Readstone Environment Group October Newsletter
12th of October, 2026
October Newsletter
“And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves…” Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse.
Thanks again to the gardeners who have cut back amazing amounts of decaying greenery and by sweeping Worthalls Rd. too have made it look much tidier.
The village streets and roads are also tidy due to the efforts of the litter pickers. Thankyou all.
Coming Up Very Soon.
Talk - Thursday 15th October at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
Find out what is happening at Spring Wood. Countryside Ranger Paul Shoreman will tell us about this years work and future developments.
We will also have a very short AGM before the talk to elect the committee. If you would like to help the environment in a constructive way, join our committee – we don’t bite – let us know.
We would love for members of the community and REG to come and support us. Free refreshments. Raffle.
Saving Money on your Energy Bills (as well as improving your Carbon Footprint)
If you haven’t already had a survey to identify cold and damp spots in your home, now is the time to book a spot or advise someone you know and needs our help to do so. With our thermal imaging camera (TIC) we can help you to save money. We also have lots of handy hints on our website of large and small ways to save on your bills.
Please promote this to friends and family, we have travelled as far as Preston in the past to carry out surveys.
Biodiversity
Don’t be too tidy this Autumn! leave piles of leaves and wood for hedgehogs to hibernate and if you have any bonfires check that there aren’t any hedgehogs lurking about there. We are hoping to restart Hedgehog Highways in the villages next Spring.
Balsam Bashing – we are considering buying a strimmer next year and will have to do some fund raising in order to buy a decent one.
Calder River Water Sampling – Citizen Science
If you would like to join in let us know. 10.30 – 3pm, bring packed lunch. Around 20th October.
Help birds survive this winter.
https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/seasonal/winter/wildlife/wildbirds#section3
The World Wildlife Fund published their latest Living Planet Report 8/10/26, the most comprehensive assessment of the state of nature around the world.
The science shows that the average size of monitored global vertebrate wildlife populations has declined by 73% since 1970. That’s an awful lot of marine and land animals.
We're losing nature faster than ever before. But there is hope. When habitats are protected and restored and people work together, harmful pressures are reduced and wildlife can return. The solutions exist, but they need support to reach the speed and scale the crisis demands. By doing as much as we can personally, in our communities, nationwide and globally we may be able to sustain present levels of biodiversity and even improve in some areas.
See also National Emergency Briefing news on a second email.
Reduce Reuse Recycle Repair OR AKA Sustainability OR AKA The Circular Economy OR AKA Helping the Environment!
Don’t chuck out your stuff… Take it to Clitheroe Repair Café and see if it can be repaired. They attempt almost anything! Electrical, Electronic, Mechanical, Wood, Computers, Linux software which is free, especially if you are not able to update your Microsoft programme, Sewing, Jewellery and now Trainers can be repaired. Lovely homemade cakes and biscuits. All free… donations welcomed. Next Café - Saturday 17th October, United Reformed Church.
Plastic
TUB2PUB – Save your plastic sweet and biscuit tubs.
Greene King has been supporting Macmillan Cancer Support since 2012. For a number of years they have run a campaign called Tub2pub. It offers people a recycling solution for the thousands of polypropylene sweets and biscuits tubs sold over the festive period particularly. These tubs cannot be easily recycled at kerbside collections and often end up in landfill.
Recycling solutions experts - Co-Cre8 facilitates the campaign, working with DCW Polymers who recycle the polypropylene tubs into handmade 100% recycled plastic outdoor products, such as picnic benches and dog agility equipment. In the first 4 years of running the campaign Greene King has collected 26,253kg of plastic, which is around 230,000 tubs, raising £23,908 for Macmillan. Most collecting will be over Christmas but Halloween/trick or treat may be another time the tubs can be collected up. More news later on where you can leave them.
Single Use Plastic Free Christmas Anyone? Will there ever be such a thing in our homes? However, when buying cards, wrapping paper and other Christmas items, please be aware that all gold and silver and glitter on cards and paper is plastic which means items cannot be recycled.
Thoughtful presents that help to protect the planet would be the way to go this Christmas
Things which last, are of good quality and are reuseable and may be recycled or upcycled and made from natural materials will ultimately be of benefit to our environment.
2 Minute Litter Pick Board in Read Playground
We decided at the last committee meeting to provide one more lot of adult and child litter pickers and rubbish bags and if these disappear or are vandalised we will have to stop doing this due to the cost.
We are having a stall at the Village Hall Craft Fair, Saturday 14th November, if you are able to support the event that would be great. We have lots of lovely Christmas gift tags, very reasonably priced and other home made items, some made from recycled materials.
We are also going to Blackburn Cathedral Community Wellbeing Day on 19th November. We are promoting our Thermal Imaging Camera and the Plastic Free status of Read and Simonstone in the hope that these initiatives will be taken up in other areas.
Physic Garden in Nelson (Women only)
We hope to visit in the coming months.
Been and Gone
Two members of REG were invited to attend the Lancashire Lord Lieutenants Reception for Community Groups at County Hall last week. After we enjoyed drinks and nibbles, speeches were made and community volunteers thanked. We think the invite was because we were nominated for the Kings Award for Voluntary Services earlier this year. Apparently just to be nominated is very prestigious. It was an enjoyable evening chatting to various people and finding out about other community groups.
Gayle
8th October 2026