Welcome to Nailsworth Climate Action Network
We are a community group dedicated to action on climate change for people who want to make positive choices for our planet. We’d like to get to know more of you in our community, share our upcoming projects and ideas with you and learn all about yours too. We know Nailsworth CAN make a difference and we hope you’ll join us. Take a look around to see what we are doing and how you can join in!
Up-coming events
There is quite a lot happening in the near future (see below for more details on each event):
Friday 7th November - Climate Corner (Nailsworth Library, 10.30-12.30) - Focus on Nature In Nailsworth
Sunday 16th November - Repair Cafe (The Nailsworth Community Workshop, 10am -1pm)
Saturday 29th November - Jolly Up Your Jumper (Nailsworth Library, 10am -1pm)
Saturday 29th November - Heat Pump demonstration (Nailsworth Market)
Monday 1st December - Everything you wanted to know about heat pumps but were afraid to ask (Free Talk, Sawyer Hall, arrive 7pm for 7.30pm)
Friday 5th December - Climate Corner (Nailsworth Library, 10.30-12.30) - Focus on heat pumps
… see details below
Repair Cafe
The Nailsworth Repair Cafe will be held at The Nailsworth Community Workshop on between 10am and 1 pm on:
Sunday 16th November.
This will cover electrical, mechanical, woodwork repairs and tool sharpening. Booking is essential at bookwhen.com/nrc
Jolly Up Your Jumper
We are having a jumper upcycling workshop on Saturday 29th November,
between 10am and 1pm in Nailsworth Library.
Bring an old jumper along – or perhaps buy one from a charity shop – and we will help you jazz it up into something fun and fantastic in time for the Christmas festivities. There will be lots of fabric scraps and sewing bits and bobs available for you to design something Christmassy, with help and advice on hand – as well as a sewing machine!
Did you know that the clothing and textiles industry accounts for more greenhouse emissions than international aviation and shipping combined? And the rise of fast, disposable fashion is accelerating that trend such that 350,000 tonnes of used but still wearable clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year.
By upcycling a jumper rather than buying a new one you can not only save money but also avoid the environmental impact caused by a mass produced item that is usually shipped from overseas – it can be your Christmas gift to the planet.
Maggie Dutton, chair of NailsworthCAN, posing with a jumper she jollyed up!
FREE Talk
Everything you wanted to know about heat pumps but was afraid to ask
Richard in full flow, during a heat pump on-site visit
Join Dr. Richard Erskine, Education lead for NailsworthCAN, for an illuminating talk on heat pumps, of various kinds, covering their long history and answering practical questions, to be held at Sawyer Hall, Newmarket Road, Nailsworth
Monday 1st December 2025, arrive 7pm for prompt 7.30 start.
The talk will be for 40 minutes followed by Q&A. Teas & Biscuits and chats will be served, finsihing no later than 9pm
During the talk you will discover …
That heat pumps have quietly been part of our lives for decades, and why they are central to cutting carbon emissions and reaching net zero.
Richard will explore how heat pumps can be used across a wide variety of settings, from private homes and social housing to churches and community buildings. Along the way, he’ll challenge common myths and misconceptions, offering clear, evidence-based insights.
He’ll provide a lay persons guide to how heat pumps work, and why, even given high electricity rates, they can still be cheaper to run than an aging gas boiler, due to their exceptional efficiency.
By the end, you’ll understand why heat pumps are not just a technological option, but a solution we should all be championing, and part of a bigger story of electrification of energy use generally.
Bonus event
We also hope to see a heat pump demonstration rig arrive in Nailsworth during the Saturday market on 29th November, organised by Gloucestershire County Council’s Sustainability Officer. You will be able to see a demo of heat pump technology first hand and take part in a Q&A. This would be a great primer ahead of Richard’s talk on Monday 1st December.
Climate Corner - Nailsworth Library
Nailsworth CAN’s next monthly Climate Corner will be on Friday 7th November, 1030-1230am, at Nailsworth Library - the focus this month will be on sharing the results of the Bioblitz and the review meeting.
The Climate Cart supports Nailsworth Library in its Greener Together initiative and was commissioned to be a centre piece for the monthly Climate Corner run by Dr Richard Erskine at the Library. It was built by Auspicious based in Nailsworth under the creative direction of Jenny Bowers, and funded in part by an award from the David Vaisey Trust. The plywood used to build it is wood that is a few decades old at most, but the dark lettering is made of bog oak that is 5,000 years old, set in a orange plastic background that represents fossil carbon that is a few hundred million years old - the cart itself is thereby telling its own carbon story.
Activities & Other News …
Let’s Get Growing
We are delighted that the Trustees of the Arkell Centre have approved our plan for the revamp of the outside space to create a fruit and veg patch.
This project is funded thanks to local donations as well as Stroud District Council and the approval means we can now get stuck in!
By the time you read this, we will have prepared the ground ready for installation of planters and trellis. In the next few weeks we will plant fruit trees and shrubs, ready for a flying start in the Spring.
If you would like to get involved with this project alongside our NailsworthCAN Grow It group, please contact us on nailsworthcan@gmail.com
Refreshing the Green Directory
Nailsworth Climate Action Network is refreshing its local Green Directory and we welcomed needle felting business The Makerss, based in George Street, into the fold. The fully refreshed Green Directory will be published on this site in early September 2025. We are looking for new suggestions (read on).
Steffi Stern, pictured here with NailsworthCAN volunteers Maggie and Lizzie Dutton
Steffi Stern, pictured here with NailsworthCAN volunteers Maggie and Lizzie Dutton, told us her sustainability story. The felting kits use natural wool and dyes, compostible materials and recyclable packaging. Steffi works as much as possible with local suppliers and businesses for her needle-felting workshops and retreats. She also has tie-ins with nature and wildlife groups and all the amazing kits are produced on the premises.
There are lots of people in Nailsworth trying to change the way we live, work and shop. Lizzie is volunteering with NailsworthCAN to refresh the Green Directory over her summer break and if you have already taken significant steps towards becoming a sustainable business, we would love to hear from you. Contact us at Resources for business owners — NailsworthCAN
A felt kit from The Makerss on George Street, Nailsworth
Your experience will depend on the current situation. If yiou already have double panel radiators throughout the house, you may not need to upgrade any radiators. But don’t listen to the naysayers that say you that old houses cannot use a heat pump etc. - read our piece 8 Heat Pump Myths.
Community Energy
This is a major theme for NailsworthCAN, and we should celebrate the work that has already been done. Treasurer, Matt Partridge, introduces this great film by Limestone Media celebrating the success of a solar energy project at Minchinhamption Primary school:
Read more in our blog on the New Community Energy Initiatives.
Demystifying Heat Pumps
There has been a lot of chatter recently about heat pumps being new and untried technology, or not suitable for old buildings, or being much more expensive to run than a gas boiler. None of these is true.
Our new page Demystifying Heat Pumps should help to dispel these myths, but please send us any questions you may have. Also note that Nesta are running a scheme to connect those curious about getting a heat pump with householders who already have one.
Go to Nesta’s Visit a Heat Pump page to learn more and book a visit (or if you have a heat pump, to offer your services, at dates/ times of your choosing).
Learn about the Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme here.
Nailsworth CAN Grow It
Is a support network, coordinated by Bill Roberts, for anyone growing anything to eat. We meet monthly and have a WhatsApp group, to join message ‘Grow It’ to 07932 623672.
Project ideas welcome
We are interested in proposals for projects / events that further the aims of NailsworthCAN from any supporter in the locality who is willing to take on a leading role. We have created a simple form to allow such ideas to be captured, so they can be reviewed by our Steering Group. The aim is to support each other and engage in local, positive action on climate and nature. You can register / offer up a project idea here.
Ongoing projects
Community Energy
We have formed a Community Energy (CE) project group within NailsworthCAN and are working with SACEN (Stroud Area Community Energy Network) to promote CE, identify opportunities, and further projects in Nailsworth and its neighbourhood. Read more here.
All About Retrofit
The word ‘retrofit’ applies to anything done to your existing property to: reduce heat loss, improve air quality, eliminate damp issues, move off gas. Not all houses are the same and older houses may require specialist help and advice. From draught proofing to solar panels, find out how you could make your home healthier and more energy efficient.
Nailsworth Green Directory
This is currently undergoing a refresh, and a new version will be posted in late August/ early September 2025.
Find out about all of the businesses in Nailsworth that are making a conscious effort to be more sustainable. From the chef who switched to compostable take-away boxes to the computer shop that fixes and recycles, there are lots of people in Nailsworth trying to change the way we live, work and shop.
Nailsworth CAN Repair It
We throw away vast amounts of stuff - clothes, tools, appliances - often things that need s simple repair. If you have anything you want to fix, then bring it along to the next one which we will advertise in due course(based at the Subscription Rooms on Bath Road, Nailsworth, Glos. GL6 0HH). We'll try to help you fix it - mainly electrical, mechanical, woodwork, sewing and textile repairs. To book a slot, go to www.bookwhen. com/nrc or call 07977 228973 or email paulkhofman@me.com.
Family Carbon Challenge
For those of you that are keen to make this year a little bit greener, we have some simple ideas to help you reduce your carbon footprint. We hope you’ll join in and please do let us know how you get on with the challenge.
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