Welcome to Transition Horsham!

Transition Horsham is a community group of local Horsham area residents who are concerned about the effects that such events as climate change, peak oil and economic problems will have on our lives in the near future. We support the ideas and practical solutions of the Transition Towns movement set up by Rob Hopkins in 2006 in Totnes, Devon, where people like us wanted to do something positive to build in flexibility and resilience to their community, so that we not only survive future changes, but thrive.

So Transition Horsham is all about building community networks, sharing and learning new skills. It is about cutting our carbon emissions through establishing new community based ways of producing energy and heating our houses efficiently, reducing our individual carbon footprint, recycling and reducing waste. It is about growing healthy local produce, encouraging local biodiversity through seed swaps, mending clothes and knitting, baking bread and making preserves, learning more through reading groups and film nights, having fun and travelling lightly.

We have a number of projects on the go, so look through the website, join us on Facebook, check out the events page, sign up to get notifications, and if you think there is something you could help with or want to start, then don't hesitate, come to an event and let us know. We look forward to getting to know you.

To find out more about the Transition idea, you can start here.

In Transition 2.0

Click here to find out more about the new film about Transition.

We are planning a showing of this film on Thursday, 31st May at 8.00pm - more details to follow.

Swappers, not shoppers!

"...in the most developed and emerging economies unsustainable consumption must be urgently reduced." This is one of the main findings of the recent report, People and the planet, from the Royal Society.

That's the idea behind Transition Horsham's Swap Shop, which took place on a Saturday, April 28th. Undeterred by the rain a steady stream of people came to the Friends Meeting House to leave unwanted possessions and take away things they would find useful. Coffee, delicious cakes and a chat were added attractions.

Also on tap was the Transition Horsham Ecover refill service which enables us to re-use our old Ecover bottles and fill them for far less than the same quantity would cost in a supermarket. This service is also available on the first Saturday of every month. For more details click here.

Fracking in Sussex

"Fracking", or "hydraulic fracturing", is a process used to extract natural gas and oil from shale rocks. In recent years shale gas has emerged as a potential major new source of energy, offering greater energy independence for the USA and for several European countries, including the UK.

Unfortunately, this may come at a high environmental price - globally from greenhouse gas emissions and locally through the pollution of water supplies by toxic chemicals used in the process. This video gives some idea of the concerns about the environmental hazards.

This is very much a local issue. At Balcolme, not far from Horsham, planning permission has been granted for exploratory drilling and there is interest in areas closer to Horsham.

A public meeting was held at Balcolme on Wednesday, January 11th and the frackers were left in no doubt about local feeling on the issue. You can find details here.

More information from a group opposed to fracking in the UK can be found here.