Climate Change

The Parish Council at its meeting on 17th December 2020 resolved to;

1. Acknowledge and accept the findings of the IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C;
2. Acknowledge progress made to date by the Parish Council in mitigating and adapting to climate change;
3. Declare a 'Climate Emergency' to align with the declaration made by Doncaster Council in September 2019;
4. Set up a Climate Change Working Group who will investigate the development of action points and pledges to integrate with the Parish Council Action Plan. This group will make recommendations to the Performance, Review and Staffing Committee and thereafter Full Council.

The full report can be found below. Further information relating to climate change can be found on Doncaster Council's website and for ways in which you can help more information can be found on Team Doncaster's website.

Climate Change Action Plan

The Parish Council has set up a Climate Change Working Group to look at how the Parish Council can support residents to reduce their carbon footprint. It will also look at the activities of the Parish Council in line with the draft action plan.

Projects undertaken so far include;

1. Subsidised water buts for local residents - we have provided over 70 water buts so far.

2. Subsidised fruit trees for local residents to support the Queen's Jubilee Green Canopy initiative.

3. Planting three fruit trees at the Goldsmith Centre and 40 trees at Anchorage Park.

4. Identifying wildflower areas and planting seeds on all our recreation sites.

5. Planting over 300 bulbs on our recreation sites.

6. Hosting an event with Better Buses for South Yorkshire on 22nd April 2023 to discuss how we can improve bus services within the Parish.

6. Restoring two ponds at Newlands Park as part of a project with Natural England to promote habitats for Great Crested Newts.

7. Installing bird boxes/ bug houses at Newlands Park.

8. Installing additional recycling facilities in the Goldsmith Community Centre.

9. The Parish Council was invited to speak at the South Yorkshire Climate Change Alliance meeting in June 2022 to discuss the work the Parish Council was undertaking in this area.

10. Hosting Doncaster's first 'Eco Fest' on Saturday 10th June 2023 - bringing together local groups and organisations to provide practical advice for residents. The second Eco Fest will take place on Saturday 1st June 2024.

11. Registering the Goldsmith Centre as a free water refill station.

12. Installing a new bike rack/ shelter and bike repair station at the Goldsmith Centre.

13. Solar panels installed at the Goldsmith Community Centre.

14. Providing litter picking equipment for local residents/ groups to reduce litter within the Parish.

15. Creating leaflets with handy tips on food waste and reducing the impact on the environment.

16. Installing an electric bike charging point at the Goldsmith Centre.

17. Purchasing a thermal imaging camera for local residents to loan to check for cold spots in their homes.

18. Hosting a warm home event in December 2023 to provide support and advice for residents to help keep warm in the winter months. This includes providing free items including blankets, hot water bottles, draught excluders and slow cookers for residents.

19. Working in partnership with other local organisations to provide warm spaces for residents in the winter months within community buildings.

20. Establishing a community orchard at Anchorage Park.

Other useful resources

Recycling Information

You can use the British Plastics Federations website to find out the nearest place to recycle items. You can search by type of item to recycle and your postcode. This includes soft plastic, batteries and printer cartridges to name a few. It is a really great resource.

Better Buses for South Yorkshire

On 22nd April 2023 the Parish Council hosted an talk by the Better Buses for South Yorkshire campaign as this issue is a big concern to many residents. We are looking to follow up this meeting with another meeting with representatives from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Authority who are responsible for the bus services in Doncaster.

If you would like more information regarding the campaign or to sign their petition please click this link.

The Urban Forestry and Woodland Advisory Committee Network have produced a guide setting out that Local authorities, planners, urban designers, developers and local community members all have an interest in creating good places to live. How trees and woodlands in our towns, the urban forest, bring us many benefits. This paper highlights how local authorities, planners, urban designers and developers can use tree canopy cover data from towns and cities across England to maintain and enhance the benefits from the urban forest. Local communities can also use this data to influence the management of trees in their area.

MCS is a standards organisation who create and maintain standards that allows for the certification of products, installers and their installations. MCS certifies low-carbon products and installations used to produce electricity and heat from renewable sources.
A mark of quality. Membership of MCS demonstrates adherence to these recognised industry standards; highlighting quality, competency and compliance. To search their website use the following link.

The Buglife website sets out actions everyone can take to preserve and protect insect life around the parish.

How to make a bird box

Ever wondered how to make a bird box for your garden. This handy guide shows you how to make a simple box. Send us a photo of your completed box and enjoy the birds nesting.