DraughtBusters visit people’s homes to help them cut down draughts and heating costs – it’s a free service offered by volunteers. To find out more, send an email to rbwmdraughtbusters@gmail.com
See you on the 1st of April in the hub! Most of the DraughtBusters will be there and available to talk to.
Do you need to fix your stuff & make things happen, but don’t have the tools? Ever bought something to do a job, used it once and then put it in your cupboard, gathering dust forever? Why not borrow it instead?
Coming SOON to the Hub – the “Library of Things”: Borrow any of our useful Things for your home, projects and adventures: Affordable. Convenient. Kinder to the planet.
Come and see the Eco Action Hub’s “Library of Things” at our opening on 1st April! AND tell us what you need most!
What is the Eco Action Hub and how can it help you?
The Eco Action Hub in Maidenhead (part of ECO Action Windsor and Maidenhead) is a community space that brings together local people and partnerships to take positive action on climate change: Helping people learn about and make small changes in their own lives to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.
We offer a variety of resources such as the Repair Café, a shared Meeting Space and the Library of Things. The Hub “Zones” show simple practical proof points helping you make simple changes for positive climate & biodiversity outcomes in your lives today. There are engaging displays on core eco subjects; Travel, Energy, Family Living & House, and more.
As well as our “Zones”, the Hub also offers a Library of Things where people can borrow tools and gadgets, from food processors to hard drives to carpet cleaners – all there to help you “get things done” at home which shared “things”
Peter Gibbs, best known as a former BBC TV weather presenter, will conduct the opening ceremony. The day will also feature the Repair Café, where people can bring in items to be repaired, and exhibitions on topics such as green living and green travel.
Dave Scarbrough, a Trustee of ECO Action Windsor & Maidenhead, said “Everybody knows there is a climate crisis, but so many of us don’t really know what steps we can take to help – that’s why we are opening the Hub”.
The opening day will also include talks on how to save money on fuel bills and how to promote biodiversity in your own garden. There will also be activities for children of all ages. The Hub will be open from 10am to 4pm, with the official opening ceremony taking place at 11am. The Hub is open to the public and free to visit.
Timetable
Event Details:
12:30 “How to make your garden eco friendly in the spring/RHS Big Seed Sow”.
Event suitable for anyone with a garden, allotment, balcony or window box.
Angela Alexander, secretary of Wild Maidenhead and Wild Cookham and a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) volunteer, will talk about how we can all help to support wildlife, whatever the size of our garden – from a window box to an allotment. As part of the RHS Big Seed Sow, visitors will be able to sow some seeds to attract more pollinating insects to your garden patch.
13:30 “What is biodiversity and why does it matter to you”
This event is suitable for everyone.
Martin Woolner, a well-known local wildlife expert and committee member of Wild Maidenhead, will explore why the British Isles have been described as “the most nature-deprived country in Europe” and what we can do to reverse this, using examples from local grasslands and wetlands. As Martin says, if we want a biodiverse Royal Borough, we need to fight for it.
14:30 “How to save money by stopping draughts, improving insulation and other tips”
This event is suitable for adults.
Over 20 simple ways to save money by using less electricity and gas. Most are very or fairly cheap, others are an investment.
The following article has been published in this week’s Maidenhead Advertiser about our upcoming opening. Written by Anaka Nair. Source.
A new environmental action hub will encourage Maidenhead residents to do more than recycle to combat the climate crisis.
The RBWM Climate Community group will unveil its new ECO Action Hub on Saturday 1 April. Former BBC broadcaster and member of Wild Maidenhead, Peter Gibbs, will conduct the formal opening ceremony at 11am.
Dave Scarbrough, a trustee of ECO Action Windsor & Maidenhead, said: “Everybody knows there’s a climate crisis, but so many of us don’t really know what steps we can take to help – that’s why we’re opening the Hub. We thought it was essential to have a physical presence to reach out to residents.”
The former Dorothy Perkins unit in the town centre has been refurbished to host the hub and ECO Action hopes its ‘central’ location will bring in more curious visitors. The opening day will feature talks on the topics that affect Maidenhead residents, such as promoting biodiversity in gardens and how to save money on fuel bills during the energy crisis.
A Repair Cafe, which has operated in Maidenhead Library over the past year, will also feature on the day where people can bring items to be fixed, and will be a permanent fixture in the hub.
Talking about the various displays on eco-living and green travel created by experts for the event, Dave said: “I’m always learning new things.” When delivering talks on behalf of the Climate Community, Dave learned that many attendees actively recycled but very few did anything else. He hopes the hub will encourage environmental enthusiasts who are ‘doing a bit’ to be interested in ‘doing a bit more’.
ECO Action aims to attract young people, who learn about the climate emergency in school, to ‘influence’ and ‘inspire’ their parents.
The Hub will be open to the public from next month and free to visit from 10 am to 4pm.
We are nearing our official opening date of 1st April, following which the Hub will be open Thursday through Saturday every week. We are still short of the following:
Additionally, we would like to ask you to fill out this short survey for us:
https://forms.gle/otAoxpe5HqSgxQ4Y9
We aim to use this survey to help us understand what’s needed in the hub, but also by resharing it every 6 months we can see the progress that’s being made.
There was a lot to do from the moment we inherited the former Dorothy Perkins store up until our opening day. Cleaning, painting, finding new homes to everything left behind… Countless volunteer hours put in, furniture upcycled / freecycled, and we are almost ready!
Watch our transformation video below.
In December 2020, our Council made an important commitment to cut CO2 emissions by 50% by 2025, both for the council and for the borough. But will these targets now be missed?
Greener, net zero new build construction requires new guidelines. RBWM was to have put this in place in 2021. But this has still not happened.
Meanwhile, other Councils are pushing ahead with low-energy homes. In 2018, Bristol City Council won an RIBA award for transforming a brownfield site with a handsome row of low-energy Passivhaus homes.
RBWM need to put in place a new supplementary planning document (SPD) to incentivise the construction of net zero buildings and to increase renewables generation in new build. This should have been in place in 2021 but still hasn’t been issued. The council’s efforts to reduce energy demand and decarbonise supply in the borough are therefore delayed.
Does this mean that RBWM will now miss it’s target to cut CO2 emissions by 50% by 2025?
And what impact has this had on efforts to reduce energy demand, decarbonise supply, and increase renewables generation in the borough? Can the lost time be made up?
In May we have our next council elections. Would you’d like to ask current councillor’s more about the council’s efforts to improve energy efficiency in the borough? And to hear from different candidates about their plans for the future?
Then join us at the hustings that we are organising in Windsor and Maidenhead in April.
The Windsor hustings will take place at The Old Court on Monday 17th April 2023. Doors to the auditorium will open at 6.30pm (the bar will be open beforehand) and the event will begin promptly at 7.00pm and end at 8.30pm.
The Maidenhead hustings will take place at Furze Platt Senior School on Thursday 20th April 2023. Doors will open at 6.30pm and the event will begin promptly at 7.00pm and end at 8.30pm.
If you’d like to submit a question to ask at either event, please send it in advance by email to either plastic freewindsor@gmail.com or wildmaidenhead@gmail.com. Questions may also be submitted on the night, between 6.30 and 6.50 pm.
Maidenhead’s Repair Café gives people’s broken or worn-out possessions a new lease of life, while seeing people like themselves rebuilding, repairing and recycling things that might otherwise be thrown away.
It has moved successfully to the ECO Action Hub and opens again on 1st April!
Click here to find out more details and register if you wish to bring something for repair. We are open for you from 10:00 to 15:00. Repair skills available at this next event include:
We aim to fix anything, our volunteers love to solve problems!
Please come to our special family event next Saturday, the 25th March. The event will be officially opened with a short speech by Alka Kharbanda, High Sheriff of Berkshire.
Activities will include:
No sign-up needed, just turn up!
The Eco Action Hub will officially open on April 1st in its “forever home”: the Nicholsons Shopping Centre in Maidenhead. Further details are yet to come, but save the date!