Community Conversation
A day-long event in March 2020, asking what the climate emergency means for New Mills?
In 2019, New Mills Town Council declared a Climate Emergency. The Town Council and Transition New Mills worked together to set up a ‘town meeting’ in order to find out what this meant for our community. We called this meeting a ‘Community Conversation’ and it was held on Saturday 7th March 2020 at New Mills Town Hall.
New Mills Town Council and Transition New Mills wrote to as many individuals, groups and networks as we could and directly invited them to take part. We also embarked on a major social media campaign and opened up the invitation to everybody in New Mills.
On the day, we fostered conversations among participants, on questions such as:
What’s moving you most right now about the climate/ecological emergency?
What’s inspiring you most about the times we are living in?
What would you like future generations to thank you for personally?
We also drew on local “provocateurs” – those with a particularly valuable perspective to share – to present their thoughts on how we can best respond to the emergency we face. This included:
Tim Birch of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust spoke with expert knowledge and passion about the tragic loss of biodiversity that we are experiencing locally and around the world.
Gillian Ashworth, a secondary school assistant headteacher, challenged us to work towards an alternative education system that teaches us to recognise and respect our place in the natural world.
Hazel Ashworth followed, talking to us from the perspective of a young person and bringing tears to many eyes. She asked us “Will hedgehogs still visit my garden in 2030?”
Sarah Roe, who works for Sustrans, a charity that makes it easier for people to walk and cycle, spoke about how transport is the only sector where carbon emissions continue to rise.
David Brown, an expert in waste management and education, called for the creation of a circular economy, a more robust local food system, resilient ecosystems, cleaner air and a happier community.
Julia Westhead, a mental health practitioner, told of how she is seeing increasing evidence of anxiety about what is happening to our climate.
Lorrie Marchington, an investor in cooperatively owned renewable energy schemes, gave her perspective on the energy we need to power our homes and businesses.
Esther Morrison told us how for every pound spent in the local economy, 63p stays in the local area, and she called on us all to “buy less, buy better and think local”.
Graham Burgess of Shaw Farm and holiday lettings, spoke of his awareness of the compromises involved in producing food, providing accommodation and a healthy environment.
Once the facilitated group sessions were over, we assembled our ‘New Mills 2030’ book using everything that had been written down during the day – a document of where we stood in the face of this emergency, our fears, our hopes and our shared vision for the future. The cover of the book had been drawn by younger children earlier in the day.
More details of the event and the discussions held are available in the report. (Click below to download a copy).
What would we like New Mills to look like in 2030?
More shared and affordable office and work-spaces
Fewer cars parked and taking up living space
More local businesses
Less stress and happier people
Face to face connections
Additional cycle paths and storage
Quieter environment - so that we can hear birds and children playing
No vapour trails in the sky
Green spaces that offer quiet reflection
What do we value and want to keep?
Both rail stations and services
Footpath network
Canals
(Community) buses and their turn-around
Independent shops/cafes/market stalls
Quality education and childcare
Local Health Centre including out of hours health service
Residential care services
Leisure facilities
Cultural venues, including for religious gatherings
Vibrant community
What does not serve us any more?
Long term car parking in Town Centre
Parking on pavements
Private car ownership to reduce peoples’ mileage and use of large cars as status symbols
Unnecessary face to face professional meetings that require additional transport provision
Fixed working hours that make travelling at rush hours so unpleasant
Expectation of formal dress for office and service staff, that discourages walking and cycling
What do we need to repair, restore and create?
Comprehensive, efficient and effective integrated public transport
Dial-a-ride service
Micro car clubs
EV charge points in all public spaces and included in all new developments
Segregated priority cycle ways
Connected cycle ways to Greater Manchester
Extended TFGM coverage to Buxton, or at least New Mills
Possibly free public transport - but real need to consider consequence
No further airport expansion
Celebration of UK holidays
