Cake, Books and Trees – What’s Not to Love!
It’s not often I can turn down the offer of cake and a chat, and when this invite also included the offer of sitting nestled amongst books listening to someone speak passionately about how their project is creating biodiversity on Dartmoor through the planting of trees, I couldn’t say no.
A Warm Library Welcome
Transition Tavistock have been collaborating with Tavistock library to host their Climate, Cake and Conversation group for a year. They meet alternate months in the evening and offer a variety of speakers and themes, followed by sweet treats and caffeine. September’s guest speaker was Tim Ferry, trustee and long-time volunteer for Moor Trees, who brought the project to life beautifully.
As I arrived I was greeted warmly by Kit, who told me what to expect for the evening and showed me the plethora of Transition Tavistock and Moor Trees booklets and resources. It was a good opportunity to say a quiet hello to my companions for the evening. They were a mix of Transition Tavistock regulars, those who were concerned about the climate and believed that talking was a good place to start, a mother and son who had volunteered with Moor Trees previously and were keen to show their support, and a newcomer who had sponsored a tree from Moor Trees years before.
Restoring Dartmoor’s Woodlands
Tucked into a corner of the library amongst shelves of crime novels and craft compendiums, Tim took us on a journey through Dartmoor’s wooded history and the research and success Moor Trees has had. Did you know that Dartmoor used to have 60% tree cover? This is now at a despairing 8% broadleaf tree cover, but Moor Trees are on a mission to change the landscape and reach a third of tree cover across Dartmoor by 2050; they’re almost halfway there already with 12.5%.
When we plant trees, stuff happens! Tim Ferry, Moor Trees
Tim’s energy was contagious and I left feeling inspired to sign up for a seed harvesting volunteer day when the Eventbrite invitation next arrives in my inbox. They have a variety of volunteer work days across the year, and we’re soon heading into tree planting season. Interested? Sign up for the Moor Trees newsletter to find out more.
Cake!
Although the event information pre-warned me that biscuits were more likely at the evening than cake, for practical reasons (understandably, they just couldn’t bring themselves to change the name of the group to represent something more crunchy in texture), this evening had actual cake, hooray! There was light chatter afterwards as Tim answered questions about how to harvest seeds, planting days and working with Moor Trees as landowners.
Working with the Library
Library supervisor Jan has supported the group over the year with both her enthusiasm for and interest in the topics scheduled, and by opening the library for a couple of hours in the evening to host the event. Transition Tavistock have recently received a small grant to help them cover the costs of Jan’s time, use of the library space and to cover the expenses of any guest speakers who join them. A donations pot has so far helped keep attendees topped up on sugar and caffeine, but this funding means the group can look ahead with a more confidence.
What’s Next for Transition Tavistock?
Each Climate, Cake and Conversation set-up is a little different as the group find their way and what works best. Other evenings may involve a more structured talk following a film or speaker. Coming up for Transition Tavistock:
- 21st October, 2pm: People’s Emergency Briefing film and discussion
- 4th November, 7.30pm: Green tourism, talk by award winner
- 18th November, 2pm: Card-making workshop
Further information can be found on Transition Tavistock’s events page.
Could Your Group Work with a Local Library?
If your group has not yet explored working with your local library, why not start a conversation. Whether it’s a repair café, seed swap, clothes swap, community event or conversation group like this one, libraries can be fantastic partners in helping projects reach more people and have a bigger impact.
Through the Together for Tomorrow project, CAG Devon can help connect groups and share ideas to get collaborations started. For support with this, email partnerships lead Laura via laura.buchanan@resourcefutures.co.uk
