Friday 20 May

Stroud Valleys Project are working with Adult Education Gloucestershire to bring you ‘Bat Ecology for Beginners’. Led by consultant ecologist Ivi Szaboova, this session will explore: the life cycle of a bat; identification of bats in the field by using bat detectors; what you can do to help bats in the UK.

Following a theory session at Stroud Valleys Project Office, we will then go out to Stratford Park to put some of the theory into practice.

Bats account for more than a quarter of mammal species in the UK and around 20% of all mammal species worldwide. Bats play an essential part in the natural world and are indicators of a healthy environment. Their future is directly linked to our quality of life and the quality of our environment.

CEO Clare Mahdiyone said ‘Bats are really important indicators of the quality of the environment and we are fortunate that here in Stroud, you will get to experience many of our local species’.

COST : £10 for adults, £7 Concessions

Booking essential - ring Stroud Valleys Project 01453 753358

Created: 11 January 2017

20 April 2016

Join us on Friday 13 May when our bat expert leads a bat detecting walk around Stratford Park. In partnership with the Museum in the Park and this event is part of Museums at Night. This annual UK-wide festival encompasses inspiring after-hours events, designed to encourage people to see arts, culture and heritage in a different light. We will start at 8pm looking for bats around the park; bring a torch and you will also be able to explore the museum by torchlight. Places are limited so please phone us to book a place.

If you are interested in learning even more about bats we have organised a course on Bat Ecology on Friday 20 May from 7.30pm to 10.30pm which includes theory and going as well as the opportunity to see bats in their natural habitat.

With the arrival of spring, we have some lovely tomato plants for sale in our eco shop, grown by one of our friends to help you get ahead in the garden. In addition we have a wide range of vegetable, herb and flower seeds; it’s definitely feeling like planting time now that it’s warming up a bit. A reminder that we have a Seedling Swap coming up on Saturday 4 June 10.30am to 1pm, so if you are growing seedlings, it’s worth planting a few extra to bring along and swap for something new. You can also pick up some organic natural fertiliser made of seaweed extract while you’re there – all-purpose or specialist tomato feed.

Following such a mild winter and so few frosts, I think we can expect a lot of slugs this year. To help in the battle to protect your precious seedlings, we have stocked up on our wildlife friendly slug pellets, wool pellets and copper tape.

Created: 19 September 2018

Saturday 12 March 2016

9am – 2pm

Stroud Valleys Project and Stroud Farmers’ Market are joining forces to run Children’s days at the Farmers’ Market.

The first children’s day of 2016 will be held this Saturday where a variety of free activities will be taking place at the special Children’s Day stall.

The activities include the return of our popular taster passport trail in which stall holders provide delicious food samples for children to try. New this year is the chance to decorate your own mini Farmers’ Market shopping bag and to sow seeds in your own home-made paper plant pots.

 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tamsin Bent

Telephone: 01453 753358  

Email: tamsin@stroudvalleysproject.org

Created: 11 January 2017

25 February 2016

We are planning our summer programme of events and we are always looking for new activities; if you have an idea for a new event or activity, please get in touch with me.

Coming up is the Stroud Farmers’ Market Children’s Day on Saturday March 12^th. We will have a stall in the Farmers’ Market and we will be running three activities: taster’s passport, where children can taste products on participating stalls, seed sowing so they can grow a plant at home and decorating a bag to use around the market.

You can join us for a gentle stroll through the nature reserves in Chalford’s Golden Valley. The rich wildlife is a feature here, with a good chance of seeing dippers, kingfishers, grey wagtails and spring woodland flowers. It’s on Wednesday 6 April 10am - 12.30pm and the cost is £5/adult and £2/child. Places are limited to 10 people so booking and paying in advance is essential.

Our courses are filling up, but there is still space on our Going Wild In Your Garden course running on Saturday 9 and Saturday 23 April from 9.30am - 4.30pm in Stroud. You will be able to discover how to transform your garden, big or small, into a wildlife haven with this 2 day course. We’ll be looking at simple ways to make your patch irresistible to the wild things. You’ll be creating a plan for your patch on the first day, and then getting your hands dirty on the second day as we make wildflower seed bombs, wildlife hibernacula and a mini bog garden The course will include both theory and hands-on practical sessions. Cost for adult: £25 / £17.50 concessions. We also have spaces on the Introduction to Permaculture weekend course. This takes place over two full days at Day’s Cottage in Brookthorpe on 16 and 17 April. This course costs £60 / £42 concessions.

Created: 19 September 2018

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 4^th 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 5^th 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

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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