AN environmental forum has been held in Westbury which gave residents the opportunity to find out what groups and companies are doing to combat climate change, including current and upcoming environmental projects.
A number of stalls were set up that displayed the work that local groups are participating in, including the Wiltshire Climate Alliance and Connecting Chapmanslade – a community group that looks to link neighbouring towns and villages through sustainable cycle routes.
Chair of Westbury Community Area Board, Cllr Suzanne Wickham said “We had a brilliant mix of exhibitors and presenters and I am sure they will have gained lots of really useful information and taken away good ideas to help combat Climate Change. We would like to thank all of the people who visited the forum.
“This was the first in the series of engagements the Area Board will be hosting. We have changed how we work slightly this year and although we still have formal meetings to consider grant applications, we also want to engage more with residents, and host more of these informal style events, so keep an eye out for the next one!”
There were also talks from both the Wildlife Trust about their battle to clear the scrub from sections of the Bitham Brook on the River Biss, as well as a talk from Bratton Parish Council about plans to improve cycling routes and wildlife corridors.
Some of the ideas discussed in the talks included Bratton looking to set up a steering group with representatives from each neighbouring parish’s that would work to tackle the climate issue on a hyper-local level, as well as the Wildlife Trust looking for more volunteers for their river cleaning project.
Among the list of exhibitors were Avon Needs Trees (a charity that is buying land in the Bristol-Avon catchment area to reforest and rewild), Platinum Motors (selling a selection of hybrid and electric vehicles) and Meadow In My Garden (a seed company that works to make gardens bee-friendly).
Sticking with the theme of combatting climate change, the Cinnamon Lounge also provided hungry residents a selection of tasty meat-free snacks to munch on.
