News

ScottishPower Renewables’ commitment to supporting local communities continues to make a significant impact, with its community benefit funds having distributed over £67 million to date. Among the standout projects is the innovative and sustainable play area development by Ashington Town Council, funded through the Lynemouth Windfarm community benefit fund.

A grant of £25,000 from the Lynemouth Windfarm fund, administered through Northumberland County Council, enabled Ashington Town Council to redevelop two residential play areas within the Orchid Meadows Estate. In the recently published ScottishPower Renewables’ Community Benefit Report 2024, it was said that the project exemplifies the perfect blend of environmental responsibility and community development, featuring Kompan Ltd.’s cutting-edge Greenline range of play equipment.

The play areas showcase play equipment manufactured from recycled materials, demonstrating how community spaces can be both engaging and environmentally conscious. The project created inclusive spaces that welcome children of all abilities, setting a new standard for sustainable community development.

A fantastic community effort yesterday resulted in an incredible 38 bags of litter collected!

As we move through the winter months, we wanted to share an update about our town’s sustainable planting schemes and acknowledge the dedicated work of our Neighbourhood Services Officers, Mark and Ryan, who maintain our public spaces along Station Road, at our town gateways, and alongside our memorials.

You may notice that our planted areas look different from previous years. This is intentional - we have moved away from seasonal bedding plants that, while providing bright bursts of colour, require frequent replacement and have a larger environmental footprint. Instead, we have embraced sustainable, climate-friendly planting that provides year-round interest through varied textures, forms, and seasonal changes.

While winter gardens may appear less manicured than summer displays, there is beauty in seeing plants through their natural cycles. Our officers work hard to maintain these areas, ensuring they remain healthy and well-tended, even as the plants enter their dormant period. The structural elements of our chosen plants - seed heads, architectural stems, and evergreen foliage - create winter interest while providing valuable habitat for wildlife. Spring bulbs will start appearing soon!

Warmer Homes Scheme: Northumberland County Council is offering free energy-saving home improvements for eligible residents. The scheme targets homeowners and private renters with low-income households or properties with poor energy efficiency (EPC ratings D-G).

Gas Safety Services: The Council is also working with the Gas Safe Charity to provide critical home safety services. Grants of up to £500 can be accessed per household per year.

Ashington Town Council is proud to continue its support for local sustainability initiatives, including the recent approval of further funding for Climate Action Wansbeck’s orchard project at the Wansbeck Road Allotment Site

Northumberland residents, schools, community groups, and businesses can now apply for free tree saplings from Northumberland County Council. The council is giving away 15,000 saplings in a variety of species suited to different garden sizes, including small spaces like balconies.

In a continued effort to support local wildlife and engage the community in environmental conservation, Neighbourhood Services Officers Mark Air and Ryan Appleby have installed 160 bird boxes, following funding approval from the Climate Change and Environment Committee in May.

The Town Council commends our Allotment Officer, Alan Bunker, and the dedicated allotment holders for their outstanding efforts in clearing years of accumulated metal waste from the North Seaton Colliery site. What could have ended up in landfill has been recycled. This initiative has sparked a broader conversation about sustainable practices and waste management on our allotments.

We strongly support the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” approach, with a strong emphasis on the first two Rs.

When reduction and reuse aren’t possible, we’ll focus on proper recycling. Our recent metal collection was such a success, we plan to extend this approach to other materials like glass in the future, and reach out to all allotment sites.

If you have ideas, especially those specific to allotment settings, please contact Alan at alan.bunker@ashingtontowncouncil.gov.uk

Together, we can cultivate not just vegetables, but also more sustainable allotment management.

Ashington Town Council is thrilled see the fun and efforts of a community-focused bird box initiative, spearheaded by our dedicated Neighbourhood Services Officers, Mark, and Ryan. This initiative has seen the creation of hundreds of handmade bird boxes, designed to provide safe nesting spaces for local birdlife and encourage environmental stewardship within our community.

Ashington Town Council has formally voted to support a nationwide campaign seeking to improve the safety of lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and e-scooters. The decision was made at the recent Climate Change and Environment Committee meeting held on 30th July.

The council is backing the Battery Safety Campaign led by consumer safety charity Electrical Safety First, which calls for the introduction of new legislation to tackle the growing issue of lithium-ion battery fires. These incidents have become a significant safety concern across the UK, with 11 people losing their lives to fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters last year, and hundreds more injured.