Two key dates for your diary - 17th and 25th July   As we come to the end of another record breaking heatwave, it seems timely to be announcing two very important Sustainable Hayfield events coming up in July, both in memory of Laurie James, whom we lost as a long standing Trustee last year, in what is his birthday month. We hope that as many of you as possible are able to join us for both events, as we celebrate Laurie's life and legacy to the village and wider environment, and seek to carry on his work particularly with regard to the climate and nature crises.   First up, we are holding our Inaugural Laurie James Lecture - Climate Change: Global Crisis to Local Action by Kevin Anderson, International Climate Scientist and local Hayfield Resident on Friday 17th July, 7.30pm at Hayfield Primary School. Click here for poster   This is a rare opportunity to hear from one of the world's leading experts on Climate Change and recent participant in the National Emergency Briefing, and to be part of a serious conversation as to how, as individuals and a community, we can respond and be a constructive part of the solution to the Climate Crisis.   Looking forward to the lecture, Kevin says " The greatest barrier to tackling climate change is no longer a lack of scientific understanding, but a lack of honesty about what that science demands. For too long, politicians, business leaders, much of the media and even parts of academia have offered comforting narratives of future technologies and painless transitions, while the gap between promises and reality has continued to grow. Professor Kevin Anderson argues that the era of easy answers is over. The choices ahead are difficult, but pretending otherwise only makes them harder. Real leadership will not come from governments alone. It will come when informed citizens create the political will for meaningful action. This event is an opportunity to hear the evidence, ask difficult questions, and explore how our community can help drive the change that is urgently needed."   Later in the month, we will be taking an active role with other community groups and Laurie's family in Laurie James Memorial Day, on 25th July, 10.30 to 4.30pm with a range of events during the day as we remember Laurie and celebrate his life and legacy to the village and wider environment. Schedule for the day: 11.00am – Bluebell wood walk, departing from St Matthews church, to include an informative talk on the restorative work being undertaken in the wood and the "blessing" of a memorial plaque. (note the walk to the wood is circa 10 minutes each way and easy flat walking). 12.30pm - Memorial service, at St Matthews Church, in celebration of Laurie’s life. Followed by Bring and Share community picnic in Hayfield Village Hall and Garden, an opportunity to chat and share memories together. Bring something to "eat, drink, share" and leave in the Village Hall Kitchen - anytime from 10.30am - and a rug to sit on! And be dressed for the weather of the day! We hope to see you there, Best wishes, The Sustainable Hayfield team

 

Dear Sustainable Hayfield Supporter, Thanks to all who attended our screening of the People's Emergency Briefing to a packed hall at Hayfield Primary School last Friday 5th June. Whilst many of us are already familiar with many aspects of the Climate Change and Nature Crisis, the film brought home the sheer scale and urgency of these cascading crises. It also made clear that many of the solutions are already available to us. It is in our collective hands to adopt them.  It is time for us to take action, as laid out below.   1) Engage your MP. Ask your MP to join the Parliamentary Call for a televised emergency briefing via this link https://www.nebriefing.org/parliamentary-call and tell them why it is so important to you. 2) Tell your friends and family and encourage them to go and see a screening of the People's Emergency Briefing. Click https://www.nebriefing.org/screening-map to find your nearest venue. You can also watch the full briefings here https://www.nebriefing.org/expert-briefings 3) Sign the petition asking the Government to hold a UK wide briefing on the climate and nature crisis found here https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/767687#main-content 4) Did you know that one of the panel experts, Kevin Anderson, is part of our Hayfield community! So why not join us for his talk on the climate emergency on 17th July (venue TBC), where he will be sharing his expert knowledge at our inaugural Laurie James Lecture. 5) Take local action, either individually or as part of Sustainable Hayfield or the many other local environmental campaign and action groups in the area. We can achieve so much more if we work collaboratively together, and it is important for as many of us to take positive action as possible to create the political and social environment to enable the change we need. To join Sustainable Hayfield, please email sustainablehayfielduk@gmail.com to find out more, get involved in one or more of our action groups below or for support in launching your own sustainable initiative.  Sustainable Hayfield Action Groups:     Biodiversity Energy Food Transport (Buses, Boots & Bikes) Advocacy Reduce, Reuse, Recycle We look forward to working together moving forward! Regards The Sustainable Hayfield team

Nest scheduled talk - "Mini Switzerland, a rural integrated transport project" on Tuesday 26th May

 

“Mini Switzerland, a rural integrated transport project” by Hope Valley Climate Action Group.  Tuesday 26th May 7.30pm Venue: Hayfield Village Hall POSTER.pdf Every Swiss village, no matter how remote, has a bus or train connection at least once an hour. Local buses meet local trains, longer distance buses and intercity trains. Timetables align seamlessly, ticketing is integrated, and trust in public transport runs deep. In the UK, rural connectivity tells a different story. Thousands of communities have lost bus links over the past decade, leaving many reliant on cars or isolated altogether. Mini Switzerland sets out how the UK could adopt the principles behind Switzerland’s rural transport success and create a connected countryside once again. Detailed plans have been published for ‘Mini Switzerland’, a national transport demonstrator for the Hope Valley at the heart of the Peak District National Park. The full Mini Switzerland report is available to download here, and the project brochure here.  And for more details on the project visit https://hopevalleyclimateaction.org.uk/switzerland-in-the-peak-district/ This looks to be an inspiring project paving the way to improved rural transport. We hope to see you soon at the talk. Team Sustainable Hayfield

Spring 2026 seed swap

 

Dear Sustainable Hayfield Member/Supporter Hayfield Plant Swap Station Is Open for 2026. Located at the library garden beside the front entrance to the library, where you will see this sign...  The purpose of the plant swap is the same as it has been in previous years, to enable new and established gardeners to share or acquire plants, by donating some of their own surpluses in turn, to fill out gardens and allotments and windowsills! The basics are; please label your plants so folk know what's on offer (there is a tin with some spare labels if you don't have them)  water donated plants before/as you bring them to stop them wilting; if you don't have anything to donate, still turn up and see what you could make use of; once done, please don't leave any paraphernalia around as it gets blown about and messes up the site.  Thrift Hayfield on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/groups/290417179485951 is a good place to exchange other things.  Happy plant swapping! Team Sustainable Hayfield

Navigating the Energy tariff maze - the first of our 2026 schedule of talks....

 

                    All welcome to this very informative talk by Richard Noakes, Energy Group                          lead...... fundamental knowledge not only to save money, but to be part of the                        solution towards a low carbon sustainable energy future in the UK

 

 

Buses, Bikes and Boots Update

It has been a busy few months for the Buses, Bikes and Boots group, and specifically our campaign to improve local bus services.

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who completed the bus survey recently? Click here for bus survey results. The information has been sent to the East Midlands Mayor, Claire Ward, and Jon Pearce MP who are both very impressed with the work we have done. A hard copy of the survey results is also available in Hayfield Library for anyone who wants to take a look. 

Following on from this, we were also delighted to be joined by both East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, local MP Jon Pearce and some of our local councilors on the 61 bus, intended to highlight the social and economic importance of the route and to put the case for extending the service to evenings and / or Sundays. The day was a great success, with all parties expressing their support for the work we are doing and the proposals in principle to extend the service.

Click here for video clip of 61 ride with East Midlands Mayor

Thank you to all involved!

Watch this space for further news. 

In the meantime, you can support our work by #takingthebus when ever you can!

Sustainable Hayfield Team