October/November 2025 SENS newsletter - SENS - Sustainability and Energy Network in Staveley

Welcome to the October/November 2025 edition of the SENS newsletter!

With autumn’s arrival, we find ourselves at a time of transition between the brightness of summer and the calm of winter.

As leaves fall and temperatures drop, our focus on sustainability continues to grow, inspired by the season’s reminder that change can be both beautiful and necessary.

In this issue, we bring you more from our projects and local news:

1. Upcoming Activities & Events
2. Latest News from SENS

3. CRKC Highlights & Updates

Local Engagement
Campaigning
Citizen Science

4. Staveley Ebikes

If you have something interesting to share or would like to get more involved with our work, we’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at senstaveley@gmail.com

Warm regards,
The SENS Team

Support SENS

We’re a volunteer-led organisation that relies on grants and contributions. Here’s how to support our work.

Please consider making a donation to our SENS Good Hub donation page – Sustainable Staveley (SENS)

Know someone who’d like to receive the SENS newsletter? Contact us at senstaveley@gmail.com

Thanks for reading!

1. Upcoming events

Visit our ‘Events’ page

For updates on upcoming events visit our websites SENS Events / CRKC Events

Come along to an event to learn, take positive action, meet new people and make our community a better place!

River Kent Clean-Up

Sunday 26th October, 10am: Meet outside The Pavilion, 87 Main Street, Staveley to collect bags and litter pickers (bring your own gloves).

10.30 – 12.30: Walk, kayak or canoe down the river Kent collecting litter.
12.30 – 1.30: Meet at Millennium Green, Burneside to bag up litter and take photos. Refreshments provided.

If weather is unsuitable, the event may be postponed at short notice. Updates will be posted on our Facebook page. Click here

Heat Pumps Talk & Q&A

I Am The River, The River Is Me, presented by Clean River Kent Campaign (CRKC), followed by Q&A

Wednesday 26th November, CRKC is hosting a special screening of I Am The River, The River Is Me – a powerful documentary exploring the Whanganui River in Aotearoa/New Zealand, the first river in the world to be granted legal personhood.

The film follows Māori river guardian Ned Tapa, who leads a five-day canoe journey with First Nations visitors from Australia, reflecting on shared struggles to protect and restore their rivers.

After the film showing CRKC will host a Q&A discussion.

For more information and to book tickets- Click here

Bookable slots for bike servicing and repair – coming soon

Bring your bike along to Highgate, Kendal (LA9 4HE), where Samson, a qualified bike mechanic, will be on hand with a cheerful team of cycling volunteers to carry out safety checks and basic repairs. Whether it’s brakes, gears, or tyres, they’ll help get your bike back into shape.

For details on upcoming sessions, view the Eddington CIC website

YPOS (Young People of Staveley)

The summer holidays are over, so it is time to reflect upon our summer activities and start to plan ahead. To read more about YPOS Summer 2025 – Click here

Friday drop-ins, 4.00pm -7 pm at the Pavilion – in term time.

For updates view Staveley & Ings Hub Facebook page

2. Latest News from SENS

Grant Success from the National Lottery Community Fund

SENS has been successful in securing a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund towards core administration over the next 2 years. This will go towards costs such as website hosting, venue hire, communications, marketing and insurance. Having this grant will allow us to concentrate on delivering more projects for the community.

Spark Community Energy Feasibility Study

Staveley has been selected as a case study for a community energy feasibility study, following an expression of interest submitted by SENS, along with a small number of other communities across the county. The feasibility study is being funded by Westmorland and Furness Council.

The aim is to carry out an assessment of small-scale, low carbon energy opportunities. The work is being carried out by a consultancy called Arthian Ltd, on behalf of the council.

To read more about the study Click here

Staveley Pop-up Repair Café Returns with a Buzz

After taking a well-earned break over the summer, the Staveley Pop-up Repair Café returned in September with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Volunteers were delighted to welcome visitors from Staveley, Kendal and Windermere; bringing along a wonderful variety of items in need of a little TLC, from household gadgets to much-loved clothing and small appliances.

October’s event saw a 30 year old doll, a wooden train and a number of fabric repairs. The Repair Café continues to embody the principles of sustainability by helping people extend the life of their belongings, pick up valuable skills to repair our own items and reduce waste.

Keep an eye on the Sustainable Staveley Facebook page for upcoming dates – Click here

Staveley Village Litter Pick

Staveley came together in force on World Cleanup Day, as residents and visitors rolled up their sleeves to join the village litter pick. Families from the community, weekend visitors, and even dog walkers and parents with napping babies in prams all found ways to get involved, turning the day into a shared effort to keep the village looking its best.

Armed with bags, gloves, and litter pickers, volunteers collected an impressive amount of rubbish, proving what can be achieved when the community works together. Organisers said they were delighted with the turnout and the enthusiasm shown throughout the day.

The event was part of the global World Cleanup Day initiative, a reminder that small local actions can have a big impact on the planet.

If you missed out this time, keep an eye out for the next community cleanup – everyone is welcome to join in.

2. CRKC Highlights & Updates

– Local Engagement –

CRKC participates in the Cumbria Wildlife Trust Annual Members meeting

CRKC was very pleased to be invited to contribute to a panel discussion at this years Cumbria Wildlife Trust annual members conference at Rhegged on the 13th September.

To read the full article Click here

Our River, Our Responsibility: Great turnout out for the Septic Tank Information Evening

Many thanks to Paul from Hutchinson Environmental Solutions for giving an informative talk last month about septic tank/off-mains sewage management to a group of people from Crook, Kentmere and other nearby communities.

More information about caring for septic tanks and thinking about what household products go down the drain into them available on CRKC website:

Septic Tank and Off Mains Sewage users- Get the basics on how to care for your system and avoid pollution risks without costly upgrades. View /download here
For useful links Click here

Together, these changes can make a big impact in helping the river Kent stay clean, healthy, and safe for wildlife and people alike.

– Campaigning –

CRKC submission to the Cunliffe Commission.

CRKC recently submitted a response to the Cunliffe Commission. Read here

We’ve yet to see what action the Government will take in response to the recommendations of the Cunliffe Commission.

To read the press release from the People’s Commission: Click here

– Citizen Science –

Microbial Source Tracking Study Update

All the intended analytical work included in the Patagonia Foundation / Woodleigh Trust funded study has been completed by Sheffield University and we have a final technical report, along with an accompanying overview report by CRKC that will be publicised very shortly.

SAS Faecal Bacteria Monitoring

A team of CRKC volunteers are doing a sterling job at maintaining continuity in the water sampling work (despite recent weather!). We now have circa five months of data recorded on the SAS data hub. The results are being mirrored on the CRKC interactive map

CRKC is a volunteer run group and we depend on donations and grants to continue our work on local environmental issues.

Please consider becoming a Regular Supporter, making a monthly, or annual contribution of however much you feel comfortable to contribute. Anything from £2-£10/month, or the equivalent £25 – 120/year would make a huge difference. Click here

If you would like to get more involved in CRKC activities do get in touch, There’s always plenty to do. To read about how to get involved: Click here. Email us at cleanriverkentcampaign@gmail.com

Our next CRKC steering group meeting, will be held on Monday 17th November, from 5pm at Staveley Institute. Everyone is welcome.

4. Staveley Ebikes

Community Scheme Secures Another Year of Operation

Wheelie great news for our community scheme! Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, the cost of insurance for the e-bike scheme has been covered for another year. We’re incredibly grateful for this support, which allows us to keep the bikes on the road while we continue to plan for the future of the project.

The e-bike scheme is currently run entirely by volunteers, and it truly operates on a “by the community, for the community” basis. As we look ahead to the coming year, we’re seeking a bit of extra help to keep things running smoothly.

Typical volunteer tasks include:

Sending occasional email updates to users
Monitoring the scheme’s inbox
Looking after the bikes, cleaning, charging, and checking tyre pressure
Carrying out inductions for new users
Helping with other small administrative or practical tasks

If you’d like to get involved and join a small admin group to help share the load, please get in touch, email: hello@communityebikes.org

Your support makes all the difference, thank you for helping keep our community e-bike scheme rolling!

To join Staveley Community Ebikes visit the website: Click here

Keep up to date and follow our Staveley Ebikes: Facebook page