NEWS  ⁄  CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

Climate Action Hub opens in Exeter city centre

A dedicated climate crisis information and resource centre is opening on 25 November in an empty Princesshay retail unit to provide events, meeting space, film screenings and drop-in advice and support.

Climate crisis  Princesshay  Exeter city centre  Maketank 

A Climate Action Hub is opening on Friday 25 November in an empty Princesshay shopping centre retail unit as part of a network of climate emergency centres across the UK.

The hub will open from 10am to 4pm daily at 40 Bedford Street, where it will offer information and resources about the climate crisis and provide a physical meeting space for local environmental and social justice groups.

The hub is equipped with computers, printers, a projector and screen and arranged with seating and sofas to provide space for events, meetings, film screenings and more.

There are also displays and notice boards showcasing local environmental initiatives.

Members of the public are free to drop in to find out more about local action to address the climate crisis.

Exeter Climate Action Hub Exeter Climate Action Hub in Bedford Street

The Exeter Climate Action Hub is part of a UK-wide network of climate emergency centres which supports the creation of community spaces in unused buildings.

The network provides practical legal and financial advice as well as opportunities to connect with and learn from other hubs.

The Princesshay hub has been created by Exeter Community Alliance, a collective of 30 local organisations which are focussed on a range of issues including climate change, biodiversity and social justice.

Events including a University of Exeter Green Futures Network collaboration with Exeter Living Lab exploring positive tipping points for the city have already been held at the hub.

Its official opening will take place at 2pm on Friday 25 November, when Exeter-based paralympian and climate activist James Brown will mark the moment with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Attendees are invited to bring their own beverage: cake will be provided.

Green Futures Network and Exeter Living Lab positive tipping points event at Exeter Climate Action Hub Green Futures Network and Exeter Living Lab positive tipping points event at Exeter Climate Action Hub

The hub’s opening coincides with Black Friday, an extended period during which retailers offer large discounts on consumer goods.

Black Friday originated in the US but in 2017 overtook Boxing Day as the busiest shopping day in the UK.

Consumer spending over last year’s Black Friday was expected to reach £9.2 billion in the UK alone.

Exeter Climate Action Hub is instead promoting Green Friday, an alternative that aims to encourage more sustainable consumer habits.

On the same day nearby artist’s collective Maketank is also offering a Black Friday alternative in the form of a Make Your Own Gift Festival.

Independent local artist and craft makers will run low-cost workshops enabling participants to make their own seasonal gifts.

 is membership co-ordinator and community & culture editor of Exeter Observer and a director of its publisher Exeter Observer Limited.

Exeter in brief
Exeter in brief

Royal College of Nursing staff at the ROYAL DEVON NHS TRUST have resumed strike action alongside South Western Ambulance Service workers as healthcare professionals across the country stage the biggest strike in NHS history.

Detailed plans for the Honiton Road MOOR EXCHANGE RETAIL PARK have been submitted for approval. Outline planning permission for the development was granted two years ago.

The police inspectorate says DEVON AND CORNWALL POLICE must make urgent improvements after it was found to be inadequate in three of nine areas including responding to emergency and non-emergency calls and managing registered sexual and violent offenders.
Its assessment found two other areas required improvement while two more were graded “good”. A new chief constable was appointed in December after the force was placed under enhanced inspectorate monitoring last year.

DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL is consulting on its draft Exeter Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, which is already nearly six years late, until the end of March.

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER staff have resumed strike action over pay, pensions and working conditions alongside Exeter school teaching staff with dozens more strike days planned during February and March.

EXETER CITY FUTURES published the agenda for its last board meeting on 30 January, two months after the meeting was held. It says it is “committed to being completely transparent and open about the things that are discussed at board meetings”. No minutes were included.

DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL is not making sufficient progress with its children’s services since they were judged inadequate in January 2020 according to the latest Ofsted monitoring report which found that key areas still require significant change and serious issues remain.

The UNIVERSITY OF EXETER has submitted detailed plans for its 1,700 bed West Park redevelopment of 50,000m2 of student accommodation.

Royal College of Nursing staff at the ROYAL DEVON NHS TRUST have resumed strike action alongside South Western Ambulance Service workers as healthcare professionals across the country stage the biggest strike in NHS history.

Detailed plans for the Honiton Road MOOR EXCHANGE RETAIL PARK have been submitted for approval. Outline planning permission for the development was granted two years ago.

The police inspectorate says DEVON AND CORNWALL POLICE must make urgent improvements after it was found to be inadequate in three of nine areas including responding to emergency and non-emergency calls and managing registered sexual and violent offenders.
Its assessment found two other areas required improvement while two more were graded “good”. A new chief constable was appointed in December after the force was placed under enhanced inspectorate monitoring last year.

DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL is consulting on its draft Exeter Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, which is already nearly six years late, until the end of March.

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER staff have resumed strike action over pay, pensions and working conditions alongside Exeter school teaching staff with dozens more strike days planned during February and March.

EXETER CITY FUTURES published the agenda for its last board meeting on 30 January, two months after the meeting was held. It says it is “committed to being completely transparent and open about the things that are discussed at board meetings”. No minutes were included.

DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL is not making sufficient progress with its children’s services since they were judged inadequate in January 2020 according to the latest Ofsted monitoring report which found that key areas still require significant change and serious issues remain.

The UNIVERSITY OF EXETER has submitted detailed plans for its 1,700 bed West Park redevelopment of 50,000m2 of student accommodation.

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