Local 'Archers' looking to go green
Villagers hope their dreams of turning Gorran green will be turned into reality by a community-led range of schemes.
Many are inspired by the tales of the Radio 4 fictional family the Archers, whose village is rife with a variety of community-centred, green initiatives. Eating local produce and utilising the existing local services and products is high on the list of priorities for residents of Gorran Haven, alongside installing community-used wood chippers and starting a garden sharing scheme.
The favourite among residents is to install a community cider press so that people can take along their apples to create a home brew. On Tuesday last week residents gathered in Gorran to discuss their hopes and dreams of an eco-friendly sustainable village.
Initiator of the group Elle Westland said: "I think it is fantastic.
"I am starting to feel a bit like Pat Archer because Ambridge, where they live, is now in transition so a lot of the ideas have been tried and tested in The Archers.
"So many ideas have come up. Some have been done and simmered out but there is no reason why they shouldn't be looked at again.
"Virtually everybody in the village has come up with some idea which they have thought about to do with recycling, or making the most of local resources."
Already home to an eco-school, local food shops, green bed and breakfast and volunteer beach cleaners, residents were full of ideas of how to make the village even more eco-friendly.
Despite having a wealth of green initiatives already in place, Mrs Westland is convinced the village can go even further.
"It think it shows that we have got the enthusiasm and awareness already in the village," she said, "because we already have so many initiatives, you have to go on a waiting list to volunteer for the beach cleaning because so many local people get involved."
For more information contact Mrs Westland on ellawestland@btinternet.com
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