Sustainable Ottery

A local response to global change

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Newsletter August 2008

Sustainable Ottery: Ottery St Mary’s response to climate change, carbon footprints and peak oil.

Welcome to the August edition of the
Sustainable Ottery Newsletter

Sustainable Ottery Food group is having a BBQ, Sat 6 Sept, 4-8pm

It will take place at Carolyn and Paul Bellinger's farm (growing seasonal farm produce, sold locally) at Oak Lodge just outside Ottery. We will walk there along the Ridgeway footpath (meet at the allotments at 3.30 pm).
There is limited parking at the farm so please let us know if you need to drive.
Bring something to drink + BBQ. Salads, summer veg and marinades provided.
£2.00 pp donation to Sustainable Ottery funds.
Numbers are limited so please reply to saraedrew@uwclub.net if you would like to come. Partners and children welcome but do remember it is a working farm.

Grow it, cook it evening, Fri 26 Sept 7.30pm, The Institute

The Food Group is currently planning this exciting event. Further details will be provided in SO’s September newsletter. In the meantime, please put this date in your diaries. You can contact SO’s Food Group via info@sustainableottery.org.uk

Tale Vale Food Project

Are you interested in participating in a project to re-skill local people in growing, storing and preparing food? Do you want to help develop community self-sufficiency in the face of rising oil and food prices and global warming? Phil Foggitt is developing a project to do just this. The plan is to develop courses for adults and sessions for children on plant cultivation, food preparation and preservation in the walled garden at Escot, using a demonstration site and small resource centre. Other plans for the project include autumn harvest celebrations and food audits of OSM residents. The intention is to apply for 3-year funding from the Lottery’s Food Fund and other foundations. Sustainable Ottery is supporting this initiative but the SO steering group is recommending that the management and finances of the project be kept separate from SO because of SO’s limited capacity at present.

So Phil is looking for interested individuals to get involved in the project in various ways and participate in a project Steering Committee.

All those interested should contact Phil Foggitt phil@foggitt.freeserve.co.uk Tel 01404 851048

Sustainable Ottery Community Market, Saturday 30 Aug 9.30 – 12.30

Our monthly Community Market has now been running for four months and is proving extremely popular. More people than ever before passed through our July market in spite of school holidays etc….Stalls vary from locally grown plants, vegetables, flowers, jams, and pizzas to handknitted cardigans, reconditioned tools, and bonsai trees. Plus tea, coffee and delicious home-made cakes from the WI.
So don’t miss our next Community Market on Saturday 30 August.
If you would like to have your own stall (charge = £3) or would be willing to help with the set-up or the clearing up, please phone Beatrix Godfrey on 01404 812 213.
We urgently need more helpers for the Aug and Sept markets as Beatrix is away.

A Date for Next Year's Diary : `Ellingtonia’, Fri 13th Feb 2009

Sustainable Ottery has managed to book 'Ellingtonia', a stunning 9-piece band to play in the Parish Church next February - thereby promoting local entertainment without car journeys to Exeter or more distant towns. Ellingtonia specialise in playing Duke Ellington music and give a spectacular performance. If you would like to hear 'Mood Indigo' or 'Take the A Train' just one more time then come along! All proceeds will be shared between Sustainable Ottery and Churches Together in Ottery.

Sustainable Ottery Governing Document

The final version of our new Governing Document has now been posted on the SO website.
To view it, please visit: http://www.sustainableottery.org.uk/#/sogoverningdocument/4530303192
This will be used as the basis for setting up a Sustainable Ottery Community Interest Company, enabling us to start applying for funding from external sources.

Factory Future Group news

The Group has managed to secure a meeting with officers from the planning department of East Devon District Council on 11 August. It is hoped this meeting will initiate a dialogue with EDDC over the plans and development of the factory site.

Energy Group

Following on from the informative talk by Peter Addie regarding renewable energy, a group from Sustainable Ottery and supporters are making a visit to his home on 6th September to see what he has achieved. Hopefully we’ll all be inspired to follow his lead and with energy bills going through the roof, there is no time to delay!
Also, if you think that turning off some of Ottery’s street lights over night would be a good idea, then come along to our next meeting to find out more. It’s on Tuesday 9th September at 7.30 p.m. at 35 Oak Close, OSM (please ring 811067 first, in case there is a change of time/venue etc.)

Art and Creativity Group. Sadly the meeting on the 23rd July attracted no one! So for now this is a group that is waiting for its moment to come. If anyone is interested at any point, please contact SO (info@sustainableottery.org.uk) and ask for messages to be passed to Clive Essame.

Next SO Steering Group meeting – 7.30pm, Thurs 21 Aug. Ever hopeful of a balmy summer’s evening, we’ve decided to hold SO’s August Steering Group meeting in Phil’s garden in Feniton (or in his house if the heavens open). All welcome!
If you’re approaching Feniton from Ottery, bear right at that first sharp corner as you’re coming into Feniton and you’ll find no. 2 Bridge Cottages up there on the left. Phil’s address: 2 Bridge Cottages, Feniton, EX14 3BR.
phil@foggitt.freeserve.co.uk  Tel 01404 851048/07721993974

The Sept Steering Group meeting (on 18 Sept) will be back in the URC hall in Ottery (behind the URC church opposite the Co-op supermarket).

Sustainable Ottery welcomes new members. Anyone interested in finding out more or in joining one of the working groups (energy, resources, food, art and creativity, transport, factory future, communications and awareness raising) can e-mail: info@sustainableottery.org.uk. See www.sustainableottery.org.uk for future events.

Please pass this on to any relevant contacts you have. If you would like to be removed from the mailing list please let us know.