The following report was delivered to the Annual Parish Meeting on 21 May, 2024. It summarises ZCC activities from April 2023 to March 2024 and looks forward to projects in 2024/25…
General
After discussions with the Environment Group and the Zero Carbon Collective, it was agreed that the two groups would merge. Energy Thermal Imaging Camera We have continued to host a Thermal Imaging Camera for the south-west Cambridgeshire area, on behalf of Cambridge Carbon Footprint. Individuals can borrow the camera for free to identify problems with insulation, draughts and damp in their homes. It has been in use most of the winter period. Repair Cafe We held two more very successful Repair Cafés during the year on 9 September 2023 and 13 April 2024. At the April one there was a 79% repair rate, our best ever. Jon Malins leads a team of five very enthusiastic local repairers, and other repairers who are part of the Cambridgeshire Repairers Register, allowing us to find more repairers if we need them, and specialists if necessary. Food WHAT IF YOU COULD buy fresh, great tasting food grown right here in the village? Biodiversity Perry Littleboy, besides providing information in the Village Voice each month, has been collating details of bird sightings in the area. We’re very lucky to have a pair of turtle doves back this year, a Red List bird. Clunch Pit Wood The wood is about 2 acres in area and was first cleared and planted in 2007 with money raised by villagers, a grant and local donations. Clunch Pit Wood is a slight misnomer since one important feature is its chalk grassland, scarce in Europe and largely occurring in East Anglia. Looking forward to 2024/25 Our next Repair Café is Saturday 7 September 2-5pm at the Old School Community Centre, High Street, Bassingbourn SG8 5ND. Lastly… We would like to thank the Parish Council for their support to help our community move towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The ZCC receives funding as part of the PC’s annual budget, without which we would not be able to run our projects. Find us on… Website: www.zerocarboncollective.co.uk Facebook: @zerocarboncollective Instagram: @zerocarboncollective Twitter: @TheZCC2020
Our website has continued to be updated. As we were aware that the carbon footprint of the internet is growing exponentially, and we didn’t want to contribute further, we worked to achieve accreditation under the Eco-Friendly Web Alliance’s scheme. As a result, the ZCC website has been certified as climate-positive by ensuring that it emits less than 1 gram of CO2 per page view and uses green energy to host the site.
Cllr Tracy Potter took over from Cllr Paul Catherall as our Parish Council representative in October 2023.
We updated our Terms of Reference in July 2023 and our Action Plan in March 2024.
We agreed to provide advice and guidance to the Parish Council on relevant issues.
To encourage more people to use the camera this coming season, we have taken a few exterior images of homes, a mix of ages and fabric types. We will be working with owners in the early autumn to show the benefits of using the camera and developing information for wider distribution.
Cambridge Carbon Footprint (CCF) with the support of Mackay’s and Drapers have built a new Toolkit, the third, and we were lucky enough to be one of the first users in April. We also have a Small Electrical Bin provided by SCDC, for those items which cannot be mended.
Our repair statistics are now uploaded to the Restarters Fixometer which will allow us to estimate the carbon emissions savings and the waste avoided by the activity of the Repair Café.
We need to thank the repairers, helpers and bakers for all their efforts.
Now you can … Libby is offering trail veggie boxes this summer. If you would like to try a veggie box please email Libby at libbyjanebarrett@outlook.com
WHAT IF WE COULD create a local food network that will help us all enjoy high quality, sustainable food, with a low impact on the climate, whilst enhancing the local environment and bringing the community together?
Now you can … if are interested in being part of BCFood please contact simon.saggers@googlemail.com
On 16 May, the ZCC hosted a Gardening for Wildlife Talk by Iain Webb (Community Conservation Officer for the Wildlife Trusts of Beds., Cambs., and Northants.). The well-attended talk showed us how our gardens can support biodiversity within the village.
An introductory meeting of the Nature Recovery Plan was held on 5 September. Ideas and opportunities to improve the biodiversity of the local environment were discussed. This will support SCDCs ‘Doubling Nature Strategy’, which has the ambition to double nature in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by 2050. We are using the Local Nature Recovery Toolkit from Natural Cambridgeshire as a framework to help structure our plan.
On 19 September, the ZCC hosted another well-attended talk on Swifts by Gavin Vicary (North East Herts Swifts). He described the migration behaviour of the birds, the nest boxes available and the use of electronic ‘screaming callers’ to encourage them to investigate your nest box.
Twenty new Swift boxes have been put up in the village, as well as a Swift cabinet for another 11 pairs which has been installed in the Church Tower. Look at Swift Mapper for details of activities.
A colourful Village Tree Trail has been developed and a map was inserted into the March edition of the Village Voice. Each of the trees on the trail have had labels attached to aid identification.
We thank Chris Holcroft and Dave Norris for their assistance putting up nest boxes.
Regular volunteer workparties have: maintained the current two main paths and established further lateral paths; overseen cutting and clearing of the meadow area; cut back brambles and maintained a south easterly view from the bench.
The upper meadow area is being maintained for best growth of chalk grassland wildflowers with increasing biodiversity. It is cut and cleared annually by our contractor to keep soil fertility low for the benefit of wildflowers over grasses. Clunch Pit Wood is well used by walkers, dog walkers, families and runners.
Lesley has met with Vince Lee, Conservation Officer of the Countryside Restoration Trust to discuss future ideas for Clunchpit Wood.
We plan to increase the number of swift nesting boxes in the village.
We will work with the Parish Council and other stakeholders to develop the “Nature Recovery Plan” (which will include the next phase of hedging/tree planting for the village).
Bassingbourn Community Food will increase the take up of the veg and salad boxes.
Clunch Pit Wood plans include contractor and volunteer work parties to maintain paths and create glades, cut back clumps of brambles and roses, and the pollarding of some willows.