After a long period without meetings, the Rother Environmental Group held a well-attended meeting at The George in Rye on Tuesday October 4. The meeting was organised by Stephen Clift, the Group’s new Secretary and was chaired by Nigel Jennings.
Events organised by the group during the last year included the screening of Chasing Ice at the Kino and co-hosting a planning forum in Bexhill. The group has also given financial support to several projects: the feasibility study for the Battle Health pathway, the installation of solar panels on the Rye Studio School, and the installation of new signage in the Pett Level Nature Reserve. The intention is to expand activities and boost the membership over the coming year.
Numerous topics were discussed, with updates from members on environmental activities across Rother including Rye, Battle, Robertsbridge and Bexhill:
- Neighbourhood Plans are being developed in 8 parishes (out of 24) in the Rother area, these present a good opportunity to push for green initiatives. The Robertsbridge plan is now published and out for consultation.
- Specific to Rye, Mike Pepler updated the group on the activities of the Recycle Swap Shop and Green Drinks
- Recycle Swap Shop is an opportunity to either give away items you no longer want and/or to pick up items for free! Since it started in 2012, over 8 tonnes of Rye people’s stuff has found a new owner, instead of ending up as waste. The next two Recycle Swap Shops will be at St Mary’s Church Centre, Lion Street at 9:30am-12:00 noon on Saturday October 15 and at Tilling Green Community Centre, same time, Saturday November 22.
- Green Drinks is an informal get together for chat about community and environmental matters and is at 7:30pm on the 15th of each month at the Queen’s Head, Landgate.
- Nigel Jennings reported on the Rye Community Garden, off Love Lane, which has slowly but surely been taking shape over the last two years. The pumpkins sown by the primary school children earlier this year were ably harvested on Tuesday by Pip Al Khafaji. The 10 pumpkins total 76kg in weight, with the largest a whopping 16kg. These will now harden in time for Hallowe’en. Sunflowers, apples, potatoes, broad beans, chard, onions and more besides have also been grown this year. If you wish to get involved, visit the facebook page or pop by for one of the work sessions, usually 1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month 1-3pm and 2nd & 4th Saturday of each month, 11am-1pm.
- Sandy Rodger briefed the group on Community Energy activities, where Rye, Hastings and Bexhill have joined forces under the banner of Energise Sussex Coast. ESC has already won over £500,000 of funding to reduce the energy costs of residents in deprived parts of Hastings, and has also undertaken projects in Bexhill and in Iden.
The Rother Environmental Group will be organising more events over the next year, to include for visits to energy or waste related facilities in the South East. Everybody is welcome to attend the AGM , also at The George, at 7:15 pm on Tuesday November 22. Andy Dinsdale will give a talk on pollution in the marine environment and his experiences of organising local litter picking on beaches over the last ten years.
Photo: Dominic Manning
