Your Growing Business: Walgrave Green Community Interest Company Ltd (WGCIC)
WGCIC is born
Many of you will already know Walgrave has won some monies in the last year for its ‘green activities’, and during the late summer it became apparent that we would have to let the monies rest somewhere else other than in the safe hands of Parish Council bank account!
So, a few of us got our heads together and have formed a limited liability company, registered with Company House called Walgrave Green Community Interest Company, or WGCIC, with five village residents as initial Directors - Maggie Saxon, Alicia Schofield, Tom Parker, John Beale and Simon Mead. The stated aims of the company are to raise awareness about climate change; obtain up to date information about Walgrave’s carbon footprint; help villagers to make changes that will reduce their carbon footprint and to research and implement schemes that will assist in the reduction of Walgrave’s carbon footprint.
Carbon is MONEY
Whilst you may already be yawning having been bombarded by messages from Government and Media about ‘Carbon footprint’ and if we were to swap carbon for Money; WGCIC exists to enable villagers to reduce their costs of energy, and perhaps make our environment more attractive.
The first ACTIVITY
We have already had our first activity, as many of you may have already noticed! We have purchased 112 mixed English native trees with the help of the Tree Council and local landowners Matt, David and Rowland Knight. A pleasurable day was spent, with the top classes of Walgrave Primary School [see below], James Ayton and Wendy Parker, together with Rowland, John and Simon, planting some forty-one mixed trees and staking and cosseting them. The local press came and photographed us in Atterbury’s Field. Thanks to the other villagers who toiled with the Oaks and Walnuts.
The FUTURE generation
The children, armed with all the right gear, were expert tree planters, everyone participating in planting ‘their’ tree, along with a discussion of just how old and how big some of the trees would get. Within a couple of hours it was all done, a welcome break from the exciting classroom work! All the children were amazed at what the older trees around the village had experienced and went home thinking about what the future would be for their trees. Other trees were planted by Matt & John and their staff along the green lane off Newlands Road and by David and Simon above the village towards the Mere Way.
WHAT NEXT
Over the next few months, we will be trying to make more people aware of what we are doing and certainly plan to be at the Annual Parish Meeting in late May. If you think you can help in any way or want further information, please contact any of the Directors named in this article.
Whilst four of the Directors of WGCIC are Parish Councillors and the fifth is the Parish Clerk, WGCIC is a separate organisation and has no financial connections to the Parish Council and the views expressed in this article are not endorsed by the PC.
