Raising awareness of the climate emergency and respect for the planet
About us
Sustainable Woodstock is a community action group (CAG). We are all volunteers and want to help tackle climate breakdown and nature recovery by taking action and motivating others to take action. We take climate action by raising awareness, sharing knowledge and ideas, organising and supporting projects and campaigns and sometimes lobbying our MP and other public officials. We are not alone – we are one of 100 + CAGs in Oxfordshire that make up the CAG Oxfordshire Network and sometimes network with other organisations such as Friends of the Earth Oxford, Low Carbon Hub and our local eco-churches .
The majority of people want to do something positive for climate and nature – wanting to do the right thing for their children and the planet. We hope we can motivate our community to take climate action, but we realise that some hold back from taking action because they find it difficult to see how individual actions can really make a difference in the face of such an overwhelming problem. This is where we and other organisations can inspire individual actions, community-led initiatives and show the positive, cumulative effect … the numbers start to add up, motivating more and more people to take action.
The story of Sustainable Woodstock – ‘Sus Woo’
Community Woodland 2010. First planting including – 11th Duke of Marlborough, John Spencer-Churchill, founder members Pauline Richardson and Colin Carritt, Peter Jay (Mayor in 2010), John Banbury, Canon Adrian Daffern and pupils of Woodstock Primary. If you would like to identify yourself in this photograph please get in touch by email.
2008/2009 Getting Started
ColinCarritt was inspired to establish Sustainable Woodstock after hearing a presentation at the Woodstock Annual Meeting. At the end of 2008 he pinned a notice on the town-wide noticeboards inviting anyone interested in forming a group of concerned citizens whose ‘aim was to raise awareness of waste, recycling, energy use and conservation and climate change issues‘. There were no membership fees but a desire to xxxxxxxxx
In January 2009 Colin wrote in Woodstock and Bladon News ‘If climate change is the most important problem facing the world then at least one of those dreaded New Year’s Resolutions we try to keep should be to consider the plight of the planet and pledge ourselves to a greener lifestyle‘. Colin introduced the town to becoming a “Plastic Bag Free Town” and was successful in gaining a grant from Oxfordshire County Council. We still offer our unique and popular Sustainable Woodstock jute and canvas bags today.
He then went on to organise the first ever “Woodstock Swap Shop”. On Saturday morning 24th January we held our first “Swap Shop” in the Community Centre in New Road.
2009 – campaigned to make Woodstock a “Plastic Bag Free Town”. We received help from a grant from Oxfordshire County Council and we still offer bags today. We marketed our unique and popular Sustainable Woodstock jute and canvas bags to the local retailers.
In 2018, we registered Woodstock as a Plastic Free Community (part of Surfers Against Sewage), surveyed town businesses – but there is still much to do to reduce the impact of single-use plastic. Made from fossil fuels, single use plastic litters our countryside, pollutes our rivers and beaches, harms wildlife and enters our food chain in the form of micro plastics. Surfers Against Sewage coordinate the national campaign and have established guidelines and targets to achieve the status of Plastic Free Town as well as providing toolkits to help local businesses and schools to reduce their dependence on single-use plastics.
Community Woodland
In 2010 the Woodstock Community Woodland was created. With an 80 year free-of-charge lease from His Grace the 11th Duke of Marlborough, we planted 1600 trees near Hill Rise. The new woodland is free to visit and is becoming a haven for wildlife and a resource for coppiced timber and country crafts. We planted ash, hazel, oak, sycamore, and many more varieties with protected open spaces to provide a useful habitat for bio-diversity as well as a pleasant place to walk.
And in 2017 we extended our woodland with the creation of a traditional community orchard consisting of 82 mostly heritage local varieties of fruit trees. The trees are planned to provide an extended flowering and fruiting season that will attract pollinating bees, butterflies and insects as well as providing an ideal habitat for wildlife in general. In time it is planned to harvest the fruit for the community with, perhaps, apple pressing and cider making.
Tree planting – to celebrate 900 years of Woodstock, several town groups came up with the idea to plant a community woodland. Blenheim offered a free lease and David Rees, a founder member and conservation forester, planned the woodland. the XXXX Duke of Marlborough planted the first tree (see above). Volunteers from all parts of our community completed the planting of 1600 mixed native trees and we have managed the woodland since. But in 2017 we went to Blenheim again to ask if we could plan a ‘traditional’ orchard in an adjacent field, and they agreed. In the November we planted 82 heritage fruit saplings purchased with donations from individuals, families and groups in Woodstock. The woodland canopy has now closed, nature is more diverse, the fruit trees are taking their time … but they are beginning to thrive with TLC from volunteers. 6 more fruit trees were added to celebrate the King’s Coronation after being awarded a grant from West Oxfordshire District Council WODC. Woodstock Town Council WTC are guarantors of last resort and we encouraged Woodstock Town Council WTC to register the community woodland and orchard as a green space.
Biodiversity and Nature Recovery – we do not use pesticides or herbicides in the woodland and orchard, we have added secondary planting and have been creating a meadow to encourage pollinators in the woodland and orchard ; we support the International Tree Foundation’s initiative by working with other community action groups in Oxfordshire in the Free Tree Giveaway with the aim to plant more wildlife friendly trees in gardens, etc. and create more interest in promoting nature recovery.
Other activities:
Signing petitions and attending rallies in support of national campaigns related to our environment, climate and nature issues
Communicating and networking – talks and discussions, film evenings, information events, attending/participating in local events, regular e-newsletters, social media, website and networking with similar community action groups
Volunteering in the community woodland and orchard – learning new skills and socialising
Community litter picks
Active travel – promoting
Lobbying MPs, elected representatives, councils and other stakeholders to promote an informed understanding of climate and nature-related issues and to encourage them to act in the best interest of our community and the planet
Reducing Waste
promoting re-use through swap shops
promoting refill or alternatives to reduce single-use plastic
Energy
Collective buying of solar PV to reduce costs
Thermal imaging resident homes to direct insulation needs
Signing petitions and attending rallies in support of national campaigns related to our environment, climate and nature issues
Our leadership
Ed King Chair
Colin Carritt Vice-Chair
Hilary Brown Communications
Graham Brown – Treasurer
Working Group Representatives
Lobbying – Climate and Ecological Emergency, Colin Carritt, Ed King, Hilary Brown, Graham Brown
Woodland and Community Orchard: David Rees, Hilary Brown, Graham Brown
Wildlife and biodiversity: David Rees, Bob Pomfret, Hilary Brown, Graham Brown
Renewable energy and energy conservation: Graham Brown, Darrell Marchand, Doug Drewniak
Active travel, road safety: Colin Carritt, Jane Ma, David Walker, Oli Lanestead, Mark Walters
Pedestrian/cycle routes: Colin Carritt, David Walker, Oli Lanestead, Ed King, Jane Ma, Graham Brown, Mark Walters
Plastic Free Community: Hilary Brown, Jane Ma
Schools: Darrell Marchand, Hilary Brown, David Rees, David Walker
About us
Sustainable Woodstock is a community action group (CAG). We are all volunteers and want to help tackle climate breakdown and nature recovery by taking action and motivating others to take action. We take climate action by raising awareness, sharing knowledge and ideas, organising and supporting projects and campaigns and sometimes lobbying our MP and other public officials. We are not alone – we are one of 100 + CAGs in Oxfordshire that make up the CAG Oxfordshire Network and sometimes network with other organisations such as Friends of the Earth Oxford, Low Carbon Hub and our local eco-churches .
The majority of people want to do something positive for climate and nature – wanting to do the right thing for their children and the planet. We hope we can motivate our community to take climate action, but we realise that some hold back from taking action because they find it difficult to see how individual actions can really make a difference in the face of such an overwhelming problem. This is where we and other organisations can inspire individual actions, community-led initiatives and show the positive, cumulative effect … the numbers start to add up, motivating more and more people to take action.
The story of Sustainable Woodstock – ‘Sus Woo’
2008/2009 Getting Started
Colin Carritt was inspired to establish Sustainable Woodstock after hearing a presentation at the Woodstock Annual Meeting. At the end of 2008 he pinned a notice on the town-wide noticeboards inviting anyone interested in forming a group of concerned citizens whose ‘aim was to raise awareness of waste, recycling, energy use and conservation and climate change issues‘. There were no membership fees but a desire to xxxxxxxxx
In January 2009 Colin wrote in Woodstock and Bladon News ‘If climate change is the most important problem facing the world then at least one of those dreaded New Year’s Resolutions we try to keep should be to consider the plight of the planet and pledge ourselves to a greener lifestyle‘. Colin introduced the town to becoming a “Plastic Bag Free Town” and was successful in gaining a grant from Oxfordshire County Council. We still offer our unique and popular Sustainable Woodstock jute and canvas bags today.
He then went on to organise the first ever “Woodstock Swap Shop”. On Saturday morning 24th January we held our first “Swap Shop” in the Community Centre in New Road.
2009 – campaigned to make Woodstock a “Plastic Bag Free Town”. We received help from a grant from Oxfordshire County Council and we still offer bags today. We marketed our unique and popular Sustainable Woodstock jute and canvas bags to the local retailers.
In 2018, we registered Woodstock as a Plastic Free Community (part of Surfers Against Sewage), surveyed town businesses – but there is still much to do to reduce the impact of single-use plastic. Made from fossil fuels, single use plastic litters our countryside, pollutes our rivers and beaches, harms wildlife and enters our food chain in the form of micro plastics. Surfers Against Sewage coordinate the national campaign and have established guidelines and targets to achieve the status of Plastic Free Town as well as providing toolkits to help local businesses and schools to reduce their dependence on single-use plastics.
Community Woodland
In 2010 the Woodstock Community Woodland was created. With an 80 year free-of-charge lease from His Grace the 11th Duke of Marlborough, we planted 1600 trees near Hill Rise. The new woodland is free to visit and is becoming a haven for wildlife and a resource for coppiced timber and country crafts. We planted ash, hazel, oak, sycamore, and many more varieties with protected open spaces to provide a useful habitat for bio-diversity as well as a pleasant place to walk.
And in 2017 we extended our woodland with the creation of a traditional community orchard consisting of 82 mostly heritage local varieties of fruit trees. The trees are planned to provide an extended flowering and fruiting season that will attract pollinating bees, butterflies and insects as well as providing an ideal habitat for wildlife in general. In time it is planned to harvest the fruit for the community with, perhaps, apple pressing and cider making.
Tree planting – to celebrate 900 years of Woodstock, several town groups came up with the idea to plant a community woodland. Blenheim offered a free lease and David Rees, a founder member and conservation forester, planned the woodland. the XXXX Duke of Marlborough planted the first tree (see above). Volunteers from all parts of our community completed the planting of 1600 mixed native trees and we have managed the woodland since. But in 2017 we went to Blenheim again to ask if we could plan a ‘traditional’ orchard in an adjacent field, and they agreed. In the November we planted 82 heritage fruit saplings purchased with donations from individuals, families and groups in Woodstock. The woodland canopy has now closed, nature is more diverse, the fruit trees are taking their time … but they are beginning to thrive with TLC from volunteers. 6 more fruit trees were added to celebrate the King’s Coronation after being awarded a grant from West Oxfordshire District Council WODC. Woodstock Town Council WTC are guarantors of last resort and we encouraged Woodstock Town Council WTC to register the community woodland and orchard as a green space.
Biodiversity and Nature Recovery – we do not use pesticides or herbicides in the woodland and orchard, we have added secondary planting and have been creating a meadow to encourage pollinators in the woodland and orchard ; we support the International Tree Foundation’s initiative by working with other community action groups in Oxfordshire in the Free Tree Giveaway with the aim to plant more wildlife friendly trees in gardens, etc. and create more interest in promoting nature recovery.
Other activities:
Our leadership
Chair
Vice-Chair
Working Group Representatives
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