2023 is already in full swing! Here’s the skinny on some fantastic eco activities coming up…

• Carbon Costing Week, Jan 23 – 29th – Cherwell Collective have kickstarted a national campaign called ‘Carbon Costing Week’. See poster below or sign up here.
• Unwanted Gifts Exchange – Sat 28th Jan, 11am – 2pm Exeter Hall. Did you get something for Christmas you already had or isn’t quite your thing? Why not come along to this WISH event and swap it with someone who has just what you want?!
• Weekly Repurposing Workshops (see poster below) – Come along to these WISH run workshops running every Friday down at Exeter Hall from 10am-12.30pm. Cherwell District Council Waste team will also be onsite on the last Friday of every month during the Cherwell Larder from 11am -2pm. Pick up some top tips about recycling and waste disposal and get some tasty surplus food in the process!
• St Mary’s Fields Work Party – Sat 4th Feb, 10am-12pm – join the team down at the car park and muck in with some of the early year tasks to encourage nature. Also enjoy a well-earned slice of Julia or Rosie’s homemade cake at half time!
• Composting workshops* – Come learn how to create your own fertile mulch!
  • Fri 10th March, 10am – 12 pm Hazel Walk Community Allotment (Between Hazel Crescent and Oxford Rd, Kidlington, OX5 1ED)
  • Mon 20th March, 3pm – 5pm Park Hill Recreation Ground, Kidlington (OX5 2DA)
• Garden ‘Open Days’* – come and help with Spring tasks in these community green spaces
  • Mon 6 March, 9:30am – 11:30am Ron Groves Play Area (OX5 1HW)
  • Sat 11 March, 10am – 12pm Park Hill Recreation Ground Garden Open Day (OX5 2DA)
  • Ongoing regular garden days* – Hazel Walk Community Allotment, Fridays 10am-12pm (OX5 1ED)
  • (*Contact harvestathomeuk@gmail.com for more info!)
• Earth Hour and nature walk – Sat 25 March, 8:30-9.30 pm. Join others around the globe in switching off all your lights for an hour, and while you’re at it why not join us for a nature walk over St Mary’s Fields.
• Earth Day – Sat 22nd April (Save the date and watch this space!)
• Cherwell Collective Spring Wellbeing Fayre – Sat 20th May (Save the date and watch this space!)

Local Eco News

Some Headlines since the last update…

• St Mary’s Fields Work Party – The 7th Jan work party was cancelled due to the ingress of water – but plans are afoot for Feb!
• The No Waste Noel was a great success on Sat 10th Dec with an eco fayre selling repurposed goods and dispersing much Christmas cheer! The KEG talks from a range of people next door also stimulated much thought and discussion.

• Lots of people enjoyed Cherwell Collective’s Christmas events including their Big Christmas Lunch on Friday 23rd Dec.

Have your say…

‘Friends of Stratfield Brake‘ are asking people to call for a proper consultation on changes to the proposed development of the ‘triangle site’ by 20th January. Read their appeal and find out more information here.

Some Regular Events / Resources you might be interested in…

• Warm Spaces in Kidlington – if you’d like to cut down the carbon whilst saving a few pennies on your heating bill this winter why not join others in one of our community warm spaces (see poster below).
• Hazel Walk Allotments – Fridays from 10am, Between Hazel Crescent and Oxford Road, Kidlington, OX5 1ED – Join the team of regular volunteers who gather on Friday mornings and who will be building raised beds, removing brambles, shovelling wood chips, and encouraging wildlife on the allotment.
• Repair Café – Saturdays 11am – 2pm, Exeter Hall, Oxford Rd, OX5 1AB – Cherwell Collective run a Repair Café for electrical equipment every Saturday at the Larder, 11am – 2pm. Why chuck it when you can fix it?! They also have a Party Library with items to borrow for children’s parties etc.
• On that topic – have you heard of Share Oxford – the library of things? Rather than buy new resources, tools or equipment why not search for it here first! A great local resource.

If you have any local eco news or events to feed in to our next monthly digest please email: kidlingtonecogroup@gmail.com

Our next KEG meeting is on Thurs 2nd Feb, 1pm @ Exeter Hall (in the small hall) – feel free to join us!