It’s been a vibrant and eventful year for Sustainable Warminster. Over the months, we’ve hosted several general meetings alongside our regular Green Drinks gatherings. Below is a snapshot of some of the other activities we enjoyed throughout the year:
Column and comms
We now have a bi-weekly column in the revived Warminster Journal.
We’ve introduced improved communications for our members through regular email updates.
Events
October 2024:
Energy Advice Tea Party, at the Warminster Civic Centre
November 2024:
Warm and Well Energy Advice event, at the Warminster Civic Centre
January 2025:
Warm and Well Energy Advice event, at the Warminster Civic Centre
February 2025:
Warm and Well Energy Advice event, at the Warminster Civic Centre
March 2025:
Spring Energy Advice Tea Party, at the Warminster Civic Centre
April 2025:
Warminster’s Great British Spring Clean, town-wide community litter-pick; a collaboration with Warminster Town Council
An illustrated wildflower talk by Paul Jupp of Meadow in my Garden, at the Warminster Civic Centre
June 2025:
Sustainable Style clothes swap & shop, at The Wellbeing Hub, Warminster
July 2025:
Pollination street celebration
August 2025:
A thank you Cream Tea in the Community Orchard for our Energy Advice Event volunteers
Imber ‘Buzz Day’ with Plan Bee.
A number of our members enjoyed attending the Wiltshire Climate and Environment Summit on 21st June, in Trowbridge; hosted by Wiltshire Council.
Campaigns
Toad Patrol:
In addition to actual toad patrolling this Spring, we campaigned for Warminster Town Council to support an annual closure of Smallbrook Road for the toad migration. With the decline in reported numbers, it is important to understand that the toad population is at a tipping point, and protection through road closure is crucial. Toad patrollers were interviewed on Sky News, and BBC Wiltshire Radio raising concerns.
Plan Bee:
This initiative has been raising awareness of the plight of pollinators. Warminster Plan Bee is a community-led project by Sustainable Warminster, in partnership with the MOD and local landowners, aiming to boost biodiversity by creating bigger, better, and more connected habitats for native bees and pollinators around the town. Work is ongoing; the new Warminster Garrison Environmental Committee is collaborating with Industry Partners and Sustainable Warminster to enhance green spaces and support biodiversity as part of Warminster Plan Bee.
Smallbrook Nature Reserve Mural:
A new wildlife-themed mural project was completed in Warminster this year after months of work by Clare Shepard, Sustainable Warminster member to get the project funded. The mural is the work of two local artists Tanya Hinton and Nick Andrew, who painted the shipping container at the Smallbrook Nature Reserve car park over many weeks. There are further plans to erect an information board about the wildlife living in the Nature Reserve, which the mural depicts.
Rivers and waterways:
Sustainable Warminster is establishing a Rivers and waterways subgroup to monitor and campaign for the health of our local rivers and water systems in and around the town.
Members
Membership has risen: with 12 new members since the last AGM.
Collaborations
We continue to work with Warminster Town Council, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, the MOD, the Community Orchard, and others. We really appreciate the support and funding we have had from many sources.
Signed: Co-Chairs Amy Darbyshire and Rebecca Krzyzosiak