Press Releases

Community RePaint Colchester and Tendring, now in its third year, takes unwanted paint from the public and local businesses and redistributes it free of charge  to local community groups, schools and individuals in need. In general those on state benefits will qualify.

Andrew Wilkinson of en-form who runs the project said "Over the past 2 years we have identified that many of the people we are trying to help are unable to make use of the service because they find it difficult to get to the Repaint Centres in Colchester and Little Clacton. We have decided to launch this new service by taking the paint to them.''

The service has already been tested in the Jaywick Area and has proved popular. This service has received funding from the Essex Rural Community Council and Defra's Business Reuse (BREW) Scheme.

Anybody who qualifies and wants free paint or has suggestions for a mobile drop off point should contact Andrew Wilkinson on 01206 367776

Community RePaint Colchester and Tendring, a project run by en-form, collects “half tins” of leftover paint from householders and painters and decorators plus end-of-line tins from local DIY retailers. This paint is available free for local charitable groups, schools and voluntary organisations for redecoration projects.

Community RePaint Colchester and Tendring is part of the national Community RePaint network and has over 64 similar schemes across the UK. A brand new website has recently been launched (www.communityrepaint.org.uk) to make it easier for local communities, charities and voluntary organisations to find where their nearest scheme is.

Vicky Wren, Community RePaint Development Worker said “The new post code search facility makes it much easier to find the contact details of your local scheme. The website also contains lots more useful information including details of organisations that can help carry out your redecoration project plus general painting tips and advice.”

Last year Community RePaint Colchester and Tendring passed on 5,000 litres of paint to various projects, including scenery sets for plays, redecoration of community buildings, amateur sport centres, village halls, school murals and playgrounds. Local community and voluntary groups wanting to get paint for a similar project should telephone Andrew Wilkinson at Community RePaint Colchester and Tendring on 01206 367776 or e-mail repaint@btinternet.com. To find out more about the Community RePaint national network log onto www.communityrepaint.org.uk.

Community RePaint has been supported and sponsored by ICI Paints since the project’s inception and is also funded by the Big Lottery Fund, through the CRED Programmeⁱⁱ. The Community RePaint national network is managed by Resource Futuresⁱⁱⁱ a not-for-profit environment consultancy.

CONTACT DETAILS

For further information please contact Vicky Wren at Resource Futures:
tel: 0113 200 3959
email: vicky.wren@resourcefutures.co.uk
web: www.communityrepaint.org.uk

Local Contact:
Andrew Wilkinson
Tel: 01206 367776
e-mail: repaint@btinternet.com

Notes to editor:

ⁱ ICI Paints, who make Dulux paint, has supported and sponsored Community RePaint since the project began in 1993. ICI Paints provides technical advice, conference speakers and general support as well as year-on-year financial sponsorship. This sponsorship enables long-term planning for Community RePaint and is used as match funding to attract Lottery and other grants. Community RePaint forms a central part of ICI Paints’ ongoing product stewardship programme.

ⁱⁱ The Community RePaint project has been awarded £196,000 over a 3 year period by the Community Recycling and Economic Development (CRED) Programme, through the Big Lottery Fund's Transforming Waste initiative. The CRED Programme is managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) and nine consortium partners. The Programme will award £36.5 million of Big Lottery Fund money in grants of between £50,000 to £300,000 to community based recycling, reuse and composting initiatives in England before the end of 2007.

ⁱⁱⁱ The Community RePaint network is managed by Resource Futures (formerly SWAP) an employee-owned, not-for-profit environmental consultancy. In 1992 SWAP conducted research into household hazardous waste through the Waste Wagon project. This identified that residents in Leeds had a large volume of surplus reusable paint stored in sheds, garages and cupboards etc and that there was a ready demand for this material from local charities, voluntary and community groups. From this research the first Community RePaint scheme was established in Leeds and subsequently a national network of schemes emerged.

The project redistributes, free of charge, unwanted paint from the general public and local businesses to local good causes such as charities, schools and community groups and even individuals in need.  

Andrew Wilkinson of en-form said ''the project is becoming more popular and we needed to increase our storage space to help us cope with demand. The extra storage space will allow us to accept a wider range of paint and offer more choice to good causes''.  

The project which was set up in 2005 has so far diverted 13 tonnes of paint from the waste stream and helped over 130 groups.  

Anyone interested in receiving free paint or donating good quality paint no longer wanted should contact Andrew Wilkinson on 01206 367776 or check out the website www.repaintessex.org.uk.  

The market was set up by the local community with the help of local environment charity, en-form.  

Julia King of en-form said '' we were approached by the local residents of Wivenhoe to help them set up a market in the town a year ago. Not all Farmers' Markets succeed but the Wivenhoe market has been popular with local cstomers and stall holders alike since opening''.  

The market offers a wide selection of locally produced food, with about 20 stalls selling everything from fresh meat, fish and eggs to vegetables, fruit, bread and even plants.  

It is one of the few local Farmers' Markets held on a Saturday, which makes it convenient for the many local commuters in the town.  

The market is held at the William Loveless Hall in the High Street on the 3rd Saturday of the month, between 9am and 12 noon.  

Julia King of en-form said, “Colchester Farmers’ Market has gone from strength to strength over the last year and is very well supported; some people even pop back several times throughout the morning. As well as most of our normal stallholders, we shall also have a few choice craft stalls for last minute gifts, including natural handmade soaps, wicker baskets and walking sticks, made from local apple wood; 25 stalls to date!”

“ We have been asked for a real ‘Christmassy atmosphere’ so there will be live carol singers throughout the morning and customers who want to enter into the Christmas Spirit will be welcome to join in. Festive refreshments will be available, so you can sit and have a well-deserved rest.”

So, avoid that massive supermarket queue and come along and buy something local, fresh and a little bit different for your Christmas table.

This special Christmas market will be open from 9.30 – 1.00 at Colchester Arts Centre on 22nd December.  For further information call  Julia King on 01206 367776.

Julia King of en-form said " Ever since the last fishmonger closed in Colchester almost 3 years ago it has been difficult to buy fresh fish in Colchester. What makes it  even  better is the fish is caught off the Essex Coast and you won't get more local  than  that. We expect this stall to be very popular with our customers''.  

The market also includes a local brewer selling organic beer and wine and following a bumper crop this year local walnuts.    

Colchester Farmers' Market is on Friday 3rd November at the Arts Centre from 9.30am to 2pm. Full details can be obtained from en-form on 012206 367776.  

Community RePaint Tendring in association with Surestart will be running a Free Paint Day in Jaywick on the  31st August. The paint is available free of charge to local groups, charities, schools and individuals on benefits.   

Mark Penn of Tendring Reuse and Employment Enterprise (TREE) who runs the scheme in Tendring said ''the RePaint scheme has been running in Tendring for over a year now with very good quality paint, much of it brand new being donated. The paint is available from TREE's premises in Little Clacton or from the Bright Ideas Scrapstore in Colchester but we want to make the paint more accessible for local groups and individuals on benefits. This is why we will be taking the paint to the Local Community in Jaywick.''   

If you are on benefits and want some free paint just turn up with proof that you are on benefits at Sydney House, Langham Drive Clacton between 10am to 11.45 or Hemmington House, Broadway, Jaywick between 12 noon and 2pm on Thursday 31st August.   

Enquiries about the scheme and local groups should telephone Andrew Wilkinson on 01206 367776.  

En-form the local environment centre will also be giving away 2 free energy efficient lightbulbs  while stocks last to residents turning up for paint on the day.

St Benedict’s College will be holding an Eco School Seminar, organised by Colchester Borough Council and environment charity en-form, for schools in Colchester.

The Education Secretary Alan Johnson recently announced that schools in England must become more ‘carbon neutral’ by 2020. The scheme improves pupil behaviour, saves money and links into many curriculum subjects and raises the profile of the school in the local community.

Alan Wheeler of St Benedict’s College said ‘’Eco-Schools is an international programme co-ordinated by ENCAMS in the UK designed to improve all aspects of the school environment. St Benedict’s are proud to have been chosen to host the event to launch the scheme in Colchester.’’

Andrew Wilkinson of en-form said ‘’the scheme is run by the pupils, who set up a committee to make their school more environmentally friendly within the themes of Litter, Waste Minimisation, Energy, Water, Healthy Living, School Grounds, Biodiversity and Global Perspectives’’.

Any schools that want to attend can turn up on the day. The seminar starts at 1pm until 4pm.  

Please contact Andrew Wilkinson on 01206 367776

From an inauspicious start we now regularly attract over 600 customers each month. Julia King of en-form said ''by listening to what our customers want we have greatly increased the diversity of products. We now have at least 25 stalls each month - the products of which vary according to the season. Our latest additions are Jimmy the Farmer and Butterfly Lodge Ice Cream''.

As a special offer this month we will be giving 2 energy efficient light bulbs to every customer who completes a simple enquiry form.

Asparagus is in season, so make the most of it before it disappears next month, and the first of the local strawberries have arrived. You must also come and try the delicious Caprilatte ice cream from Monach Farm. Made using only goats' milk and natural ingredients with flavours as varied as Mexican Vanilla to Honeymoon Pie, flavoured with real Essex honey.

We are also pleased to welcome the well known Jimmy’s Farm, home to the Essex Pig Company of Ipswich who will be selling their wide selection of handmade, quality sausages, traditionally dry cured bacon and rare breed pork joints. Before your leave, why not treat yourself to one of their burgers.

With over 25 varied stalls, selling everything from your everyday fruit and veg to your more unique items, there is something for everyone.

The next Colchester Farmers Market will be held at the Colchester Arts Centre from 9.30am to 2pm on Friday the 2nd June.

Just in time a new service has been launched by environment group, en-form, in partnership with Essex County Council, Essex Community Reuse and Recycling Network (ECORRN) and Chelmsford Environment Partnership.

A new website, www.giveortake.org, lets you put details of all your unwanted items on the internet and hopefully someone will take them off your hands for you.  Of course, if there are things you want or need, you will be able to post your requests on the site a well.  

Gemma Sortwell of ECORRN said "It's like e-bay but free. Every year thousands of useable items are dumped in Essex that still have plenty of life left in them.  On the other hand, there are lots of people that could really use some of the items that are thrown away everyday''.  

The site covers the whole of Essex and lets you post and search for items by category or postcode.  In addition, it has a directory of just about every community group or Charity Shop in Essex that collects items for resale or reuse.

The website was funded by a grant from the National Lottery Awards for All scheme and ECORRN'S seedcorn fund.  

Andrew Wilkinson of en-form said "If like me you need to do a bit of spring cleaning but can't bear the thought of a day out trying to get things to the dump - this is ideal. I can just give away items on an individual basis and at the same time clear my clutter at a leisurely pace. As I'm a hoarder, this is a big bonus."  

If you could do with a bit of a de-clutter, why not go through your cupboards, shed or the loft this weekend and get rid of all those items you are never going to use but are just too good to be thrown away.

As an Environment Centre we are particularly concerned that while Colchester Borough Council proclaim to be amongst the best recycling boroughs in the country they are adopting a policy which is likely to not only reduce their recycling rates but also increase their costs through increased landfill charges. This is not the way one of the “cleanest and greenest “ boroughs should operate. We feel that many businesses, particularly small ones, will  opt out of the scheme and dispose of their paper and card as general trade waste.

Recent evidence indicates that, far from increasing, the dry recycling rate has at best stagnated and at worst gone down in recent years. It is only the garden waste collection that has lifted the overall rate.

We accept that the Council has to cover the cost of collecting trade waste and the burden for this shouldn’t fall on the domestic council tax payer. However we do not feel it is fair or sensible to charge a flat rate regardless of the amount of waste. After all we should be ensuring that those who produce most waste pay more for disposing of it. A fairer, and more acceptable, solution for example would be to provide a different colour bag for card/paper waste which could be sold at the same rate as the green trade waste bags. This would mean that businesses would only pay for what they put out.  This system would compensate the Council and hopefully have no adverse effect on the recycling rate.

Rowland Castiglione

Chairman of Trustees

en-form

Help the environment and save money

What is an EcoTeam?

A group of people who get together to learn how to reduce their environmental impact and save money. EcoTeams of six to eight people meet once a month for 4 months. At each meeting EcoTeam members share experiences, ideas and achievements on the environmental actions that they have taken.

An EcoTeam is not just another meeting – it’s a place to translate ideas into action!

Why should I sign up?

Many of us want to live a little greener but have never found the time, or don’t quite know how to begin. EcoTeams show you how small easy changes can make a difference to your household, your community and the environment – with the help of your team members. It will only take about two hours of your time each month…and it works! Past teams have achieved great environmental savings:

Waste – 43%

Gas – 15.2%

Electricity – 8.9%

Water – 21.2%

How do I find out more?

Contact John on 01473 611453 or john.ej.welsh@btinternet.com

Or Andrew on 01206 367776 or info@en-form.org.uk

Give your taste buds a treat at the Colchester Farmers' Market this Friday.

With both Apple Day and British Sausage Week falling in October what better time is there to try out the different varieties of local apple, juice and specialist sausages available at the market.

And, with over 15 stalls, many offering free tastings, why not try some Hereford beef, vegetables picked only the day before or fresh local free range eggs that are cheaper than the supermarkets.

En-form the Environment Centre who organise the market will also be launching their new e-mail reminder service. As a special offer, anybody  making a purchase at the market after 12.30 will be able to buy an energy efficient lightbulb and canvas shopping bag for only 75p.

The Colchester Farmers' Market will be held at the Colchester Arts Centre from 9.30am to 2pm this Friday the 7th October. Full details on 01206 367776. 

A PHOTOCALL WITH THE DULUX DOG WILL TAKE PLACE AT 1.00 PM AT THE COLCHESTER CIVIC AMENITY SITE, MALDON ROAD, SHRUB END  

AND at 2.30PM AT

TENDRING RE>PAINT SCHEME AT OAKWOOD UNIT 2,
PLOUGH CORNER, HARWICH ROAD, LITTLE CLACTON

ON Thursday 21^st April

Community Re>Paint Colchester and Tendring  is the latest project developed by en-form the Colchester Environment Centre. The Community Re>Paint scheme, which has been successfully rolled out in other parts of the UK by environmental consultants SWAP[i], will help the community to help itself by accepting unwanted, usable, surplus paint from local householders and businesses, and re-distributing it free of charge for reuse by local people (particularly those in social need), charities, voluntary groups and schools[ii].  Whilst providing a service for the local community, and helping the environment, the scheme also has the potential to provide opportunities for the unemployed to volunteer and learn practical skills, gain invaluable work experience and then transfer these skills into employment.

Andrew Wilkinson who has been responsible for the development of the project said, “This scheme is highly beneficial for both the environment and the local community, and provides another way to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. We will be able to offer safe, good quality, recycled paint at low or no cost to disadvantaged local people and community groups. The scheme has the support of Essex County and Colchester Borough Councils.”

Mark Gregory, Community Re>Paint Co-ordinator at SWAP added: “Community Re>Paint began in 1993 and has attracted funding from ICI Dulux, Biffaward[iii] and has since grown into a huge success[iv].  We are very pleased to launch our scheme run by en-form. Over 377 million litres of paint are sold each year (retail and trade), 75 million litres of which is stored, hoarded or wasted. Community Re>Paint: Colchester and Tendring will enable some of this paint to be put to good use.”

Graham Tombs, Essex County Council Head of Waste, Recycling and the Environment said: "We are always looking for ways to expand the recycling facilities we can provide at our civic amenity and recycling sites across Essex. The Community Re>Paint scheme is not only providing a new way to recycle and protect the environment, but is also putting something back into the community. If you are doing any DIY or spring cleaning remember to make sure you bring any leftover or unwanted usable paint for it to be recycled and reused by the community."

Anyone wishing to donate paint from trade should contact Andrew Wilkinson on 01206 367776. Groups and individuals applying for paint should contact en-form on the same number.  Householders can donate their leftover paint by taking it to the civic amenity and recycling centres at Shrub End, Colchester and Rush Green, Clacton during their usual opening hours.

The project has received £71,188 from the National Lottery Funded Community Recycling and Economic Development (CRED) Programme5

For further information about Community Re>Paint Colchester please contact Andrew Wilkinson at en-form on 01206 367776, email: info@en-form.org.uk. www.repaintessex.org.uk

For further information on Community Re>Paint please contact Mark Gregory, SWAP on 0113 243 8777, fax: 0113 234 4222, e-mail: mark@swap-web.co.uk, web: www.communityrepaint.org.uk

ENDS

Notes to Editor

[i] SWAP (Save Waste and Prosper Ltd) is a not-for-profit environmental consultancy that seeks environmental improvement through the sustainable management of waste. In order to do this, SWAP researches particular waste options, innovates in the development of solutions and encourages collaboration with others to work towards sustainable solutions.

[ii]Paint distributed through Community Re>Paint Colchester and Tendring will be used for a wide range of projects from painting community houses to being distributed to needy groups, families and charitable organisations who can identify others who would benefit from the paint.

[iii]In December 1997 Biffa Waste Services agreed to donate landfill tax credits to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) to administer under the fund name Biffaward. Grants made from the fund currently amount to more than £63 million, supporting many worthwhile environmental projects.

[iv] There are presently 57 Community Re>Paint schemes throughout the UK operating in: Barnet; Belfast; Bradford; Bury; Castle Morpeth; Cardiff & The Vale; Conwy; Chester-le-Street; Christchurch; Derby; Doncaster; Ealing; East Kent; Edinburgh; Ellon (Aberdeenshire); East Essex; Falmouth (Cornwall); Fermanagh (N. Ireland); Fleetwood; Hammersmith & Fulham; Hackney; Harlow;Hemel Hempstead; Immingham (NE Lincs); Lambeth; Leeds; Leicestershire; Morecambe & Lancaster; Medway; Middlesbrough; Newbury; Newport; Newtown (Montgomeryshire); Norfolk; North Allerdale (Cumbria); Oxford; Perth; Peterborough; Redruth (Cornwall); Richmond Upon Thames; Rotherham, Sandwell & Soho (Birmingham); Sevenoaks; Sheffield; Shetland; Solihull; Southampton; Stoke-on-Trent; Sunderland; Swansea; Swansea and Gower; Swindon; Waltham Forest; Warrington and Halton; West Devon; Wrexham; and Wye (Kent).

5 The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) and nine consortium partners manage the £36.5 million CRED Programme on behalf of the Big Lottery Fund’s Transforming Waste initiative. CRED is the second multi-million pound National Lottery initiative managed by RSWT on behalf of the Fund.

Local food issues may be firmly on the menu these days but where exactly can you buy it?

In Essex, we now have a host of local producers and markets selling everything from rare breeds and varieties of meat, fruit and veg to honey, cakes and oysters - but where are they?

From this week you can pick up a free local food directory from local environment group en-form and find out.

In its 50 or so pages you will find most of the local producers, farmers' markets, country markets and farm shops within a 30 mile radius of Colchester - 118 entries in all.

Andrew Wilkinson of en-form said '' This is the second edition of the local food directory following the success of last years. The new directory has many improvements suggested by the public and is much bigger and better than the first one. TV shows such as Jamie's School Dinners and the Sudan 1 crisis are making people think more and more about the food they eat. Customers are increasingly buying from local producers where they can ask exactly what goes into their food.''

The directory will be launched at this weeks Colchester farmers' market on Friday 1st April from 9.30am to 2pm at the Colchester Arts Centre.

It will be available free of charge from local libraries, visitor information centres, farmers' markets and other local information points throughout Essex and Suffolk.

The directory was primarily funded with a 2 year grant from the Seed programme which distributed National Lottery  through the New Opportunities Fund.

Although there are no current plans for future printed directories all the information it contains and many extra features will shortly be available on its own website. 

Following another successful year, the Colchester Farmers' Market is set to expand further in 2005.  This Friday's market has more stalls than ever before and following repeated customer requests will remain open for an extra hour and close at 2pm.  

Julia King , of en-form, said “ We have received many requests from customers who work in the town centre to keep the market open an hour longer. At the moment they find it difficult to get to the market in their lunch hour and harder still to pick up a bite to eat from the refreshment counter.''

The market is also proving popular with stallholders. Over the last 3 months 6 new stalls selling bread, Caribbean cakes & savouries,  beef, organic chicken, anti-pasti and specialist chilli oils have joined the market. With the welcome return of  the garden plant stalls after their winter break the market will be full to the rafters.

The next Farmers’ Market will be on Friday 4^th March, from 9.30am – 2pm at  the Colchester Arts Centre, near the Mercury Theatre.

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