Free Nailsea Eco Fair aims to bring community together over environmental issues

Nailsea Methodist Church’s Eco Group is running a free Eco Fair which will bring local environmental groups together to help the local community better understand environmental challenges and how they can help contribute to their solutions.

On Saturday 9th March between 10am and 3pm, the church, on Silver Street, will be host to a wide range of environmental and conservation groups, including wildlife focussed groups such as the Avon Wildlife Trust, Bristol Ornithological Club, and the Yatton & Congresbury Wildlife Action Group, as well as Christan organisations including Green Christian, ARocha and Christian Climate Action.

There will also be national charities including Greenpeace as well as strong contingent of local groups like Bristol’s not-for-profit climate friendly organic food producers The Community Farm, Nailsea-based Fagus Gardening Club, the South West Dry Stone Walling Association, Friends of Trendlewood Park, Nailsea & District Horticultural Society, composting experts the North Somerset Master Composters, Nailsea Climate Emergency Group and repair, recycle and repurpose specialists Nailsea Shedders and renewable energy advice from the Centre for Sustainable Energy and Burnham and Weston Energy and recycling and waste guidance from the North Somerset Recycling Team.

Each organisation will host and stall or display and have the opportunity to run talks and short films to help promote what they do. The aim of the event is to both inspire more local people to get involved in environmental causes in their local communities and to encourage and enable more collaboration between these groups and their good causes.

John Silvester, Chair of the Nailsea Methodist Church Eco Group, said “As Christians we are called to reflect on the custodianship of the earth in our everyday lives by making wise choices. We are on a journey to make the Church a gold awarded Eco Church. We have already gained our silver Eco Church award and wish to reach out to the local community to involve it in our future plans.”

Richard Lancaster, organiser of the Fair on behalf of the Church’s Eco Group, added: “We hope that this will be an opportunity for groups to promote themselves, educate and attract new members as well as giving everyone involved the chance to network and perhaps find opportunities to work together in the future.”

Angi at Burnham and Weston Energy CIC said “The Eco Fair is a great opportunity for us to promote our free, expert, independent 1-1 energy savings service. Our home energy advisors can visit you in your home to help you use energy more efficiently, cut fuel bills and install small energy efficiency measures at no cost to you. We are a local community not for profit energy company that is on a mission to help as many local people as possible to reduce their energy bills and keep warm in their homes.”

Kingsley Belton from the Nailsea Climate Emergency Group: “We are really looking forward to joining with a lovely variety of other local groups to share our vision of an eco-fairer world, as Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

The event is free, and there will be refreshments – Nailsea Methodist Church’s Eco Group is encouraging as many people as possible to come along.

Any local groups that would like to be a part of the Eco Fair should contact Richard Lancaster, 07505 990593 richardhughlancaster@outlook.com.