thame-surrounds-environmental-newsletter

Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Environmental Groups in Thame		Volunteer		List your Events

If you have been forwarded this email, sign up to receive it directly here.

To include an article, email [email protected] who administers it on behalf of the community.

Sign up to become a

Thame Sustainability Champion

You’re warmly invited to join us for an afternoon of celebration, inspiration, and connection at the Thame Business Sustainability Champion Awards.

This event is all about recognising the commitment and hard work of our 2025 Bronze Award businesses—and welcoming new local organisations who are curious to learn how participation in the award, and collaboration with other local businesses can help make Thame a greener, more sustainable town. We want you to sign up to be part of this movement!

🌿 Event Agenda

🥉 The Bronze Award – A Quick Overview
A short and friendly introduction to the Bronze Award for businesses who didn’t take part this year - learn more about how you can get involved.

🏘️ Bronze Award for Communities
An introduction to the proposed Community Bronze Award and how it could support wider sustainability efforts across Thame. Could your group be part of the pilot of this award in 2026 and lead the way for others to follow?

🥈 Launch of the Silver Award
Be among the first to hear about the Silver Award launching this year.

✨ Bronze Awards 2025
We’ll share key achievements from this year’s participants, including case studies from local businesses, showcasing real, local impact.

🏆 Award Ceremony
We will celebrate the achievement of our first cohort as awards are presented by Thame Mayor, Andy Gilbert.

🍷 Drinks Reception
Enjoy drinks, informal networking, and conversations with fellow businesses and sustainability champions.

We’d love to see as many of you there as possible to celebrate progress, share ideas, and continue building a more sustainable future for Thame—together.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrate-sustainability-thame-business-sustainability-champion-awards-tickets-1980625013733?aff=oddtdtcreator

Important reading

The recent Thame Environmental Forum discussed the significance of the recently revealed National security assessment about 'Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security'.

The group was keen for it to be shared more widely.

It is only 14 pages long but highlights, among other things, that Global ecosystem degradation and collapse threaten UK national security and prosperity, and that ecosystem degradation is occurring across all regions, with every critical ecosystem being on a pathway to collapse.

This report was commissioned and then buried by the government, and it has taken an FOI to have it released.

Clean Air Routes for Thame

As part of the Clean Air for Thame project, funded by SODC, pupils at all the schools in Thame took part in a series of workshops before Christmas, to learn about air pollution and how it can impact their health, and explored ways to protect themselves from these effects. The pupils also used hand-held monitors to measure pollution levels on the streets near their schools.

Students from the Lord Williams’s Year 7 Eco-Club are continuing the monitoring through winter and spring and will use all air quality data collected to create a map, complete with the Barley Hill, St Joseph’s and John Hampden school pupils’ drawings of the town. The map will highlight cleaner walking routes that have lower pollution levels.

Stay tuned as we plan to launch the Clean Air for Thame Schools map in the summer term.

Picture shows: Monitoring record sheets, traffic surveys and the hand-held “ghost” air pollution monitor

‘Connecting Local Action’ - community groups event

SODC is delighted to invite you to an in-person event ‘Connecting Local Action’ for community groups and town/parish councils coming this March.

The event will showcase different examples of climate action and sustainable food growing, with presentations and stands from local projects, and opportunities for discussion.

There will be plenty of time to network, with refreshments provided and a chance to hear from the council on key areas of work, including updates from the Climate & Biodiversity team, and the South & Vale Food Action Plan. Officers from South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils will also be on hand to talk funding, nature recovery and more.

Connecting Local Action in South Oxfordshire

5 March 2026, 12pm to 2.30pm

Thame Barns Centre

Church Rd, Thame, OX9 3AJ

Presentations from Phoenix Energy Community and Grow more Growers.

Booking and more information can be found here: https://connectinglocalaction-south.eventbrite.co.uk

Places are limited, so please book your place by Thursday 26 of February.

The agenda will be sent out to participants prior to the event.

Save the date - Cosy Streets - 12 March 2026

Would you like to reduce your energy bills, whilst making your home cosier and more comfortable to live in? Would you like to learn more about retrofit – what it means, and how it could help you?

Then come to our Cosy Streets event on Thursday 12th March ✅

At this event you will:

🛠️ Find out about changes you can make to your property that will reduce energy bills, and make it more comfortable and healthier to live in too – from cheap, quick and easy DIY fixes, to more substantial, longer term retrofit plans

🖼️ See Thermal Imaging results of our ‘Cosy Streets’ survey of different house types in Thame, Long Crendon, Towersey and Haddenham and hear about the best energy efficiency interventions by house type

🤝🏻Discover the local groups that you can contact for free advice and support in adapting your home for comfort and energy efficiency

🪫 Get useful, straight-forward guidance on heat pumps

📄 Learn more about the government’s Warm Homes Plan, what it means for you as a home owner or tenant, and availability of financial support.

Speakers at the event include Phoenix Energy Community, Cosy Thame, Cosy Homes Oxfordshire and Energy My Way.

Event Details:

📍The Upper Chamber at Thame Town Council

📆 Thursday 12th March

⏰19:15-20:45pm

💰 Tickets are free, however please reserve your spot as spaces are limited

The event is being organised by Phoenix Community Energy and Cosy Thame, in partnership with Thame Town Council, Thame Green Living, Zero Carbon Haddenham, Buckingham Community Energy, 21st Century Thame and Green Crendon, who are all working together to help everyone in our community live and work in energy efficient buildings, powered by renewable energy.

If you have any questions in advance, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

Volunteer Flood Wardens - could you be one locally?

Oxfordshire County Council are looking for volunteer Community Flood Wardens to build resilience to flooding events before they occur.

Flood Wardens are the eyes and ears on the ground in your community to report flood risk issues.

Flood Wardens can monitor blocked drains and culverts, ditches, tree branches or obstructions in rivers/watercourses, and anything else that may cause a flood risk and report them to the appropriate local authority.

You will receive full training and there’s no set number of volunteer hours required.

You can read all about the scheme on the Oxfordshire Flood Toolkit. Please contact the Oxfordshire County Council by emailing [email protected] for more information or to volunteer.

Glow Ride Thame - Friday 20 March 2026

Communities across the UK are taking part in mass glow rides as part of Cycling UK’s new campaign 'My ride. Our right' calling for safer streets and better cycle routes, especially for women after dark.

To demonstrate public support for the Haddenham/ Thame Greenway Thame will be hosting it's own event. The numbers of participants is limited due to safety needs so please book your space in advance if you want to take part. More details to follow next month.

Get involved in green action in your community

Did you know Thame has a Green Living Plan - a 10 year plan for a greener, cleaner Thame. The plan includes over 190 actions that we want to take by 2030 to help achieve this.

You find out more about these actions and see what has already been completed, what is in motion and what still needs to take place at the Thame Green Living Website - https://thamegreenliving.org.u...

There is so much to achieve so get in contact through the website to play a part.

Events coming up

To find out what is happening in the local area please visit the Calendar you can find at this link: https://thamegreenliving.org.u...

To add an event to the calendar contact [email protected]

Send details of your event to be included

Google Calendar for local sustainable events

21st Century Thame have set up a google calendar that is up to date with any environmental / sustainable events - https://21stcenturythame.co.uk/21st-century-thame-environmental-calendar-of-events/

- let them know if we’re missing any - and click on the ‘add’ cross at the bottom of the calendar to subscribe to the calendar so that the events appear on your personal device.

Add your Green Group to the Mycelium Map!

The Mycelium Map is a digital ecosystem for eco-groups to showcase their work and events. It’s open to everyone in and around the Chilterns working on climate and nature sustainability.

You can read about the map here: https://hedgerleywood.org/mymap/

Or check it out at: https://mymap.eco

Email [email protected] for information and the link you need to put your group on the Map.

If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.