Finding space for climate solutions
DO you ever feel overwhelmed by news stories about climate change and wish there was something you could do?
Planet Cheltenham aims to become the town’s dedicated climate solutions space, somewhere to go for fun and informative events, a place to showcase the solutions and imagine a better future for our town.
Vision 21 has purchased a run-down furniture workshop in St Paul’s and secured planning permission to turn it into a thriving community space, to tackle social and environmental issues simultaneously through practical projects and fun events.
The charity has already raised 50 per cent of the funds towards the rebuild costs, and will be launching a crowdfunder and looking for patrons and corporate sponsorship too in the coming year.
Guildford, Plymouth, Camden and Totnes already have flourishing climate hubs and we hope that a similar space in Cheltenham would benefit our own local community and improve community resilience and wellbeing.
We have the full backing of the borough council and their climate team.
We have been sharing energy saving tips and plan on setting up a community fridge. Our initiatives in 2022 have included our Youth Climate Group, energy and retrofit drop-ins, Little Planet Cheltenham baby and toddler group, a doughnut economics learning journey, schools visits and more.
We would like to give a special shout out to the Youth Climate Group of 16-26 year olds.
They meet every fortnight at School House Cafe, St Paul’s.
This year they have organised a clothes swap attended by 250 people, created a growing project in planters outside the cafe growing tomatoes, herbs and chard, made a zine, held a film screening of the film ‘2040’ and distributed a youth climate survey that received 2800 responses from young people across the county.
They are an incredible group of young people whom we are proud to support.
Find out more by visiting our website planetcheltenham.org or get in touch via email: planetcheltenham@gmail.com
» CONSTRUCTION of a new £6.5m medical centre in Gloucestershire is set to be completed by the end of the month.
The facility is on the same site as the Five Valleys shopping centre in Stroud town centre, owned by developer Dransfield Properties.
Dransfield said the redeveloped premises at Number One King Street will become the new home of two of the town’s established GP practices - Locking Hill Surgery and Stroud Valleys Family Practice - which have now merged to become Five Valleys Medical Practice.
The fully refurbished building will house a new first-floor physiotherapy and podiatry suite operated by Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust as well as a new library - set to open in 2023 - and office facilities.
Dransfield said the two GP practices had outgrown their current buildings with the new facility enabling them to extend the range of services provided, expand training opportunities and support patients who require specialist treatment.
Managing director Mark Dransfield said: “The new medical centre will provide new and improved GP services for more than 15,000 patients and will link with our shopping centre, Five Valleys, as well as having excellent local transport links.”
Medical centre visitors will be able to park for free for 90 minutes at the multistorey car park at Five Valleys shopping centre.