Transition Chesterfield – a timeline of community action
2009: First Potato Day (held in the market); movies and talks; skillshare workshops including beekeeping, jam-making and composting; harvest swap and critical mass bike ride.
2010: Abundance project started; 6 car-free walk leaflets; skill-share workshops on wild food foraging, chicken-keeping and solar photovoltaics; Eco-homes Open Day; planting fruit trees in public parks.
2011: Skill-share workshops including fruit tree pruning, bread making and herbal teas; support for 20’s Plenty; Eco-homes Open Day.
2012: Fourth Potato Day; Bike Project to train bike mechanics.
2013: First Repair Café held as part of Chatsworth Rd Festival; meeting on Renewable Energy; pedestrian audits to improve Chesterfield’s urban walking routes.
2014: Transition Chesterfield awarded Community Group of the Year; Carbon Conversations; drama project on energy saving.
2015: Land found for organic community garden project; vegetarian cookery workshops; repair cafes; three seed swaps.
2016: Inspire Community Garden becomes separate charity; bi-monthly Repair Cafes; Divest Derbyshire campaign started; new Chesterfield Climate Alliance formed; car-free walk leaflet.
2017: Inspire Community Garden run weekly workshops on organic gardening; Abundance project collects surplus fruit for food banks; over 1,000 signatures collected in support of divestment; support for anti-fracking groups in the region.
2018: Tenth Potato Day!; Repair Café goes monthly; visit to waste recycling centre; talk on plastic waste recycling; presentation to public enquiry on fracking; complaint to council about lack of walking and cycling access.
2019: Signed up to Manchester Declaration on the Right to Repair; Transition and 20 other groups formed Derbyshire Climate Coalition; Chesterfield Borough Council declared a climate emergency; talk by former MP Alan Simpson; pop-up market stall on divestment; Plastic Free Chesterfield supported by Transition.
2020: Repair Cafe moved to bigger premises at Chesterfield Baptist Church, held a series of practical eco-homes workshops and an event on electric cars and bikes, 12th annual Potato Day, part of Chesterfield Borough Council climate working group, seed swaps and Abundance project.
2021: Monthly appointment-only Repair Cafes, 13th annual Potato Day, monthly climate-themed Countdown to COP events, 2 walks organised as part of the Chesterfield Walking Festival, surplus produce collected and distributed, Plastic Free Chesterfield became an accredited plastic free community, website relaunched.
2022: Crafters’ Bazaar launched, Fixfest regional gathering of fixers, 14th Potato Day, 6 seed swaps, two walks in walking festival, second Plastic Free Festival held on market, online members survey.
2023: Contributed to debate on Town Centre, Skillshares on planning, online design, pruning workshops at Inspire; various promotion stalls including at Staveley Canal Basin Festival, Chesterfield Pride; new logo launched; 3 walks in Chesterfield Walking Festival; Eco Hub trial launched; Eco Homes weekend; Survey on pedestrian crossings; 15th Potato Day; 4 apple pressing events; Make Do & Mend event; monthly Littersorters group launched.
