CUCAN CORE TEAM ACTIVITIES

Since 2019, CUCAN has been involved in a variety of local projects, such as: running quarterly repair cafes in Coaley and Uley and working with the Coaley Recreation Action Group on their extensive rec ground regeneration project.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

THROW IT AWAY? NO WAY!

REPAIR CAFES

Since our first in 2022, we have held repair cafes every 3 months: alternating between Coaley and Uley Village Halls. In January 2026, we held our first in Nympsfield Village Hall.


Anyone is welcome to bring their broken household items; textiles for mending or tools for sharpening and a team of volunteers will do their best to safely repair them. You can also learn how to repair or sharpen your items yourself if you would like to.


Tea or coffee and cakes are always available while items are repaired and anyone is welcome to enjoy our refreshments even if you don't have anything to repair!


At our repair cafes you will often find other things going on, such as seed-sharing, books to read and information boards.


Click below to find the date and location of our next repair cafe:

NEXT REPAIR CAFE DATE

Coaley Recreation Ground Regeneration Project


CUCAN have been getting involved in the regeneration of the recreation ground in Coaley!


 This exciting, large-scale project, which is run by the Coaley Recreation Action Group (CRAG), aims to provide better play, sports and leisure facilities for local residents while also being very nature focussed in its approach. A CUCAN member, a local ecologist and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust have all been heavily involved in all stages of the design. The Rec will include more than 30 new trees, an 80m stretch of mixed native hedging, wildflower meadow sections, areas of longer grass and pollinator-friendly planting. For more information, visit the CRAG website.

A NEW COMPOST AREA


CUCAN will be creating the new compost area to recycle the waste material generated in the planted areas. The area will also be used to educate local adults and children about composting.

It will be made out of reclaimed materials such as pallets for the compost bays and donated paving slabs for the pathways. There will be a 'dead hedge' around the outside made from prunings gathered locally. Dead hedges provide excellent wildlife habitat.


FUTURE PROJECTS AND PIPE DREAMS

We have loads of ideas for amazing projects that would make a huge difference to our villages. We don't currently have enough members to start any of them so if you would like to get involved, please do get in touch! Here are a few ideas that we have had that we would really love to launch one day

Get Involved!

Community Energy Scheme

Community-led renewable energy, energy demand reduction and energy supply projects

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Community Compost Scheme

A scheme where local people can take garden waste to be made into compost that can then be sold back to scheme members at a reduced rate

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Greener Commuting

Scheme ideas: Car pooling, EBike rental, improved public trasport, shared school runs etc

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Information Events

Evening or weekend events sharing information from experts of subjects such as: green energy; wildlife friendly gardening, EVs etc

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PAST ACTIVITIES

COMMUNICATION


One of the primary aims of CUCAN is to share useful information with the residents of Coaley and Uley to empower them to choose how they would like to respond to the climate crisis. To do this we have created and launched this website, written articles in the Coaley and Uley newsletters and started a Facebook page. We hope to make better use of the latter in the future to provide up-to-date, local information.


Here is a link to Articles that we have contributed to the Village Newsletters


Here is a link to our Facebook page

CALCULATING VILLAGE CARBON FOOTPRINTS

When we launched CUCAN with a public meeting in Coaley in 2020, one of the most requested projects was that we should establish a baseline carbon footprint for our villages. While we were planning how to do this, we discovered that the Centre for Sustainable Energy and Exeter University had begun creating  a community carbon calculator tool. We were invited to get involved in the early stages of planning and testing of the new tool, which we happily accepted!


The tool is now finished and running and is called 'Impact'. It can estimate a community's carbon footprint at the parish, ward or district level. It also enables you to compare footprints with the GB average or other parishes.


You can run the calculator by visiting https://impact-tool.org.uk.  When interpreting results it's important to remember that the proximity of the M5, our high proportion of older properties and our rural location (and it's effect on transport) all affect our results relative to the GB average.

PLANTING VIOLETS FOR BUTTERFLIES

In October '24 volunteers that included CUCAN members helped a project organised by ''Wild Dursley'' to plant 300 Violet plug plants on the south side of Cam Long Down.

The project is attempting to bring back the Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly (and associated insects) to the Down, which was abundant until about 1980 but then disappeared. The reason is thought to have been due to the disappearance of its favourite food plant, the common violet.

WORKING WITH LOCAL CHILDREN