The Sustainable Blewbury project
Blewbury is a medium-size English village which enjoys a high standard of living and quality of life, and has a tradition of interest in and caring for its environment. The Blewbury Village Society exists as an umbrella for a wide range of cultural and social activities, encouraging participation by everyone in the village.
The Blewbury Village Society Environment Group (BVS-EG), founded in 1993, acts as a forum for discussion and action on topics related to the village and its environment – including the village fabric, amenities such as footpaths and open spaces, springs, streams and the natural habitat.
In recent years the BVS-EG has taken several initiatives and actions relating to the Parish Plan and the View from the Hill book project. The Blewbury Energy Initiative was the first of a family of new village initiatives relating to sustainable living and coping with climate change. In order to better reflect the emphasis on sustainability, the BVS-EG is now called Sustainable Blewbury. We are affiliated to CAG (Community Action Groups) Oxfordshire.
Five themes
Sustainable Blewbury is organised around five main themes:
- Energy – to decrease use of fossil fuels and encourage renewables
- Travel and transport – to reduce dependence on cars and wasteful transport
- Food and farming – to promote local production and fair trade
- Natural environment and heritage – to promote protection of Blewbury's special features
- Waste and recycling – to increase reuse and recycling
Current projects
Below we list the specific projects currently underway and their convenors:
- Blewbury Energy Initiative (Hugh Osborn)
- Produce stall (Angela Hoy)
- Permaculture project (Angela Hoy)
- Orchard survey (Mike Edmunds)
- Downland project (Peter Cockrell)
- Millbrook project: the Cleve, springs and streams (Mike Edmunds)
- Village trees (Anita Rendel)
- Village skills project (Anita Rendel)
- Dark skies and tranquility (Mike Marshall)
- Transition Together (Jo Lakeland) – More information soon! – email: ttog@sustainable-blewbury.org.uk or telephone: 07466 708 030.
We wish to involve the whole village, and welcome participation from all those with suggestions and ideas on how we can adapt to more sustainable ways of living. Our ambitions outstrip our resources – we need more helpers. If you are interested in getting involved with a project, please make contact with the project leader or one of the two Mikes (Edmunds or Marshall).
- Chair – Mike Edmunds:
- Secretary and deputy webmaster – Mike Marshall:
- Webmaster – Eric Eisenhandler:
- Energy – Hugh Osborn:
- Travel and transport – Mike Marshall:
- Food and farming – Angela Hoy:
- Natural environment and heritage – Mike Edmunds:
- Waste and recycling –
Nearly 1000 years of Sustainable Blewbury
In the Domesday Book Blewbury is recorded as containing a church, 89 households and four water mills – two of which were in the current Parish of Blewbury.
This water wheel was installed in the late 19th century by Eli Caudwell to provide electricity for Ashbrook House. It was the first use of electricity in the village.
