Caroline Grundy, who with Penny Wainwright co-ordinates SSB’s Tuesday Fair Share (TFS), has been walking to raise money for FareShare SW which supplies food for both Tuesday Fair Share and the Community Fridge.  She has walked across Scotland from the English border to Cape Wrath on the north coast.  It’s over 500 miles and she was hoping to finish on 16 May.

“I‘m attempting to walk the Scottish National Trail over April and May 2026. Its a crazy 536 miles long walk and will take me over some pretty challenging areas, taking in much of the Cape Wrath trail, the UK‘s toughest with its river crossings, bogs and wild camping.

I’m 66 this year, so this will be quite a challenge and probably a little insane. With this in mind, I‘ve decided to also do this for charity and would like to support a charity which I partner with in the work I do as a volunteer in my local village where we provide low cost food to people to both help with the cost of living and prevent food waste.

I‘m aiming to fundraiser £1000 which is enough to provide food for 4000 meals. Right now, more than 1 million people in the south west are living in poverty. By saving nutritious food destined for landfill and sharing it with people in need, FareShare South West joins the dots between hunger and food waste. It’s a local charity run by wonderful people so every £1 I raise I know will be well used. Please help me raise money for this brilliant charity.

Thank you“

If you’d like to support Caroline, CLICK HERE for her ‘Just Giving’ page

Update 17 May 2026: “finished walk today – nearly £1000 raised. Sore feet and happy memories”

(- The ‘Just Giving’ page is still open)

Visit the Hope Wood project page – Click Here

We want to give you advance notice that the site will shortly need to be closed for three weeks so that long-planned essential repairs can be made to the compost bays and ground surface. The session on Sunday September 28th will run as normal, but after that the site will then close and not reopen again until Sunday October 26th. During the period of closure, no deliveries of garden waste can be made to the site.

For more info contact: marsh@ssb.org.uk

Join our Planting Days. Turn up on Friday or Saturday mornings from 10.00 onwards starting on Friday 31 January and Saturday 1 February. Please just turn up with wellies, waterproofs, spades, lump hammer, snacks and a warm drink. We’ll signpost the wood from Palstone Park Recreation Ground (where you need to leave any cars) if you haven’t been before. These planting days will run through until the end of March (unless we’ve planted it all by then).

With your help we’ll be doing two things by the end of March:

1. Planting the rest of the trees and shrubs – a mix of native trees (such as alder, aspen, birch, rowan, cherry and willow) and a range of native shrubs (including hazel, blackthorn, elder, hawthorn and spindle). These will be mixed between the oak circles that we planted on the 4th January.
2. Putting wool mulch mats around the trees and shrubs to limit grass growth and give them the best chance of establishing well.

For more information visit the Hope Wood Project page

Due to the poor weather forecast from mid-afternoon onwards on Saturday 4th January, the Community Tree Planting event has been scaled back to focus primarily on tree-planting.

We’ll start the day with the unveiling of the woodland name at 10am before setting about planting as many trees as we can before the weather closes in at around 1pm.  Hot drinks will still be available, but food and children’s activities have been cancelled. 

A reminder that limited parking is available at Palstone Recreation Ground, a few minutes’ walk from the planting site.  The route will be clearly sign-posted.  Wellies and very warm, waterproof clothing will be essential. Do bring a cheery sense of humour and – if you have one – a spade.

Limited parking available at Palstone Recreation Ground TQ10 9PU – What3Words: shock.lushly.sparks. Entrance to tree-planting site – What3Words: someone.snowstorm.amends.

Name the new South Brent Woodland:

After a first round of suggestions enabled a short list to be drawn up, please pick the one you prefer from the four listed below, and email it to communitywoodland@ssb.org.uk by Saturday 30 November (one vote per person)

• Hope Wood
• Palstone Wood
• Portford Wood
• Primrose Wood

The Woodland, in which around 25,000 trees will be planted, is part of the 65 acre site purchased by South Hams District Council with the support of the Government’s Trees for Climate Land Acquisition Fund. (Ten acres of the site have been given over for SSB’s Orchard and Market Garden project (see https://ssb.org.uk/projects/market-garden-orchard/)).

• See: https://southbrent.gov.uk/new-community-woodland-for-south-hams/
• and www.southhams.gov.uk/news/2024/we-have-agreed-ambitious-woodland-deal
• and www.southhams.gov.uk/palstone-land.

Name the new South Brent Woodland:

The Woodland is part of the 65 acre site purchased by South Hams District Council with the support of the Government’s Trees for Climate Land Acquisition Fund. Ten acres of the site have been given over for SSB’s Orchard and Market Garden project (see https://ssb.org.uk/projects/market-garden-orchard/).

Let us have your suggestions by midday on Thursday 10th October. A shortlist will then be drawn up for people to vote on.

Send your proposed names (no Woody McWoodface please!) to: communitywoodland@ssb.org.uk.

• See: https://southbrent.gov.uk/new-community-woodland-for-south-hams/
• and www.southhams.gov.uk/news/2024/we-have-agreed-ambitious-woodland-deal
• and www.southhams.gov.uk/palstone-land.

Tuesday Fair Share

A new weekly opportunity for residents of South Brent and the surrounding area to access affordable, good quality surplus (in date) produce, minimising food waste and landfill.

Everyone is welcome; You’ll be asked to check in each time, and there is a suggested donation of £3.50. (The food is free but we need to pay transport and rent). For that you can get at least 10 items of food and groceries, from a selection of produce that changes every week and includes a selection of fruit and vegetables and store cupboard essentials.

If you feel you would like to donate more than £3.50 you are welcome to.

The main supplier is Fareshare SouthWest, a national charity that redistributes surplus food from the food industry to community groups.

There is free parking on site at the Rec.

This is a volunteer led project, if you are interested in volunteering, please email tuesdayfairshare@ssb.org.uk.

Creation of a Woodland and Market Garden at Palstone.

There is a Community Drop in on Wednesday 14 August 2024: between 3 and 8pm at the Aune Room at the Old School Community Centre to talk about exciting new plans for this collaborative project.

Working together, South Hams District Council, Sustainable South Brent and The Woodland Trust are creating 65-acre Woodland, including a proposed 10 acre Community Market Garden and Orchard, to support Community Growing in South Brent, within SHDC’s new woodland site near Portford Lane. With the support of the Government’s Trees for Climate Land Acquisition Fund, South Hams District Council (SHDC) has been able to purchase the site. SHDC aims to plant 25,000 trees, with planting starting later this year/early next year.

Food production will be continued via conservation grazing of the establishing woodland, and 10 acres of the site will be leased to SSB for a South Brent Market Garden & Orchard.

The public consultation on 14th August (see https://ssb.org.uk/event/woodland-and-market-garden-drop-in/ ) is an opportunity to look at the proposed design, ask questions, have input into what you would like to see on the site and express initial interest in being involved.

The project will aim to deliver the following benefits:

• Local, healthy food production
• Opportunities for enhancing physical and mental wellbeing, education and volunteering
• Improve the natural environment
• Build local resilience

This is an opportunity to look at the proposed design and have input into what you would like to see on the site.

FFI: email marketgarden@ssb.org.uk

See South Hams District Council/ South Brent Parish Council Press release: https://southbrent.gov.uk/new-community-woodland-for-south-hams/

We have a growing list of retailers who want to give their surplus to the Community Fridge. We need more volunteer drivers to deliver it to the fridge. Can you spare a few hours a month? – be part of a friendly, enthusiastic, group, creating a thriving, sustainable community?

See how you can lower your food bills and stop food going to waste  – https://ssb.org.uk/projects/community-fridge/

To find out more, please email fridge@ssb.org.uk