A ‘Great Big Green Week’ in Newark and Sherwood

The national campaign, which ran from 8 June until 16 June, aims to raise awareness and celebrate community action to tackle climate change, and this year the District Council got involved to support and promote all the wonderful work being done within our communities to tackle climate change and protect our planet.

Alongside sharing the sustainable work being done by the Council itself and other local groups, such as the Green Rewards platform and The Furniture Project, the Council's activities over the week included:

Street Scene Focus Week in Southwell – The Council’s Street Scene Team spent time during the week tidying the greens spaces of Southwell, using sustainable methods of maintenance. In 2020 the Council stopped using glyphosate in the town’s parks and cemeteries, and then in 2023 partnered up with Nottinghamshire County Council on a herbicide-free maintenance trial, committing to not using glyphosate on all open spaces and housing communal land in the area. Limiting pesticide use has been found to not only provide health and safety benefits, it also helps support and protect biodiversity by allowing wildflowers, insects, birds and mammals to thrive.

Green Champions Scheme – A brand-new initiative was launched for residents who are keen to help clean their local area. Residents can now sign up to become a Green Champion and will receive all the litter picking essentials they need to create a cleaner, greener community! This includes litter bags, litter pickers, a high-vis vest, and easy access to log their litter picking activities on the ‘MyNS’ portal and have the bags of waste collected by the Council’s Waste Crew. To sign up today visit: https://ow.ly/xlHj50SfBgJ

999 Safety Event at Sconce and Devon Park – The Council teamed up with safety partners from across the district, including the Police and Fire and Rescue Service, to host a five-day safety event at Sconce and Devon. Over the week they ran educational sessions targeting a variety of safety advice and issues, including wildlife crime and the impact littering has on our waterways and oceans. Sessions also focused on water safety, fire hazards, first aid training and more!

Thoresby Public Event – Over the weekend, officers joined the Sherwood Forest Trust at Thoresby Hall to take part in their Woodland Festival, a weekend event full of fun activities to celebrate the woodland and its wildlife and promote environmental sustainability to protect its future. Council officers were there chatting to visitors about all things recycling, including the new kerbside glass recycling service, handing out free dog owner essentials and offering responsible dog ownership advice. Visitors also got the chance to get interactive and test their knowledge with the recycling-themed bean bag toss and the Motion For the Ocean-themed microplastic challenge!

Primary Schools Birdbox Giveaway – At the beginning of the year the Council donated over 20 birdboxes to local primary schools and, as part of Great Big Green Week, the Council asked schools to send an update on how they’re getting on with their box. There was some fantastic feedback about what the schools have spotted so far, what the pupils have learned from observing the wildlife using the boxes, and even more about the wonderful work so many of our local schools are doing to help support the environment! Projects such as this are a brilliant way to get younger generations engaged in protecting and enhancing biodiversity and, following the positive feedback, the Council will look to explore similar giveaways in the future.

Andrew Kirk, Business Manager for Environmental Services at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “What a fantastic week we have had celebrating the sustainable work being done in our communities. We all want a sustainable future for Newark and Sherwood and getting to chat to so many residents, community groups, and local partners about how we can achieve that has been inspiring.

“As always, it has been a pleasure to work alongside so many of our local partners and I’d like to say thank you to everyone that got involved in the week, from our officers and partners to the volunteers and event visitors, it’s fantastic to see our community come together to make a change.”

To find out more about the activities held as part of Great Big Green Week visit the ‘Latest News’ section of the District Council’s website: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/latest-news/2024/june/