Climate Action Gamlingay

01/10/2026

Repair Cafe November 2026

We are looking forward to hosting our fifth repair cafe - bookings are now open!

Do you have something that’s broken that you don’t know how to fix but can’t bring yourself to throw away? Something like a toaster, kettle, lamp, bag, pair of jeans, jumper or computer? You can book in and bring it along to the Repair Cafe being held on Saturday 21st November from 1pm to 4pm at Gamlingay Eco Hub.

Our team of volunteer repairers are helping for free and there is no charge for admission. We welcome donations to cover our costs and to help us grow our network and foster a culture of repair. They will pinpoint the problem and try to fix it there and then for you, or let you know what spare parts to get for when you come back next time.

We are opening the booking form early because the cafe has proven popular in the past, see below for booking details. We’ve had jackets and trousers sewn, bags mended, jewellery boxes repaired, record players and radios fixed, ornaments glued and even lawn mowers and ironing boards.

Repair Cafes are a great way to save money - with households spending about £35 a week on items that can be repaired at repair cafes including clothes, furniture, computers, electrical items. They are also great at reducing waste and emissions by extending the life of items. The average Repair Cafe saves 450kg CO2, about the same as driving from Lands End to John O’Groates and back again. Over the last four Repair Cafe’s Gamlingay has saved an amazing total of 2340kg of Co2e. Plus we have saved 269kg of items from going to waste. Out of the 139 items brought for repair, 105 were fixed, 27 were deemed repairable and given advice for parts and where to return for a repair and only 7 were found to have reached their end-of-life and taken for recycling.

Most importantly these events bring our community together. We have all sorts of people offering to help to repair things, all of whom have been volunteering at Repair Cafes across Cambridgeshire for several years. We are lucky to have experienced repairers coming to Gamlingay’s fifth Repair Cafe, already signed up are returning repairers including…

- Keith and hopefully other electrical repairers who can take on high-level electronic and electrical repairs of portable items. (however not microwaves or TVs)
- Lyn and Hilary who will be available for clothes and textile repairs including darning.
- Back again will be Halina with fixes for your jewellery, mending claps, fixing links, reshaping rings and restringing antique pearls; are a few of the things she has done in the past.
- Returning again we will have Molly and Reuben offering to debobble your textiles and bring clothing items a new lease of life.

They’re keen to share their skills, stop things going to landfill and reduce the impact that buying new stuff has on the environment. Electrical items that are suitable for fixing will also be PAT tested before you leave by a competent PAT tester.

While you wait our fantastic team of volunteers will make sure you are kept topped up with tea and coffee and a choice of cake and biscuits. You are welcome to come along and visit the cafe even if you don’t have an item for repair; there will be people to chat to and lego and colouring for children.

To find out more about Gamlingay Repair Cafe and to book your items in for repair visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdigUz9cDHQGFuLyzRRnF-qk_DvO0Ww1bmvRFLypmo3MA7jcA/viewform Or visit the Gamlingay Eco Hub page or email us at [email protected]. You can also pop in when the Library is open at the Eco Hub and we’ll get you booked in.

30/09/2026

If you missed the local screenings of the People’s Emergency Briefing there will be another opportunity to watch it at South Cambridgeshire District Council Hall on Tuesday 6 October 18:00-20:00

What is the People’s Emergency Briefing?

The People’s Emergency Briefing is a nationally coordinated film and discussion initiative exploring the climate and nature crisis and what it means for communities, services and long-term resilience; the film brings together leading UK experts in climate science, health, food security, economics, national security and nature.
South Cambridgeshire District Council will be screening the briefing (run time 50 minutes) and then there will be the opportunity for a discussion afterwards, about the briefing and how we can all respond to take positive action. Refreshments will be available at the screening.
If you would like to attend please fill out the booking form https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/FELUrGgqz9
and please circulate to family, friends, colleagues and anyone else who may be interested. The Council will send out more details to attendees closer to the event.
Watch the short trailer here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x2XhvEbz24

A new film featuring Chris Packham, leading scientists, a former ge...

07/09/2026

Great Gamlingay Rake Off this Thursday from 3.30pm

21/08/2026

🍃Attention teachers, youth group leaders, and creative young people! Want to help shape the national climate agenda? 🍃

The UK Government has opened Young Voices for Climate and Nature, a creative callout inviting young people aged 16 and under across the UK to share their ideas on climate and nature action.

Whether you’re a local school class, a sports team, a club or a faith youth group, you can submit your ideas as a team or community!

Submissions can be created in a variety of fun, creative formats:
• 📹 Short videos or audio recordings
• 🎨 Digital artwork, drawings, or posters
• 📝 Essays, letters, poems, or short responses
• 💻 Presentations or creative digital projects

Selected ideas will not only inform government policy focus areas but will also be showcased publicly to celebrate young people's vision for a greener future!

📅 Deadline for entries: Friday, 23rd October 2026

🔗 Find out more & submit your entry: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/young-voices-for-climate-and-nature

Submissions must be uploaded by an adult lead on behalf of the group, school, or club.

Tag a teacher, youth worker, or parent who’d love to get their group involved!

We're asking young people from across the UK to share their ideas about climate and nature action.

20/08/2026

🌱 Know a young person passionate about the environment? 🌍

The UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has launched the brand-new Youth Climate and Nature Panel and they are looking for 15 passionate young people from across the country to join!

This panel will bring together diverse voices aged 16 to 25 to advise government ministers, share real-world perspectives, and ensure the next generation has a direct say in climate and biodiversity decisions.

Applications are currently open, with an initial call for young people aged 16–18.

✨ What’s involved? • Advising on key climate and nature policies • Strengthening intergenerational collaboration • Helping shape engagement with communities across the UK

If you (or a young person you know) have ideas, lived experience, or a drive to protect our environment, this is an incredible opportunity to make a real difference.

Application Deadline: Friday, 11th September 2026

Find out more & apply here:

We're creating a new Youth Climate and Nature Panel to put the voices of younger people at the heart of climate and nature policies. Find out how you can take part.

29/07/2026

Want to make a bigger impact in your community?

Whether you're already involved in climate and nature action or you're just getting started, The Climate Coalition's Community Organiser Programme is a fantastic opportunity to build the skills, confidence and connections to create lasting local change.

Over six months, you'll learn how to:
🌱 Build and grow a thriving community group
🤝 Bring people together around a shared purpose
💡 Develop leadership and organise meaningful local action
📅 Create a plan for an even bigger and better Great Big Green Week 2027

The programme includes monthly online sessions, opportunities to connect with organisers across the UK, and support from The Climate Coalition throughout your journey. It's designed for anyone passionate about making a difference where they live.
If you've been thinking about taking the next step in community organising, this could be the perfect place to start.

Find out more and sign up here

This programme is for anyone who wants to organise local action on climate and nature - whether you've been doing it for years or you're just getting started.

29/07/2026

We're officially in a drought.

29/07/2026

South Cambridgeshire District Council's Climate and Environment Team would like to hear from you. This short survey (link below) will help them understand what information updates and support on climate and nature would be most useful to you.

23/07/2026

Scything with the South Cambridgeshire Scything Workgroup is planned in St Denis' churchyard, East Hatley, tonight and on Tuesday 28th, both sessions from 6pm. Scything rather than mowing improves the grassland and encouraging a more biodiverse wildflower meadow to develop. Some of the Climate Action Group members belong to the workgroup. Here is a link to their summer schedule Scything Workgroup https://www.hheco.co.uk/south-cambs-scything-workgroup Feel free to come along to any of the sessions, either locally or further afield, to see what we do and to discover how scything improves grassland.

21/07/2026

What can you do to help the bumblebees?

"Your flowerpot is a service station. It's somewhere to rest, refuel and carry on."

A useful message that people do not need acres of land to help. A pot of native wildflowers on a doorstep or windowsill can act as a small refuelling stop for insects moving through a human-dominated landscape. Read the BBC article for more information:

The furry bodies of UK bumblebees are specially adapted for cold weather - making heatwaves a struggle.