Author Archives: TTL

GIYO – NEXT STEPS

Posted on by November 29, 2018

The GIYO group began due to people coming to the Growers’ Market stall to ask for advice about starting a veg plot. Having helped several people to get started by visiting their plots/gardens, it was decided that a support group would help. That is the GIYO group we now have. Spreading the word is a key element of the work of both Garden Organic and Transition Town Letchworth of which GIYO are a sub group. A review of the 2018 GIYO programme revealed that the most attended meetings were at the beginning and end of the year and one roughly in … more

Is hot weather evidence of Climate Change?

Posted on by September 14, 2018

I’ve been having conversations with all sorts of people, starting with the question “Are your friends linking the hot weather to Climate Change?” Responses are mostly either “Not really” or “Yes a bit” I’ve followed up “Not really” with “What do you think would have happened if you had asked them that question?” Answers varied from “I wouldn’t” to “I don’t know” and the conversation developed from there. I continued “Yes, a bit” with “Did those folk express any interest in doing anything about it?” Mostly “No” to which I said “What do you think would have happened if you … more

Books to Schools to Tackle Plastic Problem

Posted on by July 19, 2018

A mother of four has written a series of books to help educate children about the impact of plastics on ocean ecosystems and a grant from North Herts District Council’s Letchworth Area Committee has been given to the Plastic Free Letchworth Project to provide a copy of these books to all the primary schools in Letchworth.Ellie Jackson, who lives by the sea in Looe, Cornwall, wrote her first book while living in Australia. It was inspired by a year spent on a tropical island, during which she and her family saw a turtle being released back into the ocean after a year of … more

Letchworth Cyclists Feedback on The Heritage Foundation Cycle Strategy Consultation

Posted on by July 11, 2018

In June 2017 Letchworth cyclists produced a plan for a cycle network for the town. This plan was provided to the Heritage Foundation and their consultants who they tasked with producing a cycle strategy for Letchworth. Three members of the team who produced the cycle network plan participated in one cycle ride with the Heritage Foundation consultants but the Letchworth cyclists have not been asked to provide any other input during the development of the Heritage Foundation Letchworth Cycling Strategy. The team of cyclists who produced the cycle network plan have reconvened to review and respond to the Heritage Foundation Letchworth … more

Letchworth Festival Children’s Art Competition

Posted on by July 15, 2018

Prizes were awarded for the Letchworth Festival Children’s Art Competition at last Sunday’s Park Live event by Vice-Chair of the Council, Councillor Green. Transition Town Letchworth sponsored this year’s competition, which had the theme of Plastic Free Letchworth. There were 371 entries and these were displayed throughout the Festival in the Community Museum and the Garden City Shopping Centre. Seven schools took part in the competition along with a Rainbow and Brownie Unit. Diane Ketcher, who helped judge the competition, said “The artwork has been full of important messages which the children wanted to share. It was quite a challenge to choose the winners”. Woolgrove schools … more

Achieving a Resilient Town Centre

Posted on by June 20, 2018

This months Transition Tuesday Talk was themed on Letchworth achieving a resilient town centre. In December last year Transition Town Letchworth published a report exploring how the town centre could develop. At the meeting the ideas in this report were considered alongside findings from a recently published LDC report on high street health and some local data that LDC had provided in a study commissioned by Letchworth Heritage Foundation. We had an interactive evening where we considered the trends in retail and leisure services both nationally and locally. We identified existing attractors in our town centre and ideas for the future town centre. What … more

Plastic Free Letchworth at the Food Festival

Posted on by May 31, 2018

The Plastic Free Letchworth team were out at the food festival this Saturday. We had been busy the week before exploring the easiest method for making beeswax wraps to replace cling film and made up beeswax wrap kits for people to purchase on the day. We also had some re-usable material snack bags and net bags for buying loose fruit and veg on the stall. It was great talking to people about what changes they had been making to reduce their dependance on plastic. For example, it turns out small squares of reusable baby wipes also make great re-usable make-up cleansing cloths. … more

Walk To School Week

Posted on by May 30, 2018

Our last Tuesday talk was about learning how messages and learning can be shared through storytelling. Peter, one of our trustees is keen to explore storytelling and linking in with National Walk to School week, 21st to 26th May, he has written a short story which reminds us of the pleasures of a journey by foot, where we can explore the world and talk with friends and neighbours. Walk to School?! By Peter Willcox Euch! Said Ollie, “What’s that!” That was a brown mess, crawling with tiny, white wormy things. “Oh dear,” said Alice, Ollie’s Mum, “It’s a dead bird, a … more

Plastic Free Letchworth Project Update

Posted on by May 16, 2018

It’s good to see that reducing our plastic use is still in the news with national initiatives likely to lead to the end of plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers. As we talk to people about the Plastic Free Letchworth project we hear about changes people are making in their own lives as well as changes being made in their workplace and business. There is a growing understanding that the solution to the plastics problem will involve us changing what we do as individuals as well as businesses changing. Locally, lots is happening. The cupcake company on the Wynd have been … more

Chris Collins delivers the Letchworth’s Grow It Yourself Organic Spring Talk  

Posted on by May 12, 2018

As we see the first small glimmers of spring, Letchworth’s Grow It Yourself Organic group invited members of the public to join them at their Spring Talk. The speaker this year was Chris Collins, the Head of Horticulture at Garden Organics. Chris regularly appears on television gardening shows and is busy preparing a display garden for the Chelsea Flower Show. It was great to see a packed hall for the talk, all we need now is warmer weather so we can get out into our gardens Chris talked about his time as Westminster Abbey’s Head Gardener. He explained how he … more