A Project Update
Did you know that Sustainable Wells is an organising group of individuals who care about the planet and who want to make a positive difference?
What do we organise? Well, that’s five projects, some of which you may know about, others you may not so read on for how each (in alphabetical order!) has been progressing so far this year and how you can join in to help them make an even bigger difference.
Freecycle
Piles of pre-loved possessions plaguing you?
Well plenty of people placed theirs in their boots and parted with them at our Freecycle event at the weekend. We were really pleased that so many people joined us to pass property onto others.
Our core aim is to keep resources out of landfill where they release harmful gases as they break down, by giving them a second life we delay that process and prevent tonnes of items from contributing to those gases.
Freecycling goods also slows demand for new goods which use lots of resources to produce, transport and distribute. Freecycling makes us reconsider whether we really need to buy "new" goods or use those already in circulation.
Of course our ultimate aim is to work together to prevent further harm to our most precious possession - our beautiful planet.
If you'd like to volunteer to become part of our ace Freecycling team please get in touch, we'd love to have you on board helping us build a community initiative that produces so many positive outcomes, and who doesn't like wearing hi vis a few times a year? Just email sustwells@gmail.com for more details.
So, whether you are bringing items, browsing for them or even supporting the event with some guided parking skills there's always the chance you'll find the very thing you need too.
Fresh and Good
Fresh & Good is the name of a group of keen but non-professional cooks who come together to prepare simple, local food in support of community events. We’ve cooked for various mayoral fund-raisers, a charity ceilidh and The People’s Picnic – an event that was part of last year’s Somerset Food Trail.
And of course, we provide the goodies for Sustainable Wells’ own Repair Cafés.
As part of last autumn’s Food Festival, we hosted a community lunch for representatives of many of the organisations that make Wells work. This event raised funds for The Lawrence Centre as we often use the centre’s kitchen to cook together, laugh a lot and sometimes even have a bit of a dance!
If you’d like to join us, get in touch…. we’ve been called ‘Goddesses of Temptation’ (on the basis of our cakes) but men can be goddesses too, we understand, so to volunteer and channel your inner ‘goddess’ just email sustwells@gmail.com
Make & Mend
Meeting on the last Wednesday of the month, Make and Mend is all about, well, making and mending! We ended last year making willow wreaths and decorating them with what nature provided, locally grown and foraged.
And this year got off to a cracking start.
What’s not to love about a warm room, a warm drink and sat round chatting while getting on with mending or making? There were experienced crafters and beginners, there was sewing, darning, knitting, embroidery and upcycling galore. It’s the crafty equivalent of a pot luck supper!
Next month we may get to see just what Tunisian Crochet is and how it’s done … and Hand Quilting too. Anyone is welcome to come along just make a donation towards the room hire (we suggest £3) and for your cuppa.
Repair Café
The Repair Café started 2024 on a repairing roll last Saturday! Lamps, hairdryers, chairs and a coffee machine were among the 28 items we fixed. In fact, if you can carry it to us, we’ll do our best to fix it!
We’re always on the lookout for new repairers and people to welcome the public. Our volunteers really enjoy the experience, as Marcella, one of our Welcomers says:
‘It is just a lovely feeling to know that, by facilitating these repairs, we are contributing to limiting and discouraging waste. And if in the process we also have the opportunity to make a connection with our local community, talking to like-minded people and enjoying a slice of home-made cake... surely everyone is a winner!’
The Repair Café meets on the last Saturday of every month except December, alternating between St Thomas’ Church Hall (odd-numbered months, with café) and Wells Library (even-numbered months, no café). Our next Repair Café is on Saturday 24 February at Wells Library. We look forward to seeing you there!
If you’d like to volunteer please contact Amanda at repaircafe.wells@gmail.com
Tor Hill Lane
Tor Hill Lane volunteers recently collaborated to construct a bug mansion, while following the guidance from a Somerset Wildlife Trust fact sheet. We sourced materials, including four pallets via Wells Community Noticeboard, generously collected by Naomi and Martin. Bricks were kindly provided by our local builder, Tony D'Ovidio, while other supplies were helpfully provided by the group.
Passersby expressed interest and offered encouraging comments as we worked on the bug mansion. To our delight, when we finished a charming robin perched on the structure, serenading us with a delightful song.
The Tor Hill Lane volunteers host occasional workdays and extend a warm invitation to new bug buddies eager to join our nature adventures. If you're curious to learn more or wish to become part of our volunteer efforts, please contact Maddy Milnes at maddy@milnes.myzen.co.uk We look forward to welcoming fellow nature enthusiasts to our community initiatives.
Marketing and Communications
Yes, we did say five but this is the ‘project’ which isn’t a project! You won’t see us out and about, weeding, baking, sewing, repairing or recycling but each week we pull together the Sustainable Wells blog, send you a newsletter and design the posters and flyers you may have come across. We also have opportunities for volunteers:
Help to Manage our Social Media - we currently post to Facebook and Instagram but we don’t have the time to really make the best of these platforms and reach as many people as we’d like to. If you’re a fan of them and have an hour or so each week let’s meet up to see how you can help.
Write A Blog - do you have an environmental something you’re passionate about which you want to share with others? Maybe you’re working on a project, want to organise a seed swop or would like to set students some homework to write 300 words about how they feel about the future of the planet. Which would be handy because blogs are usually about 300 words and we’d love to hear from some younger voices.
If this is something you’d like to do drop Deborah an email at sustwells@gmail.com with your idea and we’ll see if and how we can fit it into our calendar.