How did Greening Chiddingly start?
In December 2021, following a call in the Parish News, a group of villagers concerned about climate change met in the Back Bar of the Six Bells pub in Chiddingly. At the time, the group had no name and no specific focus, other than a collective recognition that something needed to be done to respond to the climate crisis. At this first meeting it became clear that, while attendees wanted to be 'greener', they did not know how best they could change their lifestyle to reduce their carbon footprint. Attendees also wanted to see more environmentally-focussed activities in the village, in the hope that this would stimulate community action. Out of that first meeting, the Greening Chiddingly group was born.
Chiddingly church fete 2022. Image: © Mark Valleley
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Chiddingly church fete 2022. Image: © David Nash
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Who is involved?
Greening Chiddingly is an informal non-party-political organisation run entirely on volunteer power – in legal terms, we are an ‘unincorporated association’. Everyone in Chiddingly and surrounding villages is welcome to join in. You can do this by coming along to our meetings and events, or by simply keeping an eye on this website.
The group is open, inclusive and democratic. We have a Chair and Secretary, but we are effectively run by a loose Steering Group made up of members who are leading on different events or activities. You can read our Constitution and policy on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion below. We are always looking for new suggestions on how we can be most effective, so join in and make a difference.
The group is open, inclusive and democratic. We have a Chair and Secretary, but we are effectively run by a loose Steering Group made up of members who are leading on different events or activities. You can read our Constitution and policy on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion below. We are always looking for new suggestions on how we can be most effective, so join in and make a difference.
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Images of Chiddingly. Images © Trevor Thomas
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What do we do?
We use a range of approaches to raise awareness of climate issues and encourage our community to take action:
- Meeting regularly to discuss ideas and activities to make our community more sustainable.
- Providing practical, non-party-political and ‘non-preachy’ information on how individuals and households can reduce their carbon emissions (to mitigate climate change) and improve biodiversity (to adapt to climate change).
- Organising activities, including talks from inspiring speakers, open houses, field trips and community events to stimulate climate action.
- Working with Chiddingly Parish Council, the village school and local businesses to spread the climate message and encourage them to take action.
- Working with local farmers and landowners on initiatives to boost biodiversity and restore natural habitats.
- Keeping people up to speed with what’s happening through the Parish Newsletter and social media.
Cyclists on the Tour de Chiddingly 2023. Image: © David Nash
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Spring Seed Swap 2024. Image: © David Nash
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Governance and policies
You can read our Constitution and policy on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here.
Constitution (ratified 30 August 2022)
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy (ratified 30 August 2022)
Constitution (ratified 30 August 2022)
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy (ratified 30 August 2022)
Notes from recent meetings
In the spirit of transparency – and for the benefit of communities wanting to set up similar initiatives – you can find agendas and notes from our recent group meetings here.
2024
26 November 2024: Agenda
23 January 2024: Agenda and Meeting notes
2023
2022
19 January 2022: Meeting notes