News
Friday 5 February
We are delighted to announce our official partnership with local musician Saskia Griffiths-Moore and her album launch event at the Subscription Rooms on 5th February.
We invite you to come along and show your support for our charity and for local young musicians.
Saskia is part of an all-female atmospheric folk/pop trio which features double bass, fiddle, guitar, 3 vocals, bassoon, keys and flute, and who play Saskia's original songs. Saskia is launching her debut album 'Gentle Heart' which was 100% crowdfunded!
Johnny Coppin said of her “…a fine singer-songwriter…wonderful voice and great guitar playing.”
To find out more about her music, see her website: www.saskiagm.com.
We will be there to talk about our work and there will also be a raffle with over 25 prizes to raise funds for our charity. There will be a bucket collection afterwards in aid of us too. VIP guest, Town Mayor Kevin Cranston will be there as well as the local press. Dress up smartly because there will be someone taking your picture (with your permission of course!).
Book your advance ticket here.
Saskia Griffiths-Moore
Debut Album out February 5th!
- Created: 11 January 2017
Don’t let unwanted 2016 diaries and calendars gather dust on your desk, drop them off at Stroud Valleys Project office instead, so others can use them.
The Diary Swap works like this: drop off unwanted 2016 diaries or calendars at Stroud Valleys Project. And if you need a new diary or calendar, pop into the SVP office at 8 Threadneedle Street on Stroud to get one. Simple! Saving resources and at the same time reducing the clutter on your desk.
The swap will be running until the end of January.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Clare Mahdiyone
Telephone: 01453 753358
- Created: 20 August 2016
Our
new Events Guide is out now with all our events and courses from now to April 2016. If you would like to find out more please get in touch.
We are getting ready for Goodwill Evening coming up on Friday 4th December. We are running children’s activities, including festive fir cone hedgehogs, making candles from beeswax, and making tree decorations from beeswax with Stroud Beekeepers. For adults we will be making Christmas wreaths from natural materials. You can pre-book onto a workshop with us or book on Friday night or on the morning of Saturday 5th December. If you already have the skills to make one, we can provide a bag containing all the bits and pieces you need to make one at home.
Fancy being 
pampered at a Spa Day for two at the Cheltenham Park Hotel or have a glider lesson with Cotswold Gliding Club? Come to our eco shop in Threadneedle Street for a great chance to win these raffle prizes. You can also win tickets for Gifford’s Circus this year because we have tickets for two adults and two children to attend this magical local circus.
You also stand the chance to win a Hamper from Suma – the UK’s leading supplier of natural, ethically sourced and organic foods or a Victorian-style 3-course Tea for Two courtesy of Woodchester Lodge; a 2-hour free horticultural consultation by a green-fingered expert from Daisy Bank Garden Design. Other prizes include vouchers, to be spent at our eco shop, kindly donated by JPR Environmental, creators of living willow structures; and a voucher for The Toy Shop, in central Stroud, at which you could find that elusive Christmas present for your children.
So don’t delay! Come and find Stroud Valleys Project this Christmas!
- Created: 11 January 2017
Dear Friends,
Cotswold Gliding Club have kindly supported our charity by donating a trial gliding lesson for our raffle this year, so if you have ever fancied taking to the skies in a glider, come to our shop in Threadneedle Street to buy a ticket in our raffle to be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize. If you fancy being pampered you could win a Spa Day for two at the Cheltenham Park Hotel or visit Gifford’s magical local circus (tickets for two adults and two children). You also stand the chance of winning a Hamper from Suma – the UK’s leading supplier of natural, ethically sourced and organic foods – containing coffee, paté, pesto, fruit, nuts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pasta. Our raffle is a great fundraiser for our charity, so please support us by buying a ticket or selling them to family and friends.
- Created: 20 August 2016
We don’t want to join the commercial landslide into Christmas, but there is no getting away from the fact that signs of Christmas have been in many shops for several weeks already. From the end of October we will be stocking our usual range of Christmas cards, featuring British wildlife. Stocks are limited so remember to buy early!
As well as our usual range, we have been searching high and low for interesting new gift ideas which fit our ethos. One new item already proving popular is the “Bottle Light” – a rechargeable LED light that fits into the top of a bottle to create a gentle ambient light. We are also pleased to have a range of playing cards with natural world themes, and a range of dipped beeswax candles (UK and European beeswax).
The introduction of the 5p charge on single use carrier bags has encouraged us to widen our range of bags. We have new stock of organic string bags in various colours, and of Onya bags in various designs. These are all made of recycled plastic drinks bottles, and pack down into a small pouch to fit in a handbag or pocket.
And remember, every gift that you buy at SVP eco shop makes a difference to your local environment by supporting our work!
- Created: 20 August 2016
L
ots of outdoor work can seem really daunting. If you would like some help we can provide a team to tackle those difficult jobs for you.
We offer a range of services including: pond creation and restoration, tree planting (woodlands and orchards), hedge work (planting, laying and gapping up), creating wildflower meadows, installing fencing and kissing gates, coppicing and small tree work.
Stroud Valleys Project has a special interest and expertise in creating and restoring wildlife friendly places so they can be shared by people and wildlife. Our aim is to help local people to garden for wildlife so that the Stroud District area is good for nature, has improved habitats and encourages wildlife. In addition, our aim is to provide meaningful opportunities for our volunteers to work in this field of work. The wildlife gardening scheme provides a bridge between volunteering and paid work for our volunteers.
We aim to tackle jobs that would take one or two people a long time and that we can tackle quickly with a team. Call us today for an informal discussion or call into the eco shop to discuss your needs.
We don’t want to join the commercial landslide into Christmas, but there is no getting away from the fact that signs of Christmas have been in many shops for several weeks already. From the end of October we will be stocking our usual range of Christmas cards, featuring British wildlife. As well as our usual range, we have been searching high and low for interesting new gift ideas which fit our ethos. One new item already proving popular is the “Bottle Light” – a rechargeable LED light that fits into the top of a bottle to create a gentle ambient light. We are also pleased to have a range of playing cards with natural world themes, and a range of dipped beeswax candles.
The introduction of the 5p charge on single use carrier bags has encouraged us to widen our range of bags. We have new stock of organic string bags in various colours, and of ‘Onya’ bags in various designs. These are all made of recycled plastic drinks bottles, and pack down into a small pouch to fit in a handbag or pocket.
And remember, every gift that you buy at the eco shop makes a difference to your local environment by supporting our work!
- Created: 11 January 2017
I’ve just returned to Stroud after a week in the sun in Spain and it is really starting to feel autumnal now. The leaves are turning golden and it’s noticeable that the evenings are getting darker much earlier: it’s harvest time! To celebrate we are organising our Pumpkins and Apples in the Park – if you have grown pumpkins this year, please remember to keep one and enter our carved pumpkin competition. It’s on Sunday 25 October with a Carved Pumpkin Lantern Trail, and judging between 5.30pm and 6pm. The pumpkins look amazing all lit up round Stratford Park and there will be prizes from our eco shop so whether you’re a regular visitor to this event or are thinking of coming along for the first time, get the date in your diary. You can also bring your own apples to be pressed (one carrier bag each; if you would like to take the juice home, please bring your own bottles). Apple pressings will be from 11 to 12.30pm and 2 to 3pm. More information is available on our website, or in the eco shop.
If you have a garden or some land now is the time to clear it up for winter or perhaps embark on a new landscaping project. If it feels a bit daunting we may be able to help. We can provide a team of people to help with those jobs where a few extra hands will help. We have a special interest and expertise in creating and restoring wildlife friendly places. If you are interested do contact us for more information.
I’ve been working with the team on Shaping the Heart of Stroud to develop a Neighbourhood Plan for Stroud town centre which will be launched on 3 October at the Sub rooms, hope to see you there!
- Created: 20 August 2016
Following careful moth trapping with Bob Smith from Butterfly Conservation, a highlight for the charity and the participants was when they discovered three Garden Tiger Moths at Bisley Road Cemetery, which is a local nature reserve managed by Stroud Town Council. The caterpillar of these moths is known as a Woolly Bear due to its fluffy appearance. Older readers may have been very familiar with these species but they have declined rapidly in recent years.
The ‘Moths of Bisley Road Cemetery’ event found 100 different moths in the cemetery. A record of the moths at the cemetery will be sent to the county Moth Recorder who collates data sent from all over Gloucestershire. Each year Gloucestershire records are sent to a number of national and county databases where they are available for analysis.
Bob Smith said that there are around 25,000 species of insect in this country, most of which are never seen. Monitoring moths and butterflies provides an important indicator of insect welfare generally and, indirectly, of the welfare of their predators, including birds, bats, spiders and predatory insects; and also of the state of the environment - and it's really interesting!
- Created: 25 November 2015
Stoud Valleys Project wins a gold certificate in the 2015 Stroud in Bloom Competition for the Capel's Mill display. Heart-felt thanks to Deborah Roberts, who volunteers with us on the Capel's Mill site, as she took the pictures and arranged the display so beautifully.
- Created: 25 November 2015
The holiday seas
on is with us, Stroud town centre is much more vibrant at this time of year with lots of families and young people out and about creating a lively atmosphere all week long.
I love the Peli Pop Up Park. For those of you who haven’t seen it, it’s next door to the Cornhill where Stroud Farmers Market is. The rain garden is looking good, helped by the rain we have had this week, the green wall planted with herbs has started to establish itself and now we are starting to get some courgettes ready in the raised bed . I am still looking for recycled containers of some sort we can use to put on the tarmac and paved area so we can grow more plants, can anyone help?
Come and join us for a Moth Night in Cam on Friday 4 September from 8.30pm at a nature reserve in Cam. Neil Woodward, moth expert, will set up traps to attract moths during the evening for us to look at. This is a reserve with a rich habitat for moths, so we hope to see some unusual and exciting species
It’s a tough time for charities like ours. The “Financial Sustainability Review” produced by NCVO says charities have not seen the recovery experienced by the economy overall. We are seeing some of these difficulties reported in the media.
Small and medium-sized organisations have been hardest hit, with charities with incomes between £100,000 and £1m seeing the biggest falls in their income and assets. Such charities saw an overall fall of 38% in their income from government sources between 2007/8 and 2012/13
We are spending more and more time and energy on fundraising when we would like to be spending time working with our volunteers on our local environment. This vital work cannot happen without funding. Where is all the money?
- Created: 20 August 2016
