Exmouth’s big green heart
“Exmouth is a small town with a big green heart. It’s easy to feel connected to nature in this town. With its rich natural heritage, the red cliffs marking the start of Jurrasic coast or the Exe Estuary haven for migratory birds, or just the walks with beautiful views across the South West Coastline. And to top it all off we have a wonderful web of activists and community groups all working to make our town and the world a better place” This was the response a new trustee of the charity Transition Exmouth gave when we asked what attracted her to get involved in developing the new charity.
Transition Exmouth actually started in 2008 and over the years has involved many passionate locals who have helped to develop projects which have gone on to become independent. Exmouth Library of Things, is one such example. A community “shed” where people can borrow items that are used on an infrequent basis e.g. DIY tools, camping equipment and pressure washers. Helping to change people’s mindset from individual consumption and encourage a sharing economy.
These are the sorts of projects the group want to help develop in Exmouth. They want to support ordinary people to get their ideas off the ground. Or people who just feel fed up with the doom and gloom of the news about climate change and who feel like a different future is possible and just want to do something.
Through different people’s enthusiasm and vision this group has grown in recent years to a size where it was eligible to be a registered charity. Registering in April 2024. That means it has a really great opportunity to attract larger pots of money into the town and work on much larger projects and employ people too.
All the people in the core group have volunteered for eco groups for many years. They have acknowledged that volunteering to address climate change can feel overwhelming and life itself can be tough. The charity registration process created an opportunity for the group to reflect on what work it was doing and how it had been working. They were able to pause and think about the way it wanted to work in future. They have committed to creating a charity which mirrors the behaviour that is needed for a sustainable planet.
The groups trustees explain “we really care about wellbeing people who volunteer with us. We want to care about each other, give people the opportunity to be social and build community within the group. We want to be a model for how to include everyone in this transition to a fairer world and sustainable way of living.” They have been rethinking the events they attend to help diversify the people they get to talk to in the community. Most recently running the water refill stand at Exmouth Pride.
The group has been developing their membership and volunteering scheme for people who want to support its work or get involved. They have been creating volunteering opportunities for busy people, for people who may have difficulties with their health or a disability, for people who want to gain experience and for young people. And for those who have professional skills they want to contribute.
Projects it has been developing for the past few years which people are able to get involved with include:
Friends of the River Exe, which aims to be a voice for the river by bringing together local people and groups working to protect and restore it to full health. Volunteers help with citizen science activities, campaigning for legal rights of the river and the beings living within the river, or take part in arts based public awareness events.
Mushroom Community Food Network, bringing Community Food Providers and interested individuals together, to focus on a sustainable approach to food. Community “FunGuys”food activities including: Bring & share suppers, Saturday Loaf bread making, Over a Bowl of Soup, a food monthly related discussions recent topics have including Food Cooperatives, Community Growing, Food Waste and Surplus.
ExeCargo Shared eCargo Bike Scheme, the groups own a Tern eCargo bike; which is available to rent at just £10 a week via the Exmouth Library of Things. Promoting use to encourage people to buy their own.
One of the biggest successes of the group in recent years was the lobby of the town council to declare a climate emergency and recruitment of a Climate and Ecological Emergency Officer, who now works on campaigns and initiatives to reduce the town’s community carbon footprint. Wouldn’t it be great if every town council had someone to do this! The group is excited to be able to work with this officer.
If you’re a member of the public looking for a way to turn your concerns about the climate into positive action and you live in Exmouth and want to connect with people who want to support each other, Transition Exmouth might be the group for you! Sign up to their newsletter and check out eco events on their website’s calendar and social media or contact them to find out more about their volunteering opportunities transitionexmouth@gmail.com
If you’re a group who wants to find out more about how they have been developing or would like to share how you work with the group, they would love to hear from you. Use the same email to make contact.
