About Us

WELCOME TO TRANSITION NORWICH...

We're part of a world-wide community movement in response to peak oil and climate change. This site gives you details of our up and coming events and meetings, as well as reports and related matters that are going on in Norwich and East Anglia.

NEWS AND RELATED EVENTS... Common Room - Low Carbon Cookbook - Magdalen-Augustine Celebration - Norwich FarmShare - Transition Free Press 4 - Visions for Change -On the Blog Harvest: Looking in the Archive 2009-2013 - Flight of the Butterflies - Where We Are Now

Saturday, January 2, 2010

NEWS: New Shoots in Transition

The headline story this month is a new development within TN, as the initiative decides on its "legal" framework. There is an FAQ all about this new organisation at http://www.transitionnorwich.org/jan10docs/faq.pdf . This is an on-going process and open to debate, so do write in with your comments and further questions.

Meanwhile in 2010, year of projects, the TN food projects are expecting to hear about their funding bid soon and the TN allotment team is all set to go for all those who want to grow-our-own. You can find them at the friendly set-up at Bluebell Allotments North, with seeds and tools, a community apple press and plenty of opportunities to share lunch and produce.


New Company to Form
One of the things we really value about Transition Norwich is that there is very little central control. Members of different theme groups, Transition Circles etc. can organise whatever activities they like as long as they broadly fit with the objectives of Transition Norwich. We are keen not to lose this creative freedom.However, when it comes to bidding for money for specific projects, funders like to see an incorporated not-for-profit organisation where there is a structure that enables certain individuals to take responsibility for the successful delivery of that project.

The Core Group therefore feel that there is a need for Transition Norwich to create a not-for-profit organisation that can bid for funding for significant projects, on behalf of Transition Norwich. We are not suggesting that Transition Norwich itself should be shoehorned into this new organisation, but that the new organisation should run alongside Transition Norwich.We suggest that this new organisation should be a "company limited by guarantee". This is the most common legal structure used in the UK for not-for-profit organisations. It ensures that money can never be paid to shareholders etc. Companies limited by guarantee are listed with Companies House and have "limited" at the end of their name, just like regular profit-distributing companies. Our new organisation might be called, for example, Transition Norwich Projects Ltd. (Tully Wakeman/Core Group)

The new group is at its formative stages and responses, comments and recommendations are welcomed, Please write to Chris Hull at (chrishull@phonecoop.coop). A summary of all comments will be published in a following bulletin.

Food and Farming: New projects for 2010
We hope to start work early in the new year on delivering four exciting food projects in Norwich:
• a Community Supported Agriculture scheme growing organic vegetables on the edge of the city at Postwick. We’ll be recruiting members who will pay an annual membership fee in return for a regular supply of seasonal, organic, local produce with a very low carbon footprint. Members will also be encouraged to get involved in supporting the project.
• another market garden on the playing fields of the Hewett School, linking students and local people into vegetable production and selling through local community outlets including the school kitchen, and ideas like weekly market stalls at local primary schools.
• a flour mill milling local organic wheat at Wholefood Planet on Hall Road, and supplying local artisan bakers who will then be able to bake a “Local Loaf”; and
• brokering local staples such as oats and beans into wholefood shops in the city.

We’ve put in a funding bid to get these projects started, and are hoping for a positive response and to get the projects under way, early in 2010. (Tully Wakeman)

Allotment: Spring is Around the Corner!

Quite a lot is already happening on the allotment. Vegetables: the broad beans have all come through (Sabberton Supreme beans are looking particularly good), the garlic and onion sets are starting to shoot and the spring cabbages are bedding in nicely. Fruit: there are lots of little strawberry runners to plant later and I have discovered that the mystery tree is a self-fertile Stella cherry. Brenna's putting aside some cuttings from pruning the allotment's fruit bushes.

I’ve made good progress on digging. There is more to be done when the weather improves - too cold at the moment. Over the winter we can propagate some herb cuttings – any offers from people with interesting herbs?

Our outline planting plan needs to be developed in detail before the spring rush in March. Do join us for a planning meeting at the allotment soon. (Jane Chittenden)