Matters arising signed off.
> Report from the chair.
Despite the fluctuations of Covid and the dire state of British politics and the challenges it adds to our work fighting for positive solutions to the Climate Crisis and a fair and just social transition, we have managed to continue our work with voluntary effort and support from our development worker Katie.
Through out the year we have maintained
– our monthly newsletter (been used as a positive case study by CSN)
– our monthly free stall
– our monthly conversation cafes (we teamed up with Cycle Carlisle to do a protest bike ride before our meetings and achieved some success)
– updating our website (more inputs here from folks would be helpful)
– ‘Digging the Trees’ activity (see below)
– our monthly steering group meetings
A massive thank you to Katie (who has also developed materials that have been used across Cumbria!) in making sure all this has happened and all volunteers who have helped in various ways. We always need more help so please step forward if you can get more involved.
Other projects throughout the year include-
– the setting up of a town centre event to draw attention to the Great Big Green Week last October which brought together a range of organisations from local food producers and composters to those involved in recycling and reuse and green campaigning. This was a very successful event capturing a great sense of community spirit
– a Green Rally in November working with local unions and others to highlight COP26. There were many poems and speeches from young and old alike and some wonderful musical input from local musicians and the amazing Cumbrian community choir Mouthful Voices who joined us. Despite terrible weather the day drew many people and much passion.
– meeting and supporting many of the groups who passed through Carlisle on. their way to COP26 from the Camino walkers to Kriya Arts and Clarion the polar bear! Messages were shared and carried.
– being involved as named partners in the Tullie house ” Once Upon a Planet” exhibition alongside Natural England and Heathlands where we developed a message of how to move from being a passive consumer to an active citizen and contributed an interactive exhibit which has been widely praised. We had a positive experience working with the Tullie staff and their group of young Ambassadors. The exhibition opened at the end of June and runs through to September and we hope to continue our involvement as it enters a second year phase. Please visit it (especially when Katie is doing an art workshop!)
As mentioned above, during the inclement winter months we managed to do several local sessions of bush and tree planting as part of our ongoing “digging the trees” project and hope to attract more help in this kind of work this year. Please let us know if you can help. It is a great, though often cold, day out!
We also applied and got funding to help start and support the wonderful repair cafe run by Lochlan at the Harraby community centre on the last Saturday of the month. Some members have helped out with repairs and we wish the project every success.
We have also been active members in the Cumbria Sustainability Network sharing ideas, developing a common voice and participating in various training and info sessions including alternative economic models, working with the media, local food production, people’s assemblies and much more.
We are also active members of the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership where we try and stand up for community involvement in planning and decision making especially in the issues of housing development, transport, community energy and waste.
Throughout the year we have had a media presence and completed consultations on everything from proposed road-building, the Garden Village, cycling infrastructure, proposed incineration projects, town centre improvements and much more.
As you can see from the above we do manage to do rather a lot! We would like this to not only continue but to do more helping support climate justice and resilience projects in Carlisle and fighting for a more serious response from Councils and other organisations in Cumbria while challenging the ‘business as usual’ consensus.
To do this we need more like minded people to get involved and help us. We are at a critical moment in human history faced with the devastating effects of Global Warming and the Climate Crisis, a dangerously degraded biosphere and depleted ecosystems and, unfortunately, a system that seems up till now to be incapable of finding the solutions. We must not lose heart but increase our determination if we are to find a positive way forward.
Thank you.
> Report from the development worker
See online document.
> Finance report
Balance and finance looked at and passed.
> Roles and passed and seconded
> Election of directors – passed and seconded