Saturday, November 25 was open day at the Rye Community Garden to show visitors what the team has achieved with raised beds, in the orchard, greenhouse and organising a safe space for a fire to sit around on cold days and evenings. People were encouraged to join in the planting, listen to Graham Ellis’ talk on the best way to compost or help with a new venture, Hugelkultur, (mound culture), a horticultural technique already common in Europe. A hill mound is constructed from decaying wood debris and other compostable biomass plant material, layered on top of each other. 
It is later (or immediately) planted like a raised bed. The suggested benefits of Hugelkultur are good moisture retention, improved soil fertility and the ability to warm up faster at the beginning of the growing season. They are long lasting and need less input due to the self-sustaining layers.
Anyone is welcome to visit or volunteer in the community garden, in Love Lane, Rye. The team is there Saturday between 10-12, getting the beds ready for next year’s produce, which everyone is welcome to when ready.
Continuing the theme of available help for the community, November 26 was the launch of a new initiative which will concentrate on sustainable energy at home. The key concept of this, Energy Citizenship, is to help people with the transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy system which requires the active involvement of individuals and the community, particularly taking into account the needs and interests of marginalised, vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups.
To this end Citizens Advice Bureau 1066 will receive funding from the Department of Energy Security, working in partnership with the Greater South East Net Zero Hub. The programme, through the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD), can support households and individuals to improve energy efficiency and reduce bills. Other help may be giving food and fuel vouchers, reducing utility bills, helping with housing issues, digital inclusion, budgeting, checking benefits, but especially helping with organising a free professional ‘retrofit’ assessment carried out in the home. This will be followed up by trained advisors to look at the report and decide the next helpful course of action.
The programme runs for two years and hopes to provide 200 retrofit assessments across rural Rother. Dr Mike Pepler is Senior Energy Lead, working at Citizen Advice 1066 in St Leonards on Sea, TN37 6GL. He says: “Rother District Council welcomes the opportunity to support this important project particularly those most at risk of fuel poverty and properties that are hard to decarbonise.”
There are now two sessions in Rye where people can access staff for above advice. On Wednesday morning between 10-1 in Tilling Green Community Centre and in the afternoon on the same day at the Hub on Rye Hill, between 2-5. Presently appointments are not necessary but may have to be arranged in the future. The Community Bus can be used to get to the Hub.
Anyone interested in getting help or wanting to know more about the LEAD programme go to: www.citizensadvice1066 or call 08001456879. The local advice line (call and ring back) is 01424 869 352.
Image Credits: Mike Pepler , Heidi Foster .