| Hello all,
It’s been a while since our last newsletter!
Transition Kentish Town continues to be the firm roots of a growing Camden climate action tree. In the past couple of years, strong branches have developed in the form of wonderful non-for-profit community organisations: Power Up North London, Vegbox, and Think&Do. We are incredibly proud of all three social enterprises who are achieving amazing things in our borough. Contact details at the end of this newsletter.
Whilst PUNL concentrates on developing and delivering renewable energy projects, Vegbox delivers a weekly affordable and local organic vegbox scheme. Think&Do co-design and deliver a huge range of creative climate and social action projects with Camden residents. Do read about the a funding opportunity for a roll out of a fantastic Think&Do flagship Sharing Spaces project below.
Whilst Transition Kentish Town only sends out a seasonal newsletter, do get involved, and sign up for monthly/bi-monthly updates from the above groups. Remember, the climate is changing…so must we. |
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1. Community gardening group |
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This year, the Transition Kentish Town ‘Greening your footprint’ community garden at Kentish Town Fire Station has continued to provide a source of joy and solace for many passing residents. We have a lively watering WhatsApp group. It’s great fun. If you would like to join, get in touch: email [email protected]. |
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In Life on Earth everything is connected and reclaiming our kinship with Nature is an important step for us in making the changes needed to tackle climate and environmental breakdown. So why not join one of our FREE TKT Nature Connections local walks, ‘hands-in-the-soil' volunteering, seasonal celebrations or nature immersion events to get closer to local Nature? And enjoy some informative, sociable, inclusive and soulful outdoor fun. And our aim is to help re-connect our city lives with re-wilding action and the energies and rhythms of the changing seasons - for the benefit of Nature and the benefit of ourselves. Planet Earth needs it - and so do we! Everyone welcome. Coming up in October: |
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Saturday 21st October - Celebrate and Share the Autumn Harvest at a combined event with TKT Nature Connections and Kentish Town Veg Box, www.vegbox.org.uk: - 11.00am – 12.30pm: A Nature Connections Autumn Trees & Hedgerows Walk around Parliament Hill Fields.
- 1.00pm – 4pm: A ‘bring a dish’ Harvest Lunch and Party hosted by Veg Box at the Thanet Community Centre NW5 4HD.
You can join for just the walk or the party - or attend both. But if attending the Harvest Lunch please remember to bring a vegetarian food contribution. The details are: 11am - 12.30pm: Autumn Tree and Hedgerow Walk
Meet for 11am start - just inside entrance to Parliament Hill Fields/Hampstead Heath at the Highgate Road/Swains Lane junction NW5 (Next to Bistro Laz).
We’ll be touring ancient and new hedgerows around Parliament Hill Fields, creating some ‘homage to the season’ community land art from fallen Autumn debris, hearing some Nature poetry and sharing a short seasonal Nature Connections meditation among the oak and beech groves. Please dress for comfort in all weathers and wear sturdy footwear as some walking will be on uneven grass and earth tracks.
The walk ends 12.30pm - exit from the Heath onto Savernake Road, beside the playground and the athletics track at the bottom of Parliament Hill. WCs available at the Athletics track for a comfort stop for those who want walk on to join the Harvest Party.
1.00pm – 4.00pm Kentish Town Veg Box ‘Bring a Dish’ Harvest Lunch and Party
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At the Thanet Community Centre, Herbert St, NW5 4HD. There will be good food, good company, the best seasonal cake competition, bike powered smoothie making, pumpkin carving and other seasonal fun for kids and adults.
Please book to let us know you are joining us. The events are free, but please sign up here to attend either or both events. We look forward to seeing you.
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Talking about Vegbox, here’s an offer you can’t refuse!!! Are you passionate about eating healthy, local, affordable organic veg? If so, sign up this week to receive a weekly vegbox.org.uk scheme, use the code: TKT1-FREEWK and you will get your first bag for free. For more information, email: [email protected]. |
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Thursday 19th October - ‘Hands-in-the-Soil’ Spring Bulb Planting, 10am - 1pm. Our second event this month is in collaboration with Think&Do and corporate volunteers from local Camden businesses. Join us to help plant a gorgeous selection of colourful spring bulbs along our trail of community gardens around Kentish Town:
The Fire Station Green Footprint Garden, Cottage Garden at Platform 1 Kentish Town Overground Station, the planters along the High Street, Raglan Estate wildflower meadow and the fruit tree mini-meadow at the Highgate Road/Gordon House Road crossroads.
All are on walking routes to local schools, shops or transport hubs, where Nature’s spring changes help lift our spirits at the end of winter - and where spring bulbs provide life-saving early nectar for local pollinating insects at the front line of the impacts of climate change. They need our help, and we need these little buzzing heroes to keep the world turning. Meet at Kentish Town Fire Station at 10am or check on Twitter @tkentishtown for updates on our whereabouts! |
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Retrofit Kentish Town has recently formed to promote and explain retrofitting i.e. actions taken to improve the energy efficiency and reduce the CO2 emissions of existing homes. We aim to offer public sessions giving an overview of the main options and ways of proceeding, more detailed examinations of particular topics such as insulation, solar heating, power generation, how grant support can be accessed etc based on participant’s requests along with visits to live examples.
The first session giving the overview will be confirmed in the next couple of days but we expect it to be on Monday 27th November in the early evening at the Greenwood Centre. If you would like to receive details please mail [email protected] just saying ’27th’. At this early stage we are very keen to hear from anyone who has undertaken any retrofitting either to your own home or to someone else’s so that we can gather local experience of regulators, contractors and product performance.
A local initiative currently underway is the pulling together of residents on one side of a road to create a combined solar panel installation. If this comes off it will result in considerable cost savings. |
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4. Free funding for Camden groups to set up a two Sharing Spaces |
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Think&Do are thrilled to announce that, in partnership with Ashden, they have received funding to roll out the Sharing Spaces Project. Thanks to the fantastic sponsorship from the Kusuma Trust, two more Sharing Spaces will be launched and funded in Camden.
Sharing Spaces, one of Think&Do’s flagship projects, are Climate and Social Action hubs where communities come together to have fun sharing stories, food, skills and stuff. Safe, diverse spaces where residents develop projects to tackle the climate and ecological crisis. Are you part of a faith group, a school, or a community who would like to set up a Sharing Space and get supported to do so? Get in touch: email [email protected] or [email protected]
Or if you would like to find out more, pop along to the launch event:
When: 1st November between 3pm-8pm
Where: Ampthill Estate, London, NW1 2JX Download the poster for full details.
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Are you passionate about getting involved in developing climate and social action projects on a professional basis? Think&Do also have a job going: check it out at: thinkanddocamden.org.uk. |
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PUNL is working on solar panels for Parliament Hill Secondary School and Regents High. Regents received planning permission earlier in the year and work is on legals and installation quotes. A submission for planning approval has been sent to Camden for Parliament Hill. If all goes to plan, PUNL is aiming to launch the share offer in late 2023/early 2024, with a view to the installation of the solar array during the Easter holiday. PUNL is also liaising with two Haringey schools and another in Islington on potential projects, and the NHS at North Middlesex Hospital in Edmonton.
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