News and events

Eat it, don’t chuck it - The high cost of food waste

Do you find yourself regularly chucking away food? Food wastage is not only bad for the environment, but essentially, we’re throwing away our hard earned cash! Check out this article by Money Saving Expert, with 15 top tips to help you reduce your food waste and save money.

North Hants repair Café saved 2,600kg of waste from landfill

It's wonderful to see the work North Hampshire Repair Café volunteers do, featured on the BBC News website (Hampshire and Isle of Wight). You can read the article here. They are also featured in our case study section, check-out their story here.

There are other Repair Café's across the district and over the borders, who are also doing a great job. You can find more details in the Repair Café section on this page.
 

Hart Matters March Newsletter

Hart Voluntary Action produce a monthly newsletter called Hart Matters. You can view the latest issue and sign-up here.

Celebration service and tree planting marks Fleet church’s 25th anniversary

A Fleet church has celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special service of celebration followed by a ceremony to plant a silver birch tree in the church grounds.

The Church on the Heath – a partnership of the Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed churches – was launched in 2000 to serve the Elvetham Heath area of the town.

Leaders of the partner churches joined a 250-strong congregation at the anniversary service during which the Bishop of Guildford, the Rt. Revd. Andrew Watson, preached.

As part of the celebrations a new tree was planted in the church grounds. The native silver birch was chosen to be sympathetic to the local heathland environment and ecosystem and to reflect the silver associated with a 25th anniversary.

Minister of the Church on the Heath, Rev Patrick Butler said: ‘What better way than planting a new tree to celebrate being rooted in this community for the last 25 years and demonstrating our commitment to caring for God’s creation’.

Birches are a pioneer species and one of the first to trees to re-populate heathland after a fire. They are often planted to symbolise new beginnings and, in this case, to mark the next phase in the life of the church community. 

The Church on the Heath is also celebrating the recent achievement of an Eco Church Silver Award. This recognizes a church's commitment to environmental care in five key areas: worship & teaching; buildings; land; community & global engagement; and lifestyle.  Recipients must also demonstrate practical actions like using green energy, reducing waste, promoting biodiversity, and fostering eco-conscious living as an act of faith. 
 

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CotH Anniversary tree planting shows members of the church, eco-team and visitors with the newly planted Silver Birch (Photo by Axel Schmeer)
 

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Clergy pictured are Bishop Andrew Watson, Revd Paul Kerley, Revd Conrad Hicks, Revd Patrick Butler (minister at Church on the Heath) Revd David Price (former minister of Church on the Heath), Revd Chris Gercke (associate minister at Church on the Heath), Revd Mike Thomason. (Photo by Axel Schmeer)
 

Boiler Upgrade Scheme expanded

The Government has expanded the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to include air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries.

Currently the scheme offers grants of £7,500 off the cost of installing an air source or ground source heat pump. Now, the scheme offers a £2,500 discount off the cost of installing an air-to-air heat pump providing heat in winter and keeping you cool in summer.

The grants are available to all households and form part of the Government’s £13.2 billion Warm Homes Plan. Households will also be able to claim £2,500 off the price of heat batteries, which can store heat overnight for use during the day. Find out more on the Government website.

Making your home warmer and helping the environment - Rayner Mayer

The current Conference of the Parties to reduce Climate Change (COP 30) was held in Belem, Brazil and has reiterated the need for further action to reduce the environmental impact of our energy use.  Whilst transport is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, our other major use of energy is in our homes primarily for heating during the winter and to a much lesser extent, for lighting and cooking. 
 

To create a warmer home, the first step is to undertake a DIY warmth check to identify the sources of heat loss and presence of  insulation which should take no longer than 15 – 20 minutes.  This should include windows, doors, loft and external walls.  Another source of information is the Energy Performance certificate of your home which can be consulted at www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate though it may not be up to date,  If this certificate does not exist, check that of adjacent properties of a similar type and size.
 

With this knowledge you can have an informed dialogue with a grant provider and also check your eligibility for an insulation grant.  Eligibility criteria include living in a dwelling rated D to G on the Energy Performance scale and having either a low income or being on benefits.  The current available insulation grant scheme is ECO4 for which you should contact your energy supplier and a Warm Home Grant administered by your local authority.

Measures costing less than £10 and easy to implement include:

• Fridge/freezer thermometer to check thermostat settings
   
• Radiator key to bleed radiators of gases due to corrosion between water and radiator
   
• Self adhesive draught  stripper to seal windows and doors
   
• Placing reflective foil behind radiators  to reflect heat back into room

Medium cost measures include:

• Increasing insulation level to 300 mm by adding material like mineral wool 
• Insulating the cavity between inner and outer courses of the external walls if house built post 1945

High cost measures include:
 

• Changing single glazed to double glazed windows 

About this guest-blog author

Rayner Mayer was energy adviser to Scottish HydroElectric for 11years and to EU’s Energy Directorate for six years.  He was coordinator of the European Study on Transforming the market for energy efficient electrical heating/cooling appliances and founder Chair of the European Heat Pump Association for six years from 2000.  He has written a monthly blog on Climate Change for Eversley Parish Magazine since 2021 

Do you have an event that supports looking after our environment and would like to promote it here? Email us: climatechange@hart.gov.uk

Hook Books monthly community library

Pop along to Elizabeth Hall in Hook on Thursday 5 March (14:00 - 16:00) and enjoy perusing the wonderful books on offer. As well as taking away a book, the team are always looking for donations, as that is what keeps the library going.

Find out more about Hook Books here.

Solar and Heat Pump event - Crookham Village

Curious about solar panels, heat pumps, or how to make your home more energy‑efficient? 
Crookham Village Parish Council is hosting a free community event to help you explore your options!
📍 Zebon Community Centre (GU52 0ZE)
📅 Saturday 14 March 2006
⏰ 10:00 – 14:00
Drop in to discover how solar panels, heat pumps and better insulation can help you cut your energy bills, reduce your carbon footprint and future‑proof your home. See you there!

Hart Voluntary Action 

Hart Voluntary Action (HVA) is a registered charity operating across North Hampshire delivering a range of services to both individual residents and local voluntary organisations, enabling the community to connect, grow and thrive. You can find out more about HVA on their website.

Hart Eco Hub

The eco hub is a place where residents can find out more about climate change and sustainability. The Hub will promote any climate change related volunteering opportunities, as well as being a place to get one-to-one guidance on how to make your home more energy efficient or environmentally sustainable. The Hub is open on Tuesdays from 09:30am - 12:00pm. Find out more about the Hart Eco Hub.

Odiham Book Exchange

The Odiham Book Exchange offers a wide selection of good quality books, which includes;  romance, crime, thrillers, some classics and biographies. They also offer books for children and young adults, talking books and large prints. They are based at the Bridewell, in the Bury in Odiham and are open from 14:00 - 16:30 on Monday and Thursdays and 10:00 - 12:30 on Saturdays. For more information check the Odiham Book Exchange website.

The Yateley Society

The Yateley Society is a local charity focused on the area of Yateley, Frogmore and Darby Green. They hold monthly talks on a variety of topics with the aim of helping to inform local residents. The society also plans walks, visits and social events. To join the society complete the link on its webpage.

Prickle Lodge Hedgehog Rescue

Prickle Lodge are a Hedgehog rescue in Hook, Hampshire, UK, where the team are dedicated to treating and rehabilitating sick, injured and orphaned wild hedgehogs. If you'd like to learn more or volunteer at Prickle Lodge visit their website.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amphibian and Reptile Group (HIWARG)

HIWARG focuses on conservation of native UK species. They survey reptiles at more than 200 sites and amphibians at about 60 sites. Together, members complete over 10,000 records a year. All are passed on to land managers to help them manage their sites in a sensitive manner. It’s involved in habitat management tasks, such as scrub clearance, pond creation, controlling invasive pond plants and much more. Public engagement and education are also important activities. To find out more about HIWARG visit their website. You can also follow them on Facebook.

People, Planet, Pint

Why not meet up with others who are as passionate about climate change and the environment as you, over a cold or hot drink? Perhaps you'd like to set up your own group in your local area? Take a look at the People, Planet, Pint website for more information.

Hart Community Garden 

Fancy trying your hand at gardening with a friendly, supportive group? Check out Hart’s Community Garden at Edenbrook Country Park in Fleet. It’s a joint effort by Hart Voluntary Action, Hart District Council and Hart Allotment Association.

Yateley Community Climate Forum 

The forum meets quarterly at the Tythings in Yateley. At the meetings they discuss any climate change news from Yateley Town Council and also have local community groups who often come along and present. The meetings are open to all. Find out more about the forum.

Across the district, volunteers at Repair Cafés breathe life back into many broken items. From toasters and clocks, to fixing a zip on a skirt, there are so many things the volunteers can do. In most cases there is no cost; unless extra parts are required - like that zip! Some Café's may require you to book, so do make sure you check their website before you leave home. Find a Repair Café near you.

Fleet Repair Café

The first Saturday of the month at the Harlington Centre in Fleet. For more information visit the Fleet Repair Café website.

Farnham Repair Café

Just over the border in Surrey you'll find the Farnham Repair Café. For more information visit the Farnham Repair Café website.

North Hampshire Repair Café

The North Hampshire Repair Café holds sessions around the district. To find out when they could be near you visit the North Hampshire Repair Café website.

The Repair Café Yateley - Coming soon!

Exciting news; Yateley will be getting its own Repair Café. We will update this page once we know further details.