Reference document as used by Greener Hampton & Catney

 

If you are participating in any of these or are interested in organising a village activity around the topic, please get in touch, via the [email protected],  we'd love to know.  

 

 

Energy Savers Week 15 - 21 January, is run in partnership with Energy Saving Trust. 

 

Big Garden Birdwatch 23-15 January. According to the RSPB, we’ve lost 38 million birds from UK skies in the last 60 years. Every bird you do – or don’t – count will give insight into how garden birds are faring.

 

Great British Spring Clean and Great Big School Clean 21 March – 6 April is Keep Britain Tidy’s mass-action environmental campaign. Litter-picking is a simple action that anyone can do. It makes an immediate and visible difference to the environment where we live, work and play.  Resources and guidance available.  [I think Wombles already mark this event]

 

The Big River Watch, April and September - dates to be announced. Twice a year, The Rivers Trust run a simple citizen science activity that helps build a picture of river health across the UK. Whether you’re a swimmer or a paddler, an angler or a rambler, a wildlife spotter or a sit-and-watch-er, download the app and complete the quick survey.

 

No Mow May We’ve lost approximately 97% of flower-rich meadows since the 1930’s and with them gone are vital food needed by pollinators, like bees and butterflies. With over 20 million gardens in the  UK, even the smallest grassy patches add up. PlantLife campaign and resources including posters and information packs.  [this is one I would really like to promote - if we could get photos of everyone's unmown gardens that would be impressive! ]

 

International Composting Week – 3 to 109 May  https://compostfoundation.org/icaw-home/

 

National Hedgerow Week 4-10 May. Hedgerows form the UK’s largest wildlife habitat, are a major part of our landscape and cultural heritage, and are crucial to halting biodiversity decline and tackling climate change.  https://treecouncil.org.uk/seasonal-campaigns/national-hedgerow-week/  [rather than just put this in the calendar, I could see what activities they recommend and organise something - there's nothing up yet for 2026]

 

May is Living Streets’ National Walking Month and encompasses Walk to School Week 19 – 23 May. Find out more about Safer Routes to School and reducing pavement parking.

 

Water Saving Week   11-15 May Waterwise helps communities, businesses and governments to understand the value of water and use it wisely so that we have enough now and in the future.  https://waterwise.org.uk/campaign/water-saving-week/ 

 

The Great Big Green Week 6 – 14 June is the UK’s biggest celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. This year’s theme is “Let’s swap together for good” – from clothes or book swaps, to skill swaps in allotments or upcycling workshops, to knowledge swaps on discussion panels, events can be hosted by anyone in the community. Resources available from The Climate Coalition whose 

 

World Refill Day 16 June from City to Sea is a campaign to stop plastic pollution at source. Anyone can download the free City to Sea Refill app to tap into a network of places to reduce, reuse and refill. If you have a location – a sports club or a shop – where you’re happy to allow the public to enter and refill their tap water, this is a ‘publicly accessible water point’ and can be registered as a Refill Station for water refills. Find out how  https://www.refill.org.uk/world-refill-day/  

 

Clean Air Day, 18 June,

 

Swift Awareness Week Saturday 27 June – Sunday 5 July http://actionforswifts.blogspot.com/p/saw-events.html   [same comment as hedgerows - without an activity this isn't interesting - however, if we put it in the calendar, we might find others who are already interested...]

 

Big Butterfly Count 2026 By taking part in a UK wide survey, you can help assess the health of our environment by counting butterflies. 17 July – 9 August https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/about 

 

National Allotment Week is a yearly event in August from the National Allotment Society. These small plots of land are rented out to people by a parish or town council. The Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 placed duty on local authorities to provide sufficient allotments, according to demand and to purchase compulsorily land to provide allotments. Allotments played a big role during the First and Second World Wars, when many foods were strictly rationed and are now recognised to provide a variety of social and environmental benefits.

 

Seed Gathering Season, 21 September – 22 October. The autumn equinox is the official start of The Tree Council’s initiative. Seed gathering is fun, free and easy. Wherever you live, whatever your age, you can get involved. Resources include a webinar to help you find the right place for trees, identification guide and how to grow trees from seed.  https://treecouncil.org.uk/seasonal-campaigns/seed-gathering-season/  

 

Unblocktober is the world’s first month-long national campaign and awareness month to improve the health of our drains, sewers, watercourses and seas – driven completely by the British public. Save our sewers and our seas!

 

Led by Keep Britain Tidy, November is Buy Nothing New Month It’s much more beneficial for the environment to reduce your consumption. This means reusing and repairing items, borrowing and renting, and if you need to buy something, buy it second-hand – excluding essentials like food and medicine.

 

National Tree Week, held in the last week of November, is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration from the Tree Council. People are encouraged to plant trees to mark the start of the winter tree planting season.

 

Source:- Low Carbon Warwickshire Network

 

Juliette Mian