Join this years Great Big Green Week

Event and recruitment applications are now live!

The 2024 South West Herts Great Big Green Week (GBGW) will take place over the 8-16 June 2024 across Three Rivers and Watford.

We hope you will join us in putting on a celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. We want to bring together the breadth of amazing organisations working across the area, raise awareness of the work you do and highlight the changes that communities and individuals can make to help create a better tomorrow.


Get involved in 2024

What’s your New Years resolution?
Is it to:
  • try something new?
  • meet new people?
  • get out into nature more?
  • campaign?
  • make a positive difference locally?
  • reduce your impact on the environment?

If you have answered yes to any of the above why not have a look at the wide range of local groups in the links below covering everything from waste/ recycling/ nature/ volunteering/ travel & transport/ energy/ campaigning and so much more……….

We hope you find something you enjoy

SPOKES Rides For All Project

RIDES FOR ALL | SPOKES SW HERTFORDSHIRE CYCLING GROUP

822 Miles of Local Cycling Routes – ranging from 4 to 46 miles in length

SPOKES South West Herts Cycling Group will, on 27 August as part of its 25th Anniversary celebrations, launch a new resource for cyclists of all abilities in SW Hertfordshire, SPOKES Rides For Allhttp://www.spokesgroup.org.uk/ridesforall/.

The objective is to make available rides that are family friendly, suitable for new cyclists as they build up confidence on longer rides and for experienced cyclists new to the area to show off the lovely countryside available to them.  It builds upon two earlier books of rides that SPOKES has published.  SPOKES Rides For All makes these earlier rides available in digital form as well as adding new routes.

However, it is more than a library of GPX files.  As well as a downloadable GPX file for each ride, it is also possible to download instructions to guide those without a GPS device around the route.  Each ride is accompanied by information about refreshments stops, toilets and points of interest.  The rides range from 4 to 46 miles in length.  Some are traffic free rides, other are all on road or may have up to 75% of the route off-road.

At the time of the launch there will be 53 routes offering 822 miles of cycling with more routes added more as part of this ongoing project.

SPOKES SW HERTFORDSHIRE CYCLING GROUP

If you want to ride and are looking for new routes, take a look at the SPOKES’ web site and enjoy your cycling.  You don’t have to be a Member of SPOKES to access the web site, but you will be welcomed if you choose to join.”

Watford Tree Planting

Trees help to support life on Earth by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. They are vital to combat climate change, while also improve the living space for both people and wildlife.

According to the Urban Tree Cover website, Watford has a tree cover of 18%. In March this year, Watford Council agreed a plan to increase this to 20%.

Friends of the Earth say that the UK as a whole has a tree cover of 13%, which is less than half the European average of 35%. Friends of the Earth are campaigning to double the UK tree cover. The increase of 2% in Watford is welcome, but much more than that is still needed.

If you want to see Watford’s tree cover in great detail, down to each tree in your street, take a look at the National Tree Map. Here is an example map centred on North Watford.