Looking for something to do over Easter? Barracks Lane Community Garden have an egg-cellent answer

Three great Easter holiday workshops taking place at Barracks Lane Community Garden - fun for children & adults! Book now!

Tuesday 3rd April: Carving, Outdoor Cooking and Upcycling under cover

11am-3pm. Nature Effect Eco-creative holiday workshops

Tuesday 10^th April: Making things out of clay - which will be fired on woodfired kiln.

11am-3pm. Nature Effect Eco-creative holiday workshops

Thursday 12^th April: Making a living willow dome for the garden - campfire cooking and upcycling indoors

11am-3pm. Nature Effect Eco-creative holiday workshops

A change from our previously listed programme these events are an opportunity for adults and children (aged 7 and over) to have a go at a range of eco crafts and learn new skills along with a little bushcraft thrown in. Each event will include cooking lunch outdoors and some additional specialist activities at the beautiful Barracks Lane Community Garden.

Places limited - advance booking advised. Cost £7 per person (adults accompanying a young person under 14 are free of charge), includes materials and refreshments. Bookings: thenatureeffect@gmail.com.

Bike day opportunity!

Oxford City Council are organising a bike themed day in Oxford on May 22 and have asked the CAG Project if any groups would like to come along and run a bike-themed stall or activity? There is no budget, and the structure of the day has not been confirmed, but if you are interested please email peter.lefort@resourcefutures.co.uk!

Free energy surveys from Kidlington vs Climate Change
Bookings for these surveys can now be taken for dates upto and including Tuesday 10th April. Book here, or call Steve Gerrish on 01865 379913.

The resources to pay for these surveys come from the government's Local Energy Assessment Fund, and a community interest company called Sustainable Home Survey Company has partnered with several groups in southern England and south Wales to offer free home energy surveys for their local residents. The groups partnered in Oxfordshire are Kidlington vs Climate Change and Sustainable Kirtlington. Available to tenants as well as home-owners. Bookings in the local area outside Kidlington & Kirtlington will be considered.

Unfortunately "free" these days sends out a signal that someone wants to sell you something that you probably don't want. What can I say? Time is running out. Book now to avoid disappointment!

Want to ‘Be The Change’?

See attached poster for more information

Climate Impacts Day – May 5 2012
Imagine a global movement, working together on one day to connect these dots -- each one a small bit of proof -- and show how climate change is a clear and present danger. On May 5, we’ll be holding a day of global witness that does just that. All around the planet, at spots where climate change is already cutting deep, people will be gathering to express their anger, and their hope that the world will find a better way. At every event, people will take a photo of a gigantic dot on a sign or banner -- each dot representing a local climate impact -- and we’ll connect up all the dots to issue a global clarion call for climate action.
Click here to learn more, and start or join an event near you for Climate Impacts Day on 5/5/12: www.climatedots.org

Bored of Google?

A search engine that helps save rainforests as you search. http://ecosia.org/

How many times do you use the word ‘Sustainability’?

According to this, it’s only going to get worse! Funny J http://xkcd.com/1007/

Want to set up your own veg box business? Try the Growing Communities Start-up Programme

April sees the launch of the next round of the Growing Communities Start-up Programme. As you are part of our mailing list, we thought we would email you first with advance notice of the launch.

What we’d like you to do

After reading all the details of the programme below. Please reply to this email stating:

a) I’m interested in applying for the programme – please keep me informed

b) I’m interested in the programme but have some further questions

c) I’m not interested in applying for the programme but would like to remain on your mailing list (and please let us know why the programme is not for you at this stage)

d) I’m not interested in applying for the programme and would like to be removed from your mailing list (and please let us know why the programme is not for you at this stage)

Growing Communities Start-up Programme

The programme helps local community groups to set up a viable social enterprise – a community-led box scheme – that will bring more local sustainable food into their community, support local farmers committed to sustainable food growing and provide a real alternative to the current environmentally damaging food system.

Growing Communities has a proven track record in running a successful and financially viable community-led box scheme here in Hackney and we want to help other communities to do the same. All the groups who took part in the previous round of the programme have successfully set up community-led box schemes in their area and are about to complete their first year of trading.

The content of the programme

On the programme you will get:

· A 3 day training workshop (including essential financial training),

· Access to all the tools, intellectual property and advice, developed by Growing Communities over the past 15 years;

· 18 months of mentoring (including financial health checks and telephone support) to take you up to the launch of your scheme and through to your first year of trading;

· Access to a sophisticated and tailored online toolkit;

· Access to a face book-style wall where you can communicate with Growing Communities and other start up groups;

· Access to an interest free loan to help with capital costs (if necessary).

Cost of the programme
An initial £450 deposit is required from groups to demonstrate their commitment to the programme. The total cost of the whole Start-up Programme is £4000 (tbc) per group. We will show our commitment to groups by only starting to charge the remainder of the fee once they have successfully reached their second year of trading. We would at that point agree a suitable schedule of affordable monthly payments. The fee is a contribution towards running costs and the money will be reinvested back into the Start-up Programme.

We can also offer help and advice in raising money to cover initial start up costs and have a small interest-free loan pot available to our start-ups.

Growing Communities has established the Start-up Programme because we believe that community-led box schemes are a practical and effective way to improve our food system. Getting involved would also enable you to learn new skills and create jobs and other opportunities for your community. We hope that you want to be part of this movement for change.

Liz Brownless for:

The Growing Communities Start Up Team

Start Up Office (Mon and Wed only ; leave message if no reply) 020 3556 2743

Main Growing Communities line 020 7502 7588