Many thanks to Sandra at Shepreth Wildlife Park for creating our beautiful logo.

You can find Sustainable Shepreth on Facebook, and contact us at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com to join our mailing list

Reduce, re-use, recycle:  We now have two red bins outside the village hall to take waste that cannot go in the blue bins and continue to work with other villages and more widely to shape our initiative here. 

Old School Field (OSF). We have been formally delegated by the Parish Council to develop the OSF, with the Parish Council having final approval on all development. 

Our aims are to encourage residents of all ages to use and enjoy this communal space and to improve the village’s biodiversity. We’d love you to get involved.

Built environment and energy:  We are supporting the Parish Council in shaping the parish's plans for Community Energy and for upgrading the Village Hall for energy efficiency. See our updates in this section

Nature, Creativity and Wellbeing:  We are partnering with Shepreth Wildlife Park to encourage a village-wide Hedgehog Highway and other ways to support wildlife conservation in our village. We are also exploring ways in which we can work with Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination , Happy Bunnies Nursery and our local primary schools.

Sustainable Food. What food should we or could we eat that is affordable, good for the environment and good for us? How can we make sure this is available to people, and also minimise food waste? How can we support local food producers and regenerative farming practices?

Sustainable Travel. This is a new role looking for a lead. What could we do to help everyone in the village travel in a way that is sustainable for the environment and affordable and manageable for them. How can we make sure that everyone is able to get to work and access the services and leisure activities that they want and need.

L-Moor.  We have three volunteer wardens and organise working parties between October and March; and creative / mindful activities in the spring and summer.

We continue to look for other villagers who are interested in supporting our work.  Please take a look at this information site or our Facebook group, or get in touch with Elisabeth Goodman Spain on 07876 130 817 or at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com to find out more.

You can simply turn up and help with specific events, or you can get more deeply involved.

Our sub-groups include: 

• Old School Field 

• Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

• Built Environment & Energy 

• Nature Recovery

• Water Resilience

• Sustainable Food

• Sustainable Travel

We also have three villagers who are volunteer wardens of the L-Moor.

You can read more about these projects in the Church and Village newsletter, on this information site, and on Sustainable Shepreth on Facebook

Please get in touch with Elisabeth on 07876 130 817 or at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com to find out more, or to get involved in any of our activities.

Open up this online programme for the timings of talks and further details.

View the recordings of the talks here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVd4DAOUwBupmni5WPMOLwuOeTPmmWuzs

Click on the pdf to see two pages, including details and guidelines for the Swish

We are offering repairs for electricals, electronics, mechanical, sewing and jewellery. Please book items in for repair using the following link: https://bit.ly/sheprethrepair24

Bring your clothes (adults and children) for the Swish from 1pm.

Doors open (and refreshments and cake available) at 2pm.

Offers for help with helping on the day eagerly received!

How does a Repair Café work? If you have items that need mending, bring them along to our Repair Café. A free event where you can learn a little about your broken item while a volunteer repairer assesses it and, where possible, does a fix while you watch how it’s done! We will be using a booking system, but drop-ins may also be possible - more to come on this.

What is a Swish? It’s a clothes exchange! Do you have a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing you want to wear, time for a spring clear-out or a chance to find a new look, sustainably? Bring your clothes (adults’ or children’s clothes) to our Swish! You can bring and take as many clothes as you like.

Tea and cake will be available.

Cash donations would be very welcome!

Venue: Shepreth Village Hall, 2 Station Road Shepreth SG8 6PZ

We are delighted that we will be having a representative from Cambridge County Council's waste management centre at our Eco Fair on Saturday 6th January, at 10:00 - 1:00 pm

And we will be helping you to recycle through such activities as Christmas tree chipping (in the Village Hall car park), and making hats out of old Christmas cards with the children from Barrington School's Ministry for the Environment.

Do take a look at our poster, and our programme on this information site to find out more, and to plan your visit on the day

Learn about climate change and the practical steps we can take to make our homes greener.

Jonathan Gregory is a climate expert and professor who has made changes to upgrade his own house to a ‘SuperHome’. He'll be talking about his work as a high level climate scientist, as well as giving practical tips on the changes we can make to our own homes to make them energy efficient and more sustainable.

Jonathan Gregory is a climate scientist, with interests in climate modelling and sea levels. He is a professor and senior scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science in the University of Reading, as well as a Met Office Science Fellow in climate change at the Hadley Centre.

This event was streamed live from Cambridge Central Library to public libraries across the Living Knowledge Network

This event was part of Libraries Week, an annual showcase and celebration of the best that libraries have to offer. 2023's theme was Green Libraries celebrating the work going on in libraries across the UK focused on sustainability and climate change.

Contact us at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com for a (roughly) monthly email with our news and upcoming events. You can unsubscribe at any time.

1. Chair - Elisabeth Spain

2. Vice Chair - Steve Swain

3. Secretary / Membership - vacancy

4. Treasurer - Bernice Richards

5. Old School Field - Patrick Fletcher

6. Reduce, Re-use, Recycle - Patrick Fletcher

7. Built Environment & Energy - Elisabeth Spain

8. Nature Recovery - Jon Spain

9. Water Resilience - Nick Mann

10. Sustainable Food - Jonathan Spain

11. Sustainable Travel - Cheryl Frances-Hoad

12. General Support - Lindsay Healy & Paul Kottas

Potential future work stream: Wellbeing

Also, L-Moor volunteer wardens - Bob Race, Felicity Norman, Elisabeth Spain

Meet outside Shepreth Village Hall at 6:30 pm on Thursday 16th May.

Bring your own high viz jackets and gloves. Litter grabbers and bin bags will be provided.

The report was reviewed at the 15th April Parish Council meeting who agreed the following: to apply for a grant for a consultant and a feasibility study on potential next steps for community energy.

Please get in touch at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to be kept personally informed about progress.

We received a grant from the Parish Council in our first year and have since raised all our funds through donations.

If you'd like to make a donation it will help us to do more and will be much appreciated.

Scan the QR code with your phone, or use this link, https://bit.ly/sustainablesheprethdonations and then choose the amount you wish to give

• “An amazing exhibition.  Thank you for looking after all the wonderful photos and stories”

• “A great collection of images, poetry and art”

• “Lovely to have such a range of history…and in the setting of our wonderful, peaceful little church”

Your donations will be equally split between Sustainable Shepreth and the church.

--------------------------------

Join in with a week of arts & craft activities and see your work exhibited in the church! (individual & family projects welcome)

Daily sessions in the church to work on your entry Mon 5th-Thurs 8th August 2-4pm, Fri 9th 10am to 4pm

Entries exhibited 10th & 11th August

Entry forms available

Or collect a paper copy from The Plough or The Wildlife Park

For info email: sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

Here's the background:

We have been recycling computers in Great Shelford since 2003. The initiative was initially set up by Mike Goater, the then vicar of Great Shelford. When he left to move to Salisbury (as he said, the one in Wiltshire, not Southern Rhodesia), I (Mike N.) took over responsibility for the recycling.

It's important to note that our main aim has always been recycling to prevent computer hardware going to landfill and only as a secondary objective to raise money or whatever for local charities. Having said that, over the last couple of years we have done the following:

• During COVID we refurbished and donated over two dozen laptops for home schooling.

• We have also provided laptops to local pensioners and Ukrainian refugees.

• We refurbish half decent laptops for sale on eBay and so far have donated over £1,200 to Arthur Rank Hospice Charity.

• We also have raised over £400 through recycling of inkjet cartridges for Tommys (and prevented 50Kg of cartridges going to landfill).

Anything which we cannot use locally is collected by a partner in Watford who does further work to enable hardware to be reused for charities and schools.

Finally, if the hardware really cannot be used, our partner is a licenced waste carrier and will properly dispose of the remaining hardware.

Our plans include a small community orchard, wildflower areas, a nature trail with Forest School-type activities, additional pieces of play equipment, picnic benches and a path around the field to allow access for prams and wheelchairs.

Our aims are to encourage residents of all ages to use and enjoy this communal space and to improve the village’s biodiversity. 

We’d love you to get involved, by providing wildflower seeds (ask us for details and to find out how), helping with planting and care of the orchard, or in any other way.

Contact us at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

But the emphasis was very much on us all doing our best to reduce our waste, eg. using reuseable cups when visiting coffee shops and buying produce without plastic packaging.

Did you know that globally 25 to 30% of food produced is lost or wasted?

The event is led by the three volunteer wardens from the village, with support from the Wildlife Trust.

Please wear suitable clothing with strong boots or shoes and gardening gloves if you have them. Also, bring a hot drink or water. No previous experience is needed - although if you have some that will be a bonus!

Tools, gloves if needed, and instruction will be provided.

Please contact sustainableshepreth@gmail.com if interested

Shepreth Community Energy Project started late in 2023 as a joint Parish Council and Sustainable Shepreth initiative to see if a community energy project might be suitable for the village. Other villages, with similar schemes were consulted and their experience provided useful guidance on the way forward. An energy usage survey was carried out in March this year to determine current energy use and views on a community energy project.

The almost 90% support for a community energy project encouraged us to apply for a grant to appoint an energy consultant to provide an expert view of what kinds of energy solutions might prove beneficial to Shepreth; their cost and how to finance them; the positive and negative environmental and social impacts; and the best ways to make sure we were providing something of benefit to all the community.

We then sent a formal expression of interest to the Community Energy Fund (CEF), part of the Greater South East Net Zero Hub, and within a couple of days were in touch with Dr John Moore - an independent contractor appointed by the CEF. Dr Moore's role was to guide us through our grant application to ensure it had the best possible chance of success. We are now working within a framework of suggestions from Dr Moore with the aim of submitting our grant application in October 2024.

If the grant application is successful, we will appoint a community energy consultant who, as stated above, will advise us on what schemes might suit Shepreth. Once we have that we will take a full package of information on costs, risks (financial, environmental, and social) to the PC for consideration. If the PC wishes to move forward with any possible scheme, we will then take the whole package of information, plus PC views on it, to the village for approval/rejection.

If, at the end of this process, we have a project, supported by the Parish Council, Sustainable Shepreth and the village, we will then move to the development stage.

Shepreth Parish Council

It will be a multi-generational event, celebrating and finding out about our work in the village.

Take part in children crafts, discovery trails, and other activities supported by the local primary schools.

Visit our “Imaginarium” for “Hopes and promises for the future”, building something together that represents community and resilience, using craft materials.

Bring your children’s books and toys (in good condition) to swap with others, your Christmas trees for repurposing, your bicycles for security marking.

Claim a Sustainable Shepreth champion’s badge for pledging to support hedgehogs, keeping our streets litter free, for water management and/or aiding biodiversity.

View the historical WI and Margaret Collins collections, and displays on the work of Friends of the River Shep, and the L-Moor in our quiet / reflection room.

Come for a hot or cold drink, cake and savoury snacks and a chat!

Entrance is free. Donations will be welcome.

Please get in touch if you are interested at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

This section is for news and views about anything ranging from greener packaging of everyday food products to household electrical items that have built in repairability on to electric cars, advantages and pitfalls to look out for. Which? magazine, amongst other things assesses the reliability of electrical goods: the longer things last the less recycling is necessary. Interestingly, they say that it's difficult to advise on the most repairable products so concentrate on reliability.

• Shepreth Wildlife Park - https://sheprethwildlifepark.co.uk

• Philimore Garden Centre - https://www.phillimoregc.co.uk/contact

• The Plough, Shepreth - https://www.theploughshepreth.co.uk

• Wrights Mower - https://wrightsmowercentre.co.uk

• Storigraphic - https://storigraphic.com

• Wood, Wool, Wild - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1248778239087371/user/61554538140515/

• The Green Man - https://www.facebook.com/Greenmanshepreth/?locale=en_GB

• Eltek - https://www.eltek.com/uk/

• Happy Bunnies Nursery School - https://www.facebook.com/happybunniesnurseryschool/

• Docwra's Manor Garden - http://www.docwrasmanorgarden.co.uk

It means a lot!

We carried out a village-wide survey in early 2024 aimed at identifying current energy use and conservation measures in Shepreth and Frog End.  This led to our applying for a Community Energy Fund grant for a consultant to thoroughly assess the parish’s current and future needs with a view to securing our own green and sustainable energy resource.  This could be a solar/wind farm; discounted solar panels for rooftops; community air or ground sourced hot water; and refurbishment of buildings to make them more energy efficient.  We were informed on 9 January that our application was successful and work with SCENE CONNECT LTD will commence in the spring.

In addition, we are currently applying for two grants to cover the cost of refurbishment of the Village Hall to use it as an exemplar and exhibition centre for the village and surrounding parishes.  The Village Hall would be used to demonstrate the pros and cons of: solar panels and storage batteries; external wall cladding; cavity wall cladding; double glazing and loft insulation.  More importantly, it would provide guidance on how to embark upon, and finance, individual projects.

Did you know that our River Shep is one of only 200 chalk streams in the WORLD? And that these rare and beautiful streams face an existential threat?

Find out more at a special free screening of award-winning short film PURE CLEAN WATER - The Chalk Streams Crisis in Greater Cambridge on Sunday 6^th April at Haslingfield Village Hall, from 7 pm.

The film reveals the water emergency facing the Cambridge area, including our villages, and asks how this can be resolved without further damage to the environment.

“A superb documentary which every developer, politician and consumer should watch. Unmissable!”  - Cambridge Independenti

For more details and to book your free ticket, go to https://bit.ly/PureCleanWater6Apr25or use the QR code provided.

Suitable for age 12+.

Co-sponsored by Sustainable Shepreth, Friends of the River Shep, Haslingfield & Harlton Eco Group,

and we’ll share out the village routes between us.

Wear suitable clothing and a hi-vis vest.

We will provide gloves, bags and litter grabbers.

All welcome but children under 16 should be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Any queries contact

sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

Perils of plastic

The internet tells us that about 9 billion tons of plastic has been produced so far. That is about a ton for each person alive today. 80% of it is in landfills or elsewhere such as in the soil and in the sea.

We are reassured by our recycling bin.The recycling numbers on the bottom of containers say which recycling process to use, right? There are only 6 numbers, how difficult can it be?

Well, very difficult and not something that apparently troubled those who introduced the single use PET (polyethylene terephthalate, number 1) bottle in 1978. Because of our throw away culture PET particles are found everywhere on the planet, even in remote lakes of Tibet. Lightweight, but lasting 500 years.

Hardly any PP (polypropylene, number 5) is recycled because it is hard to recycle economically. You will find it as tubs containing your margarine, ice-cream and yogurt. Plastic bags and wrapping film (number 4) are also hard to recycle. Do you burn un-recycled plastic, releasing greenhouse gases, put it in landfill, thus poisoning the land (many plastics contain toxic chemicals), or send it abroad? 

Actually, transparent PET (colouring it is a problem to recyclers) is relatively easy to recycle but it has taken almost 50 years for us to get round to it. And, of course, it has to be collected first and rather depressingly, 40% of the PET bottles in the UK seem to elude the blue bin. RPET, recycled PET, is at last being used as part of plastic bottles, reducing the amount of PET made from fossil fuel.

What can we do? We can look for bottles or containers made with RPET or, better, made from cardboard or paper. Buy loose if possible. Ironically, encourage people to use the recycling bin!

Check out the South Cambs waste disposal website https://www.scambs.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/what-goes-in-which-bin, and the notices by the red bins at our village hall, for more guidance on how to dispose of plastic and other waste.

By Patrick Fletcher

The notes here are based on Rob's very helpful instructions as we did this work.

Thanks to everyone who joined in - Rob, Jon, Patrick, Jason, Rama, Paul, Bob, Steve and myself (Elisabeth)

On Saturday 10th May we descended on the OSF with pots and trays of wildflowers. The musk mallow and wild carrot had been out all winter and had done their bit by germinating. The meadow cranesbill (blue geranium) also looked healthy – the seeds had needed to be rubbed in sandpaper and no one had said by how much so they were a small miracle. The fastest growing plant was the cornflower, the slowest, lesser knapweed, mainly it seemed, influenced by how early or late they flower.

We had to plant that day as the plants were ready and some (ragged robin) were already in flower. There was no rain in the forecast so there was little point in putting it off. Also, the grass had been “scalped” by the contractors in readiness. This had to be done to stop the grass from swamping the wildflowers. 

Our first problem was getting through to the soil in which to plant. The dry weather had converted the grass roots into a surface resembling chain mail. One of us had brought a drill with a wide bit but although very effective we realized that this method would take too long.

We decided therefore to use our spades to remove the top hardened layer and wheelbarrow the scalped turfs to the compost area. Logic seemed to suggest putting the larger plants towards the back, the smaller at the front. But where was the back going to be? We chose a spot. So how did we get on? Come and look! 

We would like to thank those who volunteered for what turned out to be an arduous work out. It was not only the plants that were wilting by the end of a hot morning!

If you would like to get involved in future work on the Old School Field, please ask to join our mailing list via sustainableshepreth@gmail.com 

Sustainable Shepreth, at Shepreth Station, is to be the pilot for this initiative. Our Scented Garden will feature herbs that we will share information about. We're looking forward to having conversations about this and the work of Sustainable Shepreth. The garden will find its permanent home in our Old School Field, a multi-generational space for enhanced biodiversity and wellbeing.

It’s a great way to relax, in beautiful surroundings, after a day working, rushing around shops, driving on busy roads or other stressful activities.

Why not join us on the Old School Field and learn how to expand your senses.

We usually plan to do this every second Thursday of the month.

If you intend to join us, please let us know at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

So named after its shape, the L Moor was originally common grazing land for the villager’s livestock. It’s now a site of Special Scientific Interest under the management of the local Wildlife Trust, maintained as grassland with boggy hollows and trees and scrub around the perimeter. It’s two years since Sustainable Shepreth contacted the Trust to reactivate the local warden scheme, which maintains the site under Trust direction, with autumn and winter working parties to clear paths and access points and maintain the distinctive environment. There is summer grazing of sheep and cattle.

The village is fortunate to have such a place for taking a walk and general enjoyment of the outdoors. There is more going on than residents might at first realise. A good time for bird spotting is early or late in the day when it is possible to identify scrub warblers such as the Blackcap and Whitethroat. Yellowhammers and Chiffchaffs are common. Cuckoo flowers and cowslips abound on the tufty grassland in the early spring, then in June / July there are plenty of orchids (bee and pyramidal orchid, the tway blade).

The working parties are great fun and a sociable activity in the quieter months of the year: October to March. We have more reflective activities in the spring and summer. Please come and join us.

Why not join us on the Old School Field and learn how to expand your senses and discover the fun of transforming sounds into shapes or colours, and words into pictures.

We usually plan to do this every second Thursday of the month.

If you intend to join us, please let us know at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

Meet at Shepreth Village Hall just before:

• 4:30 pm on Friday

• 2pm on Saturday

and we’ll share out the village routes between us.

Wear warm and waterproof clothing and a hi-vis vest.

We will provide gloves, bags and litter grabbers.

All welcome but children under 16 should be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Any queries contact

sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

Why not join us on the Old School Field and learn how to expand your senses.

We usually plan to do this every second Thursday of the month.

If you intend to join us, please let us know at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

It’s a great way to relax, in beautiful surroundings, after a day working, rushing around shops, driving on busy roads or other stressful activities.

Why not join us on the Old School Field and learn how to expand your senses.

We usually plan to do this every second Thursday of the month.

If you intend to join us, please let us know at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

Anita Chitaya has a gift; she can help bring abundant food from dead soil, she can make men fight for gender equality, and she can end child hunger in her village. Now, to save her home from extreme weather, she faces her greatest challenge yet: persuading Americans that climate change is real. Traveling from Malawi to California to the White House, she meets climate skeptics and despairing farmers. Her journey takes her across all the divisions shaping the US, from the rural-urban divide, to schisms of race, class and gender, to the thinking that allows some Americans to believe they live on a different planet from everyone else. It will take all her skill and experience to persuade us that we’re all in this together.

Join Haslingfield & Harlton Eco and Sustainable Shepreth for this film screening and discussion at Haslingfield Village Hall. The film, which encourages us to "Think Globally, Act Locally," brings the impact of climate change in Africa into sharp focus through Anita's first hand experiences. Her courage, sensitivity and belief in the possibility of change are moving and inspiring. As well as climate change the film considers issues of race, class and gender, and provides much food for thought.

After the screening we will have time for a discussion around some of the issues, feelings and ideas the film has raised.
"a heartfelt exploration of the power of stories to make change"
Jeremy Williams, The Earthbound Report
This screening made possible through the support of Aid Alliance, which brings people and organisations together to defend the 0.7% aid spending commitment in the 2015 International Development Act, as well as raise awareness and change public perceptions on aid and development.

Tickets are free, however we will be grateful for donations via cash or QR code on the door to cover our costs. Any additional funds raised will go toward the work of Sustainable Shepreth and the Haslingfield and Harlton Eco Group.

Sat 22 November, 14:00 – 16:00 pm, The Plough SG8 6PP

Is your wardrobe full, but the clothes don’t always fit or spark joy? There is a way to swap some of your clothes for something new, while avoiding fast fashion and keeping your carbon footprint in check!

Come to Shepreth’s next Swish, scheduled for 2–4 pm on 22nd November at The Plough.

Drop off from 1 to 3 pm via the back door entrance. The front door will open for swishing at 2 pm. Items can include adult, children, and baby clothing (though no swimwear and underwear please!), accessories and shoes. All items should be clean and in good condition. Free sewing repairs and alterations on offer for items picked up on the day. Take as much as you can use (not for resale), even if you have nothing to swap.

All welcome and the event is free, though donations will be gratefully received.

This Swish is hosted by Sustainable Shepreth with support from Cambridge Carbon Footprint and The Plough, Shepreth.

As one child said, during the day that we facilitated at Barrington School at the end of last term: “Being in nature makes me happy”.  We hope some of the children from Shepreth will join us at the picnic to experience more of that!

If you brought back items from a visit to the seaside - seaweed, shells, bones, pebbles, etc - you can bring them and make a seaside mandala, or a memory hanging, which you can take home.  

We will also be doing leaf pressings into salt dough, which you can take home as decorations. 

We will no doubt find many other creative things to make with found objects. 

Do come along with any leaves, twigs, flower seed heads and other items that you would like to share on the day, and let us know if you would like to help us too.  

Adults welcome as well as children!

Do get in touch if you’d like help with clearing your apple windfalls, or indeed would like to gather them for others, or help on the day.

The following is a feature article by Elisabeth Spain and Jackie Truran that appeared in the October issue of the Shepreth Village and Church newsletter.

Swifts have a very distinctive shape, larger than House Martins, smaller than Swallows. They fly high in the sky looking for small invertebrates to feed to their chicks.  You might have seen and heard them circling, swooping and calling above the village hall, and houses in Shepreth that have nest boxes on their walls.

Swifts have been in sharp decline in Britain, with a decrease of more than 60% since 1995, but we can and have been doing something to help.  Villages in South Cambs and beyond have started creating Swift corridors to harbour the birds during their annual migration from Africa. 

We would like to help make this happen and so will be purchasing 12 Swift boxes this year and looking for people in the village who would like to adopt one.  

The boxes need to be at least 5 meters from the ground, and/or under deep eaves, on north or east facing walls to avoid direct sunlight.  Swifts need a clear flight path to and from the entrance, with no large trees to impede them.

Please get in touch if you’d like to consider adopting a Swift box. We will help with assessing the best location and with installation if needed. The boxes cost about £40 each, and we would welcome any donation you can afford, however small.  

Since the early summer the small team of volunteers who work on the L Moor has been helping to maintain the churchyard. Our work has included constructing a dead hedge along the boundary to the left of the main gate. The Parochial Church Council has supplied some wooden stakes to help create the structure. We have in-filled with old branches fallen from the trees and other dead material. We have also cut and used prunings from the base of some of the perimeter trees and around the other gate. 

More woody material can be added as it falls. Do feel free to feed any into the structure. It’s a great way to keep the churchyard tidy and create a habitat for insects and other wildlife. 

We have also been planting some hardy perennials and a few bulbs alongside the stone wall which continues from the dead hedge to the corner. These include Sedum, Red Robin and Fleabane. If you have plants or bulbs that you are clearing from the garden that might be suitable, please get in touch.

When you are next out for a walk and passing through the churchyard do take a look at our handywork. The team involved in this project includes Jon and Elisabeth Spain, Felicity Norman, Paul Kottas and Bob Race.

Meet at Shepreth Village Hall just before:

• 4:30 pm on Friday

• 2pm on Saturday

and we’ll share out the village routes between us.

Wear suitable clothing and a hi-vis vest.

We will provide gloves, bags and litter grabbers.

All welcome but children under 16 should be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Any queries contact

sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

Why not join us on the Old School Field and learn how to expand your senses and discover the fun of transforming sounds into shapes or colours, and words into pictures.

We usually plan to do this every second Thursday of the month.

If you intend to join us, please let us know at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

Feature article by Patrick Fletcher for the December 2025 Shepreth Village and Church newsletter

Christmas has its roots in paganism and Christianity. But what is it for? I would like to think that it’s the birth of hope. 

Christmas has developed into a time for giving. It is easy to remember as a child how exciting it was to look forward to receiving presents and be surrounded by an excited, bubbly family. Happiness becomes associated with getting stuff we desire. The happiness though tends to be short lived and the excitement of celebration is soon over. We accuse our politicians of short-termism but it’s human nature to want treats and to have them asap.

Maybe instead we should be thinking about the long-term gifts we can give to the generations to come. We would want them to be happy, yes. But happy because they were living in an unpolluted world with a climate in which all life can thrive. We want children to be able to listen to bees and birdsong, to breathe clean air. Sadly, these are no longer free, a given, but things to be fought and paid for.

It will cost us to reduce greenhouse emissions, plastic waste and reverse our steady ruin of the conditions for life on earth. Maybe this time of giving will inspire us to take action, a gift to make life worth living for those following us.

You are warmly invited to join us for our AGM and Social on Wednesday 14th January, at 6:30 - 8:30 pm, in the Village Hall. Refreshments, including savoury and sweet food, will be provided!

We will be giving a brief presentation of our third year of activities, our plans for the coming year, and electing the Steering Team for 2026, before enjoying some social time and refreshments together.

Sustainable Shepreth was initiated in January 2023 by a group of residents.  We are all passionate about finding ways to address the effects of climate change and loss of biodiversity in our community. We have the encouragement of the Parish Council and indeed work closely with them. We are keen to involve the whole village, and the support of the wider community, in all that we do.

It would be wonderful to have you join us to celebrate what many of you have been part of, and also to hear your ideas for what else we could be doing.

As is the custom, all the Steering Team members will be standing down, and, whilst most of us do wish to be re-elected, we will have two or three vacancies to fill. 

Do take a look at the posts on this website, in previous issues of the Shepreth Village and Church Newsletter and on our Facebook page to read more about what we do and the roles you could support.

Please email us at sustainableshepreth@gmail.com, for the attention of Elisabeth Spain, with any questions, and if you wish to be considered for the Steering Team.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Wednesday 7th January.

This year we are looking to make progress on the topic of sustainable food. We have several events planned.

In late summer / early autumn, we will support a repeat of last year’s very successful community apple juicing scheme, led by Amanda Davies and held at The Plough.

On November 7^th, we will be running a food event, jointly with the Haslingfield and Harlton Eco group, in Shepreth Village Hall. This will feature various food-related projects including: how to reduce food waste, local honey producers, efforts to promote new practices such as regenerative farming, recycling of food packaging, and local food banks. Cambridge Sustainable Food, who came to our second Eco Fair, will be back, as will The VanJarred Refillery who came to the Swish at The Plough.

Harlton and Barrington are two of the villages nearby with food banks offering produce and support for local villages. Barrington Food Bank, which supports several families in Shepreth, has been in touch to say they are open at All Saints Church, Barrington, twice a week on Wednesdays at 2 – 3 pm and Saturdays at 10 - 11 am. They offer a range of preserved goods, enough to supplement a weekly shop but not replace it. If you know of anyone in need or confined at home, please let them know. The food bank relies on local donations to supply this service. Help with that would be greatly appreciated. They also need more volunteers to staff the food bank during opening times. If interested in helping please contact Mary (marystapleton48@hotmail.com).

magazine with articles, poems, stories and images relating to the community and

celebrating its existence. We thought why not try this in Shepreth? A great way to

bring people together and a good project for all who decided to get involved in the

dark winter months. We chose the title ‘Shepreth Reflections’ to give contributors the widest possible remit. The response has been excellent. We have contributions from all ages, from long established residents and from more recent arrivals. We have articles on local history, some thoughtful pieces on the environment and some of the projects going on in the village, celebrations of the landscape and some of the historic buildings represented in poetry, photographs and artwork, also items reflecting the interests of local residents. We also have a piece celebrating the work of Shepreth Wildlife Park and a photo montage of the activities of the celebrated Shepreth Metal Detectorists!

We may be a small village but there is a lot going on and this magazine aims to

showcase the interests of village residents and share this more widely amongst us.

We hope to make this a twice-yearly event, in the spring and autumn, but it all depends on you to come forward with contributions to keep the issues flowing.

We are a small editorial team at the moment, Jonathan and Elisabeth Spain. Colin Barker looks after the layout and design aspects of the magazine.

Do get in touch if you would like to contribute something towards the next, Autumn, issue. Deadline 30th September.

Anyone in the village with an interest can get involved in our citizen science project by recording what they see in the garden or out walking. In addition, we are particularly interested to know how many residents have ponds, wild flower areas, sightings of hedgehogs. We also have a scheme to set up swift boxes and are looking to extend this around the village. This nature survey is something which children might be interested in. We have special nature and hedgehog badges for those who participate!

If you are interested in getting involved, please get in touch via sustainableshepreth@gmail.com

This document provides a description of wildlife habitats and nature corridors in Shepreth, based on our local knowledge, aligned with the LNRS (Local Nature Recovery Strategy) classification scheme.

It includes a list of existing and potential projects which form the substance of our local nature recovery plan. This is a dynamic plan informed by the habitat survey and subject to further review and amendment.

The plan is aligned with the aims and objectives of the Shepreth Climate and Nature Action Plan (CANAP), and is also informed by our participation as one of the parishes included in the NR-FGU project run by Cambridgeshire County Council (Nature Recovery From the Ground Up).

This small orchard was designed as the centrepiece of a community project to revive the old school field and to celebrate our long history of apple (and other orchard) fruit growing.

Read the full document to find out more about the origins of the apple varieties involved.

There was a presentation on the results of the feasibility study, funded by the UK Government’s Great British Energy Community Fund to explore opportunities to reduce energy and heating costs for the village (currently almost £800,000 per year) whilst at the same time lowering our carbon footprint. The Parish Council has since approved progression to Phase 2 of the project.

You can read more about the project here: https://sheprethparishcouncil.gov.uk/community-energy-project/

Sustainable Shepreth will continue to be represented on the Community Energy project team to support activities and information for helping people in our Parish to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes in a cost-effective way.

includes the encouragement of wildlife-friendly gardens. The local Wildlife Trust is

also promoting wildlife gardening through an award scheme which you can enter.

To find out more about this go to https://www.wildlifebcn.org/get-involved/wildlife-gardening-award-scheme.

This link provides additional information on garden habitats for specific species.

We are mapping these gardens to identify and extend wildlife friendly areas and

corridors. The only information published is the house number.

The following checklist provides useful tips on what can be done. If you have adopted a range of these criteria, not necessarily all, then please let us know and we can add you to the map!

Based on criteria set by the Wildlife Trust

Habitats:

Bug hotel, bird box, hedgehog house, bird feeders, log pile, rock/stone pile, pond,

long grass, untidy corner, hibernaculum (for winter dormancy), plant stems left over

winter.

Food:

Bird feeders, butterfly feeding stations, native plants and flowers for native

caterpillars, nectar-rich plants, berry and fruit-bearing plants, plants with edible seed- heads, vegetable patch.

Water:

Bucket or container pond, bird bath, wildlife pond, collected rain water (or grey water) for plant care.

Garden management:

No pesticides of slug pellets, compost bay/wormery to recycle green waste, peat free compost, water butt, old plant stems left to provide shelter for insects, lawn areas left unmown for wild flowers, plants grown from seed/seed swaps to reduce their carbon foot print, plants resistant to temperature extremes, companion planting.

Connectivity:

Long grass, mature trees, tree rows, hedgehog holes in fences, climbing/trailing

plants, collaboration with neighbours.

We also have access to the Royston & District Community Transport door-to-door service for people who are unable to use conventional public transport due to lack of mobility and other means of transport. See more information here: https://www.roytrans.co.uk

There are some upcoming changes to our bus services, and both the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority, and Sustainable Shepreth, have launched consultations on these.

The proposed changes are:

1.     Replacement of the number 17 bus service

2.     Changes to the route of the number 26 bus service

The confirmed change is an extension of the Tiger on Demand service to Shepreth, with voluntary stops at Shepreth Station, the Memorial and Frog End. This advance booking service will start running from the 13th July, with bookings from the 11th July. See more information here: https://transport.cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/buses/tiger-on-demand/

The Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority’s (CPCA’s) plans and consultation on the proposed changes are available at https://cpca-yourvoice.co.uk/bus-network-review-engagement/, with responses due by the 28^th July.

Sustainable Shepreth’s survey covers the bus and community transport services and includes: awareness of the current services and how much they are being used, barriers to their use, and improvements that village residents might like to see.

You can complete the Shepreth survey online by following this link: https://bit.ly/BusCommunitySurvey, or you can complete a paper copy available from The Plough from this evening (Friday). Please return any completed paper copies to The Plough.

The survey is open until 28th July 2026, and results will be shared with the CPCA.

If you have any questions on the above, please either contact parishclerk@sheprethparishcouncil.gov.uk, or sustainableshepreth@gmail.com