Encouraging a Greener, Cleaner Berkshire

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We would like to highlight a few things that are happening nationally which we hope communities in Berkshire will get involved with and help support.

PLANT A TREE FOR JUBILEE
A unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 inviting people across the UK to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee” – running from
October 2021 – December 2022
Encouragement for everyone to be involved – individuals, community groups, schools, councils, businesses. Free saplings available from autumn 2021 from The Woodland Trust.

THE GREAT BIG GREEN WEEK
18 – 26 September 2021
A national week of celebrating action on climate change.

There are a huge range of ways for you to get involved and show up for your world. You can join the event in any way that celebrates the brilliant and unique work that you are doing in your community. For further details please click here.

THE GREENING CAMPAIGN
If we each make small changes to be greener and cleaner, those changes will again add up to make a healthy, richer happier future. We owe it to ourselves, our future children and our planet.
Would you like your Parish to be involved in this campaign?

For more details visit The Greening Campaign – Home (greening-campaign.org)

OPPORTUNITY FOR CREATIVE YOUNG PEOPLE IN BERKSHIRE

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Are you 18-27 in the Berkshire/Oxfordshire area, and interested in gaining mentorship from a creative industry professional?

Apply now to Creative Mentor Network’s new programme in partnership with Soho Farmhouse.

Find out further information here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7AEtXtwa9z8KH5wBUg-eHVIKJoNZPulQkRsBLAZchS3FT8Q/viewform

Deadline for applications has now been extended to Thursday 23rd September with interviews taking place on the 7th/8th October.

‘Keep It Simple’ – Rural councils and service providers call on government to ensure Levelling Up funds are allocated fairly, transparently and based on need

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News source; RSN Online

4th August 2021: The way in which the government is allocating funds for its flagship ‘Levelling Up’ programme is failing to properly recognise the needs of rural communities – according to new research published today by the Rural Services Network.

The report, Towards the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, finds that prioritisation of the Levelling Up Fund has favoured non-metropolitan urban locations, especially in northern England’s ‘Red Wall’, while many other areas of similar need are overlooked.

Large swathes of rural central and southern England, (and indeed northern rural areas) including those that received funds through previous EU-backed programmes, are now seen as a low priority.

Only 18 rural districts were placed on the government’s priority list of 123 local authorities for its Levelling Up Fund. This independent research shows that the number should have been as high as 27 if low standards of living in rural communities were properly accounted for.

The report’s authors, economists and researchers from Pragmatix Advisory, argue:

“The Levelling Up Fund is the latest in a line of UK government-funded programmes to disadvantage rural communities – partly the result of Whitehall’s choice of data on which they make their selections.

“Although detailed, the government’s complex algorithms for allocating funds remain partial, judgemental and, too often, confused.

“The Levelling Up Fund prioritisation framework, for example, considers the number of empty commercial properties, but does not account for the quality of schools. It looks at physical connectivity but does not take into account digital connectivity like broadband speeds or availability.”

To read the rest of this article please click here.

West Berkshire Energy Switch – Sign up to see if you can save

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West Berkshire residents are being invited to sign up for the autumn West Berkshire Collective Energy Switch and save on their energy bills.

The scheme runs in partnership with iChoosr. The Big Community Switch offers a no obligation collective energy switching scheme which gives people the opportunity to group together and pay less for their energy. Electric or dual fuel can be switched.

Approximately 12,400 households in West-Berkshire have registered for the scheme since it started, saving in total £701,745 and additionally enabling them access to renewable energy. Switchers in the last auction saved 112 tonnes of CO2 by switching to renewable energy.

Register with the West Berkshire Energy Switch scheme today to see how much money you might save by switching.

A reverse auction will be held on Tuesday 12th October where energy suppliers will compete with their best offers. From Monday 25th October, participants will receive their personalised offer for consideration.

Sign up online at https://info.westberks.gov.uk/communityswitch or if you don’t have internet access by calling 0800 048 8439. You’ll need to have your latest energy bill to hand, as details will be requested in the registration process.

This September PACT are inviting you to take steps to empower women!

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PACT is an adoption charity and family support provider which helps hundreds of families every year through outstanding adoption services and award-winning therapeutic support and inspirational community projects across London and the south of England.

Join this exciting step challenge and support PACT (Parents And Children Together) who through the Alana House projects supports 100’s of women from the Thames Valley who are facing multiple disadvantages.

About the challenge

The challenge is simple: choose a goal, donate or fundraise for Alana House and get stepping! You can do your steps any time through the month of September and any way you like, including walking around the house, doing the shopping, a morning run or a weekend walk.

To start the challenge, you will need to decide on your step target. There are three step options or you can choose your own amount:

Quick-stepper: 150,000 steps – that’s roughly 5,000 steps a day or around 15 miles a week.
Trail-blazer: 300,000 steps – that’s roughly 10,000 steps a day or around 30 miles a week.
Star-trekker: Half a million (500,000) steps – that’s roughly 16,600 steps a day or around 50 miles a week
Or choose your own amount!

Participants can do their steps however suits them, when it suits them and people can do them either individually or get together as team.

Registration for STEPtember is free for everyone. The challenge exists to raise money for Alana House so we do ask that you either donate what you can when you sign up, or ask family and friends to sponsor you through the challenge. You can sign up in a team or on your own and everyone signing up will receive a welcome email and a step tracker. To find out more and sign up: https://pactcharity.enthuse.com/cf/steptember