Practical local action on climate change, energy and food security.
Ealing Transition Initiative has been set up with the following aims: To develop awareness of climate change, and motivate people to change accordingly; To describe a low energy future and plan how to get there; To help build Ealing’s self-reliance in areas such as food, energy, jobs, community and economy To act as a focal point / hub for the people of Ealing to exchange ideas and skills.
Transition Leytonstone started in autumn 2009. We currently have 11 people on our steering group and more than 600 on the mailing list. Initially we ran some awareness raising events and started foraging in Epping Forest. We founded an ecopoetry group, E11 Eco, kicking off with the first of several ecopoetry performances, where we announced the results of a national Transition poetry competition, as part of the 2010 Leytonstone Festival. We have run a whole series of diverse events since September 2010, including seasonal and local food celebrations, Make Do and Mend, the 1st UK preview screening of ChangeMedia’s Climate Change? No Thanks!, The Green Winterfaith Festival. During Climate Week we ran Cut the Cost, a DIY energy efficiency workshop.
Starting in the summer of 2011, we have become increasingly active in the community in terms of practical projects.
On July 16th 2011 we launched a weekly fresh fruit and veg stall in partnership with Organiclea. The stall carried a mix of certified organic and non-certified local produce from assorted growers. It was an overnight success with the local community, who for several years previously had no choice but to go to a supermarket for their 5-a-day.
We have been pondering the global economic crisis, and looking for ways in which we can strengthen the resilience of Leytonstone to outside circumstances. Building relationships now as an insurance against complete isolation, anarchy and fear was one of the key messages delivered at the 2010 Transition Conference by respected financial blogger Stoneleigh. We decided to invite Stoneleigh to speak to local residents on September 2nd at A Century of Challenges. Many people attended – and we are following up this event with several more, all geared up to helping a phoenix rise from the ashes of our shattered economic system. The next event is scheduled for October 10th: Your Money and Your Life. It features entities such as a local credit union, LETS, and Cygnus, a community trust run by local restaurant owner and social activist Shah Ahmed.
Transition Newham, are acting as a Community Hub with now 11 sub-groups (Newham Sharing initiative, SMP, amongst others). We are aiming at providing facilities and resources for our diverse community. We want host a variety of enriching projects, mutual support and gatherings to create a sense of togetherness and to promote sustainable practice and environmental awareness in everyday life.
Aims: The primary objective of Transition Newham is to foster a strong sense of community and contribute to the holistic togetherness and healthy development of all members of our community. This initiative aims at creating a dedicated community hub that offers a diverse range of activities focussing on social interaction, education, creativity, physical and mental well-being, mutual aid, providing a balanced and holistic approach to environmental sustainability and community support.
Values: We embrace that we are a diverse, multi-cultural and multi-ethnical community, and we see the divergence with neighbours from all backgrounds, all ages and abilities, as an advantage. We appreciate each other, we care for each other, and we are conscious about how we can create equity and unity amongst us.
The primary objective of this proposal is foster a strong sense of community and contribute to the holistic togetherness and healthy development of all members of our community, focussing on social interaction, education, creativity, physical and mental well-being, mutual aid, providing a balanced and holistic approach to environmental sustainability and community support: Safe space for all ages and abilities and all backgrounds
Kid’s activities stations
After School Clubs and Home Learning Hub
Safe Spaces for Teenagers
Computer Lab for basic computer and EFL training, as well as job search
Accessible “Golden Years” Cafe for the elderly and all abilities
Physical and sports facilities (Yoga, gymnastics, boxing)
Creative studio space (Art, Craft, Music, Dance, Performance)
Community Garden
Repair Cafe/ Needleworks
Bicycle workshop and maintenance
Food Hub, redistributing Food to Community kitchens, shelters, warm havens
Mobile Soup Kitchen
Permanent Mini Food Castle and Water fountain
Permanent Free Shop (F*retail Unit) and quarterly All4Free Share events
Permanent The Women’s Room installation Benefits:
Environmental Awareness: Carbon consciousness (“Small Footprint”) offering Energy saving advice.
Sustainability: Reducing waste and promoting Circular Economy (R-cycle), with Repair Cafes and swapping/ sharing resources. Introduction to “Green gardening” based on the Permaculture concept.
Educational Enrichment: Montessori based SEND inclusive classes, Forest school activities, STEM learning, play, Arts & Crafts, storytelling. After school clubs, Home Education Hub.
Physical Well-being: Physical activities for all ages and abilities to promote healthy habits and active lifestyles.
Mental Well-being: Gardening as a physical and social activity to help members to ground themselves and relax in a living green environment.
Social Development: Platform for neighbours from all backgrounds, all ages and abilities to interact, make friends, and learn valuable social skills through collaborative activities and group projects. Intersocial, intergenerational and interable connections offer advantages for all: deeper understanding and sense of meaning.
Creativity and Expression: Classes, courses and clubs to encourage exploring creative talents and expressing them freely.
Community Engagement: Opportunities to engage in the community space to foster a sense of unity and shared responsibility for the well-being of our neighbourhood, offering community support and advice
Mutual Aid: Provide free and accessible resources for the community, including women’s sanitary products. Drop off hub for donations. SMP are organising quarterly Swap Shop events, working closely together with charities, baby banks and food bank across East London.
Solidarity: Sharing resources and redistributing food and preparing meals in a soup kitchen to hand out free to the community
Security and Safety: Increased activity, support safety in the community and reduce likelihood of vandalism/antisocial behaviour. A community garden will prevent misuse and potential criminal activities and protecting the homes adjoining to the plot.
Our History
Transition Town Tufnell Park began in 2010, and is part of the rapidly growing Transition Town network, locally, nationally and globally.
Over the years, the Transition group has set up and run green social evenings, community gardens, energy projects, film screenings, a local market, foraging events, bicycle rides and more!
We are looking for new people to come in with fresh ideas and capacity to take things forward!
The core group disbanded a few years ago because of other priorities , and most of these projects have now fizzled out.
The main project we are working on is a local community map, to help us re-locate ourselves in our communities. We need people to help to develop this, and carry it forward!
The Transition Town movement is a positive response to the challenges of diminishing cheap oil, coupled with climate change and a fragile financial system.
The Context of Transition
The idea is to move away from everything in our lives depending fossil fuels and move towards a less polluted, more sustainable lifestyle.
It’s also about re-finding a lost sense of community; we can’t face these challenges ourselves, nor rely on others to so the work for us – we must get in to groups and work together.
This Community Cafe in our Arts Centre in Walton uses surplus food to create specials and daily soups and cakes.
This not for profit venture partly provides funds to keep our community arts centre afloat, but also offers free meals to those in need, a meeting place for local groups and charities, chatter and natter tables and free coffees and cakes to help people get out and about and also offers work placement to youngsters with special needs.
We opened in March 2019 and are feeling our way into new ventures, some more successful than others.
The arts centre has declared a climate emergency and is hoping that 2020 will be the start of a decade of change and delivery when it comes to tackling the multiple and complicated issues surrounding climate change.
OUR STORY
CLAPTON COMMONS WAS SET UP IN 2013 BY A SMALL GROUP OF NEIGHBOURS WITH THE SHARED AIM OF IMPROVING THEIR LOCAL NEIGHBOURHOOD FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF ALL RESIDENTS.
Mike’s mum
Actually what happened was this.
Mike’s mother was in her 90s and he wanted to find someone to help her go for a short walk each day. Although Jewish by birth and atheist by inclination Mike decided to reach out and ask the local vicar, William, if there was anyone in his congregation who might like to help.
No one came forward. But at the same time both felt that there must be people who lived locally who could. Some might call this the crisis of adult social care, but at a very human scale it set up a puzzle that needed to be solved – the challenge of Mike’s mum. Liberty Hall
They recognised that people did not really know each other as neighbours and consequently local ‘need’ was not in touch with local ‘resource’.
To attempt to build these connections, together with a few neighbours, they set up Clapton Commons.
At the same time when they looked around the area they realised that there were very few local spaces where people could come together to get to know each other and access the untapped resources available across the community.
Just at this moment Hackney invited expressions of interest for the abandoned toilet block on Clapton Common, which seemed like a perfect opportunity to turn this derelict building into a community asset that would be open to everyone. The plan for Liberty Hall was hatched.
Over the last six years, Clapton Commons has been working to deliver this project, whilst at the same time building its network, supporters and vision along the way.
Clapton Commons became a registered charity in 2020. OUR VISION
A STRONGER COMMUNITY, WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF ALL ITS RESIDENTS OUR MISSION
TO DISCOVER, CELEBRATE AND CONNECT THE ASSETS PRESENT IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOODS.
Building Community and bringing together assets for a just , environmental, economic and social Transition since 2013
Transition Town Kingston (TTK) is a community group helping to raise awareness of climate change and encourage the transition to a sustainable low-carbon future. We aim to build a resilient local community by: educating and campaigning about climate change; exploring and promoting alternatives to fossil-fuels; encouraging sustainable food production and consumption; supporting practical projects such as Repair Cafe Kingston; organising events and workshops; sharing ideas, information and news…
OUR STORY
CLAPTON COMMONS WAS SET UP IN 2013 BY A SMALL GROUP OF NEIGHBOURS WITH THE SHARED AIM OF IMPROVING THEIR LOCAL NEIGHBOURHOOD FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF ALL RESIDENTS.
Mike’s mum
Actually what happened was this.
Mike’s mother was in her 90s and he wanted to find someone to help her go for a short walk each day. Although Jewish by birth and atheist by inclination Mike decided to reach out and ask the local vicar, William, if there was anyone in his congregation who might like to help.
No one came forward. But at the same time both felt that there must be people who lived locally who could. Some might call this the crisis of adult social care, but at a very human scale it set up a puzzle that needed to be solved – the challenge of Mike’s mum. Liberty Hall
They recognised that people did not really know each other as neighbours and consequently local ‘need’ was not in touch with local ‘resource’.
To attempt to build these connections, together with a few neighbours, they set up Clapton Commons.
At the same time when they looked around the area they realised that there were very few local spaces where people could come together to get to know each other and access the untapped resources available across the community.
Just at this moment Hackney invited expressions of interest for the abandoned toilet block on Clapton Common, which seemed like a perfect opportunity to turn this derelict building into a community asset that would be open to everyone. The plan for Liberty Hall was hatched.
Over the last six years, Clapton Commons has been working to deliver this project, whilst at the same time building its network, supporters and vision along the way.
Clapton Commons became a registered charity in 2020. OUR VISION
A STRONGER COMMUNITY, WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF ALL ITS RESIDENTS OUR MISSION
TO DISCOVER, CELEBRATE AND CONNECT THE ASSETS PRESENT IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOODS.
Building Community and bringing together assets for a just , environmental, economic and social Transition since 2013
Develop activities and maintenance of Rookery Gardens Estate and surrounding area, which includes a garden and grass areas for the betterment of the community, in partnership with Day light Rookery committees (Tenants and Residents Association).
Activities will include:
Gardening Activities
Homeless Projects
Recycling
furniture
Events and Programmes