Monday 30 September 2013

en-form's New Blog

We have been undergoing quite a few changes at en-form in recent months and reviewing the way we provide information. 

In addition to our 2 Yahoo Groups we have set up a range of Facebook accounts and a Twitter account. 

Unfortunately, our website is a bit old and broken at the moment and we are currently moving a lot of the information to our NEW BLOG. This offers us more flexibility in the short term whilst we review our website. 

The new Blog can be found at www.enformuk.blogspot.co.uk Please take a look at the new site. You can follow updates to the blog by e-mail and support us by being a follower (this helps with funding bids). 

We will continue to review our online services and will be sending all our followers/supporters a short online survey shortly so that you can tell us how you want these services to work.

You can find a full list of all our Social Media and online services on our Blog under Contact us. 

You may wish to subscribe to these by clicking the various links. 

Your support is greatly appreciated and as already stated the more people that subscribe to these services the better as it helps with our funding bids. Every Little Helps.

Tuesday 24 September 2013

Save Money Save Energy Course £20

Please find below details of a course that may be of interest to some of you. Breifly

  • course costs £20 but includes overnight accommodation and all meals and refreshments.
  • Its in Chester
  • Help with travel costs is available to individuals travelling long distances. (If you do go please let us know in case travel costs can be shared)

If you want to go on a course but are not a member of a group let us know and we may be able to help (info@en-form.org.uk)

**SPECIAL OFFER PRICE - JUST £20 PER PERSON**

Save Money, Save Energy
9-10 October 2013
Trainer - Brian Whitington

With winter starting to creep up on us, now is a good time to look at how best to improve the energy efficiency of your home or community building to help keep you warm as well as saving money on your energy bills.

This course will look at how to undertake an energy audit on your home or community building and identify ways in which you can improve efficiency .

You will also be encouraged to think about how you can promote the ideas to your local community.

Find out about what practical help is out there and what funding is available to help take your ideas forward and how to apply for grants - Including the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (Free money for energy efficiency!)

You will look at example devices such as smart meters which can be used to help monitor your energy usage and practical examples of insulation which can be replicated cheaply and easily back home.

As we at Trafford Hall, are striving to become carbon neutral, the building is used as a real life example of what can be achieved, you will be given a tour of the building and grounds to look at what practices have been put in place.

This course will be fun, practical, and effective in helping you keep those energy bills down.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE

"Great tutor, passionate on subject, very genuine enthusiasm, very knowledgeable"

"Very informative and easy to understand, encouraged to take part in the training"


The cost for this course for community volunteers is just £20.00. This price includes accommodation and all meals and refreshments for the duration of courses.
Help with travel costs is available to individuals travelling long distances.
On completion of the course, groups can apply for a grant of £500 to help with a community project.

If you would like to talk to a member of the training team then please email Gary Dutton(g.dutton@traffordhall.com) or call 01244 300 246.

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Green Links

Energy

Energy Management
Good Energy 
Energy Saving Trust
The Green Deal Guide
National Energy Foundation

Renewable Energy Production
Green Energy Team

Food

Grow your own
Landshare 
Online matching service that allows you to find or offer land to growers. If you have a big garden you can offer it on this website for instance.
Grow Your Own (Magazine)
Colchester Allotment Association

Community Projects
Big Garden Project
Colchester Carrot

Local Produce
GFB

Vegetarian
Vegetarian Society
Vegan Society

Wholesale Foods

Suma Foods

New Economics

New Economics Foundation

Sharing Skills
Exchanging skills with other members of your community has taken many forms over the years, from LETS schemes and Timebanks to web based services. In Colchester we have both a timebank and, internationally the web based service Just For The Love of It. Like all community sharing services however, they rely on having lots of members and the members using them both to offer their skills and to request skills. The Colchester LETS scheme folded in 2002. Details of schemes are given below:

Just for the Love of It
This is a web based Community service that lets you share skills, tools, land and buildings.
LETS UK
Time Bank Colchester
Timebanking UK

Finance
Colchester Credit Union
ZOPA UK
KIVA Loans

Sustainability

en-form – The Colchester Environment Centre
Essex University Green Task Force
Transition Town Colchester
Transition Town Wivenhoe

Transport

Colchester Travel Plan

Climate Care
Off-set your emissions by planting trees

Car
The Environmental Transport Association
UK's only breakdown organisation that campaigns for a greener transport policy
Vehicle Certification Agency
Vehicle fuel consumption guide and database
Wombat Car Club
The Colchester based Car club
Essex Liftshare
Free local online car share matching service

 

Cycling
CTC
UK cyclist's membership organisation, including cycling insurance
Colchester Cycle Champions
Cycle Colchester
Colchester Cycling Campaign
Sustrans
Information on the National Cycle Network

Public Transport
Colchester Bus Users Support Group
Transport 2000
Campaigns for Sustainable transport in the UK

Walking

Walk Colchester

Waste – Reduce, Reuse and Recycling

Reduce
Love Food Hate Waste
Stop unwanted Junk Mail

Reuse
Ebay
The famous online auction site that lets you sell everything legal.
Freegle
Freecycle
Give or Take Essex
Like ebay but free. Lets you post unwanted items you want to give away or request items you want.
ReUse Essex
Online directory with search facility listing organisations throughout Essex that collect and redistribute unwanted items, primarily by Charity and Community Groups but also includes some commercial organisations.
Bookcrossing

Recycle
A-Z Guide to Dispose of Waste 
Directory of how to reduce, reuse or recycle specific items in Essex.
Recycle More (VALPAK)
Recycle Now (WRAP)
Information on what can be recycled together with a postcode search of what you can recycle in your area through kerbside collection and recycling bank facilities.
Colchester Borough Council
Details of the recycling facilities available in Colchester.
Use It Again
Waste Busters (Essex County Council)

Water

Water Companies
Anglian Water
Essex and Suffolk Water
Affinity Water (formerly Veolia Water East)

Water Use
Blueprint for Water
7 groups who have set out a blueprint for the UK's Water Supply
Centre for Alternative Technology
has an extensive guide to water harvesting
Environment Agency
Water efficiency advice and to report cases of pollution
Rainwater Harvesting Association
Links to member companies
Waterwise
Campaigns for sustainable water use. Has a useful list of water saving devices

Thursday 12 September 2013

Volunteers Available

 

If your organisation or project needs volunteers, the following organisations and websites may help you to recruit them.

University of Essex Students’ Union vTeam.

vTeam is a student volunteer group that wants to build long term relationships with local organisations and benefit the local community. If you have any projects in mind where you might need extra help, we are here to help. We can’t fund any materials, but we will happily provide man power. We have done a variety of tasks in the past, such as painting, digging, surveying, fundraising and helped moving offices.

Student volunteers are available during term time.

Do-It.org.uk

A searchable database by postcode and category operated by the Volunteer Centres.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Local Farmers’ Markets

 

Bury St Edmunds  - every Wednesday and Saturday Contact Tracey (TW Markets) 07870 437254 or e-mail bury@indoormarkets.co.uk

Brightlingsea – 4th Saturday of the month  9am-1pm at the Brightlingsea Community Centre CO7 0LG Contact Helen Bishop 01206 302055 secretary@bseacc.co.uk         www.bseacc.co.uk

Burnham on Crouch - 3rd Sunday of month 9am - 12.30pm Contact Jo Broughton 07932 627574

Colchester – 1st Friday of the month 9.30am – 12.30pm at the Colchester Arts Centre, CO1 1NF. Contact Rowly Castiglione 01206 367776 localfood@btinternet.com

Felixstowe - 1st Sat of Month 9am-1pm Contact Eric Moss 01728 688166

Frinton - 4th Friday of the month 9.00am - 12.00 noon  McGrigor Hall,  Fourth Avenue, Frinton-on-sea, CO13 9EB. Contact Ivan Clarke phone 01206 230524

Lavenham - 4th Sunday Contact Justine 01787 249168

Long Melford - 1st Sat of Month  10am-1pm Contact Ann Deasy 01787 269502

Maldon - 1st Tuesday Month 9am-1pm Contact Paul Irvine 07768 574407

Needham Market - 3rd Sat Month 9am-1pm Contact Joan Hardingham 01449 720820

Rowhedge - 1st Saturday Rowhedge Village Hall CO5 7HX Contact Yvonne 07780923688 e-mail rowhedgevillagehall@me.com

South Woodham Ferrers - 2nd Friday month 9.30am-1pm Contact Jo Broughton 07932 627574

Stowmarket - 1st Friday 9.30am-1.30pm Contact Emma Roberts 01449 612060 e-mail emma.roberts@stowmarket.org . This is a bit off the beaten track customers have to go through a shop to get to it.

Sudbury - last Friday of month 9.30am-1pm Contact Ian Clark 01787 372331

Jimmy's Farm Wherstead - 1st Sat of Month Contact Tanya Sadler 0870 950 0210

Witham - 2nd & 4th Tuesday of Month 9.30am-2pm Contact Wendy Harlow 01376 519440

Wivenhoe – 3rd Saturday of the month 9am – 12 noon at the Congregational Hall, High Street, Wivenhoe, CO7 9AB Contact Rowly Castiglione 01206 367776 e-mail localfood@btinternet.com  

Woodbridge - 2nd & 4th Sat of month 0.30am-1pm Contact Ian Whitehead 01379 384593