en-form Press Releases 2005

Ban the Bland – Press Release – 5th October 2005

With both Apple Day and British Sausage Week falling in October what better time is there to try out the different varieties of local apple, juice and specialist sausages available at the market.

And, with over 15 stalls, many offering free tastings, why not try some Hereford beef, vegetables picked only the day before or fresh local free range eggs that are cheaper than the supermarkets.

En-form the Environment Centre who organise the market will also be launching their new e-mail reminder service. As a special offer, anybody  making a purchase at the market after 12.30 will be able to buy an energy efficient lightbulb and canvas shopping bag for only 75p.

The Colchester Farmers’ Market will be held at the Colchester Arts Centre from 9.30am to 2pm this Friday the 7th October. Full details on 01206 367776.

TENDRING RE>PAINT SCHEME AT OAKWOOD UNIT 2,
PLOUGH CORNER, HARWICH ROAD, LITTLE CLACTON

ON Thursday 21^st April

Community Re>Paint Colchester and Tendring  is the latest project developed by en-form the Colchester Environment Centre. The Community Re>Paint scheme, which has been successfully rolled out in other parts of the UK by environmental consultants SWAP[i], will help the community to help itself by accepting unwanted, usable, surplus paint from local householders and businesses, and re-distributing it free of charge for reuse by local people (particularly those in social need), charities, voluntary groups and schools[ii].  Whilst providing a service for the local community, and helping the environment, the scheme also has the potential to provide opportunities for the unemployed to volunteer and learn practical skills, gain invaluable work experience and then transfer these skills into employment.

Andrew Wilkinson who has been responsible for the development of the project said, “This scheme is highly beneficial for both the environment and the local community, and provides another way to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. We will be able to offer safe, good quality, recycled paint at low or no cost to disadvantaged local people and community groups. The scheme has the support of Essex County and Colchester Borough Councils.”

Mark Gregory, Community Re>Paint Co-ordinator at SWAP added: “Community Re>Paint began in 1993 and has attracted funding from ICI Dulux, Biffaward[iii] and has since grown into a huge success[iv].  We are very pleased to launch our scheme run by en-form. Over 377 million litres of paint are sold each year (retail and trade), 75 million litres of which is stored, hoarded or wasted. Community Re>Paint: Colchester and Tendring will enable some of this paint to be put to good use.”

Graham Tombs, Essex County Council Head of Waste, Recycling and the Environment said: “We are always looking for ways to expand the recycling facilities we can provide at our civic amenity and recycling sites across Essex. The Community Re>Paint scheme is not only providing a new way to recycle and protect the environment, but is also putting something back into the community. If you are doing any DIY or spring cleaning remember to make sure you bring any leftover or unwanted usable paint for it to be recycled and reused by the community.”

Anyone wishing to donate paint from trade should contact Andrew Wilkinson on 01206 367776. Groups and individuals applying for paint should contact en-form on the same number.  Householders can donate their leftover paint by taking it to the civic amenity and recycling centres at Shrub End, Colchester and Rush Green, Clacton during their usual opening hours.

The project has received £71,188 from the National Lottery Funded Community Recycling and Economic Development (CRED) Programme(5)

For further information about Community Re>Paint Colchester please contact Andrew Wilkinson at en-form on 01206 367776, email: info@en-form.org.uk. www.repaintessex.org.uk

For further information on Community Re>Paint please contact Mark Gregory, SWAP on 0113 243 8777, fax: 0113 234 4222, e-mail: mark@swap-web.co.uk, web: www.communityrepaint.org.uk

ENDS

Notes to Editor

[i] SWAP (Save Waste and Prosper Ltd) is a not-for-profit environmental consultancy that seeks environmental improvement through the sustainable management of waste. In order to do this, SWAP researches particular waste options, innovates in the development of solutions and encourages collaboration with others to work towards sustainable solutions.

[ii]Paint distributed through Community Re>Paint Colchester and Tendring will be used for a wide range of projects from painting community houses to being distributed to needy groups, families and charitable organisations who can identify others who would benefit from the paint.

[iii]In December 1997 Biffa Waste Services agreed to donate landfill tax credits to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) to administer under the fund name Biffaward. Grants made from the fund currently amount to more than £63 million, supporting many worthwhile environmental projects.

[iv] There are presently 57 Community Re>Paint schemes throughout the UK operating in: Barnet; Belfast; Bradford; Bury; Castle Morpeth; Cardiff & The Vale; Conwy; Chester-le-Street; Christchurch; Derby; Doncaster; Ealing; East Kent; Edinburgh; Ellon (Aberdeenshire); East Essex; Falmouth (Cornwall); Fermanagh (N. Ireland); Fleetwood; Hammersmith & Fulham; Hackney; Harlow;Hemel Hempstead; Immingham (NE Lincs); Lambeth; Leeds; Leicestershire; Morecambe & Lancaster; Medway; Middlesbrough; Newbury; Newport; Newtown (Montgomeryshire); Norfolk; North Allerdale (Cumbria); Oxford; Perth; Peterborough; Redruth (Cornwall); Richmond Upon Thames; Rotherham, Sandwell & Soho (Birmingham); Sevenoaks; Sheffield; Shetland; Solihull; Southampton; Stoke-on-Trent; Sunderland; Swansea; Swansea and Gower; Swindon; Waltham Forest; Warrington and Halton; West Devon; Wrexham; and Wye (Kent).

5 The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) and nine consortium partners manage the £36.5 million CRED Programme on behalf of the Big Lottery Fund’s Transforming Waste initiative. CRED is the second multi-million pound National Lottery initiative managed by RSWT on behalf of the Fund.

From this week you can pick up a free local food directory from local environment group en-form and find out.

In its 50 or so pages you will find most of the local producers, farmers’ markets, country markets and farm shops within a 30 mile radius of Colchester – 118 entries in all.

Andrew Wilkinson of en-form said ” This is the second edition of the local food directory following the success of last years. The new directory has many improvements suggested by the public and is much bigger and better than the first one. TV shows such as Jamie’s School Dinners and the Sudan 1 crisis are making people think more and more about the food they eat. Customers are increasingly buying from local producers where they can ask exactly what goes into their food.”

The directory will be launched at this weeks Colchester farmers’ market on Friday 1st April from 9.30am to 2pm at the Colchester Arts Centre.

It will be available free of charge from local libraries, visitor information centres, farmers’ markets and other local information points throughout Essex and Suffolk.

The directory was primarily funded with a 2 year grant from the Seed programme which distributed National Lottery  through the New Opportunities Fund.

Although there are no current plans for future printed directories all the information it contains and many extra features will shortly be available on its own website.

The market is also proving popular with stallholders. Over the last 3 months 6 new stalls selling bread, Caribbean cakes & savouries,  beef, organic chicken, anti-pasti and specialist chilli oils have joined the market. With the welcome return of  the garden plant stalls after their winter break the market will be full to the rafters.

The next Farmers’ Market will be on Friday 4^th March, from 9.30am – 2pm at  the Colchester Arts Centre, near the Mercury Theatre.