Leicestershire community action
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Leicestershire.
‘We’ve had untold support’: how farmers are getting creative with tree-planting, positive.news (Dec 12, 2023) - Astronauts launch from Community space, neighbourhooddemocracy.org (Sep 19, 2023)
- Alter Natives: Deana Wildgoose from the Coalville CAN, on the creativity and joy released when communities take over buildings, The Daily Alternative (Jan 11, 2023)
Networks, sustainability and support initiatives
- Coalville CAN CBS, (Communities and Neighbours), link checked 17:00, 21 October 2022 (UTC)
- Action for a Better Charnwood
- Footprints, North West Leicestershire
- Hockerton Housing Project
- Sustainable Harborough, five year lottery funded project
- Transition Leicester
- Transition Loughborough
- Transition Town Market Harborough
Support organisations
- b-inspired, neighbourhood-based charity in Braunstone. “To be the Community Anchor and champion for Braunstone, now and in the future, able to support our neighbourhood and its citizens to reach full potential by harnessing its strengths and responding to its needs. By making a difference!”
Communities online
Food activism
Leicestershire Food Links, information on Farmers' Markets
Community energy
Green Fox Community Energy, Leicester and Leicestershire's sustainable energy co-operative
Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle
Freeuse Leicestershire If you don't use it, Freeuse it!
Climate action
- Leicester's Climate Emergency Conversation, leicester.gov.uk
Ethical consumerism
Just... Fairtrade, Leicester
Sustainable transport activism
LeicesterSHARE.com, part of the lifstshare network - Transport and Streets, information from Leicester City Council, includes information on cycling, buses and walking in Leicester
Cycling activism
The Leicester Bike Park is a bicycle parking facility in Leicester Town Hall, England. It is managed by the City Council.
Facilities include secure bike parking, showers, changing rooms, lockers, and advice.
The Bike Park was developed as the result of research into public attitudes to cycling, carried out by Groundwork Leicester and Leicestershire (then trading as Environ) in the 1990s. These studies showed that, in addition to the need for safe cycle routes, the lack of secure bike parking and changing facilities for commuters were barriers preventing people from cycling. The Bike Park was opened in 1997.
Through the Bike Park and other initiatives, Leicester City has seen an 81% growth in commuter cycling (2004 to 2009) and the average daily number cycle journeys in the city has grown to 10,500.
Cycle City, information from Leicester City Council - Cycling in Leicestershire, information from Leicestershire County Council
Maps: Cycling Maps, from Leicestershire County Council
Rural sustainability
Leicestershire Rural Partnership - Rural Community Council (Leicestershire and Rutland)
News and comment
2015-2022
SMW:off- Developing towns in Coalville, building houses in Grimsby, generating solar power in Bristol - these CANs are vibrant and concrete, The Daily Alternative (Jul 02, 2022) — This week, we have a cascade of what we call CANs, cosmo-local initiatives, coming into our radar. It’s great just to chart their vitality.
- Leicester's ‘forward-thinking’ green transport plans are 'model for rest of country', say charities, leicestermercury.co.uk (Mar 15, 2022)
- Coalville woman's design goes viral after putting town on the map, Apr 23, 2021...coalville.nub.news
- Lessons from Leicester - how one city is making space for cycling, Nov, 2016...cyclinguk.org
- Market Harborough tops State of the Town sustainability report, Mar 1, 2016...sustainableharborough.co.uk
- Lessons from Leicester … the UK's unlikely new poster city for cycling, November 26, 2015...The Guardian
About Leicestershire
Past events
- March 22, 2014, Greenlight Festival, Leicester's festival of sustainable living
- June 22, 2014, Loughborough BIG Family Bike Ride
- June 29, 2014, BIG Family Bike Ride @ Coalville Picnic in the Park
Leicestershire ( LEST-ər-sheer, -shər) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warwickshire to the south-west, and Staffordshire to the west. The city of Leicester is the largest settlement and the county town.
The county has an area of 2,156 km2 (832 sq mi) and a population of 712,300. Leicester occupies the centre of the county and is by far the largest settlement, with a built-up area population of 357,000. The remainder of the county is largely rural, and the next-largest settlements are Loughborough (65,000), Hinckley (50,000), Market Harborough (24,000) and Coalville (22,000). For local government purposes Leicestershire comprises a non-metropolitan county, with seven districts, and the unitary authority area of Leicester.
Leicestershire is generally a lowland county, characterised by small, rolling hills. It is bisected by the River Soar, which rises near the Warwickshire border south of Hinckley and flows north through Leicester and Loughborough before reaching the Trent at the county boundary. To the west of the river is Charnwood Forest, an upland area which contains Bardon Hill, which at 278 m (912 ft) is the county's highest point.