Category Archives: Food Security

This sub-group’s remit includes protecting farm land from development, encouraging local produce, buy local, “dig for victory”, community farming, allotments etc. Also planning issues in support of these areas.

Help us to find Local Nature and Energy Solutions

We are holding a public event at 6pm on Thursday 9th May to co-create our next project – and we’d love to see you there!

This event aims to gather your views, ideas, and priorities, igniting action from vision on themes including water management, biodiversity habitats, community energy and plastic free Newport. 

Using Newport’s Green Infrastructure Plan and Newport Town Council’s environmental agenda as a starting point, the interactive and dynamic format of the evening will allow us to ask our community to help form our next project.

It will be a fun and interactive evening, an opportunity to think about what could make a real difference in Newport and surrounding areas, and to make new connections. A bar and snacks will be available. 

NAEG has a long history of taking impactful measures, starting with community collection of plastic and cans for recycling, before kerbside services were provided by Pembrokeshire County Council. 

Our most recent project was Newport For Nature, a project that planted 1500 trees, gathered data on biodiversity, and held a series of workshops and talks to encourage biodiversity in our gardens.

Now, we are looking for more people who would like to get involved to help identify and implement a next project. With the backing of key documents like the Green Infrastructure Plan and access to funding sources, combined with the increasing accountability of companies like Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, NAEG only requires the proactive involvement of our community to make meaningful changes.

The ‘Local Nature and Energy Solutions in Newport and the surrounding area’ event is on Thursday 9th May at 6pm at Newport Memorial Hall. We hope to see many of you there!

Local Produce Market

In July 2010 Nathan Richards, who grows organic fruit and vegetables in LlwynDafydd and sells his produce at St Dogmaels’ Local Food Producers Market, asked Newport Area Environment Group if they could find a venue in Newport for his stall.

Nathan worked in the film industry for 20 years and is concerned about ecology and food growing. Being the nephew of Patrick Holden(former director of the Soil Association for 15 years), he had contact with the early organic movement as a child.
http://www.daisygreenmagazine.co.uk/living/news-living/soil-association-director-patrick-holden-steps-down/

Nathan has now been growing food for 9 years and feels strongly that we need to address food issues such as food miles and out of season food. Now that he is producing food, he wants to sell it locally to serve the community where he lives and see a move towards weekly farmers markets. Feedback is that his produce is “fantastic” and he intends do markets at Llanachaeron and Aberaeron.

In March 2010 Newport Area Environment Group, whilst in the process of trying to secure a suitable site in Newport, discovered that Newport Town Council had recently decided to set up a Local Produce Market independently and so NAEG passed their information to the town council (who have considerably more resources at their disposal with which to achieve success with this project).

NAEG wishes Newport Town Council every success in continuing this project to bring a Local Produce Market to Newport.

Allotments

LAND AHOY! Newport Allotments at last

For over 6 years a group of residents have longed to find land for allotments in Newport. Down the years diverse efforts have been made, with many letters, meetings, approaches to Authorities – the Barony, the Community and later Town and County Councils. Continue reading →