Dear Transitioners
A different world
We hope you are all safe and well. That’s how our last newsletter started in the wake of the floods. The message today is the same, but this time it affects each and every one of us.
Let me start by saying there is an amazing community effort of support, especially for the vulnerable and at risk from Covid-19. If you need any help, or know of someone that does, please get in touch, or look at Facebook pages such as Monmouth Covid-19 Community Volunteers, Osbaston Noticeboard, Monmouth Mutual Aid and Assistance, MNB Monmouth New Businesses. There are others, and they work. There has been a speedy response to every request for help – and remember, especially if you are vulnerable or at risk, you will be a lot more bother if you don’t stay at home/isolated. Don’t be proud – ask for help! There’s plenty of help out there, and if you want to volunteer in some capacity but don’t know how, please get in touch too.
While social distancing, but before lockdown, we squeezed in a couple of community activities. Last Sunday about 40 trees were planted at Claypatch Woods – oak, beech, white beam, wild cherry, hazel and some wild honeysuckle along the hedge near the bus stop. At the same time St James’ Square got planted with pollinator friendly woodland perennials. We hope that, as the young plants grow, they will provide cheer throughout the year, not only to passers-by but also to wildlife.
All further events have been cancelled/postponed, but our wonderful Food Sense volunteers continue to collect surplus food from the supermarkets and distribute it as best they can to Overmonnow School and local individuals and families. We were on the verge of shutting down but were asked, if possible, to continue as we are regarded by Monmouthshire County Council as an ‘essential service’. And just as soon as we can, Food Sense will set up a Community Pantry with storage and fridge/freezer capacity – scheduled for the end of March, but of course delayed.
We can but hope that something good will come out of this pandemic, and we will surely redouble our efforts to make this a safe, fair, and sustainable world fit for future generations. There have been some memorable headlines:-
And the world came together as the people stayed apart
We can’t return to normal, because the normal that we had was precisely the problem
Did the Earth just send us all to our room to think about what we have done??
In the rush to return to normal, we can use the time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to
Corona is the cure – humans are the disease
And some thoughtful and sobering articles such as:
Nature is sending us a message with the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis: Inger Andersen, UN’s environment chief – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/coronavirus-nature-is-sending-us-a-message-says-un-environment-chief?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR0EBSDwM96q1ISpLkobhRxLgatk3B2EALstqoE
Covid-19 is nature’s wake-up call to a complacent civilisation: George Monbiot –https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/25/covid-19-is-natures-wake-up-call-to-complacent-civilisation?fbclid=IwAR35V-55PWCIqexjKrVEHrcAxOYfV6BnsRPoMKc5lcuQgPpoHGMYpLKYDMI
Will it take a global pandemic for us to realize there’s another way of doing things? Enrique Dans – https://medium.com/enrique-dans/will-it-take-a-global-pandemic-for-us-to-realize-theres-another-way-of-doing-things-aecebe10132b
A few things carry on. If you have time, the Welsh Government wants to know what you think of their strategy on the Circular Economy – https://gov.wales/circular-economy-strategy. Email your response by 24 April.
Stay safe, stay well. Keep in touch and we will keep in touch with you.
Vivien Mitchell
Transition Monmouth 