What a difference a year makes. It is fantastic to have so many more people interested in all things sustainable. Having re-branded earlier in the year it is now more obvious what we stand for and my thanks go to Simone Whitfield for helping with this.
Pass It On
Previously as Newport 21 we had very few members and were concentrating on Pass It on. In January we moved the venue of these events to the library. The central location made this more successful. Thank you to Susanne for organizing these and to Kirsty for allowing us the library space. This event has kept items recirculating which means new material does not have to be sourced, energy used to make new products and resources not wasted by being incinerated.
Talks
In May we were lucky to get Dan Webb to do his talk on plastic to schools in the town  and at Edgmond. Thank you to Rebecca for organizing Dan and to Kate for organizing the venue at the Girl’s High. Simone and I also had a delightful evening with Beavers where we talked about plastic in the environment and we were there to witness the unveiling of their brilliant plastic mural. Simone and I have also spoken to Newport Society, Newport Church, Town Team and the Chamber of Commerce.
Campaigns
The big one has been striving to get Plastic Free Community status with Surfers Against Sewage and we are on track to get our accreditation by July. Huge thanks to Simone for leading on this.  As part of this we have encouraged businesses in the town to become water Refill stations. Rebecca has been doing some research into the feasibility of a packaging free shop. There are also now drop off points for Terracycle for crisp packet recycling, disposable contact lenses and packaging and dental care products. Thank you to Sandra for coordinating the dental care box.
Partnerships
We continue to attend meeting of Green Shropshire Exchange, Shropshire Against Pointless Plastic and Newport Regeneration Partnership. Working with others to spread our influence further.
Stalls
We have had very successful stalls at Field to Fork and Newport Carnival thank you to Jane, Ali, Susanne, Simone, Nicola, Rebecca for helping on the day. Being a drop off point for the reusable cups has been great and we will look to expand this in the next year.
Workshops
Julianne has been busy with workshops on how to make your own household cleaners and how to make your own upcycled bag. Thank you, Julianne and Susanne.
It is becoming more obvious each day that we need to live our everyday lives in a different way. To prevent shocks and be ready for them when they come let’s make the next year even better at making our lovely town a sustainable Newport.
Cath Edwards, Chair.  June 2019

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