Love Where You Live

Is anyone up for a challenge? During the viral pandemic, a lot of activities that Wellingborough Eco Group do in our local area are not possible, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still love where we live. We know lots of you are busy making your world a better place already…

Whether it’s cleaning up outside our own front door – imagine if everyone just did that one thing – making sure you don’t waste any food and getting creative with left-overs or decluttering your home and putting aside anything you no longer want to give to a charity shop.  

How to get involved:

  1. Pick a theme – some ideas include: your favourite recipe to reduce food waste; mending, repairing & upcycling things around the home; keeping in touch with people in need; home-schooling ideas; discovering nature in your garden & gardening; nifty ideas & eco-friendly crafts; setting up a virtual book club …and many more – be creative!
  2. Create some content – a short video, photo or illustration that shows how you’re making the most of your time at home and making where you live more eco-friendly.
  3. Post your content on Wellingborough Eco Group – tag a friend to get involved too, add the hashtag #lovewhereyoulive and don’t forget to share your post from our group widely.
  4. Once you’re done, try something else – you can get involved as many times as you like!

Yes, this has been shamelessly stolen from Keep Britain Tidy’s ‘Love Where You Live’ campaign; done worry, we are joining in with them and we will share your favourites with them too.

We can all do some simple things that are good for us and good for the planet.

Stay home, stay safe and start creating. Challenge accepted! 

Virtual Green Drinks – Wellingborough Eco Group

Wellingborough Eco Group are hosting Green Drinks evenings, and these events are open to everyone in Northamptonshire.  We are simply running new friendly group meetings every month and we are going online during the viral pandemic.  The aim is to create a space where people who care about the environment can chat.

Do join us for networking, news, chat and new friends; and be part of a growing global network where local people push for and build a sustainable future. Everyone is invited, there is no agenda, this is all about you and what we can do environmentally locally in a friendly and positive way.  Do join us!

Corona Virus update – We are going online during the viral pandemic.

Join like minded local people for VIRTUAL GREEN DRINKS on the last Tuesday of the month for networking, news, or just to chat and make new friends. Join our online meeting on Tuesday March 31st from 7:30pm at https://zoom.us/j/736617891

‘VIRTUAL’ GREEN DRINKS with Wellingborough Eco Group
http://www.greendrinks.org/Northamptonshire/Wellingborough

Litter Picking Postponed – Wellingborough Eco Group

Following more stringent government guidelines this week, and after a consultation with many of our regular litter pickers, our monthly two hour tidy up this month to litter pick Croyland Gardens, will unfortunately have to be postponed.

Please do not come to Croyland Gardens on Saturday morning to litter pick, stay at home

This tidy up will now take place on Saturday 26th September in line with Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British September Clean.

We will be meeting at our recycling station to set up from 9:30 in the gardens, adjacent to Morrisons car park. We will then litter pick between 10am-12 midday. With so many different areas to tidy up this time, you can decide if you want to combat the mess in the woods or pick litter in the more family friendly park.

Thank you for your support, we look forward to seeing you in September, stay safe and keep others safe.

Find out more about this event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/136998207651885/

Warning – There is some evidence that the touching of metal and plastics can spread the virus; this could include picking up litter. Please be careful by using litter pickers and protective equipment, or preferably don’t litter pick during the pandemic.

Nextdoor – Wellingborough Eco Group

Wellingborough Eco Group has a successful Facebook group, that is helping to improve our borough’s environment by enabling local people to reduce, reuse and recycle items that would otherwise end up in landfill, and helping local people reduce their carbon footprints.

Now we have decided to reach out further with our new Nextdoor group. This group will be exactly the same as the Facebook group, we have set it up to connect with more of our community and to make more of a difference!

This group is open to everyone and aims to work with local councillors, businesses and community organisations. Please share your ideas, events and groups, and refrain from criticism or negative posts. This is all about you and what we can do environmentally locally in a friendly and positive way 🙂

Join us on Nextdoor at https://nextdoor.co.uk/g/b3mr12uzd/

Litter Picking – Wellingborough Eco Group

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO THE CORONA PANDEMIC

This month our two hour tidy up will be litter picking Croyland Gardens on Saturday 28th March. It takes place between 10am-12 midday. Our recycling station will be set up from 9:30 in Morrison’s Public Car Park.

Croyland Gardens is just off of Morrison’s Car Park, drivers can use this parking for three hours or can park in neighboring streets. For walkers and cyclists, the gardens are close to the town centre (approximately 5 minutes walk)

Due to Coronavirus (Covid-19) we have the following restrictions for litter pickers:

  • DON’T COME IF YOU HAVE A COUGH, ARE SHORT OF BREATH OR HAVE A FEVER.
  • DO OBSERVE RULES OF SELF-SERVICE AND OF TWO METRES SOCIAL DISTANCING AT ALL TIMES.

Always stay safe – We will expect that all litter pickers should maintain at least the distance of an outstretched arm and a litter picker from each other (two metres) that all equipment, including litter pickers, gloves (bring your own if you can) hi-vis vests and bags, are self selected and returned to the recycling station; and that all bags of collected litter are taken to a collection point by those that picked it.

Wellingborough Norse have again kindly let us borrow their litter picking equipment, and will be collecting what we have litter picked at the end of our two hours. Please again remember the rules of self service and two metres social distancing when they are collecting the bags.

For updates see – https://www.facebook.com/events/136998207651885/

For government advice on Coronavirus see – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Repair Cafe 4

Wellingborough Eco Group and Glamis Hall hosted our fourth Repair Cafe yesterday, during the Indoor Car Boot Sale, and despite concerns over the viral pandemic, we had a steady flow of people bringing items in to be repaired.

Our fab five fixers repaired 10 items, including a chainsaw, a CD player, two tablets, an earring, a basket a food mixer, a lawn mower and a record player.

Thank you to our repairers Simon, Dave, Andy, Chris and Jonathan for saving local people money and saving salvageable items from going to landfill. Thank you to Heather, Gary and the whole team at Glamis Hall for hosting our Repair Cafe.

Here is a small selection of the photos that we took:

There will be no Repair Cafe or Indoor Car Boot Sale in April due to Easter. Our next Repair Cafe will be on Saturday 9th May, where we will have more fixers, including Jane with her sewing machine, there to save you money and items from ending up in landfill!

Repair Cafe – Wellingborough Eco Group

Wellingborough Eco Group and Glamis Hall are hosting their fourth Repair Cafe on Saturday 14th March from 9am till 12, during the Indoor Car Boot Sale.

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. Here are some suggestions:

A bicycle, clothing in need of repair, small electrical or electronic appliances, lamps, toys, mobile phones, laptops, printers, items that need gluing, a clean/repair etc.

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. You can even bring several things – though to be fair, you will have to join the queue several times!

There will also be demonstrations on how to reuse stuff that would otherwise end up in landfill.

We are also seeking more repairers, so if you want to share your skills (whatever they are) to save stuff being thrown away, join us. We would love you to get involved! Message us via messenger if you are interested.

Litter Picking Eastfield Park and Finedon Road Copse

On Saturday morning, Wellingborough Eco Group and Castle Fields Streetwatch litter picked Eastfield Park and Finedon Road Copse between 10 and 12. This was our fifth monthly two hour tidy up and, as usual, it was on the last Saturday of the month. Our recycling station was based at the entrance to Eastfield Park on Cross Road.

Thank you to our 16 litter pickers Sharen, Eileen, Emma and Billy, Jonathan, Suzanne and James, Glenn, Julie and Ruby, Nial, Marion, Carol, Jenny and Steve. Thank you also Wellingborough Norse for lending us the equipment and Dave for promptly collecting what we picked up.

As you will see in the following photos, we cleared up a huge amount of rubbish. The three van loads (1500kg!) collected by our volunteers, included a TV, 3 shopping trolleys, 2 mattresses, a knife, lots of tyres and lots of bottles, cans and crisp packets. Well done all!

Our next Two Hour Tidy Up will be in Croyland Gardens as part of Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean. We will be setting up from 9:30 to be litter picking between 10-12 on Saturday 28th March – see you there!

Green Drinks Tonight!

Tonight’s the night!

Many of us are working to tidy up our neighbourhoods or for a fossil-free future for all our children. But it’s hard, often dispiriting work; renewing & making new friendships, in a relaxed setting is a great way to chill. That’s where Green Drinks comes in!

Join us tonight, Tuesday 25th February, for our first event, no agenda, just like minded people, who care about the environment, meeting for a ‘Green Drink’ and a chat.

Do join us for networking, news, chat and new friends; and be part of a growing global network where local people push for and build a sustainable future. Everyone is invited!

See you in the Queens Head, Broad Green, Wellingborough from 7:30!

Find out more at https://wellingboroughecogroup.wordpress.com/2020/02/13/green-drinks-wellingborough-eco-group/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/483086675715830/

Litter Picking – Eastfield Park and Finedon Road Copse

This month our two hour tidy up will be litter picking Eastfield Park, and joining the Castlefields Streetwatch group, clearing up Finedon Road Copse on Saturday 29th February. It takes place between 10am-12 midday. Our recycling station will be set up from 9:30 at the entrance to Eastfield Park off of Cross Road (you are here on map) All welcome!

Eastfield Park is a square, with a footpath going around four football pitches. Finedon Road copse is about five minutes walk from the Cross Road entrance to the park. There is no parking available at Finedon Road Copse, drivers can use on street parking on Finedon Road near the park and in neighboring streets. For walker and cyclists, the park is close to the town centre (approx 10-20 mins walk) There are also bus services stopping on the roads around the park.

Wellingborough Norse have again let us borrow their litter picking equipment, and will be collecting what we have litter picked at the end of our two hours. Here is a selection of photographs from both areas and showing the small walk between the two areas: