ALMOST 60 community leaders on climate action from many parts of the Winchester district came together for a Zoom workshop with the city council and Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC).

From tree planting in Upham to challenging developers in Whiteley to build energy-efficient homes, hedgehog surveys in Highcliffe to transport and community planning in Twyford; parish councils, business networks, community centres, eco-churches and green groups - people shared the various ways that groups are cutting greenhouse gases.

Cllr Lynda Murphy, who leads on the climate emergency for the city council, welcomed suggestions of how it can help bring about lasting change, emphasising that reaching the net zero carbon target of 2030 for the district is a shared responsibility.

Cllr Murphy said: “I am delighted to once again be working closely with WinACC. For Winchester City Council to reach our target of the district becoming carbon neutral by 2030, we need all residents to play their part. It was very interesting to catch up on what all the different community groups and parishes are doing and discuss how best we can enable them to reach their own carbon neutrality goals.”

This week sees the launch of a year-long project on community climate action. Winchester Action on Climate Change, Winchester City Council and the Centre for Sustainable Energy – a charity based in Bristol – are collaborating to engage and inspire community groups and parish councils across the district to respond to the climate emergency. This includes a carbon footprint report for each parish, webinars, then climate emergency action days in the summer and autumn. The project will run until March 2022.

WinACC has published a unique set of maps that show the greenhouse gas emissions per person from the parishes and wards in Winchester district.

To view the maps, go to www.winacc.org.uk/resources/stap-reports/winchester-carbon-emissions-maps/.