The Wasteless Society in Bishop's Castle - current situation
Dear Members,
There have been some recent changes to the Wasteless Society board of directors; Kaye Chambers has resigned, and Kate Evans and Rosa James have been appointed. I’m writing to introduce Rosa and myself, and to let you know what’s happening.
Firstly, Rosa and I want to extend a heartfelt thankyou to Kaye for all her hard work over the last four years, much of it unsung and unseen, as is ever the lot of volunteers. She was instrumental in getting the biodiesel to the Union St garage. She helped with grant applications and acted as secretary and dogsbody for the initial HES project, not to mention giving up her spare bedroom as the WS/HES office before we had the ‘shop’ or the Enterprise House office. Her support and work for the Wasteless Society has been fantastic and we very much hope she will continue to support our ongoing projects, even if from a greater distance than hitherto.
A little about Rosa and me. I live in Mainstone, and until recently was the local co-ordinator for the Household Energy Survey project (HES). I stepped down at Christmas due to personal circumstances and Rosa, who lives in Priestweston and is a long-time stalwart of the WS, took over while the hand-over to the new Light Foot Enterprises group was being organised.
As most of you will know, the successful HES project - begun and run by the Wasteless Society for the last two years - has now been handed over to an independent company called Light Foot Enterprises to develop and expand the service both here and in other communities. It is still based in Enterprise House and Dave Green will still be the main officer, with support from a co-ordinator and administrative assistant, both to be appointed shortly. Please note that the Wasteless Society will also still be at Enterprise House, so do keep dropping in!
While the WS will continue to deliver and support HES in our area, we no longer have the wider responsibility for running it and we can therefore begin promoting other worthwhile projects in our immediate community.
We have been acutely aware of the recent criticism in the local papers and though we absolutely refute the accusation of ‘complacency’, we do agree that there has been a lack of communication between the board and the wider group and we’re keen to rectify this and get things flowing again.
We’re promoting an open conference in late July or early August. We intend to have visiting speakers, exhibitions, and events, but most of all, we want ideas and presentations from anyone -inside or outside WS- for energy-saving, energy-production, climate conservation, environmental initiatives and micro-projects that we can promote locally.
We’ll discuss what’s needed, recruit helpers and take ideas. Please do come to air your views and get feedback from other members. We need to remind ourselves of our original purpose;
‘To promote the sustainable use of the earth’s resources’…
Especially in the Marches area (as well as beyond of course).
There will be more about all of this in the newsletter which is due out shortly. We just wanted to say hallo to you all first!
Yours sincerely
Kate and Rosa.
The Wasteless Society has moved its premises in Bishop's Castle to Enterprise House, Station St, SY9 5AQ. The hours of opening slightly different, Tues and Wed 1 till 5, Fri 10 til 1 . You are welcome to drop in for a chat or to ask questions during these hours.
