Monthly Archives: December 2019

New Schools Climate Emergency Network launched

New Schools Climate Emergency Network launched

A new network of schools taking collective action to help tackle the climate emergency has been launched in Bath and North East Somerset and the council is calling on more schools to sign up.

The B&NES Schools Climate Emergency Network’s first meeting was attended by representatives from more than half of all of the schools in the district, including primary and secondary schools from both the state maintained and independent sector.

The Network has been set up by members of Family Action on Climate Emergency (FACE), Councillor Tom Davies, Bursar of Monkton Combe School and Jo Marsh of the Palladian Academy Trust in response to the council’s Climate Emergency declaration in March.

The network has written a Schools Climate Emergency Declaration template for schools who want to show their commitment to the issue by making their own declarations and a number of schools are already in the process of doing so.

The first meeting also discussed the council’s initial climate emergency priorities which are increasing renewable energy generation, a major shift to public transport, walking and cycling and making new and old buildings as energy efficient as possible.

There were also presentations from three projects that schools can take part in right now, that align with each of the priority areas including the Energy Sparks energy monitoring programme, Mode Shift Stars school travel scheme, and Bath & West Community Energy’s search for new solar roof sites.

Councillor Sarah Warren, cabinet member for Climate Emergency, said: “It’s brilliant to see schools proactively pushing for collective action in response to the climate emergency that we declared in March. We applaud the creation of this network as we recognise the crucial role schools have to play in community leadership as well as education. I look forward to continuing to support the network and would strongly encourage other schools to join in and play their part in tackling the climate emergency.”

Tom Davies & Jo Marsh from the Schools Network said: “We had a fantastic turn out for our first meeting which shows how seriously the schools sector is taking this issue in our area and how determined we are to play our part in addressing it. Over the next few weeks we’ll be using the feedback from this meeting to develop the network going forward but we hope in the meantime that a large number of schools will adopt the Climate Emergency Declaration we have prepared.”

Schools interested in joining should contact Tom Davies at bursar@monkton.org.uk

Find out what the council’s initial priorities for the climate emergency are here https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/climate-emergency

Links to the projects:

https://energysparks.uk

https://www.modeshiftstars.org

https://www.bwce.coop/community-solar-2020

Families get the best present as they move into new homes in time for Christmas

Families get the best present as they move into new homes in time for Christmas

Families are moving into new homes in time for Christmas as the latest part of a major council home build programme nears completion. Southview Park is a scheme to provide 50 affordable and shared ownership properties in Trowbridge. The scheme is due to complete early summer in 2020 providing much needed housing in the area.… Read More…

Shepton Library set to stay put

Shepton Library set to stay put

Shepton Mallet library is set to keep its town centre location and be developed as a community hub, thanks to lots of hard work and generous community contributions. Somerset County Council expects to enter into a new lease on the current site and continue to work with the local Library Friends Group, the Town Council… Read More…

Thank you for making a difference this Christmas

Thank you for making a difference this Christmas

Residents in Bath and North East Somerset are being thanked for their fantastic response to the campaign to donate books to people in the community who might not otherwise have received a Christmas present. More than 2,000 books have been donated to the council libraries’ Gift a Book campaign and have now been distributed as… Read More…

Enjoy New Year festivities responsibly

Enjoy New Year festivities responsibly

With New Year festivities less than a fortnight away, residents across Bath and North East Somerset are being encouraged to enjoy the celebrations responsibly. Bath & North East Somerset Council is urging people who plan to ring in the New Year by letting off fireworks to do so responsibly and think about pets, animal welfare… Read More…

Robot revolution in Somerset classrooms

Robot revolution in Somerset classrooms

Somerset County Council is taking a trail-blazing lead in the use of robot technology to help poorly children back into the classroom. In the biggest initiative of its kind in the country, the council has invested in 50 AV1 robots to support children who can’t be in school – whether it’s because they are sick… Read More…

Food waste? No waste!

Food waste? No waste!

The fascinating transformation of food waste collected in Bath and North East Somerset into electricity to power thousands of homes in the area with nothing going to landfill is now available for residents to see for themselves in a new video. The council has partnered with recycling and renewable energy company GENeco to show people… Read More…

Ignyte Ltd. Reg number 7125489. Registered in England and Wales. Registered address: Bathway Farm, Bathway, Chewton Mendip, Somerset, BA3 4LN | Refund Policy | Privacy Policy | Payment Terms