Sustainable Haltwhistle Newsletter June 2024
Verge walks
On the Verge 2024 -

(NB in the May newsletter there was some confusion between dates and
days of the week - these are correct details).

Please join us for one or all of our short, slow moving verge walks
(1.5 mile there and back max)
to identify and survey wild flowers on or near road verges near Haltwhistle.

Mon 24th June: 7pm start
Haresby Lonnen to Stanegate, GR: 790661

Tues 23rd July: 7pm start
Greenhead Village, meet by church, GR: 660651

Tues 13th August: 7pm start
Bardon Mill, meet by War Memorial, GR: 782646

Just turn up, no need to book. We'll be on paths and/or tarmac.
We aim to finish by 9pm.
Any queries, please get in touch with Lesley Silvera: 07933326711.

Yellow rattle seed harvest - In July we'll be harvesting yellow rattle seeds from a hay meadow at Moss Peteral for sowing into the Avenue St Meen verge. Please drop me an email if you'd like to be involved. We'll need a dry day once the seeds are rattling in their pods...



Green film festival - Forum, Hexham

Taking place each year up and down the country, the UK Green Film Festival screens some of the very best films from around the world, exploring some of the big environmental issues of the day. The Forum in Hexham is screening three of this year's film entries from Tuesday 25th June - Sunday 30th June:

HOLY SHIT, CAN POOP CHANGE THE WORLD? | TUESDAY 25TH JUNE | 19:30
Flush and forget? Or the final frontier of recycling? Looking for answers about the radical potential of human excrement, director Rubén Abruña embarks on an entertaining and enlightening adventure across the globe to investigate whether our very own waste should be reconsidered as a much-needed resource.
From sustainable city living in Geneva to Uganda's singing Poop Pirates, we learn how our most unheeded asset could help to mitigate the climate crisis, generate energy - and even save lives. Far from taboo, can this compelling new wave of thinking soon become mainstream?

PLASTIC FANTASTIC | FRIDAY 28TH JUNE | 19:30
There are 500 times more plastic particles in the world's oceans than there are stars in our galaxy. Plastic is in the oceans, rivers, air, soil and inside ourselves. And the plastics industry is planning to expand their business in the coming decades. 'Plastic Fantastic' is a film about the global plastic crisis. But it's also a thorough and well-researched film about circular production, greenwashing, microplastics, carbon emissions and climate racism.

DEEP RISING | SUNDAY 30TH JUNE | 17:00
Narrated and executive produced by Jason Momoa and interwoven with awe-inspiring footage of the deep's most dazzling creatures, Deep Rising illuminates the vital relationship between our ocean's fragile and mysterious ecosystems and sustaining all life on Earth.
The fate of the planet's last untouched wilderness, the deep ocean, is under threat as a secretive organisation is about to allow massive extraction of seabed metals to address the world's energy crisis.

Details at: https://forumhexham.com/ForumHexham.dll/WhatsOn?f=21105357



Sustainable Haltwhistle Get-together
We met last month and had a sociable time and a good discussion about potential activities.

We recruited Lesley so we're now a committee of three; Abigail Chevrest, Sue Seymour, Lesley Silvera. We are in the process of opening a bank account which will enable us to apply for funding. Abby was keen to work on the outcomes of the Tyne for Change conference but our funding application was thrown out simply because we didn't have an account for funds to be paid into. If you'd like to get involved with anything we're doing or initiate a project, do get in touch - we'd love to extend the committee!

Issues discussed included:
  • Nesting sites for birds - both Hexham and Gilsland have projects to support swifts.
  • Recycling - clarity still needed about what and where, campaign for improved facilities.
  • Electric cars - options and costs, charging and range in different conditions.
  • Saving energy and green technologies for the home.
  • Barriers to cycling and walking for local journeys.
  • Community solar.

Film evenings and lunchtime talks
Both film screenings and talks have attracted people and been enjoyed. We're looking at getting together a program for the year, with one or the other happening every month. Please get in touch with suggestions of topics, speakers or films.



Gaza Fights for Freedom,
film night and talk by Judy Barber at Haltwhistle Comrades Club.

This event was run jointly by Haltwhistle Film Project and Sustainable Haltwhistle.

HFP said:
Great to see the room full as people from Haltwhistle and other local towns turned up to see the documentary Gaza Fights For Freedom by Abby Martin, 2019. The film puts in context this awful conflict and shows just how long it has been going on. Judy Barber talked at the end about her work as a human rights monitor, which made it all the more real, and gave insight to some of the day to day stories of individuals living in the West Bank.

Judy said:
It was good to see so many people from Haltwhistle come out to support the event on a rainy Tuesday night. The film is not an easy watch but I think it's an important one as it shows how long the suffering in Gaza has been going on. It was also a great opportunity to talk about the EAPPI program, and share stories from communities we met in the West Bank, which aren't getting much media attention, despite experiencing frequent violent attacks from both settlers and military which have been increasing since before October 7th. There is amazing work being done by both Palestinian and Israeli peace activists in the West Bank.
For more information about the programme and solidarity actions you can take for Israel and Palestine see the EAPPI website: https://www.quaker.org.uk/our-work/eappi

Thanks to everyone who donated a total of £400.
Palestinian food and crafts were sold for Kairos Palestine, and all other donations were sent to MAP - Medical Aid For Palestine.
You can donate here: https://www.map.org.uk






Get in touch
Any questions, comments or contributions to this monthly e-newsletter?
Please contact sue@mosspeteral.com 07935 259416



Sustainable Haltwhistle aims to reduce the impact of the community of Haltwhistle and surrounding villages on our environment. This will help individuals, families and our community save money and resources and ensure a more sustainable future for us all.

To join Sustainable Haltwhistle contact Sue Seymour, sue@mosspeteral.com 07935 259416