Environment Group Meeting

The Fownhope Environment Group brings together village people and Parish Council to undertake activities that benefit the environment of Fownhope and positively impact climate and ecology. This year’s theme for our local work together is Habitats, though we also cover a range of local interests and activities relating to biodiversity, carbon reduction and climate.

Over the past few years the group has been busy – including:

• Setting up Fownhope’s popular Community Car Club
• Developing the always-ready-for-action ‘Fownhope Wheelbarrows’ group – taking on works that help care for our local environment
• Developing and promoting the village ‘Dark Skies’ policy and activities
• Supporting Citizen Science activities to assess pollution of local waterways including the River Wye
• Developing Fownhope Parish Council’s Declaration of a Climate Emergency – and working with local partners to put in place actions to support this declaration
• Arranging village visits to Envirosort, and liaising with Herefordshire Council to understand and share recycling opportunities locally
• Fundraising and coordinating the installation of the community EV charger that now lives beside the Pavilion
• Supporting the planting of local native plants in hedgerows of Freemans new build houses
• Developing a sequence of ‘Activity Sunday’ events that brought varied environmental experts along to the village
• … initiating conversations about the development of this very calendar as a resource for local activities.

Everyone is welcome to come along to our meetings – they are friendly and fun, and usually last about an hour – sometimes a little longer.

The group is currently co-chaired by Gareth Williams (from the Parish Council) and Kate Gathercole (from the local community).