The Barrow Greener Living group had its first organised event at the Soar Bridge Inn on 4th October. This was a com-and-chat evening with other people from the village who have hands-on experience of green energy technology and insulation. It was not a sales event.

There was a busy feel to the evening with lots of questions and answers. Those who attended said it was “very interesting and useful”. There were tables on topics such as e-bikes, electric cars, air source heat pumps, photo-voltaic panels, wall and floor insulation, secondary/triple glazing and how to choose an energy supplier. The evening was designed to help villagers consider cost-effective energy and it is likely the group will organise a similar event next year. If you are interested in finding out more, see the box below.

August saw the first visit of Sandra and the Real Refills van at the Soar Bridge Inn car park. Since then, Sandra and the van have been visiting on the first Tuesday of every month, from 6-7pm. Sandra stocks a wide range of items from breakfast cereals to cleaning products. You can take along your own containers and only pay for the amount that you wish to buy, no more paying for packaging. So, if you are looking to reduce your plastic waste, pop down to the Soar Bridge Inn with your containers and start filling!

This is the winter/Christmas issue of Barrow Voice, so we have turned our attention to suggestions to help make your festivities more sustainable – but no less fun!

• You can reduce the impact of wrapping by choosing paper without plastic wrap or glitter. You could even swap to using material that can be tied around the present and then reused again.
• Instead of plastic bows, you could try using raffia, dried orange slices or decorations from air dry clay that could then be hung on the tree.
• Another lovely tradition is to use last year’s Christmas cards and cut them into tags.
• Think second-hand … seen a present idea in the shop? Check sites such as Vinted and eBay to see if it is listed there. Or check out charity shops.
• Support Barrow! Many of our businesses including pubs, cafes and hairdressers sell their own gift cards and there are many places to buy gifts that are locally sourced. Vouchers for activities such as afternoon tea and theatre trips are a lovely gift to receive.
• If you enjoy baking, why not bake a gift? Save tubs to put your baking in or wrap in reusable beeswax wrap that can be used long after your baking has been eaten.
• There are plastic free options if the recipient enjoys receiving toiletries. The Real Refills van sells bars of soap, shampoo, and conditioner. You can also buy deodorants that refill or come as a cream in glass jars. Online, you will find a plethora of natural fragranced soap, from peppermint to cinnamon.
• If the recipient is a nature lover, you could gift a bird feeder, bug hotel or membership to a wildlife charity. Seeds and plants are a gift that keep on giving and the recipient will be able to enjoy them when the Christmas lights have been packed away!

These are some sustainable gift ideas to delight family and friends, support local businesses and maybe save you some money!

The Barrow Greener Living group has plans for the future. We will be buying a thermal imaging camera, purchased with the help of the Parish Council, to help villagers see where their homes are losing most of their heat (and money). Alongside this, we plan to have an insulation and
energy saving campaign.

We are organising a seed swap for herbs and vegetables and working with Hall Orchard Primary School to run a poster competition encouraging walking to school. We also have plans to offer presentations about the climate crisis.

The team at Barrow Greener Living