Damian Connor who manages Integrate’s ‘The Woodhouse’ in Preston gave an inspiring talk about this social enterprise which is a member of the National Community Wood Recycling Network. It collects and reuses waste wood in the most environmentally beneficial way whilst creating jobs and training for people who’ve faced barriers to work – due to disability, addiction recovery or homelessness,

Rigorous adherence to Health and Safety and Safeguarding requirements mean that employees and volunteers can access construction sites to hand-load wood being rescued from the waste stream. Wood is collected in 3¹/₂ ton trucks which makes it a service 20-30% cheaper than how much firms pay for skips. When returned to the Stocks Road, Ashton depot it’s sorted by type, dimensions, its suitability for internal or external use.. Everything is stored undercover to retain its condition.

The Woodhouse makes items such as planters, birdboxes, kindling, tables, etc so that the people learn skills and grow in confidence and self-esteem. Some of the wood is sold on for reuse in DIY projects, schools, ‘Men’s Sheds’ and prisons. A small proportion is sent for recycling into wood chip, animal bedding or made into briquettes for use in power stations. Reusing wood is 10 times more carbon efficient than harvesting, milling, and transporting virgin wood.

Considering that deforestation is a major cause of climate change and that current timber certification schemes are inadequate for the protection of environments, social enterprises such as The Woodhouse based on a circular economy have much to offer.

There’s no disputing that government and industry has most responsibility for avoiding ecological breakdown but, as the ‘Take the Jump’ initiative tells us, people are not powerless in making a difference.
Research by the University of Leeds School of Earth and Environment, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group representing almost 100 of the worlds biggest cities and the global engineering consultancy, Arup  found that 27% of the changes needed can be made by individuals. But the focus for reductions in consumption isn’t on everyone as greater wealth leads to greater consumption.
‘Take the Jump’ suggests 6 different shifts are necessary whereas the relaunched ‘Preston Green Pledge’ offers up to 7 different areas in which either reductions in consumption or positive actions can be made to help make Preston a cleaner, healthier and greener city. These are under the themes of water, waste and recycling, transport, sustainable food, energy, nature and spreading the word with many suggestions for each category.
Everyone is invited to choose just one theme or up to seven then fill in the form to register their pledge.

After several months of planning, a Sustainability Festival took place at the end of May. Annie Wynn the Development Director of Let’s Grow Preston provided the logistics to the planning group for the festival to happen alongside the well-established annual Spring Fair at their Walled Gardens base next to Ashton Park. Funds were raised from a variety of sources including a People’s Postcode Lottery grant via Friends of the Earth to pay for a Marquee for stalls and the tech for short presentations from a range of speakers.

Topics covered the basics of climate change, the work of the Preston Climate Jury, tips for householders to be more energy efficient, the ambition of Trampower for a new local tramline and the progress of Retrofitplus as it works on the Brookfields estate to provide mentored green construction skill-sharing for young people. An update from Preston Pedals Ltd shared their expanding success in running led social rides, fixing bikes at a variety of community bases and passing on donated bikes. Community Energy Preston presented on the project to install rooftop solar financed by a community share offer. Cllr Suleman Sarwar PCC’s recently appointed Cabinet Member for Climate Change spoke of his vision for the role.

Several community organisations including a Ribbleton craft group had stalls. ‘Cosy Homes’ which advises householders and landlords on all funded schemes for saving energy were busy throughout the day. As well as promoting national Friends of the Earth campaigns, the CAP stall had a display of posters submitted by primary schools on ‘Our School’s Steps to Sustainability’.

The Sustainability Festival was a successful outcome from the recommendations by Preston Climate Jury to ‘harness the power of community to bring about change’.

Sheets of signatures on the ‘United for warm homes’ Friends of the Earth petition collected at CAP events have been sent to Mark Hendrick as he returned as Preston MP to Westminster.
In the debate after the Kings speech, Sir Mark spoke in favour of community energy projects and the benefits to come from Great British Energy.
FoE estimates that £6 billion a year is needed nationally to properly fund insulation schemes to curb heat loss from homes. In Preston 53% of homes are rated EPC D or below, that’s 22,765 households with unnecessarily high energy bills.  There are 25 ‘hotspots’ in the Preston constituency where incomes are below average but bills are above average.

CEP now has its own website with a brand new logo designed by a student at Preston College! communityenergypreston.co.uk

There were many events across Preston for the biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature at the end of September

Mayor of Preston Cllr Neil Darby who is a longstanding member of CAP welcomed children and staff to the Mayor’s Parlour from some of Preston’s Primary Schools which had created posters showing the environmental activities and achievements from the 21-22 academic year.
These were displayed at The Town Hall, Preston Climate Emergency Centre, The Larder Cafe and Intact Centre.

‘Sustainability Saturday’ took place at The Larder, PR1 1DD with the monthly Repair Cafe offering electrical and sewing/clothing repairs, alongside children’s Dragonfly craft using recycled materials.

A ‘Preston Pedals’ mechanic fixed several bikes FREE!
People enjoyed delicious food and drink from the cafe.

At ‘Preston’s Climate Emergency Centre’  32 Cheapside (Flagmarket), PR1 2AR, lifelong environmentalist and dedicated anti-franking campaigner Nick Danby gave a talk on why the climate emergency means the moratorium on fracking needs reinstating.

Senior Project Officer with Low Carbon and Renewable Energy at LCC Robin Jones gave a presentation on ‘Solar energy strategies’ showing how Preston Solar Action is aiming to put this community energy project into action.

Dr Julie Ridley who leads the National Lottery funded project ‘Preston Pedals’ facilitated discussion on how ‘Everyday cycling’ is a way to tackle climate change.

‘Cosy Homes’ and ‘Staywarm Energy’ offered energy-saving advice at The Intact Centre in Ingol. Staff member for Intact’s nature reserve ‘Dobcroft’ Ian Wright, gave a presentation ‘Nature’s Solutions to Climate Change’ followed by a walk round.

The ‘Green Choir’ which had only met 5 times under the leadership of Jon Aveyard of Preston Music Workshops, shared songs of nature and songs of humanity.

Members of the public signed the ‘Warm this winter’ campaign petition and made smoothies with donated fruit by pedal power.