this year.We wish everyone a very happy and healthy Christmas.
Its the final Advent Calendar window of this year, and it seems apt to open it for Made with Many and their Black Community Forum with greetings from Kwanzaa! After the success of this year’s Black History Month and Diwali events, Made With Many’s Black Community Forum have set up two further activities in Wellingborough.
You can enjoy two free celebrations of Kwanzaa at the end of this year and the beginning of 2022! Kuumba or Creativity will be celebrated at Greetings From Kwanzaa on 31st December and a celebration of all Seven Principles of Kwanzaa is happening on 1st January 2022, both at Wellingborough African Caribbean Association.
The festival of Kwanzaa is celebrated every year from 26th December lasting for seven days and coming to a festive end on 1st January. For those seven days, each day a different principle is highlighted – Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith.
Come and celebrate the 6th principle of Kwanzaa, ‘Kuumba’, or ‘Creativity’ on the sixth day of Kwanzaa, Friday 31st December, 2pm-5pm. A free event for the whole family with an amazing line-up of artists leading on fun with creative activities that everyone can participate in:
Cinnamon Arts Group – Creating a Kwanzaa banner with creative input from everyone
Lemonpop Workshops – Make your own Kwanzaa Card and help create a Kwanzaa Canvas
Gerry Elliott – Creating the music of Kwanzaa giving everyone a chance on the drums
Followed by some light refreshments and a chance to win some prizes in a Kwanzaa Quiz! And the finishing the afternoon with performances by the Singer Serwaah and the UAA drummers and dancers leaving with your Kwanzaa Goody Bag!
You are also invited in the spirit of Kwanzaa to a celebration of The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa on Saturday 1st January, 11am – 2pm , with Brother Omowale leading the ceremony. Enjoy drumming, singing, storytelling, activities and gifts for children, share the soul food feast and much more!
Initially, Made with Many had received funding from the National Lottery for their programme of cultural activities in both Corby and Wellingborough from 2020 until 2023; and earlier this month, Arts Council England announced plans to invest further National Lottery funding in the Made With Many programme, to allow their work to continue until the end of March 2025.
Helen Willmott, programme director of Made With Many, said: “We are thrilled that this additional investment from Arts Council England will enable us to continue the Made With Many programme across both Corby and Wellingborough, thanks to National Lottery players. We’ll be able to continue to offer a wide range of creative activities to communities, putting local people in the lead of their own cultural experiences and working with incredible artists to co-create new work.”
Made with Many are a community-led arts programme covering Wellingborough and Corby, which produces events and activities designed to surprise, delight and inspire. As that magical time of year approaches it has been great to see them support activities in the community that bring people together at Christmas.
Their programme aims to encourage more people than ever before to take the lead in experiencing, creating and taking part in high-quality arts and cultural activities. Through conversations with local people and community decision-making panels, Made With Many puts the community at the heart of commissioning artists and producing new and exciting events.
One example was when The Eloquent Fold (Made With Many Associate Artists, Carole Miles and Phiona Richards) visited the Daylight Centre at the beginning of December to run some creative workshops to decorate the centre. The lanterns and tree decorations they produced were bright and cheerful, and lots of people at the centre were keen to get involved.
Today’s Advent Calendar window opens for Teamwork Trust who are organising Disability Forums, as part of a wider project called Community Champions. Teamwork Trust is working with Support Northamptonshire on the project, which aims to accelerate the offering of helpful advice, guidance and vaccination information to the disabled community to ensure that they remain safe.
Community Champions provide practical help to enable IT access, access to food and other provisions as well as encouraging people to take part in events and activities that contribute positively to physical and mental wellbeing. Wellingborough Eco Group member, Karon, is one of the Disability Community Champions. Here she is talking about this and their next Disability Forum:
Karon said: “The Community Champions were set up during the pandemic to support disabled people in the community, a part of this project was to set up a disability forum, because there was no disability forum in North Northamptonshire. The Disability Forum has been set up to share information with disabled people and also the organisations that support them.
“From having the disability forum and our discussions, we decided it would be a good idea to have a booklet for people that have been newly disabled or long-term sick, to give information on resources and services that are available, the type of support people can get, the benefits that people can go for, and anything else related to disability. The next disability Forum is on the 20th January and we encourage you all to come along.”
More than 50 adults came along to their first forum, the online event in July was attended by a mix of service providers, council officers and people with disabilities who raised concerns about how life without restrictions will make them unsafe. They also said that that those with underlying health issues are still the most vulnerable in society and that their views are not being respected.
The next Disability Forum will be on January 20th, their fourth bi-monthly forum. The forums are there for the views of disabled people to be heard, do join in on the Disability Forum in January if you can, more details are available at www.teamworktrust.co.uk/events
About Teamwork Trust
Teamwork Trust is a Northamptonshire charity and social enterprise with over 35 years experience, which works with and supports autistic adults, people with learning disabilities and individuals with mental health needs.
Teamwork is a successful social enterprise that helps vulnerable adults to achieve their goals. They care and are passionate about ensuring that everyone has access to the same chances, choices and opportunities. They embrace and celebrate individual needs and abilities. Service users help to steer and plan everything they do.
Their three centres, based in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough, are friendly, safe and supportive places in which service users make new friends, access education and employment experiences, and take part in on and off-site activities and classes. They have a packed programme of living and learning projects, and activities, as well as wellbeing and counselling programmes.
They run ‘factory floor’ facilities from their three centres providing a range of assembling, reworking, finishing, labelling, packing and fulfilment services, to offer reliable commercial outsourcing service offers a cost-effective and efficient option for businesses, while giving adults with mental health needs, learning and physical disabilities valuable vocational experience at the same time. The Wellingborough centre is based at:
Teamwork Trust 38A Oxford Street Wellingborough Northamptonshire NN8 4JG
Today’s Advent Calendar opens a window for The Daylight Centre, an independent local charity that strives to help people in Wellingborough and the surrounding districts of North Northamptonshire in meeting personal challenges that range from complex mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse, learning difficulties, to homelessness or just feeling fragile, isolated and alone.
The Daylight Centre Fellowship was established in 1994, registered in 2003 and ever since has assisted disadvantaged and vulnerable adults particularly rough sleepers, vulnerably housed, those in poverty and those who are socially isolated. As such, they are at the very forefront of social action within Wellingborough and the surrounding areas. They work in partnership with a range of local organisations and run different events and activities throughout the week.
The Daylight Centre’s activities include The Daylight Café, The Daylight Shop, Wellingborough Foodbank, and coming soon, The Daylight Farm allotment project. We visited them at their Queens Hall base on the High Street, the location of the Centre’s thriving community hub, and we met with Carina Fisher, Chief Executive of the charity, who told us:
“The Daylight Centre is accessible to all and everyone will be welcomed whether they’re in need of some practical support at our TLC service between 10.00am and 11.30am, dropping in for a bite to eat at The Daylight Café between 11.30am and 1pm, or for advice, information or referral at our Support Hub, also between 11.30am and 1pm.“
The TLC Service is a dedicated time for anyone who is street homeless or lacking in facilities to meet their basic needs. There is access to hot showers, clothing, bedding, laundry facilities and food. They also offer a safe care of address, access to computers and telephone. They hold various drop-ins throughout the week so if you let them know what you need, they can co-ordinate with a number of organisations and support with access to these services.
The Daylight Café is a welcoming, multi-use community space that is open to all. It is a place where anyone can come to spend time, socialise and enjoy simple drinks, snacks and light meals in a relaxed atmosphere. The food is entirely prepared on site by their amazing team of volunteers. They also provide free Wi-Fi access and there are computers and telephones should you need them.
The Support Hub is to help people get access to the right support, at the right time, from the right organisation in our local area. The hub can help people who may be experiencing a range of difficulties. You may be homeless or at risk of homelessness, be facing financial challenges, struggling with substance misuse, mental and/or physical health issues. Whatever your difficulty, pop in and speak to them, they are there to help.
Local Councillor and volunteer, Valerie, gives us a guided tour of the Daylight Shop
The Daylight Shop is at 2 Cambridge Street, Wellingborough. They are your local charity shop selling an array of goods, preloved and recycled for your enjoyment. All proceeds from the shop go to keeping the Daylight Centre open or to their foodbank to provide food parcels. The Daylight Shop is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8.30 until 4pm. All donations are gratefully received. Pop in in for a bargain!
Wellingborough Foodbank supports people at their time of greatest need or crisis via several referral partners or supporting organisations such as Citizens Advice, Job Centre Plus, Community Law, schools, Substance to Solution and various housing providers. It provides up to four days supply of food as well as essentials such as household items and toiletries. Open Monday through to Friday, 9am-12pm at Unit 3, Bradfield Road, Finedon Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, NN8 4HB.
NEW – The Daylight Farm allotment project is starting in the new year. Based in Wollaston, it will be run by Daylight volunteers and clients . It will provide a fresh supply of organic fruit and vegetables which can be redistributed throughout the service, including in The Foodbank and Daylight Café. It will also provide clients with a safe outdoors space which can support them to live a healthier, happier, more independent and purposeful lifestyle.
If you are interested in volunteering to support The Daylight Centre Fellowship, contact info@daylightcf.org for more details about their activities and for an application form. You can also find out more information and about urgent items that are needed at the foodbank on their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/daylightcentre
Today’s Advent Calendar window opens on the Winter Solstice for our Community Allotment. Why, because on the shortest day we can look forward to longer warmer days, and get out to be doing more gardening! And that is exactly the point of our Community Allotment, to inspire everyone to either join us on our plot and/or start growing food and flowers either for themselves and our community!
Wellingborough Eco Group took on this plot at Ladywell allotments in Wellingborough last year, to give people the chance to share skills and to grow plants. The site was cleared in November 2020 and has, with many hours, many hands, and with a few additions of various buildings, fences and paths, plus tons of soil and compost, been developed into a user-friendly space to grow fruit, vegetables and other plants to benefit the community. Watch our first video back in February to see how we were getting on and our plan:
Our plan was that everyone should be able to use the plot, so hard standing for car parking, and access to a covered area near the entrance was seen as a must. Spaces for two cars have been provided at the front of the plot. A covered 12′ X 8′ ‘gazebo’ has been put up on the right as you enter plot. A fence separating the parking strip from the rest of the plot was also installed.
A hard path was then laid to a woodchip covered area where we have erected two greenhouses and two sheds. Amongst these we installed two raised beds and a speedboat, plus lots of compost bins and water buts. And then of course there’s the weeding, cultivating and planting! With many hands, we managed to fill the Community Allotment with fruit, veg and flowers, and by the summertime the plot was filled with abundance and beauty; here are just a few of the hundreds of photos we shared on the progress, of the people and about rewards of our efforts:
In addition to giving people the opportunity to try allotment gardening, we have lots of learning opportunities with demonstrations on all aspects of growing produce. We share plants and produce with each other at the allotment, at our Swap Shops, and with other community organisations. We also have a seed bank, to share with other allotment holders and for individuals to plant in their gardens; and an allotment library in the gazebo so that everyone to share gardening books and magazines. And we do more than grow fruit and veg…
Trees and Bees
The Community Allotment project also includes our Tree Nursery, which we have had next to the Community Allotment plot for three and a half years. Originally, we planted 28 whips (10 rowan, 9 cherry trees, 9 silver birch) that had been donated by Woodland Trust to Welly Trees and 1 field maple which was much larger, left over from residents planting trees in Third Avenue. Fifteen of these have been donated to other community groups to plant in and around Wellingborough. The others, including several more additions, are now between six and ten foot tall!
Earlier this year we took 50 oaks from Extinction Rebellion Rewilding, and planted 30 of them in a circle on a further plot next to the Tree Nursery, with the other 20 being planted on the Community Allotment. In July, Martine, a Wellingborough Eco Group Member, brought her bees to live with us in our ring of oak trees, amongst the bee friendly flowers we have there. We now have three hives in operation and lots of bees! Here Jonathan is on video again, this time showing us around the Community Allotment and Tree Nursery today:
Last month we extended the Tree Nursery into the space between where the older trees are and where the ring of oaks were planted, for a further 210 trees that we ordered from the Woodland Trust via Glamis Hall. These are to be planted for the Queen’s Green Canopy project, to celebrate her platinum jubilee. This project is a collection of partners including us, Glamis Hall and Castlefields Community Group, that is working with the local councils to plant trees in the town.
We received 105 of the whips and have planted them in this new space to grow them on. These trees are 15 Grey Willow, 15 Wild Cherry, 15 Silver Birch, 15 Pendunculate Oaks and 45 Rowan. The other 105 have just been delivered, which are a further 30 rowan, 15 crab apple, 15 dog rose, 15 blackthorn, 15 hazel and 15 elder, and will be planted in the new year.
Would you like to grow with us?
Anyone can volunteer at the Community Allotment, you don’t have to know anything about gardening and tools will be provided. The project is as much about community as it is allotment, so just join in, make new friends and be part of something that will benefit the town and all of us! We have regular working parties at the allotment, socially distanced of course!
The Working Parties are set up as events on our dedicated Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/communityallotment, and are put on our blog, please let us know if you are coming so that we can meet you at the gates to the allotment. We do hope that you have enjoyed this article and our videos, and that you may now be a little inspired, see you soon!
