Older press releases
2004 and further back
Mayors clock up miles
Next week, all four Mayors from Kenilworth, Warwick, Leamington and Whitnash will be taking on a peculiar challenge in the name of green transport. During the course of a week from the Saturday 11-18 September, mayors will compete to see how far they walk whilst going about their business. Thanks to special pedometers donated by Escape 2 in Warwick, mayors will be able to keep track of the exact number of steps they have taken.
This light-hearted competition has been organised for health as well as environmental reasons. The British Heart Foundation recommends that we should be walk approximately 10,000 steps per day to keep our hearts healthy.
Jenny Sansom from Action 21 says:
‘Choosing to walk more often instead of taking the car helps reduce pollution from car exhausts which is bad for our health and causes global warming. The Mayor Miles competition is a chance for the Mayors of Warwick District to lead by example and encourage us to be cleaner, greener and healthier.’
The trophy for the ‘Mayor Miles’ competition will be awarded to the winning mayor at Car Free Day, a family event set to take place a week later on 18th September at Abbey End, Kenilworth. Mayor Miles has been organised jointly by Action 21 and Warwickshire County Council.
Pedal Powered Smoothies at Winter Food Feast
Winter might seem like a dull time for food, but the Food Group’s latest event in February surprised everyone by offering a feast of free seasonal flavours and food experiences. The Blenda Venda bicycle powered smoothie-maker provided free smoothies using pressed pear juice, yoghurt, locally grown apples and even parsnips! The aim of the event was to highlight local and British food which is healthy as well, by organising fun family activities at Lillington Youth Centre.
As well as cookery demonstrations such as a seasonal stir-fry, youngsters also took part in potato printing, growing windowsill crops and the veg taste challenge. The opportunity to grind English grown wheat using a hand-powered grain mill and watch an extraordinary Thai food carving demonstration made for a very enjoyable afternoon.
To get involved with more events like this one, join the Food Group by contacting Judy Steele.
Allotments Link Project
The Action 21 Allotments Link Project is asking the people of Whitnash and the surrounding area whether they are interested in keeping a disused allotment site – known as Dobson Lane Allotments – as allotments or public green space. You do not have to be a gardener to take part in the consultation – just fill in a questionnaire. Everyone’s opinion is needed.
The site is hidden away between Allibone Close and Whitnash Primary School. A squad of volunteers from Whitnash, Warwick and Leamington LETS group and the Action 21 Food Group delivered the questionnaires to the doors of householders in Whitnash and parts of Brunswick ward in mid-January and the closing date for returning them is 17 February. The questionnaires can also be filled out online at http://www.allotmentslink.org.uk/.
“The questionnaire is very quick to fill in’ says Project Officer Judy Steele, ‘And we’ve added an incentive – the first three questionnaires out of the hat on 18 February will win either a case of organic wine, a £40 theatre token or a £40 garden gift voucher.’
People can also pick up the leaflets in the local library and at community centres, and Punjabi and Hindi versions are available on request.
Click here to find out more about allotments in Warwick District.
Mayor Miles
Cllr Mrs Agnes Leddy of Warwick took this year’s Mayor Miles competition by storm at Car Free Day in September. In the name of green transport the Mayors of Kenilworth, Warwick, Leamington and Whitnash competed in good spirit using pedometers to see how far they walked during the course of a week. Cllr Mrs Leddy came in first with an unprecedented 74 miles.
Prizes for the competition were presented at Car Free Day in Kenilworth which took place in September organised by Action 21 and Warwickshire County Council. There was themed street theatre-comedy, unicyclists, vintage bikes, wandering minstrels, Frettons mopeds, face-painting, and a multitude of competitions and information stands.
Road transport causes almost one fifth of the UK’s emissions of carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas. Also 60 per cent of men and 70 per cent of women are so physically inactive that they risk coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke or obesity. Mrs Leddy says ‘Leaving the car at home is better for us and better for the planet. Doing the competition made me realise that exercise is good for you.’
Allotments Link Project has funding!
The Action 21 Allotments Link Project has funding from the Heart of England Community Foundation and Leamington Town Council to continue its work of supporting allotment societies and promoting allotments until September 2005.
The first three months of the project produced a leaflet, a display in all the district’s libraries, and workshops in fruit tree pruning, wildlife gardening and organic gardening for beginners. An exploratory social meeting, with Radio 2’s allotment gardener Terry Walton, was held in April to see if the district’s societies would like to link together in an Allotment Federation.
The Warwick District Allotment Federation is up and running and representatives from each site meet quarterly. They share problems, and their solutions, and can feed their views to the West Midlands Regional Association of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners. More workshops are planned for the New Year, including tool handle replacement, fruit tree pruning and beginner allotment gardening.
Black Lane allotments, Lillington, also known as Leamington North-East District Allotment Association, had experienced some hard times, but an enthusiastic committee has begun to turn things around. With some help from Action 21 a grant from Barclays Site Savers was obtained to enable volunteers from BTCV to create a recreation area on some disused plots, focused around a magnificent Walnut Tree. The area was used for a barbecue at the site’s first Open Day in July. An allotment with a greenhouse has been set aside for training purposes, and that’s where the beginner workshops will be based.
As a result of the meetings several sites have joined the National Association of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners, and benefit from very reasonably priced public liability insurance and a seed scheme.
Our allotments in Warwick District are generally very well used, and in Kenilworth the waiting list is so long that another site may be needed. This might become true in Leamington. It’s a healthy state of affairs. Many other towns and cities, including Leicester, show a decline in allotment use. We hope the district’s allotments will continue to be full of gardeners of every age and race growing fresh fruit and vegetables, and enjoying exercise, space and tranquillity – because for allotments it’s often true that IF YOU DON’T USE THEM, YOU COULD LOSE THEM.
To find out more about our work supporting and reviving local allotments contact Judy Steele.