Grassroots Wirksworth was formerly known as Transition Wirksworth. We formed in spring 2023 following a public meeting at which there was unanimous support for the continuation of a group to link the active sustainability groups in town, help raise awareness of climate change issues and support new actions and organisations.
Now it’s our turn
We are a group of volunteers who are keen to add to the legacy of Transition Wirksworth. We have a core group which meets regularly in town to take our actions forward. We also have links to other local organisations and businesses in the Sustainability Hub that share our ethos. Together we can do more.
We focus on the positive action we can take and on supporting new initiatives – those that are good for the environment, the community and our local businesses. We can see our enterprising town thriving in a future with less dependence on fossil fuels. Together we can make a positive response to the challenges of climate change in our community. We hope you’ll join us on this journey.
Here’s a Community Fayre article from the last issue – check out pages 25 and 27
Supporting new initiatives
We can provide an umbrella of start up support such as insurance, access to a bank account and a constitution. These are vital for securing funding. You’ll need to work with us and show us how your project or group benefits the environment, community and enterprise of Wirksworth and / or the surrounding villages. Wirksworth Repair café is an example of the sort of organisation we can support, it was set up in autumn 2022 and we helped them by providing banking, insurance cover and an online presence.
Get in touch if you want to get involved with Grassroots Wirksworth, or if you would like us to get involved with what you are planning. grassrootswirksworth@gmail.com
A bit of history
There has been a sustainability group of some kind in Wirksworth and the surrounding villages since the 1990s. From these have developed the now thriving Community Growers, the Community Land Trust, the Give and Take group, Wilder Wirksworth and more recently, the Repair Café.
Wirksworth Traidlinks shop operated in the town for many years and enabled Wirksworth to have the banner of being a Fairtrade Town. Sadly, Traidlinks closed in 2023. Perhaps we could work together to earn back our Fairtade Town status in the not too distant future.
Living where it’s normal to be positive about our home and community has also inspired many short-term or one-off projects to happen – showing green films, public events and discussions, eco fayres and litter clear ups. Other people have been encouraged to take action too – cotton shopping bags in shops, car charging points at the Co-op and in the town carpark.
Planting a Yew Tree at the Eco Centre January 2017
Join us! Contact grassrootswirksworth@gmail.com
Click here for more about the national and international Transition Network.