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Transition Bollington

About us

Transition Bollington is about resident-led change; it’s an apolitical grassroots voluntary group of local residents aiming to inspire, encourage, connect and support our community self-organising around the transitionnetwork.org model.

We look to create initiatives that encourage people, businesses, schools, neighbourhoods, groups and organisations to enable positive social change, with a drive towards a more sustainable way of living, such as reducing polluting emissions and the dependence on fossil fuels and single-use plastic, and building community and economic resilience to environmental change.

Bollington is already an exciting place to live, with a vibrant arts and cultural scene, a rich industrial heritage and waterways network. Transition Bollington does not aim to re-invent the wide range of activities that already take place in the town, rather it’s about connecting our community for the common good.

Our Projects

ACTION ON PLASTICS AND WASTE

Our founding campaign to reduce single-use plastic across Bollington and implement waste/recycling solutions. Projects include:

Terracycle deposit bins for ‘non-recyclables’ to be recycled;
Bolly Mug Library – providing proper mugs to events instead of single-use plastic/ disposables (picture right);
#Refill Bollington – promoting the use of reusable water bottles instead of disposable plastic ones by encouraging local cafés to register on the national Refill map online (downloadable);
SAS Surfers Against Sewage “Kitemarked” Plastics-Free Town status: this initiative has sparked the alliance network Plastic Free Bollington, which Transition Bollington is in turn a part of.

COMMUNITY PLANTING

We have created fruit guilds, a herb hedge and edible planting initiatives in Bollington, all on Town Council land and providing food for the community (picture left).

3000 Trees

Our “3000 Trees” Project aims for a minimum of 3,000 trees to be planted in the area (picture right) – that’s one per house, where will you plant a tree? Would you like to be part of the tree planting squad? Contact us!

Our Schools Planting Project

Orchards/ Edible Planting Schemes into local primary schools, providing trees, plants and seeds together with informative and engaging assemblies, and boots on the ground planting assistance to teach children about food resilience and how to grow edibles.

SCHOOLS LIAISON

Through BTC we have already facilitated a schools-led council enabling school children to submit recommendations to the Town Council, and have a dedicated team available to keep the transition conversation going.

Thermal image of Bollington Town Hall – the reds and yellows show greatest heat loss

MAD ABOUT POWER

Community-led response to sustainable transport and energy options. Ask us about:

local provision of public EV charge points, bike racks and public transport networks;
energy saving monitors and thermal imaging surveying (picture right);
air quality monitoring (visit Bollington’s Air Quality Monitoring website here);
renewable, alternative and community-owned energy initiatives.

Outside of Bollington

Cheshire East Climate Alliance

We are networking with other sustainability groups to have a ‘grassroots voice’ in Cheshire East Council’s Environmental Strategy, and to continue liaising closely with our county council towards building a resilient future. In addition, the alliance is building strong bonds between neighbouring groups and raising awareness through the county on climate issues.

Group Activities

We meet monthly, our meetings are public; these and other activities are publicized on our website.

Quick Wins

Can’t make a meeting? Here are some ideas to build a stronger, sustainable, resilient Bollington …

Plant a Tree

More than just carbon capture, trees provide food and shelter and valuable habitat for wildlife. If the tree has edible leaves/ fruits/ nuts then it will benefit you too. Please, do let us know if you help Bollington grow towards the “3000 Trees” target.

Start a Neighbourhood Garden

Bollington Town Council have been supportive of our community gardens and are willing to hear from residents wishing to start their own scheme.

Bring Your Own Bag

Ditch the single-use plastic, #RefuseTheBag and take your own – it helps our local retailers lower their costs, too.

#ShopLocal

Ditch the online shopping by supporting local businesses, shops and eateries – this keeps the wealth in the local economy, and reduces the need for additional transportation.