Author: JW

The churches of the Sid Valley are doing a huge amount of work to inform parishioners and the wider community about green issues – in particular climate change. Back in 2019, a whole series of events were held at the different churches: Our Fragile Earth: ‘fantastic response’ to church-led talks – Vision Group for Sidmouth… Continue reading Churches champions

Earlier in the summer, Exeter launched its ‘Sustainability Awards’: New for 2022, the awards are a way to celebrate, support and recognise the sustainable practice and commitment of the businesses, organisations and individuals driving change across Exeter. Calling all eco heroes! It is rather official: Princesshay, Exeter City Futures, Exeter City Council, Exeter University, In… Continue reading Exeter Sustainability Awards: bona fide?

Next week, Devon will be a-buzz with libraries doing exciting things – including in Sidmouth: Libraries throughout Devon and Torbay will be bursting with free community events at an annual Fun Palace extravaganza. Libraries will be hosting the fun days on September 30, October 1 and 2 for people to experience something new.  · Japanese… Continue reading Sidmouth Library champions

There is a great local network when it comes to helping with mental health: Mental Health Support | Sid Valley HELP Mental Health and Wellbeing – Sid Valley Practice And one of these support groups they point to is the very accessible DRLC: Welcome to the Devon Recovery Learning Community A Recovery College provided by Devon Partnership… Continue reading Devon Recovery Learning Community champions

To quote from the homepage of the Sustainable Sidmouth Champions Awards website: “The Awards 2021 started with an inspired idea – and went on to a packed awards ceremony.” As for this year: “The proposal is to make the Champions Awards 2022 about the positive things people have taught and learnt – whether it’s offering… Continue reading Education for sustainability, education for hope

The Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan came out almost three years ago now: 19 November 2019 – Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan is now officially ‘made’ – East Devon And it included several ‘community actions’ on the environment: community-actions-july-2019.pdf Sidmouth Town Council was keen to follow these through – and so set up its environment committee to… Continue reading Town Council Environment Cttee champions

The growing SolarPunk movement is very much about creating a dialogue about a possible positive future – in other words, it’s very much about ‘education for sustainability, education for hope’: We now live in an era where pragmatism is a radical stance. Thus Solarpunk seeks to cultivate a positive, hopeful, vision of a future rooted… Continue reading SolarPunk champions

People really want to know more about the natural world – and the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group is very much about informing and engaging people: Our aimsMaking a measurable positive difference to the biodiversity of Sid Valley by:• Helping people to understand and celebrate the rich diversity of wildlife already present in the valley. People•… Continue reading Sid Valley Biodiversity Group champions

Welcome to Festival Town Sidmouth! And as with the BBC, one could say the remit is to ‘educate as well as entertain’. Five years ago, there was a gathering of festival groups to push the idea: 2017 Making Sidmouth a Festival town – Vision Group for Sidmouth And it happened again this spring – with… Continue reading Festival champions

We can indeed learn so much from our friends and neighbours – especially ‘in foreign lands’. This week, the Herald looks forward to the Twinning Circle moving ahead: Members of Sidmouth Twinning Circle are looking forward to welcoming residents of their twin town in Switzerland next year. Since 1984 Sidmouth has been twinned with Le… Continue reading Twinning Circle champions