Ashburton Futures Project'''
If you wish to join our mailing list - please contact: email your details here
ASHBURTON COMMUNITY BREAKFAST
A social event to be held on the last Sunday of each month through to the end of December and beyond. The idea is to make this a permanent fixture of Ashburton life, somewhere to meet other local people, to discuss whatever concerns you and to share knowledge and experience.
October 28th, November 25th and December 30th 9.30am - 12.00pm Ashburton Town Hall, North St, Ashburton
We are also endeavouring to put a low-energy lightbulb into every house in Ashburton, by way of awareness raising through actions. We made a good start last weekend on the main street which will be followed up by more street-stalls and by door-knocking.
We are looking at sites for community gardening.
The next meeting of the seeding group is Tuesday November 6th, 7.30pm, at the St John's Ambulance Hall, down the lane just off West St (between the animal charity shop and the vets).
FUTURES PROJECT BUSINESS MEETING
Friday 14th September '07 7pm: - dinner, bring-a-plate 8pm: - For the set-up of interest groups and a programme of events for the rest of the year
From Our 16th June 'Green Fair' at the Town Hall:
TIMELINE WISH LIST: initial ideas for an Ashburton Energy Descent Plan. (Look out for more researchers coming your way).
2007: - Library enhancement and Open more often - 1960's coffee bar for teenagers - Ashburton skills bank - boycott of designer labels, ie; no sweatshop garments! - gardening in school
2008 - premises for keeping supplies for community food co-op - local cinema, more films in Ashburton - extended times for bus service at night (x3)
2008/09 - local food market open in the evening - traffic plan: parking, routing, joined-up thinking
2010/15 - Managed workspaces so small-business people don't have to commute to find premises - less driving, more walking for short journeys - community owned allotments - Ashburton local wind generator station - Barter Market - community celebrations: singing, dancing - join South Brent recycle group - Self Build Housing scheme - Low energy street lighting scheme - Community grey water scheme - watermills - Town Hall powered by the Ash Burn 2017 - main transport realhorsepower and bicycles 2020 - most land around town used for growing food and medicine
Our 'green fair' on 16th June was very succesful, with a lot of people passing through the doors for most of the day.
There was a presentation by Devon Energy Efficiency Trust and a talk on passive solar energy; the Womens Institute had a stall; there was quite an emphasis on bags-other-than-plastic; SPARC provided an activity space where all ages could play with art materials; Trudi's Tea shop was a vital conversation and meeting space; there were various displays of local crafts representing some of the power-down initiatives that may well be needed in the future.
The time-line wishlist produced some good ideas which hopefully will be the basis of ongoing group action.
Ashburton Green Fair: Saturday 16th June. 10.00am - 3.00pm Ashburton Town Hall
It is the night before our first 'futures' green fair and we have plans to meet for breakfast at 8, then be ready to set up at 9. By the end of the day we shall have the beginnings of our next phase: developing working groups, liaising with different levels of local government and town-wide consultation. We will also be showing films around town in July.
We are also beginning to create a time-line, with ideas from all the households in Ashburton as to what they would like to see happening here in the next 15 - 20 years with regard, not only to the question of Peak Oik, but also any other areas that come up. This we hope will be the starting point of an Energy Descent Plan.
More shortly.
Ashburton, Devon, UK
These are very early days - our first meeting was on 4th December 2006 when the film about Cuba, The Power of Community, was shown. We also mentioned things like film evenings, eco-building, practical projects, links with the Awareness Centre, the Town Council, the St. Lawrence Chapel, a complimentary currency, permaculture, community gardens, eco-psychology, being involved in local projects, etc.
Our second meeting was a Brainstorming Session on Monday 15th January 2007 at the Bank Youth Project, 10 East St., Ashburton.
The following meeting was on Friday 2nd March and was a bring food and share occasion 7 - 10pm upstairs in The Methodist Church Hall. This was a more open sharing of ideas and enthusiasms social and networking occasion. We celebrated having organised and publicised a series of films, a factsheet about shopping locally, and our new logo.
The next meeting will be on Friday 13th of April''',at the Methodist Church Hall in West Street, Ashburton 7.28pm start, 9pm (prompt)finish, and an visit to the pub afterwards.
Please come to a meeting planning the Green Fair, at Leafy’s home: 3 Orchard Rd, by the back of Tuckers (postcode for googlemap is TQ13 7RL) on Thursday 19th April at 7pm, bring a cushion and food to share.
Ashburton Futures presented: The last in a a series of informative and inspiring filmson Sunday evenings in March & April at Ashburton Town Hall, suggested donation £3 (£1.50 conc.) on the night. The film starts at 7pm and is followed by discussion time and refreshments- Come and share your opinions, thoughts and visions!
SUNDAY 1ST APRIL ‘The End of Suburbia’- a film that looks at the dwindling supply of cheap energy in the form of fossil fuels and its effect on society. There will be a free low energy lightbulb giveaway before the film
Contact Emma on 01364 653752 if you need more info, or if you would like to lift share to an event.
We have an emailing list for those who want to be kept informed - please email your details here if you want to join.
Organised by ‘educating for sustainable communities’ with support from Transition Totnes