Newsletter archive

  • News: December 2024 (12/16/2024) - This month: Big Garden Watch 2025; COP29 outcomes;  Fungi: the web of life; Hardy cattle deliver benefits on the farm;…
  • News: November 2024 (11/22/2024) - This month: COP29; Gold awards for Hazel Brow Farm and Marrick Park at TSNC High Nature Value Farming Awards 2024;…
  • News: October 2024 (10/25/2024) - Swaledale waxcaps This month: DalesRunner encourages contributions to Sustainable Swaledale; Dark Skies; Hedgehog survey: help from the comfort of your…
  • News: September 2024 (9/16/2024) - This month: Badger culls to stop in England within 5 years; Environmental news from North Yorkshire Council; Hedge-laying poem; Meadow…
  • News: July & August 2024 (8/16/2024) - Featured this month: Meadow Magic updates; One Acre Meadow one year on – meeting 2nd September; Plot that plastic app…
  • News: June 2024 (7/3/2024) - Swaledale meadow This month: Hedgerow legislation now law; Low Row Open Gardens raised money for Sustainable Swaledale; National Meadows Day:…
  • News: May 2024 (5/24/2024) - Pignut & cuckoo grass in a Swaledale meadow This month read about: Buglife: build a “bee hotel” event;  Great Big…
  • News: April 2024 (4/20/2024) - Buttercup meadow image by Steve Bidmead from Pixabay This month: Butterfly numbers; Dark skies in Yorkshire Dales: lighting advice; Membership…
  • News: February 2024 (2/9/2024) - The Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain – a remarkable example of wooden architecture. Photo by martine87 from Pixabay Here are…
  • News: January 2024 (1/8/2024) - New tree plugs ready for planting Happy New Year!  Here are a few quick updates on what we’re up to.…
  • News: December 2023 (12/21/2023) - Christmas winter image by Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay AONBs renamed National Landscapes; COP 28: what was agreed?; CPRE…
  • News: November 2023 (11/23/2023) - Newly laid hedge at Low Houses, Swaledale Award success – North Yorkshire Community Awards 2023 – Caring for the Environment…
  • News: October 2023 (11/3/2023) - Lichen image by Uta E. from Pixabay Air quality: policies, proposals and concerns; Lichens for beginners; New eco-labels for household…
  • News: September 2023 (10/6/2023) - Swaledale flower meadow Greenpeace’s Stop the Sewage petition; Hedges masterclass; Lichens for beginners: North Yorks Community Awards: Sustainable Swaledale shortlisting;…
  • News: August 2023 (8/23/2023) - Dales barn image by Andrew Martin from Pixabay Broadrake Meadow Workshop; Brockholes Nature Reserve trialling grazing cows without fences; Mires…
  • News: July 2023 (7/30/2023) - Red Admiral butterfly, image by Ralph from Pixabay Big Butterfly Count; Mires Beck Nursery visit; National Park Protectors Awards 2023:…
  • News: June 2023 (7/6/2023) - Free salad, herbs and veg at the Reeth community beds Black flash reveals swift site: WingIt project in the news;…
  • News: May 2023 (6/1/2023) - Wildflower meadow, Oxnop, Swaledale. Photo: Adam Bradley Bug splatometer: insect monitoring using your car number plate; Coronation Big Help Out…
  • News: April 2023 (4/28/2023) - Swallow’s nest on the Two Dales Bakery nest-cam Ancient trees and woodland pasture; Coronation Big Help Out event at Hudson House…
  • News: March 2023 (3/30/2023) - Photo of beaver by Niklas Hamann on Unsplash Beavers’ dam may stop flooding; Earth Day 2023; Happy Valley; Health benefits…
  • News: February 2023 (2/16/2023) - Photo of stoat by Dr. Georg Wietschorke from Pixabay Buttertubs Pass camping barn refused planning permission; Grinton Book Exchange; Land…
  • News: January 2023 (1/13/2023) - Badgers and the Badgers Trust; Dark Skies Event at Grinton; Fairtrade Fortnight; RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch January 2023; Single-use plastic…
  • News: November 2022 (11/26/2022) - Image by Nico Wall from Pixabay COP27 and climate change: what did get agreed? The 27th annual UN meeting on…
  • News: October 2022 (11/4/2022) - Bison calf first to be born in the wild in the UK for thousands of years; Consultation on the proposed…
  • News: September 2022 (10/7/2022) - Food waste and composting; Government environmental policies and protections under review; Hummingbird hawkmoths; Peat compost to be banned for domestic…
  • News: August 2022 (8/24/2022) - Image by Ralf Schick from Pixabay Beavers helping in the heatwaves; Coast to Coast walk to become a National Trail;…
  • News: July 2022 (7/29/2022) - Arkengarthdale barns makeover; Hawes to Garsdale recreational route; Helping Richmondshire Heat, Eat and Meet; No wolves and lynx under YDNPA…
  • News: June 2022 (6/29/2022) - B-Lines; Log a hog (2); National Meadows Day; Moorland fact check;  Protecting peatland; Together for Trees Project; Wild flowers and…
  • News: May 2022 (5/30/2022) - This month: Chair’s message; Log a hog; Nature for everyone petition; Repair it and wear it; Somerset Levels super nature…
  • News: April 2022 (4/26/2022) - Join the big plastic count 16-22 May; Litter pick update; MoorPeat; Mow free May; Putting aside areas for wildlife is…
  • News: March 2022 (3/28/2022) - Bumblebee recording; carbon neutral beef produced in the YDNP; Demand wilder national parks; Earth Day 2022; IPCC Sixth Assessment Report:…
  • News: February 2022 (2/28/2022) - This month: Curlews: record your first sighting of the year; Fairtrade Fortnight 2022; Flood mitigation schemes; Graze anatomy; Homes for…
  • News: January 2022 (1/18/2022) - Activities planned for 2022; Dark Skies Festival 2022; Queen’s Green Canopy; Richmondshire Climate Action Partnership; Snaizeholme; Together for Trees Project;…
  • News: November 2021 (11/23/2021) - Bird crime; Climate change calculations for the two dales; COP26 summary; COP26: Richmondshire Climate Action Group Festival; Green Christmas stationery; Heating and insulation grants; Low carbon heat pump grants; Meadows; Planning: Yorkshire Dales barns; Tree planting in the two dales – volunteers sought; Trees: Rufus Woods; Trees and squirrels: Snaizeholme
  • News: October 2021 (10/22/2021) - Butterflies and moths in decline – what you can do to help; Environment Action Day, Richmond Climate Action Group event;…
  • News: September 2021 (9/20/2021) - Beavers; COP 26: COP26 – Richmond Climate Action Group events; Dragonflies; Environment Bill progress; Fall into Nature programme by Plantlife;…
  • News: August 2021 (8/13/2021) - Art and the environment; Climate change: UN IPCC report; Community vegetable beds; Côte du Swale; Flower identification; Hen Harrier Day 2021; Planning consultation: local occupancy and barn conversions; Planning: Leyburn hotel and country store; Recycling; Swifts and swallows; Woodland planting; Woodland tree guard removal.
  • News: July 2021 (7/16/2021) - Climate change action; Climate change art; COP26 presidency programme; hedgehogs; Incredible Edible raised beds; litter pick; plastics recycling; swifts; tree identification; water consumption
  • News: June 2021 (6/18/2021) - Climate change through art; Community led action on climate change map and news stories; Incredible Edible beds in Reeth; Lembas wholefood group purchasing scheme; National Meadows Day 2021; Planning: Richmondshire Preferred Options Local Plan 2018-2039; Plantlife’s every flower counts survey; Renaturing Arkengarthdale; Visiting the seaside: the big seaweed watch.
  • News: May 2021 (5/14/2021) - Air pollution controls on burning wood and coal, buses, hedgehogs, Lembas group purchasing scheme, plants, recycling cat food pouches, swifts and swallows, trees.
  • News: April 2021 (4/20/2021) - Buses, climate change, dark skies, gardening, Lembas group buying scheme, natural flood management schemes, recycling, right to repair, Richmondshire Energy…
  • News: March 2021 (3/21/2021) - Climate change, food and gardening, Lembas group buying scheme, planning, trees, wildlife.
  • News: February 2021 (2/17/2021) - Dark skies festival, gardening, membership, planning, together for trees.
  • News: January 2021 (1/22/2021) - Happy New Year from Sustainable Swaledale! This month’s newsletter covers climate change, dark skies festival, food and gardening, planning, together…
  • News: December 2020 (12/22/2020) - News: December 2020: climate change, dark skies, food & gardening, planning and tree planting. Here are a few quick updates on…
  • News: November 2020 (11/13/2020) - November 2020 newsletter
  • News: October 2020 (10/10/2020) - October 2020 newsletter
  • News: September 2020 (8/28/2020) - Our Local Food Map project, updates on Incredible Edibles in Reeth, local recipes and the importance of even tiny patches of wildflowers.
  • News: August 2020 (7/25/2020) - What we've been up to during 'lockdown' - Incredible Edible in Reeeth; lots of local recipes.
  • News: April 2020 (4/16/2020) - Share your recipes and save your seedlings…. Here are a few quick updates on what we’re up to…if you’re on…
  • News: March 2020 (3/9/2020) - Packaging | Call for compost | Tree guards | Water, water everywhere
  • News: February 2020 (2/4/2020) - We talk about making sustainable food choices and reducing food waste, the latest on our Incredible Edible Project, a Dark…
  • News: January 2020 (1/13/2020) - Happy New Year! Here’s a quick update on what we’re up to in the next couple of months… Here are…

Blog post archive

  • June/July in a Swaledale vegetable garden (7/12/2022) - June has excelled itself – warm and sunny for the most part. In fact, until early July, we have had…
  • May/June in a Swaledale vegetable garden (6/9/2022) - May began chilly and we had some very strong winds. The outside veg stood still and waited and ended up…
  • April/May in a Swaledale vegetable garden (5/6/2022) - The weather is warming up, the light levels are rising and sowing has quickened pace. The polytunnel beds are being…
  • March/April in a Swaledale vegetable garden (4/4/2022) - In the third week of March the weather excelled itself with warm calm days, perfect for putting the plastic on…
  • COP this! (9/24/2021) - Food for thought as COP26 approaches rapidly.
  • Grape Expectations (7/27/2021) - "Glass of Château Bolton anyone? Or maybe a nice Easby? Prefer red? We get ours from the Welsh Valleys"
  • Know your herbs at the Reeth Surgery raised beds (7/16/2021) - Reeth Surgery community beds have lots of herbs available for everyone to use, Just a few leaves are great at giving a dish an extra zing and are full of vitamins.
  • Richmondshire’s Remarkable Rainforests (5/14/2021) - Richmondshire's remarkable rainforests
  • Are the bluebells flowering earlier this year? (5/7/2021) - Are the bluebells flowering earlier this year?
  • A beginner’s experience of compleating (3/5/2021) - According to the 'Love food hate waste' website one-third of the food produced globally goes to waste, with an estimated 10 million tonnes of food waste being produced in the UK each year
  • March in the vegetable garden (3/1/2021) - March has arrived at last. It is particularly welcome as February was very cold and the snow showers seemed endless
  • Swaledale’s climate twin (2/10/2021) - What will the climate actually be like here in Swaledale in future years?
  • February in the vegetable garden (1/29/2021) - The weather in February can be very changeable; some days are warm and sunny and other days are still very cold with persistent rain and sleet
  • Reeth: Swaledale’s civic centre or just another village? (1/17/2021) - Discussion about the YDNPA's latest consultation on the local plan.
  • January in the vegetable garden (1/2/2021) - January is a very cold month but there are still vegetables to pick and sowing to be done.
  • The Reith (Reeth?) Lectures 2020 (12/28/2020) - The final Reith lecture this year was entitled 'From Climate Crisis to Real Prosperity’.
  • The next industrial revolution? (12/3/2020) - In late November there was a brief fanfare to accompany the Government’s release of its ‘ten-point plan for a green…
  • December in the vegetable garden (11/27/2020) - The daylight hours drop to their lowest this month but there are crops ready for harvest and still a few…
  • November in the vegetable garden (10/30/2020) - As we head towards the dark, cold and damp year-end, we continue our series of blog posts about how to…
  • See the good for the trees (10/5/2020) - We all know that planting more trees will deliver significant environmental benefits. We also know that over-enthusiastic tree planting can…
  • October in the vegetable garden (9/28/2020) - With autumn now fully upon us, we continue our series of monthly blog posts covering what seasonal produce to plant,…
  • September in the vegetable garden (8/29/2020) - What to do in the vegetable garden in September.
  • Build a pond – part 2 (8/21/2020) - Update on the building of a new biodiversity pond.
  • August in the vegetable garden (7/31/2020) - To coincide with our Reeth community plot getting up and running, this is the first of a series of monthly blog posts covering what seasonal produce to plant, and how to maintain your vegetable garden through the year.
  • Reeth community garden (7/24/2020) - The community veg plot at Reeth has lots of lovely produce ready to pick and eat.
  • Creating our own wildflower meadow (7/9/2020) - Lessons learnt on trying to establish a wildlife meadow
  • Traditional Swaledale recipes (6/10/2020) - A collection of traditional local recipes from the 'Yorkshire Federation of Women's Institutes recipe book'.
  • Locating freely accessible environmental research (6/5/2020) - Ever wanted to follow up  research on a topic but been prevented by it being published in journals that you need…
  • Insect hotels (5/15/2020) - A number of SusSw’s Facebook members have expressed interest in creating insect hotels. I love the idea of doing something…
  • Build a pond (5/11/2020) - How to build a biodiversity pond in your back garden.
  • Indelibly Stamped (5/3/2020) - When next year, a small group of scientists decide if we've changed planet Earth forever, should we care who they are and what they decide?
  • On being a citizen scientist (4/19/2020) - Exploring the merits of citizen science.
  • Recipes (4/10/2020) - At a time when many households are confined to home we are presented with the opportunity to commit a little…
  • Richmondshire DC ‘Climate Change Officer’ post (3/27/2020) - Following Richmondshire District Council’s declaration of a ‘climate emergency’ in July 2019, they have now approved funding to recruit a…
  • Incredible Edible Reeth… getting started (3/13/2020) - Sustainable Swaledale is now setting up a new 'Incredible Edible' plot in Reeth with the aim of harvesting our first produce this year.
  • Easy ways to reduce your packaging footprint (3/9/2020) - More than three-quarters of us are trying to reduce the amount of packaging we use. We look at simple ways to reduce your plastic packaging ‘footprint’ – things you can do easily, each week, that make a small (but important!) difference.
  • Water, water, everywhere (3/6/2020) - It has undoubtedly been a grim start to the year, but can this watery onslaught be attributed to climate change? This isn’t a simple question to answer.
  • On guard! (2/28/2020) - Tree guards are receiving a lot of attention just now. Over-used in the past, they still have a role if used wisely. But what to do about the many redundant ones littering our countryside? Sustainable Swaledale has a plan…
  • Household technology – reclaim your right to repair! (2/8/2020) - These days, for many of us, technology plays a big part in our lives, whether it’s a phone, watch, fitness…
  • The Art of Being Ecological (1/31/2020) - A long time ago people were part of nature, but then all that changed. When a spider made a web…
  • Dark matters (1/12/2020) - This blog post welcomes in the forthcoming Dales ‘dark skies’ festival (14th Feb to 1st March 2020). See here for…
  • When did we start warming the planet? (1/7/2020) - Ask most people when humans started warming the planet and they are likely to mention the industrial revolution, and pick…
  • 2020 vision (12/15/2019) - One member’s musings on the future of sustainability. Only a fantasist could think that our world will be unchanged in…
  • Steady… (12/5/2019) - How many apples is one orange? We all know this question doesn’t make sense. Yet a very similar question (and…
  • Have a very local Christmas (11/22/2019) - Christmas is a special time of year, but there are also many recent traditions associated with the festive period that…
  • An apple a day… (10/30/2019) - With autumn fully established, apples are falling out of trees up and down the country.  I don’t suppose the apples left…
  • Pollination – does it matter if our pollinators die out? (Spoiler – yes, it does) (10/10/2019) - Let’s talk about sex… Female gametes, male gametes. Now, if you don’t have your own way of getting one to…
  • September litter pick (10/7/2019) - We ran a litter pick to clear the footpaths along the river Swale in late September. The aim is to…
  • Sustainable Swaledale at the Reeth show (8/27/2019) - We had a stall at the Reeth show on the August bank holiday to show off a range of sustainability-related…
  • The health of our oceans (8/20/2019) - By Mike Sparrow Public debate about climate change has increased dramatically over recent months, with media prominence given to young…
  • Making a difference with your clothing choices (8/4/2019) - In recent years the fashion industry has been subject to greater scrutiny. We are now aware that the price paid…
  • Climate emergency declared by Richmondshire District Council (7/26/2019) - Thanks to Richmondshire District Councillors for unanimously declaring a Climate Emergency this month and for their promise to research actions…
  • Living without single-use plastic (7/24/2019) - We consume vast amounts of single-use plastics nowadays, using them for everything from brushing our teeth to packaging our food.…

Recipe archive

  • Celeriac and blue cheese soup (3/8/2021) - Celeriac is a good seasonal vegetable for spring time
  • Hedgerow jelly (10/10/2020) - Serve this at Christmas instead of cranberry as it is so much more local... and more delicious! Lovely with meat or even spread on toast.
  • Green tomato mincemeat (9/2/2020) - A traditional Canadian recipe, perfect for making use of those green tomatoes still in the garden or greenhouse which are never going to ripen once you get into October.
  • Lemon posset (8/21/2020) - A traditional creamy lemon dessert which can be made in advance, only requires three ingredients and takes about ten minutes to make.
  • Maids of Honour (7/31/2020) - My grandmother’s aunt Emma (Wilson) ran the bakery in Reeth in the 1940s and 50s. Here is one of our favourites that she made in the shop!
  • Summer Pudding (7/24/2020) - We knew that summer had arrived in our family when we had the first summer pudding of the year
  • Chocolate chip cookies (7/9/2020) - The best supermarket-style chocolate chip cookie recipe.
  • Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese and onion tart (6/29/2020) - A family favourite... head over to the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes, try their cheeses and choose your favourite to include in this delicious tart.
  • Swaledale rabbit (6/29/2020) - This bunny-free recipe is a shameless celebration of the wonderful Swaledale Cheese – Wensleydale’s smarter brother.
  • Yorkshire curd tart (6/13/2020) - A local recipe for Yorkshire Curd Tart, from the archives of the Millennium Exhibition held at Reeth Memorial Hall
  • Traditional Swaledale recipes (6/10/2020) - A collection of traditional local recipes from the 'Yorkshire Federation of Women's Institutes recipe book'.
  • Homemade ice cream (5/28/2020) - A simple and reliable homemade ice-cream recipe, delicious on a hot summer's day.
  • Green Tomato Chutney (5/17/2020) - A very simple-to-make chutney recipe.
  • Elderflower cordial (5/15/2020) - A summery cordial which can be made with local Swaledale elderflowers.
  • Sloe gin and truffles (5/15/2020) - A lovely gin and truffles combination that both use local Swaledale sloes.
  • Blackberry Ketchup (5/9/2020) - A great foragers recipe for making most of that autumn glut of blackberries.
  • Flapjacks (5/9/2020) - A flour-free flapjack recipe, so handy at this time as flour is hard to find!
  • Kitzbühel Special (5/8/2020) - This is typical Alpine food - simple, rich, warming and perfect for a winter's evening. All of the ingredients are available from local producers.
  • Country broccoli (5/8/2020) - This is a hi-veg recipe laced with bacon, for which all of the ingredients grow well in Yorkshire.
  • Thalia’s Chocolate Cake (4/18/2020) - A lovely dairy-free chocolate cake made with store-cupboard ingredients.
  • Puff balls (4/17/2020) - Happy days of warm full tummies with this pud, always served with golden syrup and Birds custard.
  • American Baked Cheesecake (4/17/2020) - Delicious baked cheescake. Best eaten cold, and even better the next day!
  • Lamb Henry (4/17/2020) - This recipe is believed to be originally from Westmorland, and is now a family favourite for a local sheep farmer.…
  • Wild Garlic Soup (4/11/2020) - This recipe is from Penny O’Regan, using a few simple ingredients and helping us celebrate the amazing taste of wild…
  • Nettle soup (4/7/2020) - This recipe for nettle soup is from the River Cottage Cookbook. You can use any wild/spring greens and mix in lettuce, peas etc. Uses rice as a thickener. Tasty and nutritious!