ECOWEEK! TOGETHER WE CAN
What’s it all about?
a dedicated initiative spanning 10 days, aimed at elevating awareness, promoting sustainable practices, and celebrating community efforts towards
environmental preservation
We've all noticed the changing weather patterns, the increase in local flooding of roads and fields, and the decline in biodiversity.
These issues aren't just distant headlines; they're happening right here in and around Wells, and it's up to us to take action. Whether you're feeling confused, a bit fearful, extremely knowledgeable, or simply unsure of what to do next, this event is for you.
Our ten-day celebration is all about uniting our community—sharing knowledge, answering questions, and, most importantly, having fun!
Outcomes from EcoWeek 2025
EcoWeek 2025 – Outcomes, Learning & Carbon Impact Report
Overview
EcoWeek 2025 was a vibrant, diverse, and intentionally low-carbon community programme engaging hundreds of residents from Wells and surrounding villages in sustainability, repair, and environmental learning.
Events ranged from inspiring talks and nature walks to hands-on reuse and repair workshops.
Feedback was highly positive — typified by the comment “I love EcoWeek” — and participation across venues, digital platforms, and community activities demonstrates Wells’ growing commitment to climate action.
Key Successes
1. Strong Community Participation
Around 300 people attended talks, displays, and workshops in the Town Hall.
Active Travel Day at Bishop’s Barn attracted approximately 300 visitors, reflecting strong enthusiasm for accessible, low-carbon transport.
Smaller events, including tree walks, local walks, and gardening talks, were well attended and generated lasting enthusiasm.
More people had seen/knew about Ecoweek- a big thanks to our media team- Deborah, Chris and Madeleine. It was fantastic to hear people talking about Ecoweek in the lead up to it.
Quick Things- short little clips on social media encouraged more people to engage.
2. Youth Engagement – “Small Actions, Big Impact”
A highlight of EcoWeek 2025 was the Eco Pledge Challenge at The Blue School: For more information see separate report below.
181 students participated, making 482 commitments to take personal environmental action — an average of nearly three pledges per student.
Top pledges included:
Turning off lights and devices when not in use
Choosing active or public transport over driving
Recycling correctly at home and school
Spending more time in nature
Using reusable water bottles instead of single-use plastics
Impact:
This initiative encouraged practical sustainability habits and raised awareness among young people, fostering long-term environmental responsibility.
It also demonstrated EcoWeek’s ability to inspire intergenerational engagement and nurture future community leaders.
The Cathedral School have started their focus on Climate and Environment with possible links to outside projects as well as developing their own.
St Cuthberts Junior School also have enjoyed the partaking in the poster/story competition which has forged a link with WEN and hope to progress that over the coming year.
3. Tangible Environmental Impact
300 kg of tech waste collected by Fixy for recycling and reuse — a clear, measurable sustainability outcome.
4 Repair Cafés, 2 Reuse Shops, and 2 Freecycle events repaired 30 items and diverted them from landfill.
30 residents received direct home energy-efficiency advice from the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE).
The WI’s bug hotel, litter pick, and recycled-fabric cushion workshop showcased practical local action.
4. Low-Carbon Event Delivery
EcoWeek 2025 was deliberately organised to minimise its environmental footprint:
Minimal printing: All leaflets and posters were used in full — no waste left over.
Reuse of materials: Large banners and signage were reused from 2024, avoiding new production.
No single-use plastics: All venues adopted reusable or compostable materials.
Local delivery: Most events were within walking or cycling distance, with participants encouraged to travel sustainably.
Digital communications: Reliance on social media, e-newsletters, and local websites significantly reduced printing emissions.
Estimated operational footprint: approximately 0.4–0.6 tonnes CO₂e — exceptionally low for a week-long community festival.
5. Ongoing and Legacy Benefits
EcoWeek 2025 has already left a lasting legacy across Wells and surrounding villages, creating fresh momentum for local climate action:
Act to Adapt Plan: The Wells Act to Adapt Plan was launched, setting a clear framework for long-term local climate resilience and community-led adaptation.
Youth Climate Action: The success of the Blue School Eco Pledge Challenge has inspired plans to expand the programme to other local schools, embedding sustainability habits among young people and strengthening intergenerational commitment.
Repair and Reuse Growth: More residents know about and are now using Fixy and local Repair Café facilities following EcoWeek promotion — helping extend product life, reduce waste, and normalise repair as a community skill.
Nature and Heritage Continuity: The Veteran Tree Measuring Group, formed during EcoWeek, continues to meet regularly, contributing valuable local data to conservation initiatives.
Community Momentum: EcoWeek has strengthened collaboration through the Wells Environment Network (WEN), with partners pledging to continue shared outreach, resource reuse, and low-carbon event delivery.
Together, these actions ensure that EcoWeek 2025’s impact extends far beyond the week itself — embedding environmental awareness, practical skills, and collective purpose into everyday community life.
6. Rich and Varied Programme
Nature walks: Discover Tor Wood (17), Veteran Trees (15), Fungi Foray (20).
Garden Tour: Bishop’s Palace (20).
Debates and workshops: covered so many aspects including food resilience/affordability, climate change, wildlife in our gardens, tapping the storm tips for gardens, progress of the Strawberry Line and so much more.
Inspiring talks: Tim Spector (Fermented, 350 attendees) and Mike Berners-Lee (Climate of Truth, ~350 attendees).
Creative reuse: 12 cushions sewn from recycled fabrics.
The diversity of topics attracted a wide audience and reinforced inclusivity across the community.
7. Excellent Digital Reach
Social media reach was significant:
Facebook: 132,000 views, +76 followers
Instagram: 26,780 views, +50 followers
LinkedIn: grew from 0 to 182 followers (notably professionals in the local environment sector)
Interpretation:
EcoWeek reached far beyond direct attendance — it became a visible, positive part of Wells’ identity, positioning the town as a hub for sustainability and community-led climate action.
Engaging local images and videos (such as “Denise as a bee”) performed strongly online and strengthened EcoWeek’s community identity.
Learning Points and Areas for Improvement
Attendance Variability: Some sessions (e.g. Bishop’s Palace Trail, film night, smaller Town Hall talks 20-50) had lower attendance, likely due to costs, timing, or visibility.
→ Keep events free or low-cost, simplify scheduling, and expand early publicity.
Lower numbers at Repair Cafés were partly due to the withdrawal of the photographic exhibition at St Cuthbert’s Church.Promotion & Communications: No single communication channel dominated.
→ Use the Wells Environment Network (WEN) as a central hub for joint branding, early marketing, and cross-platform campaigns.Event Value & ROI: The pop-up skatepark generated a strong positive response, attracting many young people — including several who had not visited it before.
→ Consider similar youth-oriented, outdoor, and interactive activities in future years to maintain engagement and broaden EcoWeek’s reach.Coordination & Contingency: The cancelled photographic exhibition reduced recycling visibility.
→ Strengthen partner communication and backup planning.Participation Gaps: Lower turnout for the litter pick and smaller walks.
→ Partner with schools, youth, and community groups to broaden involvement.
Carbon Impact Summary
EcoWeek’s direct footprint was outweighed three- to four-fold by emissions savings — demonstrating that community events can achieve a net-positive climate benefit.
Emerging Insights
EcoWeek 2025 reinforced the importance of collaboration, creativity, and consistency in community-led climate action.
It showed that even small-scale initiatives, when well-coordinated and inclusive, can deliver meaningful environmental and social outcomes.
Summary and Recommendations
EcoWeek 2025 succeeded as a low-carbon, high-impact community event.
It inspired environmental action, strengthened local partnerships, and demonstrated how small towns can lead by example in climate awareness and carbon reduction.
Next Steps
Form a coordinating committee for planning, communications, and sponsorship.
Develop a joint marketing calendar via WEN, starting 2–3 months in advance.
Continue reuse of signage and materials, maintaining the no single-use plastic policy.
Introduce basic carbon tracking for each event to show progress.
Publish an annual EcoWeek Carbon Impact Statement.
Expand youth and school engagement to grow participation and strengthen legacy outcomes.
Thank You to all the fantastic team:
Ecoweek 2025 has shown what we can all do as a team - so thank you to everyone. We definitely should pat ourselves on the back - but in addition, we would like to thank a few other groups and people/organisations without which we would have struggled:
Fresh and Good – for the wonderful refreshments on Saturday 11th October;
WCC Staff for their hard work in setting up the Town Hall/Barn;
SCOP staff and team for adding the Active Travel Day on the Rec to the Programme;
Our publicity team - Chris Lee, Deborah Aubrey, Madeleine Milnes;
Speakers who came from near and far and did not charge us for their time and expenses.
Special thanks go to our sponsors who have ensured the successes this year and help us remain sustainable and go forward, which included funding, prizes, support with printing, grants, and venues.
We would like to thank:
Charlie Bigham’s, Chubb Bulleid, St Andrews Press, SALC Community Health and Wellbeing, Wells City Council, Can Do 4 You, The Swan, Millicans and Mansfield, Whitings, Waterstones.
Prepared by: Madeleine Milnes and Denise Denis
Approved by WEN 4th November 2025
Wells Blue School Student Sustainability Pledges
During Eco Week 2025, inspiring assemblies were held in the school with an eco theme and as a result 181 Blue School students took part in making environmental pledges. Each student could make up to three commitments, resulting in a total of 482 individual pledges – an impressive show of enthusiasm and environmental awareness across the school. On average, each student made 2.7 pledges, demonstrating strong engagement and a genuine willingness to act.
Everyday Sustainability
The most popular pledges focused on simple, achievable habits that make a real difference:
Turning off lights and electronic devices when not in use (chosen by 109 students)
Walking, cycling, or using public transport to school (54 students)
Recycling correctly at school and home (48 students)
Spending more time outdoors and appreciating nature (44 students)
Using a reusable water bottle instead of single-use plastics (42 students)
These top pledges show that students clearly understand the importance of small daily actions in tackling environmental challenges.
Responsibility and Respect
Many students pledged to act responsibly within school and at home, for example:
Taking care of their belongings so they last longer
Bringing packed lunches in reusable containers
Respecting school grounds and keeping them tidy
This demonstrates a strong sense of personal responsibility and care for the school environment.
Leadership and Advocacy
A smaller but significant number of students made pledges linked to leadership and advocacy, such as:
Joining the Sustainability Ambassador group
Challenging wasteful behaviour
Writing to their MP about environmental issues
These pledges highlight a growing group of students ready to lead change and encourage others.
Key Takeaway
The Eco Week Challenge has shown that Blue School students are aware, motivated, and ready to make a difference. The wide range of pledges—covering energy saving, waste reduction, sustainable transport, and environmental respect—illustrates a vibrant culture of sustainability within the school. Together, these actions show that small changes, when made collectively, have a powerful impact.
Wells Environment Network - October 2025
"Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.”
Jane Goodall
Looking for Inspiration?
“Most of us now sense that we’re in deep trouble with climate. But it can often seem like we’re alone in these worries – and when we feel alone, we feel powerless. But once we realise that a majority feels the same way, then we know that we’re part of something very powerful.” Climate Majority Project
In Wells and the surrounding the surrounding area there are many who are taking action to make a difference to their carbon footprint. These small changes add up to a big difference. We’ll be highlighting many others things you can do during EcoWeek+. What do you do - we’d love to know. Just send a short film and we’ll add it here to inspire others.
“The most alarming aspect of climate change is the scale of the challenge. The most heartening is that we have the knowledge and means to tackle it. What we need now is the will.”
George Monbiot
nurturing our environment together
The Wells Environment Network is where individuals and organisations, come together to promote environmental stewardship and reduce carbon emissions in the Wells region and it’s vicinity.
Our Members
Wells City Council, Somerset Council, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Wells and District Wildlife Group, Sustainable Wells: Freecycle, Fresh & Good, Make & Mend, Repair Café, Tor Hill Lane, Sustainable Food Somerset, Centre for Sustainable Energy, FIXY, Strawberry Line Association, Wells Bus Users Group, Wells Scout and Beaver Groups, Wells Community Shed, Wells Lions Club, Heads Up, Wells Bishop’s Palace, Wells Cathedral, Wells Blue School, Wells Cathedral School.
Special thanks to Chris Lee for artwork on the logo.
Become A Volunteer
Volunteering in local community environment projects offers numerous benefits for you, the community and the environment. Here’s how:
Positive Environmental Impact: You can contribute to tangible improvements like planting trees, cleaning up litter, and restoring habitats, which protect and enhance biodiversity. Volunteering also raises awareness about environmental issues and sustainable practices, inspiring others to take action and make sustainable choices.
Personal Growth and Well-Being: You’ll develops new skills, from marketing and project management to pond clearing and wildlife monitoring and, depending on the project it may boost your physical fitness and mental well-being by connecting with nature.
Community Building: Working together on shared goals you’ll build relationships to those living and working nearby, fostering a sense of community
If you’d like to volunteer to support during or after EcoWeek+ click the button below for a list of participants. Select one to read more about them and to get in touch.