When you change your library books in Halesworth on Saturday 2nd October, slip through the Children’s Section to the Library Garden.

Since April HinT volunteers have been planting vegetables, herbs, flowers, plants for dyeing. The Log Book “Library Garden and HinT” tells you more. Now, we need your help to plan and plant for next year. We’re looking for more growing spaces, so come and browse around our Halesworth map to help us spot where there’s a space near you where we, you, and your neighbours might start to do the same.

At the Library’s “Smarter Living” day on Saturday 16th October HinT will be “upcycling” left over material into simple sturdy shopping bags. No more plastic that you have to bin as soon as you get home – instead, take home a bag-pattern and make one yourself.

And, cor! you can sample some juice from local apples pressed before your eyes. 100 years ago there were many orchards in and around Halesworth, many have now gone but lots of fruit trees are left and some people are replanting. We need your help, now, to track down fruit trees which aren’t being picked. Owners and volunteer pickers will be getting together through HinT’s Appleshare Project to harvest that fruit and make sure it’s not wasted.

At the “Smarter Living” day you’ll also get another chance to join in the Bike-Aid scheme, following the hugely successful launch of the Halesworth Wheel Cycle Route in early September and hear what the ‘Big Society’ really is and the ways you can shape it from Nat Bocking of Suffolk ACRE who will also be sharing some good news for local public transport and the invisible 20% of the rural population; the family carer.

Applesharing – and group gardening in small urban spaces like the Library Garden – are ways of using land around the town more efficiently while working with friendly, like-minded people. It prevents waste, and cuts down petrol consumption in trucking food into Halesworth. All that, and “up-cycling” material scraps into reusable bags that you can stuff into a pocket, has got to be better for the environment and for our community.

Event organisers Halesworth in Transition (HinT) are part of a widespread and growing grassroots movement of people. We are taking a positive attitude to preparing for the impacts of climate change and peak oil (“peak oil” is when cheap and easy-to-get oil runs out). Many towns are already part of the international Transition movement. Locally this includes Bungay, Beccles, Framlingham, Woodbridge, Norwich, and Ipswich. HinT is not affiliated to any political party and is a non-profit-making organisation run entirely by volunteers.

For more information about this event and other activities phone 01986 875323 or email [email protected].

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