Transition Kentish Town April 2024 Newsletter

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The weather may still be chilly, but trees are sprouting new green leaves and our community gardens are full of blossom. On Monday 22 April, people worldwide were celebrating Earth Day and sharing ways to take better care of this one green Earth, our home. And, in this Spring issue of TKT News, we bring you news of lots of great events and new initiatives to help us do just that right here in Kentish Town - 365 days a year!

Nature Connections Sharing Space

First up, SAVE THE DATE ON SATURDAY 11 MAY, and head over to Parliament Hill Fields for our Nature Connections Sharing Space, in the Hampstead Heath Education Centre, next to the Lido.

Expect a friendly welcome and all sorts of fun Nature Connecting action for all ages - from crafting to cookery, Nature art to storytelling, practical urban rewilding (no space too small!) to lively Nature-based activities for kids. See the poster for a taste of what's on offer. If you'd like to help run an activity or bring a Nature connection idea to share, please contact Debbie or Pomme at [email protected].

This is a Transition Kentish Town event with the Hampstead Heath Youth Education team, to explore and share some of the many different ways to reconnect with local Nature - for Nature's benefit and our own. Sharing Spaces are a great idea from Camden Think & Do: community pop-ups where people get together in friendly, sociable spaces, to share creative energy, skills and bright ideas for living more in tune with each other and the Earth.

Kentish Town Community Gardens walk

Kentish Town Community Gardens walking tour: 5pm Wednesday 1st May.
Starts at the Caversham GP Practice 'Listening Space' Therapeutic Garden (access at the rear of the Caversham Practice from Peckwater Street, off Islip Street NW5) then on to the James Wigg Practice 'Well-Beeing Garden' and Raglan Estate greens rewilding. Past the High Street planters, to the Cottage Garden on Platform One at Kentish Town Overground, that cheers many a commute, finishing at our lovely Greening Our Footprint Garden of veg, flowers and fruit trees on the forecourt of Kentish Town Fire Station at 18.30pm.

A chance to visit local gardens that are havens for the local community and our pollinating neighbours alike, with some of those who care for them. Each one lovely, and each one different.

Community Gardens - want to get involved?

Hope you've been noticing how lovely the Fire Station Garden has been looking as it emerges into Spring, even in this past month of cold uncertain weather. Our young almond tree was the first to flower, followed by tulips and herbs.

More garden waterers needed for the Summer! We know many local people enjoy stopping by in these lovingly tended places, but to keep them looking lovely over the summer we need more people with half an hour free a week to join us and help water the Fire Station Garden and the Cottage Garden on Platform 1 of Kentish Town Overground Station. A community garden can’t thrive on supportive comments alone! If you can help with the watering, please contact: [email protected].
Thanks so much.

Are you planning energy retrofit works for your home?

Are you a local home owner or leaseholder thinking about improving the energy performance of your home? Spring and summer are a great time to get work done - with better weather and retrofit trades people more available.

Following feedback from our on-line survey (www.retrofitkentishtown.org) RKT are planning the following events at Kentish Town Community Centre (Busby Place, at the top end of Cavendish Road):

Planning retrofit works for your home: Saturday 18th May (3.30pm) – What to do? In what order?

Retrofitting flats: Tuesday 18th June (6.30pm).

Please come along to find out more and to share your experience, hear from expert speakers and meet others who are embarking on the journey to improved home comfort, reduced CO2 emissions and lower energy bills. Contact [email protected] to join the mailing list.

Power Up North London

From saving energy to generating clean renewable electricity on a community building near you! Head to their website for news of the launch of their latest community investment share offer from Power Up North London (PUNL).

Power Up North London has launched a new share offer to raise £130,000 to install up to 183kWp capacity rooftop Solar Arrays at the Regent High School, in Somers Town NW1 1RX and at Parliament Hill School, NW5 1RL. It is PUNL's largest offer and will open in April 2024 and close on 31st July 2024 or when the maximum target is reached, whichever occurs first. This is such a good way to help local community buildings (schools, churches, doctors' surgeries, sports centres) to reduce their energy costs and to be part of the big energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy generation. Shares are affordable and the benefits are tangible in our local communities - so get ready to invest!

The Adani Green Energy Gallery

New Energy Revolution: The Adani Green Energy Gallery opens at London's Science Museum. If you want to see what renewable energy generation looks like scaled-up, and to be convinced of its ability to power our energy needs and why we need to make the switch, this might be the place to head to.

It's a fascinating exhibition, focusing on vital issues, though its funding by Adani Energy, one of the largest renewable energy companies in India, has sparked some controversy because of their continuing investment in coal mining. Which raises questions for all of us, about how the energy transition can be achieved in the tight timescales we are facing, and how to distinguish between genuine change and the 'greenwash'. So why not take a trip to the London Science Museum to get informed and judge for yourself. It's up on the fourth floor with a nice cafe alongside.

Cholo Kha'i Cafe

Cholo Kha means 'Come eat,’ in Bengali. And every Thursday, from 2nd May, 8am to 3pm, our friends at Camden Think & Do are supporting a lovely new social enterprise run by local Bengali women in Somers Town, on their first step towards a possible career in catering.

The food is delicious, the welcome is warm and it’s well worth supporting, so why not pop on the 214 bus to Somers Town, where your taste buds will be tempted by the team at Cholo Kha?

With veggie curry of the day served with rice and homemade chutneys costing £6, or £2.50 for homemade wholemeal stuffed chapati rolls, plus brekkie parathas, marsala beans, puds, and after school healthy kids snacks, your wallet won’t be stretched … only your tastebuds.

Transition Kentish Town wins new projects funding

Transition Kentish Town has been awarded a grant by the UK Transitions Towns network to launch new low impact living projects in our area, and we want to hear what changes local Kentish Towners would like to see and get involved with.

We believe ordinary people like ourselves can help make our communities friendlier, fairer and more resilient to the impact of climate breakdown, when we come together to conserve natural resources, and to reduce pollution and carbon emissions in a socially just way.

Please join our mailing list to find out about upcoming events, meetings and activities and to let us know what you'd like to make happen next, at [email protected].

What next on Kentish Town Railway lands master planning?

Last week over 250 people gathered at the Greenwood Centre to discuss plans for a new 'film industry quarter' at the southern end of the Kentish Town railway lands, accessed by Regis Road, together with promises of priority given to affordable homes and a green pedestrian corridor connecting Kentish Town with Parliament Hill Fields, via the currently stalled Murphy Yard site.

Developers also said they were "open to including 'meanwhile spaces' for temporary use by community groups" as the development is rolled out. How could this work? And what might it mean for local people? Kentish Town Neighbourhood Forum are continuing to scrutinise proposals and are the people to keep in touch with if you want to know more or give your views: https://ktnf.org.

"The High Heeled Eco-Worrier"

For all those keen to know what happens next in the High Heeled Gardener urban eco-romance saga - the wait is now over, with the publication last week of Book 2: "The High Heeled Eco-Worrier".

Written by TKT member Debbie Bourne, with cover design by illustrator and designer Elizabetta Giordiana, also of TKT, this latest book tells what happens when our heroes Nat and Deb bumble their way through a year of climate action around Kentish Town. Will they and their fellow eco-worriers manage to turn a dilapidated church into a successful eco-hub? Or will a scheming property developer replace it with yet another posh block of flats?

Grab yourself a copy to find out (perhaps this is one to read alongside helping KTNF sift true from false promises from real life mega developers on the Kentish Town railway lands?).

For every copy sold, Debbie will donate £5 to Transition Kentish Town. Available from Owl Books in Kentish Town or from Amazon.

And for justification on why Debbie is selling it on Amazon read here.

For a review on Debbie’s first book in the series: The High-Heeled Gardener, read here.

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