Switch off for Earth Hour - 26.03.2010

Earth Hour takes place this year on Saturday, 26th March from 8.30pm.  Visit our blog for more information.

New Green Events Page - 21.03.2010

Please visit our Green Events page here.

Margaret Makes an Impression in Flixton - 14.03.2010

Margaret Westbrook put in a very well received appearance at a question and answer session at Shawe Hall in Flixton last night.  Read more about the evening and the other parliamentary candidates for Stretford and Urmston on our blog.

Trafford Greens have been busily spreading the green message with stalls in Partington and Urmston over the past week. We also carried out surveys in Firswood and Stretford, canvassing views on issues such as match day parking, 20mph zones and investment in green spaces.

On Wednesday night Trafford Green Party’s Margaret Westbrook attended an election briefing at Trafford Town Hall, together with two other TGP representatives. Although no date has been set for the General Election, this must take place by June of this year and May 6th is thought to be the most likely date.

There will be Trafford Green Party representation tonight at Trafford Town Hall: the Planning Committee will be meeting in order to discuss the proposed Mega Tesco store in Gorse Hill. Trafford Greens have been a driving force in the campaign against the Tesco store, which would lead to massive traffic congestion and drive hundreds of small businesses to bankruptcy.

Margaret Westbrook is our parliamentary candidate as well as standing for the local elections in Longford ward. You can follow her on Twitter. She will be speaking at an election forum at Shawe Hall Community Centre, Church Road, Flixton from 7-10pm this coming Saturday, 13th March, together with candidates from other parties. This event is open to all members of the public.

Victory for Residents of Snowden Avenue - 08.03.2010

Snowden Avenue residents were ecstatic to see a United Utilities wagon uplift the contorversial substation and take it away from the play area on their road. It should be noted, however, that as far as we are aware the lease on the land remains in place. There is also the question of where the substation will now be located, but for now it is an excellent victory for a group of determined campaigners.

No Mega Tesco: Planning Committee Meeting this Thursday - 08.03.2010

A group of no campaigners, including representation from Trafford Green Party, will be standing outside Trafford Town Hall on Talbot Road/corner of Warwick Road on Thursday 11th March from 6 pm. The application for the Mega Tesco/LCCC cricket ground re-development is being heard in the planning meeting at 6.30. The aim is to make opposition to the Mega Tesco as visible as possible. Everyone is welcome and if you have a banner/placard or have time to make one, please do bring it along. For background information, take a look at our blog and at the main campaign website.

Margaret Westbrook has written to Trafford Council to respond to their proposal to merge the two schools:

Dear Sir / Madam

As a local resident in Stretford for the past thirty years I am extremely concerned by the prospect of a much bigger school in the area.

This will not only affect residents by creating traffic on a road which is already heavily polluted and regularly congested, but be a threat to the safety and health of pupils. It will not only deprive local residents of part of the small amount of green space in the locality during the school day, but also mean more overcrowding for pupils on the existing site.

Young people thrive in smaller not larger classes - and there is much truth in the phrase small is beautiful.

I am also concerned about the implications of the development of an academy, which takes responsibility for education away from the local authority control. This has massive implications for the support for pupils across the borough in the future.

I attended both so called "consultation meetings" at Lostock and Stretford High and found equal concerns about the effects of this rushed merger on current pupils. It does seem unnecessary that this initiative should be forced through at such a rushed pace. There was a great concern too about racist abuse across what is already a turf war. This issue is one which must be tackled in a sensitive and thorough way to avoid serious incidents which could threaten the safety and welfare of many young people. Time must therefore be given to those responsible to avoid serious ramifications, if this merger is to take place- which parents felt was in fact already decided .

Again in both meetings, parents also rightly questioned the link with the Tesco application and the loss of the land for school playing fields.

On so many grounds the development of an academy within the timescale proposed is fraught with danger to both the locality and to young people.

I would therefore ask that, in the light of concerns and the projected rise in school numbers, you withdraw this proposal - or at the very least extend the timescale of its development.

Your sincerely

Margaret Westbrook

Trafford Greens’ parliamentary and local candidate Margaret Westbrook has travelled to Copenhagen to participate in climate change protests and observe events, along with our Chair, Bridget Green. You can follow Margaret’s journey here on Twitter. A comprehensive guide to the background of the summit can be found here.

No Mega Tesco Demo: Wednesday 21^st October 2009 - 20.10.2009

Meeting outside Trafford Town Hall in Stretford (corner of Talbot and Warwick Road) from 5.30pm-6.30pm to talk to Trafford's councillors as they arrive for a full council meeting. We understand that Tesco's planning application is expected tomorrow.

Please bring your persuasive arguments, slogans and/ or placards if you have them as well as high visibility tops in case of darkness and bad weather! Pass the word around like minded people: this demo is not party political and is organised by the No Mega Tesco campaign group. A website for the campaign is now under construction here.

Human waste isn't wasted in Cheshire! - 14.10.2009

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8306261.stm

Carbon Dioxide at its highest level in 15 million years - 13.10.2009

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008152242.htm

Greens dampen E.ON fires - 08.10.2009

Following a sustained campaign by various green groups, E.ON have shelved plans for a new coal-fired power station in Kingsnorth.

No Mega-Tesco Update - 07.10.2009

We expect Tesco to submit their application for planning this Thursday.  The No Mega Tesco  Working Group met on Monday to plan the campaign.  The group will meet again on Monday 19th October at 7.30pm in Gorse Hill, venue to be confirmed.  Details will be posted here and on the campaign website.  In the meantime, if you would like more details about how you can get involved, please contact us.

The inspiring story of the Malawian teenager who transformed his village by building electric windmills out of junk is now the subject of a book - 04.10.2009

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8257153.stm

Supermarket Monopolies Under Fire From Competition Commission - 03.10.2009

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1217680/Tesco-banned-opening-new-stores-60-market-tough-new-crackdown.html

Stop the War coalition - 01.10.2009

Green Party members are mobilising for a major national demonstration, organised by the Stop the War coalition, on Saturday, October 24th calling for a withdrawal of UK troops from Afghanistan.
 
http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/1488/186/

On Saturday 5 December 2009, ahead of the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, thousands of people from all walks of life will flow through the streets of London to call for action on climate change. The Wave is organised by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition.

The Co-operative is laying on a special train to London for its members and for Oxfam supporters. They are also organising free transfer coaches from Euston to the start of the march in Grosvenor Square and returning to Euston from the end of the march on Victoria Embankment.

The subsidised fare is £15 return (free for children under 16) and you can book tickets online via The Co-operative website: http://www.co-operative.coop/ethicsinaction/takeaction/thewave/book-transport-for-The-Wave/.

The booking process requires a Co-operative Membership number or Oxfam supporter code. Joining the Co-operative is straightforward: all you have to do is invest £1 which will be collected from your first share of the profits.

First Meeting Against the Mega Tesco in Old Trafford - 28.09.2009

Dozens of local residents, as well as several from further afield, crowded into Gorse Hill United Church this evening to attend a meeting chaired by Margaret Westbrook. The meeting was the start of what promises to be a dynamic campaign against the Mega Tesco proposed for Gorse Hill. A full report on the meeting can be found here on our blog. Everyone is welcome to our next meeting will take place on Monday, 5th October at 7.30pm at Gorse Hill United Church, entrance on Wesley Road.

Green' roofs could help put a lid on Global Warming - 28.09.2009

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923133000.htm

Campaign group Keep Chorlton Interesting has updated us on the first of the consultation events regarding the plans for a massive supermarket (Tesco) within the Lancashire Cricket County Club. Worryingly, they state that the information being provided to the public about the development is potentially grossly misleading - more

Lancashire County Cricket Club (LCCC) is running a series of consultation events from today 15 July until Saturday 25 July about plans to redevelop 'the cricket ground and its environs'. These plans include a large Tesco. The letter states that they are consulting prior to  submitting the planning application:   more