Huntingdonshire District Council is once again seeking applications for the annual Green Heart Community Awards.  These awards recognise the groups and individuals who have been working so hard over the past 12 months helping to improve the environment in Huntingdonshire.

Having already held three successful Green Heart Awards we are hoping that this year’s will be even bigger.  The residents in Huntingdonshire have been busy in helping to improve our environment and we want to recognise and celebrate their achievements in 2013.

Hearing about other people’s project is both inspirational and motivational for the community and that’s why we want you to shout about your great achievements.

We want to find out about what has motivated the people of Huntingdonshire to take environmental action, what has been helpful to make their projects successful and what challenges they have faced and overcome along the way.

These awards recognise those community groups, individuals, schools and businesses who are getting together and making a real change in their community by reducing their environmental footprint. From energy projects, wildlife and nature schemes to sustainable growing schemes and environmental awareness raising events, to getting ideas off the ground, there are people out there who are making a difference, people with bright, innovative and scalable ideas.

Entries are invited under six main categories:

• Best primary school
• Best secondary school/college
• Best business environmental project
• Green volunteer of the year
• Best wildlife or nature initiative
• Best Environmental Project

An awards ceremony will be held where four short-listed nominations for each category will be invited to attend, with winners being announced at the event

You may nominate yourself or be put forward by a third party, and anyone can enter as long as they can demonstrate that they have managed, or been involved with an environmental project that has engaged and benefited their community

Download your entry pack at www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/greenheartawards. 

The deadline for entries is Friday 26 April

More than fifty children and their parents enjoyed the Halloween Activity Day at the St Ives Green House on Wednesday 31 October.  Superman, Batman and wicked witches joined in the fun to help us combat litter and reduce our environmental footprint.

The children got creative making Halloween decorations out of waste.  They made bats from eggs boxes, mummies from toilet rolls and hedgehog collages using the fallen Autumn leaves.  Not forgetting our wildlife, the children mixed up fat cakes for birds.

There was a bug hunt around the wildlife garden and an eco trail in the house which led families to discover all the great features of the Green House and give the adults a chance to pick up ideas on how they can save money and energy within their home.

Our superheroes donned a high viz vest and grabbed a litter picker to help us sort all of our waste into the right bins for recycling.

After taking part in all the activities visitors let us know what they wanted to do to help the environment and pledged their commitment on the Green House Eco Tree.  Pledges included, turning taps off when brushing teeth, switching lights off and not wasting food.

Halloween Crafts from waste

They’re on a bug hunt

Paper plate pumpkins

The Green House Eco Tree

Mixing up fat cakes for the birds

Waste Busters combat litter

Waste Busters

Cambridgeshire ACRE runs a county-wide community oil buying syndicate. Households, village halls and businesses can join the scheme to bulk purchase oil to receive a discount. Cambridgeshire ACRE’s website http://www.cambsacre.org.uk/community-oil-buying-scheme.php has full details

 Contact for the community oil buying scheme is Julie Weekes (01353 860850).

FREE Eco Activity Day at the Green House

‘Start them young’ is the motto for the FREE Eco Activity Day being held at the St Ives Green House this half term.

All budding eco-warriors or princesses and their families are invited to step inside the Green House on Wednesday 31 October between 10am and 4pm to explore and enjoy a range of eco activities.

Families can take part in an eco discovery trail around the house, a bug hunt in the garden, seed planting, making fat balls, crafts and much more…

The St Ives Green House provides an inspirational learning environment for children and their families.  A visit gives the children a chance to see for themselves how the environment may be improved and sustained by making changes within the home.

No need to book, just turn up at the St Ives Green House, 1 St Audrey Lane, St Ives between 10am and 4pm on Wednesday 31 October and start your journey of eco discovery.

Don’t forget it’s also Halloween, so feel free to come dressed in your best spooky or super hero outfit and help us reduce our environmental footprint.

The Warm Front scheme provides a package of insulation and heating measures tailored to meet individual needs, including loft and cavity-wall insulation, draughtproofing, hot-water-tank jackets and additional heating solutions such as installing a new central heating system, or repairing an existing one.

Keeping warm is important, especially in the colder weather, when some people find themselves spending more time at home. These improvements are designed to help you to keep warmer, healthier and more comfortable in your home.

If you think you are eligible for the Warm Front scheme – apply now. An appointment will be made for a technical surveyor to visit you and discuss what energy efficiency and heating measures are suitable for your home.

You could claim a grant for heating and insulation if you own your home or rent it from a private landlord, and you are on certain benefits.

• Pension Credit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (that includes a work-related activity or support component.)
• Income Support Allowance (ISA) OR
• Income-based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), with one of the following;
  - A Pensioner Premium
  - A Disability or Severe Disability Premium (DP)
  - Disabled Child Premium (DCP)
  - Child Tax Credit (which includes a disability or severe disability element for a child or young person)
  - A child under the age of five living with you

Warm Front will organise and pay for all work up to the value of the grant. This scheme is funded by the Government and managed by Carillion Energy Services. All you have to do is call free on 0800 316 2814 or apply online at www.warmfront.co.uk to find out if you’re eligible.

The latest ‘Ask the Expert’ event is being held on Saturday 21 July.  The event is focusing on water efficiency and there will be advice on rainwater harvesting from Halsted Rain, water efficient sanitary ware from Twyfords and much more to help you save water and money.

To book a 1:1 with an expert call 01480 388304 or pop along between 10am – 4pm to have a look around the St Ives Green House

During May, our intention was to spend time weeding the front garden, but suprisingly few weeds have come up, so work started on cutting or removing seedlings from the Lychnis coronaria, Cephalaria gigantea and Centranthus ruber.

The back garden needed very little attention, few weeds in the woodland and just hoeing of the wildlife border. The vegetable garden needed some sorting out and beetroot seeds and some broadbeans were planted. The pond pump was also cleaned out.

Throughout June, the front garden was a little easier but the Crambe maritimum needed staking and trimming in order to allow other things to flourish. There are many lavender seedlings coming up as well.

In the back garden, the pond area is looking good and so is the  border, but the vegetable garden once again needed some attention. We have removed a considerable number of raspberry canes which threaten to take over the entire garden (if not the world). We also removed the last of the brassicas. Some carrots, French beans, some basil and one courgette plant have been planted in the vegetable garden  Also some more beetroot, the first lot is up as are the broad beans.

The blackberry’s have been trained back to the trellis and the asparagus plants have been stacked up.

The drought garden won SILVER at BBC Gardeners World live. The public were very enthusiastic as were the judges who said that it was the best drought garden they had seen out of many presented this year.

Altogether its been a successful few months and the garden continues to thrill us with its development.

More seed sowing planned for the next few weeks and a few tomatoes may appear in the green house.

The drought garden at the St Ives Green House is being featured at this years BBC Gardeners’ World Live (13 – 17 June)  Ray & Marney Hall are recreating the garden for the show, so lo9ok out for the ‘When in drought’ garden as you wonder around the show.

View the plant list for the drought garden and also come along and see for yourself how great the gardens are looking at the moment.

Read more about and buy tickets for BBC Gardeners’ World Live

Hot topics include:
How to take advantage of a free energy audit and access a grant of £500 (This only applies if you are a business registered in Huntingdonshire).
How to save money on water bills- talk to an expert from Anglian Water.
How to cut waste and save money- talk to a waste management expert.
1:1 grants advice, talk to one of our experts and find out what funding opportunities are out there for SMEs.
Take a guided tour of the green house, retrofitted from an E EPC rating to a B EPC rating. See renewable technology and refurbishment in practice.

Date: Wednesday 30 May

Time: 4.30-7.00pm

Venue: St Ives Green House, 1 St Audrey Lane, St Ives

For more information open the link below:
Grow your business the smart advice event
For more information on the Sustainable Efficiency East project and the FREE one to one support the project can offer please visit: www.see.gb.net
To avoid disappointment book today, call Huntingdonshire District Council on 01480 388315 or 01480 388304

The front garden at the Green House at 1 St Audrey Lane, St Ives is a drought garden which was kindly designed and planted by local Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal Winner Marney Hall and her team. Marney will be coming along to the St Ives Green House on Saturday 28th April to give tours, talks and details of the plants and designs she used to create the beautiful garden.

The free 45 minute tours will take place on the hour from 10.00am – 4.00pm and will include a list of drought tolerant plants. Everyone who books a place on a tour will be able to pick up a free bag of compost on the day.

To book a place call 01480 388315 or 388304.