12th March 2026 • The HERALD • Page 35 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v Call for a FREE Quotation 023 8084 0257 www.gasworks.co.uk Visit our showroom at 299 Shirley Road, Southampton SO15 3HU Fireplaces and Surrounds Gas and Electric Fires Full Installation Service Service and Maintenance Waterside Climate Action (WaterCAN) News from WaterCAN From one extreme to another? At the time of writing the warmest year on record seems to be in danger of being superseded by the wettest, with the South of the country experiencing its sixth wettest January since records began in 1836. e government’s Climate Change Committee’s latest report on progress in adapting to climate change suggests that “urgent action is needed now to ensure that the UK is prepared for today’s extreme weather”. e good news is that increasingly imaginative and community focussed projects are being used to achieve the necessary adaptation. One such example comes from beaches to the South of Blackpool where tens of thousands of discarded Christmas trees have been buried on beaches. Within weeks, or sometimes days, these morph into sand dunes which can grow up to 3 metres high. An added bonus is the habitat they o er to sand lizards, one of Britain’s rarest reptiles. On a similar theme, more good news on a local front in the last issue of e Herald, with New Forest Aquaponics (NFA) receiving a £20,000 grant from the National Lottery to promote its work in developing alternative environmentally friendly food production. NFA of course also run the Waterside Food Project, Waterside Repair Café and the can collection project, amongst others, from their base at Lucie’s Place in Black eld. ey have also added collecting discarded electric cables to this ever lengthening list. Check out their website for further details. WaterCAN’s next open meeting is on the 30th March, 7pm–9pm at the Soul Café in Dibden Purlieu, SO45 6PG, when Dr Shaun Russell will be presenting a talk on “ e Environmental Impact of Tourism”. Shaun will be looking at case studies from around the world and drawing on his own experiences as an environmental scientist. Given the importance of tourism in our area this will be an opportunity to consider how it a ects the local environment. All welcome. £2 entry and £1 refreshments. Over the 3 years of WaterCAN’s existence a recurring theme has been the promotion of Community Energy, and welcome news arrived last month in the shape of a £1 billion allocation from the government to local and community energy through its Local Power Plan. WaterCAN’s Community Energy spokesperson has described this as a landmark moment: “This is a huge vote of confidence in local people. It shows that the government trusts volunteers and community organisations like ours to deliver affordable renewable energy for the benefit of our own community. Supporters say that the funding could accelerate locally owned solar wind and other renewable projects, cutting energy costs, strengthening energy security and ensuring more of the financial returns remain within the community rather than flowing to the grid or large corporations”. At the same time, at a national level, came news that 190 wind and solar projects were awarded contracts, together with four tidal power subsidy contracts. In total the new contracts will produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 16 million UK homes. Following on our report in the last issue, New Forest Water Watch’s next training session has been arranged for the 12th March, which hopefully will allow us to then promote water testing along the Waterside. Anyone interested in volunteering to become a citizen scientist is invited to contact us via one of the routes listed below. Concluding with more local good news, Hythe Library’s Green and ri y fortnight included an eco-trail and seed swaps, along with eco facts and thri y tips, including information that, based on 2025 readings, the library’s solar panels produced around half of the electricity used by the library. Amongst the thri y tips was a personal favourite: “Don’t shop when you’re hungry!” As ever, for further information, updates and opportunity to be involved, visit: E-voice.org.uk/ WaterCAN, or our Facebook page, or email: watercan2025@gmail.com Renew Store in Netley Marsh – Volunteers Needed e Renew Store at Tools for Self Reliance in Netley Marsh is open to the public and well worth a visit. Located on Ringwood Road, the on-site shop sells a wide range of items including haberdashery and cra supplies, refurbished garden tools, workshop tools and power tools. New stock arrives every week. e shop is open on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am to 3pm, and Fridays from 10am to 1pm, at Tools for Self Reliance, Ringwood Road, Netley Marsh, SO40 7GY. All purchases help support the charity’s work, which focuses on providing training to help people build sustainable livelihoods. Tools for Self Reliance is looking for volunteers to help in the Renew Store. ey are seeking people who can commit to one day (or a morning or a ernoon) a week. Current shop volunteer opportunities are available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Friday a ernoons. Volunteering is a great way to support a local charity, meet people and be part of a friendly team. For more information email: sonia@tfsr.org You can follow e Renew Store on Instagram - @the.renew.store Karen and Pauline
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