CAG consists of a small group of volunteers, some representing village groups and some independent individuals with a passion for finding ways to address the effects of climate change and its impacts on our community. More members are always very welcome, so please get in touch with Gamlingay Parish Council clerk to find out more about what we do and about plans for the future.
Tuesday, 14th July
6:00pm
EcoHub, Maddocks Hall
Free to attend
27.03.2026This new community initiative is designed to inspire and support residents of Gamlingay and East Hatley to embrace wildlife-friendly gardening and will track environmentally friendly practices in gardens across our area.
Earn a Wildlife Garden Plaque!
Gardens that demonstrate good practices in key areas will be awarded a Wildlife Garden Plaque – a proud symbol of your commitment to nature. To qualify, your garden will need to meet a minimum number of practices in key areas including:
- Natural alternatives to chemicals
- Providing food for wildlife
- Creating a wildlife habitat
- Sustainable soil habits
- Conserving water
It’s easier than you think
Even small changes can make a big difference. Whether it’s setting up a bug hotel to provide shelter for beneficial insects, installing a bee watering station to help pollinators stay hydrated, or planting native wildflowers to brighten your garden and feed wildlife, every effort counts.
Information about how to garden for nature and earn a Wildlife Garden Plaque : Wild Gardens Award – Leaflet PDF
Suggestions for creating a wildlife garden : Steps to a Wild Garden
Registration form : https://forms.gle/PvRgasVhqfNcGJHv8
Friday 6th March 10.30am – 12.30pm and
Tuesday 10th March 5.30pm – 7pm
We look forward to meeting you!
Biodiversity Audit ConsultationPlease complete our questionnaire https://shorturl.at/znqR4. Paper forms are available at the Eco Hub
A display of the plan is accessible in the foyer of the Eco Hub during opening hours.
Any queries or more information, please contact the clerk clerk@gamlingay-pc.gov.uk
Consultation closes on 21st March 2026.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Ggay Biodiversity Audit Consultation Version Final 260202
Just One Thing
Every year, it’s worth picking one small thing to do for nature or the climate – something simple that can become a habit. Over time, these steps really add up: you help your community, live a little lighter, and feel better for it.
If the big stuff feels overwhelming, tackle one thing at a time, and keep going even if there are bumps. Here are some ideas to try – start small, stick with it, and watch those changes grow.
- Keep Warm – As heating costs continue to rise, it’s important to keep the heat indoors and not have it leaking away on cold days. Add thermal linings to curtains to stop precious heat leaking out through windows. You can buy special thermal panels, use fleece blankets or add any material to thicken the curtain. Another benefit of adding a lining is on very hot days in summer, you can draw curtains during the day and keep the heat out! Add a front door curtain and even a back door one; draughts around main doors are one of the leakiest parts of a home. Invest or make draught excluders for your doors. If you can, draw the curtains right before sunset to keep the heat in. Let us know if you’d like a free go with the Cambridge Carbon Footprint thermal camera to find where your home is leaking energy.
- Food waste – It takes a huge amount of energy and money for public food waste to be dealt with. Try to use up what you have, eat up leftovers and maybe create a compost heap for uncooked fruit and veg scraps. To help out with the national food waste problem try visiting the fantastic Gamlingay Food Hub project on Church Street where good quality supermarket food is shared and prevented from going to landfill.
- Travel – if you are making a short journey and you are able, could you walk or cycle? Perhaps you could use the 189/190 bus to Sandy or Bigglewade https://bustimes.org/localities/gamlingay or call the Tiger bus for routes to Cambourne. Try the train for longer journeys. Try errand stacking; save up your errands for one trip rather than popping in the car every day. Even better, run errands with friends and family, lift sharing is a great way to lower our parishes’ very heavy travel emissions.
- Finances – it’s really easy to change banks these days, they practically do it all for you including notifying direct debits etc. Consider swapping bank accounts, mortgages and savings to institutions who invest money in solutions and don’t continue to fund the problems. For more independent information on this have a look at
- Give nature a hand – Did you know that the recent Biodiversity Audit for the Parish showed that the area with most potential for improving habitat for wildlife in the village is our gardens? Sign up to the Wild Gardens Gamlingay & Hatley project and make a difference to nature at home. Late winter is the perfect time to plant a small tree or shrub to add to Gamlingay’s growing green canopy; providing food and shelter for birds and for you some welcome shade in summer, slow the flow of rain water and capture carbon naturally.
- Eating well – Change up your menu a bit, swap one or two dinners a week for a wholefoods, plant-based meal. Saves money and it’s good for your guts and the planet!
- Buy better or not at all! – Recent statistics for South Cambridgeshire show that what we consume has one of the biggest environmental impacts over and above anything else. Our purchasing power; what we buy and who we buy it from can make a massive difference. When thinking about buying something, ask yourself, do I really need it? Can I buy it more ethically from somewhere else or get it second hand? Is there someone locally who makes this that I could buy it from? Could I get my existing item repaired? If the answer to this question is yes then come along to our Repair Cafe at the Eco Hub on Saturday 21st March.
- Turn down the outdoor lights – bright lights at night are having a damaging impact on wildlife’s ability to hunt, travel and breed especially decimating insect populations which are the founding blocks of the food chain for many other species. Bright lights at night have also been shown to affect our circadian rhythms and disrupt our sleep and hormones affecting our overall well-being. Can you swap outside lights for sensor-triggered ones, white lights for amber, warm glow bulbs, point lights down and have directional lights with focused beams rather than beaming light in all directions?
- Upskill – Is there something you wish you could do or make but haven’t tried yet. Making and creating at home has less impact than purchasing things made in far away places. Food we grow or cook ourselves tends to be better for us and knowing how to sew and mend things is a useful skill many of us have lost. There are so many other crafts and activities to try that are not only handy but great for our well-being; baking, hedge laying, darning, pickling, spoon carving, basket weaving and so many more. There are local colleges and The Wildlife Trust running courses as well as village community groups plus oodles of videos on the Internet.
- Shop local – If you can’t make it or grow it yourself, can you find it locally? Look out for local makers, local producers and local stores like Woodview Farm Shop on Potton Rd. Shopping in your community supports the local economy circulating money within a local system and cuts transport emissions of goods.
- Water – sometimes we have far too little being in one of the driest counties in the UK, sometimes there is a deluge and we wonder how high it will rise. Make a difference by harvesting water when it rains in water butts or ponds. This not only slows the flow into communal drains but means you have a supply for when the dry months come as well as providing precious habitat and drinking water for wildlife. You can also slow the flow and prevent flooding by planting trees and shrubs and installing permeable driveways and paths.
- Volunteer – Volunteering is good for you
If you make a change or would like more information to make a positive change for climate and nature then please do get in touch climateactiongamlingay@gmail.com