Welcome to the Saltford Environment Group (SEG) website. The village of Saltford lies in the unitary authority area of Bath and North East Somerset and is situated between the cities of Bristol and Bath.

If you live, work or have an interest in Saltford and would like to join our email list to be kept informed of our campaigns, news and themes, do contact us.

Recent Headlines - click on link to see story on this page:-

Fracking - find out what it might mean for Saltford...
Saltford Cycle Quest on 20th May
Scout community week clears a lot of litter
Public commitment from B&NES Council to open Saltford station!

News

Fracking - find out what it might mean for Saltford and the surrounding area

On Tuesday 29th May at 7.30pm, an organisation called 'Frack Off' are giving a presentation in Saltford Hall on the issue of Hydraulic Fracturing which is a controversial mining technique for natural gas. 'Fracking', as it is known, could well be taking place in the near future around Saltford. Mining companies have already targeted large tracts of Somerset for initial exploration.

This process has raised many serious concerns; it has the potential to devastate the air and water supply for generations to come, as well as to substantially increase our consumption of fossil fuels.

The presentation is open to all residents of Saltford and the surrounding area to come and learn of the concerns about 'fracking' and its potential impact on the local and wider environment.

B&NES have already expressed their opposition to 'fracking'. However, pressure might well be put on local councils by oil and gas companies and possibly the Government to allow 'fracking' to commence in parts of the UK.

Do come along to hear about this controversial process and how it might affect our local environment. We look forward to seeing you there on the 29th.

Saltford Cycle Quest on 20th May. Details now available...

Join the Saltford Cycle Quest on 20th May between 2pm and 5pm (register between 1.45pm and 3.15pm).

Have fun cycling around Saltford solving clues as you go. Start and finish at Saltford Hall, Wedmore Road, Saltford, Bristol, BS31 3BY.

Register between 1.45pm and 3.15pm - choose your time to start between 2pm and 3.30 pm and finish by 5pm.

As an individual or as part of a team of 2 or more, you decide when to start and you have a maximum of just 1 1/2 hours to solve as many clues as you can but be aware, points will be deducted for every minute you go over. There will be prizes for these categories:

• Individual male
• Individual female
• Adult team (over 18s)
• Under 18 team (must include 1 member under the age of 18)
• Under 11 team (must include 1 member under the age of 11)

Entry fee: £5 per team or £3 per individual.

You are strongly advised to read the rules and guidelines before attending the Quest. Download them here:

   Saltford Cycle Quest - rules & guidelines (word doc opens in new window)

These will also be available to see on the day as you will be required to confirm that you have read them. For more information email saltfordcq@yahoo.co.uk or phone 01225 872833.

We are grateful to Sustrans for their support in organising this event; see their web page about our event here: Sustrans - Saltford Cycle Quest.

Scout community week clears a lot of litter

A big thank you to 1st Saltford Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers. They held a village litter-pick and collected 36 bags of litter for Scout Community Week during 8 - 12 May. Well done to them; what a fantastic example and benefit to our community. We understand they are considering making this a repeat activity to help keep Saltford clean.

Public commitment from B&NES Council to open Saltford station!

The Liberal Democrat administration of B&NES Council made a major announcement on 23rd April concerning the Council's role as "promoter" of Saltford station. See our station campaign page for details.

Saltford station petition delivered to Parliament

The station campaign's village petition to re-open Saltford station containing over 2,000 signatures was delivered by campaign team members to our local MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg, at the House of Commons on 19th April for him to then present the petition formally to the House of Commons. More details about the campaign and the impressive support in the village for the station shown by the petition are on our station campaign page.

Let's achieve Fairtrade status for Saltford

Following representations by SEG, Saltford Parish Council voted on 6th March 2012 to support the idea of Saltford becoming a Fairtrade 'town'. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.

Many thanks to the Co-op in Saltford who hosted and supported a Fairtrade tastings stall to promote Fairtrade on Saturday afternoon, 10th March.

To become a Fairtrade Town (including villages, cities, islands, zones, boroughs and counties) five goals must be met:

(i) Local council passes a resolution supporting Fairtrade, and agrees to serve Fairtrade products (for example, in meetings).

(ii) A range of Fairtrade products are readily available in the area's retail outlets (shops, supermarkets, newsagents and petrol stations) and served in local catering outlets (cafes, restaurants, pubs).

(iii) Local workplaces and community organisations (places of worship, schools, and other community organisations) support Fairtrade and use Fairtrade products whenever possible.

(iv) Media coverage and events raise awareness and understanding of Fairtrade across the community.

(v) A local Fairtrade steering group is convened to ensure the Fairtrade Town campaign continues to develop and gain new support.

SEG film shows

SEG has held two film shows at The Crown PH: "Money as debt" (explanation on how and why the banking industry has got us all in such an economic mess) was shown on 23rd February 2012 and "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil" on 2nd February 2012.

Fracking(!) on the Mendips

Some residents will be aware of controversial plans to test for fracking of shale gas under the Mendips. Fracking is the term used to describe hydraulic fracturing. Water and sand is forced down a pipeline, creating tiny explosions which shatter hard shale rocks and release gas around 3,000m (10,000ft) below ground level.

If this subject is of interest to you, you can see the BBC website for further information of fracking on the Mendips from this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-13748284.

Volunteers

Volunteers to help us with our themes and campaigns (not necessarily for committee roles) are always welcome. If you would like to volunteer to help the SEG really make a difference in responding to the aspirations of our village, do contact us.

Contact Saltford Environment Group

 You can contact SEG by email as follows:-

 General enquiries: info@saltfordenvironmentgroup.org.uk

 Saltford station campaign: Chris Warren gashead1883irene@yahoo.co.uk

 SEG website Managing Editor: Phil Harding phil@philharding.net
 

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