Tetbury groups take action for Great Big Green Week

We were delighted to have had the support of so many in our town during Great Big Green Week this year. Local groups, businesses and members of the community got involved and created a real buzz around sustainability in Tetbury during June.

If you'd like to be involved in GBGW 2027 or in any of our events throughout the rest of the year, please get in touch. But for now, enjoy these recaps and photos from Great Big Green Week 2026:

Foraging Walks in Tetbury

Emanuelle Paulson, an experienced Forager took groups of people down the old railway track in Tetbury for a fascinating couple of hours of spotting and finding out about wild plants we can add to our diets for free.

The Elderflower was in perfect bloom

Emanuelle pointed out distinctive features to help identify Elderflower when comparing it with other white flowers which are blooming, like Cow Parsley, Hogsweed and Wild Carrot. The timing was perfect for harvesting the blooms to make cordial.

Two kinds of nettle

Em found Dead Nettle among the stingers. They do not sting and the stem is distinctively square.  She pointed out the flower too, white or yellow, with a hood.

Talking about stinging, Em showed us how to grasp the nettle; a technique which relies on the fact that the sting is at the ends of the nettle hairs and by approaching them from below and stroking upwards you avoid being pricked by the tips. We suggest you only try this with the help of an expert!

Nettle Recipes: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/nettle-recipes 

Summer Salads:

Salad Burnet, Sorrel, Pineapple Mayweed (from the Camomile family of weeds) were all available to add micronutrients to the table (but best to pick those that lie away from paths dogs frequent). As an added bonus, on the return journey along Herd Lane, we were rewarded with the sight of a Tiger Moth butterfly. All agreed it was a very enjoyable and informative walk and that we are very lucky to have this oasis of food for free and space for nature on our doorstep

“Balancing Nature and Farming” Talk from Sapperton Wilder

In collaboration with Tetbury Goods Shed, we held a really interesting talk from the ambitious Sapperton Wilder project to restore 450 acres of “marginal land“ for the dual benefit of farming and wildlife.

44 people came and enjoyed an excellent presentation from the project’s Ecology Officer, Chenie Prudhomme, and Engagement Officer, Ali Harvey. This was followed by a very interesting Q&A session.

How farming impacts the environment

In the UK, the health of our natural environment is in a state of steady degeneration. 56% of Britain’s species are in decline and 15% threatened with extinction. Since the 1970s we have seen a rapid and continual net loss of nature. One of the factors has been the post-war intensification of agricultural practices, which prioritised food production as the national farming strategy. Particularly in areas with low soil fertility, this has led to an increased reliance on pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers to produce foods and be economically profitable. These chemicals can negatively impact soils and the surrounding ecosystem. Crop yields then decrease due to degraded soils, meaning farming businesses have become dependent on subsidies. This is a lose–lose situation for biodiversity and rural communities. And yet we know that our wellbeing, health and food security are all dependent on functioning, diverse ecosystems. Restoring natural environments and processes is our best protection against climate change.

Sapperton Wilder's work to readdress the farming-nature balance

Sapperton Wilder was founded by Dr Jonathan Milner, a Cambridge biotech entrepreneur and Stroud local who was born and raised in Minchinhampton (and incidentally is the brother of eco entrepreneur James of Equisera fame). After working with Sir David Attenborough on the Life on Our Planet Project, Dr Milner was inspired to acquire land that could contribute to finding solutions to changing this situation. The project aims to find out how we can maximise returns for nature, the local community, and grow food profitably. It is exploring methods of land restoration while measuring biodiversity and social benefits and aims to inspire nature recovery across the country.

Get involved with Sapperton Wilder

Tetbury Wombles Litter Pick

Sixteen enthusiastic volunteers turned out to clear litter from Tetbury's streets and green spaces, supported by Mayor Ian Watson, Deputy Mayor Zowie Baker, and Councillor Nikki Ind.

In just two hours, the team managed to collect:

• Six large bags of rubbish

• A number of discarded vapes

• Two larger items which were logged with the council for collection

The event was fully supported by the Tetbury Town Council, who supplied the team with equipment and insurance.

You can join Tetbury Womble's regular litter picks by getting in touch via their Facebook page.

Tetbury Wombles Facebook Page

St Mary's Church Bioblitz

During the morning of 20 June, 12 citizen scientists including several children counted the plants and animals in St Mary’s churchyard. This was part of the Beautiful Burial Ground Project, a national scheme to understand and preserve the natural world in churchyards and burial grounds.

The event began with Pete Martin revealing more than 55 different kinds of moths caught on site in light traps overnight. These included 48 Large Yellow Underwings, six Elephant Hawkmoths and a Red-necked Footman.

Participants completed Flower-Insect Timed Counts for the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme as well as surveying the birds, plants, mosses, butterflies, bees and hoverflies, beetles, woodlice, slugs and snails to be found in the churchyard. There were Goldcrest chicks tweeting away in a nest in a Yew tree. We found evidence of a fox visit and even a young Field Mouse hiding under one of the reptile refugia in the churchyard. These will be checked again to see if there are reptiles or amphibians residing at St Mary’s. The list of species will serve as a baseline for future bioblitzes.

Share your nature spots

If you spot any wildlife in St Mary’s churchyard, please take a photo on your phone (if possible) and send it to greeningtetbury@gmail.com so we can add it to the list.