Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire

Village: pop. 4000
Timeline: Started Autumn ‘08

Bassingbourn Transition Village have a core group of 12-15 people who meet on a monthly basis. They work within four main areas – Food, Water and Biodiversity, Social and Awareness, Transport and Travel (including safer routes to schools) and Energy and Homes. They have working parties around these themes which have just begun to develop beyond the core group.

BTV evolved from the 2008 Parish Plan and as a result has good working relationships with both the parish council and the local community centre. Their screening of The Age of Stupid was a sell-out and their first Harvest Market (in partnership with the parish church) with 23 stalls selling village produce from food to paintings, is now set to run quarterly.

At present the Energy and Homes group are working towards to becoming local energy advisors, gathering information and setting up an insulation project and home energy audits with the county council, as well as working with the local Primary School who have just installed a wind-turbine. The Food group has spent the last 18 months setting up a CSA with the local council and a local farmer and the Transport group meanwhile is working on an engineering plan to create a cycling and pedestrian route to nearby Royston.

BTV also runs very lively on-line communications pages and their plans for the future include car-share, a commuter bus, a vegetable and food growing club, a seed exchange and a series of films at the village hall.

Bassingbourn Transition Village's shopping bag, made as part of their plastic-bag free village campaign

Main Website: http://bassingbourntransitionvillage.ning.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BassingbournTV
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/BTVFacebook
Parish Web Site: http://tinyurl.com/BTVParish
Contact Person:
Simon Saggers
Tel: (01763) 243 960
Email: simon.saggers@gmail.com