Our story
We believe that through positive action we, as a community, can reduce Didcot’s impact on this global threat. Sustainable Didcot follows the 1987 UN’s Brundtland Commission definition of Sustainability: “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Sustainable Didcot is based at the Green Hub in the town centre. Our central location is right near the station, making sustainable travel as easy as possible for visitors.
We work together with the local community to reduce our environmental impact through all kinds of eco-friendly activities and events. These include our core events:
- Skills & Chill: Weekly sessions where people can learn sustainable crafts, and hand-make things that might otherwise be made of plastic
- SWISH: We hold a monthly clothes swap session at the Green Hub, inspired by Get Swishing, to facilitate “new” wardrobes without the environmental impact
- Green Drinks: Each month we host different activities for our local Green Drinks, from nature walks to environmental discussions at the pub
- Repair Cafe: A team of volunteers help the local community to fix their broken electronics, bikes, and all kinds of other items at the monthly repair cafe
We also run all kinds of other exciting events to get people out and about, and thinking sustainably. We have led skills sessions such as fermentation to help cut food waste; plastic-free picnics to encourage sustainable choices at the supermarket; and tree walks to learn about our local nature.
Sustainable Didcot has been built up entirely by volunteers, and for July 2024 we have hired a Community Engagement & Green Hub Administrator with a grant from the Didcot Powerhouse Fund. This has also enabled us to upskill our committee through mentoring workshops with local businesses.
We are part of the Oxfordshire Community Action Group: a network of over 100 community action groups working across Oxfordshire to make it a safer, fairer, greener, more sustainable place to live, work and visit. We hope to continue growing as a community by working in partnership with local organisations, businesses, and the council.
Our advice
It’s OK to start small! We got started with just a small group of committed volunteers, and very little in the way of resources. By putting in lots of time between us, we’ve grown the group to host regular activities and bring in lots of funding to keep expanding.
There will be setbacks, and that’s OK. Sometimes a key volunteer might have to take time off and leave the group without enough people power, or an event might not get any participants. At the time it can feel like a big deal, but don’t lose hope. Use it as an opportunity to review how things are going, and what could be done differently to adjust to everybody’s commitment level, or how you can reach more people.
Our metrics
- Number of participants
- Number of activities & events
- Library items borrowed
- Funding acquired
- Responses to surveys
- Sign-ups or other engagement
- Event specifics e.g. items made
- Items repaired
- Clothes swapped or rehomed
