Action Groups Update - July 2026
Growing Communities Action Group
This Action Group participated in Open Gardens and in What a Wonderful World festival both in June, showing people around the community gardening beds - what is growing, why we have particular plants, and what future plans are.
We helped the Council Wardens to do some maintenance along the path between North Road and the railway Station. Berwick Town Council are asking if Greener Berwick can take over looking after this area.
A Year 5 group of pupils from Holy Trinity Primary helped weed the Castlegate bed as part of a Young Leaders event at the school. It was so successful and interesting for the pupils that they are keen to have another session in the autumn.
The Community Trust are looking to have more of this type of community engagement at the Castlegate bed, which is why the area is being rebuilt with raised beds and a walkway through the centre, so that all parts of the bed are easy for people to reach when doing maintenance or picking produce.
Transport and Active Travel Action Group
We submitted a bid to Active Travel England for consultancy time from the Walk, Wheel, Cycle Trust (WWCT) to develop a safe solution for crossing the A1.
This Action Group is planning to do a survey of existing cycle provision in the area to inform bids for any available money in local budgets.
There is now a good working relationship with the NCC Bus Ambassador on understanding problems with infrastructure such as bus timetable display cases.
A group of 25 schoolchildren (year 10/11) was taken out to learn about monitoring algae in the Tweed Estuary, why it is done and how the results are used.
Elaine is going to meet a teacher from Eyemouth school regarding a similar talk.
Prior Park might be interested in the Tipping Point game, but we need to test it first.
Zero Waste Hub Action Group
Repair Cafe & Tool Library
Repair Cafe customer numbers have not dropped as much this summer in the way they did last summer.
Last month five people visited as part the What a Wonderful World Festival, in addition to our usual customers.
The NCC Recycling Officer was very busy - so it was useful to have her.
Repair Cafe maintains useful statistics.
The Tool Library has now been moved to a bigger room, still in the Voluntary Centre. The group has decided to open Friday evenings, rather than Saturday mornings (easier for volunteers). There will be a minimum notice period between booking and collection. The printed publicity materials will need to be amended with the changed days.
Nigel is planning to buy some of the new tools that we have grant money for. When we have them all, there will be a publicity drive, supported by Graeme Anderson of Local Story Exchange.
Membership of the Tool Library - currently free.
