I love my country. I love English Breakfast, tea and scones (cream on first). I love going to the pub with my friends, whether it be on a blustery winter day or in a summer beer garden. Which reminds me, I love all our quirky English customs, like how we talk about the weather, with […]
Residents gathered on the banks of the River Stour in Muscliffe, on the afternoon of Sunday March 22, 2026, to take part in a colourful and theatrical ‘World Water Wedding’, pledging their commitment to protect the river from pollution. The ceremony, organised by Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP), was held on World […]
We are always delighted to publish pleas for help like this email from the Chardstock Eco Group! Do send them in! For those of you who have visited the Chardstock Shop or Community Hall recently, you may have noticed the hive of activity in the creation of the new Community Garden on the site of […]
No doubt we have all been looking out of our windows wishing wistfully that the rain would stop just long enough to do at least a couple of jobs in the garden! Hopefully by the time you read this, the sun will be shining. [And it is! Ed] Plastic pollution doesn’t just come from food […]
Dear Editor Last year, Church Beach in Lyme Regis was successfully re-designated as a bathing beach after a concerted effort by River Lim Action (RLA), Lyme Regis Bluetits and others. This case study is now being used by Surfers Against Sewage as part of a legal challenge to changes to government regulations on the designation […]
Ecoanxiety… the chronic fear of environmental breakdown. Sounds horrible, doesn’t it? It’s a word that’s been bandied around a lot recently, as the “strong” men (and it is largely men) of the world tear down the policies that science and reason that the human race needs to survive. What we’re really talking about here is fear… of the […]
In December, I submitted my Extended Project Qualification, a project I participated in alongside my A-Levels which is designed to teach students how to research effectively and write in an academic way, as well as develop their passions. I titled my project ‘To what extent can the fashion industry ever be considered sustainable in the […]
Extinction Rebellion (XR) Wimborne activists have been out and about raising awareness of a fast-approaching deadline that could decide the fate of the proposed Canford incinerator. They have been talking to residents about the six-mile toxic plume which could be heading their way and singing irreverent ‘incinerator songs’. MVV Environment has appealed BCP Council’s refusal […]
According to the UK Government website, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is “a regulatory framework that places the responsibility and costs of managing a product’s end-of-life, including packaging and waste management, on manufacturers and brand owners rather than taxpayers.” In April 2022, a Plastic Packaging Tax was introduced, whereby all plastic packaging that did not […]
I loved living in New Zealand, but I missed the understated beauty of the West Country countryside. A lot of that landscape is man-made. Centuries-old agricultural practices created a patchwork of fields, hedges, heathland and forest, to which native wildlife adapted. Unlike countries such as the United States, where agricultural fields can stretch uninterrupted for […]
The Armada Way tree-felling fiasco has certainly put Plymouth on the map. It was a disaster, not just for Plymouth’s canopy cover, but for our city’s reputation and the relationship between the public and the local authority, which wasn’t great to begin with. It was described as “environmental vandalism” by many, resulting in the then […]
Most of us love the twinkle of lights among the branches of a Christmas tree, but the dilemma facing tree buyers is whether to go for a traditional tree and risk picking pine needles out of your socks in July or opt for one of the increasingly ‘real’ looking trees in the shops? Which option […]
We interviewed organiser Simon Oldridge ahead of this crucial event on 27 November, and now we want to share Simon’s post giving us some more insights into the scale of the operation and the help he was given to pull it off. We’ve had to unlink the many names, but you can google them easily […]
When we are being bombarded so early by big retailers, corner shops, charity shops etc, our thoughts cannot help but be pole vaulted to Christmas! With 227,000 miles of wrapping paper used at Christmas in the UK, plus 6 million rolls of sellotape, that’s an awful lot of waste generated. Sellotape is single-use plastic and […]
In freezing temperatures on Thursday 20 November 2025, and again in persistent rain on Sunday, members of Extinction Rebellion (XR) Wimborne gathered on the footbridge over the River Allen near Wimborne Library to mark COP30 by reading aloud real testimonies from people already living with the devastating impacts of climate breakdown. The group’s action aimed […]
We talked to organiser Simon Oldridge (SO) about what those involved hope will be a watershed event on November 27 in Central Hall, Westminster. WCV: This looks very timely, coming after yet another COP and as we read that richer nations are quietly (or noisily) abandoning or watering down their net zero targets. What do […]
The south-west of England is a hotbed of newly evolved tree species. There’s a sentence you probably thought you would never read, but it is true. In Britain, we have numerous tree species that are endemic to these isles; they are unique species found nowhere else on the planet, species that evolved here after the […]
Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (XR BCP) held a striking silent actionon the morning of Sunday, 9 November, on Bournemouth Pier Approach, calling out what they describe as the “failure and hypocrisy” of the international COP climate talks ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. At 11:00, the group began with a two-minute silence. Participants […]
84 per cent of Cornish residents support a ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs) Bottom trawling, which destroys reefs, seagrass and marine life, remains legal in all Cornish MPAs in the consultation despite bans elsewhere in the UK Iconic fish stocks are collapsing: cod in the Celtic Sea is down 98 per cent since 2012 and mackerel is down 78 percent over the last decade A new Cornwall-wide […]
Annie Hill-Smith: On 7 November at 10.00a.m. the Dartmoor National Park Authority’s Development Management Committee will hear the Tree Protection Order relating to the trees at Kenwyn. The Park’s Tree Officer is recommending that the order is granted. Hurray! The meeting will be at the DNPA’s office at Parke, just outside Bovey Tracey. I’ve lobbied […]
Do we truly have the kind of democracy in our country which is fit for the challenges of the 21st Century? Does our government fairly represent the views and aspirations of voters? How can we best tackle and mitigate the effects of climate change? All these questions, and more, will be up for debate in […]
It’s been a while since I last wrote an article. I struggled to find the time last month; I returned to my second year of sixth form to find a larger work load as well as the extra pressure of university applications and extra-curricular commitments. Most of my spare time I spent socialising rather than […]
On the surface it looks like another ‘conservation versus industry’ planning controversy, with the odds predictably stacked against nature and wildlife. A multinational quarrying company wants to expand its operations in Devon, which will mean destroying a large forest. As the company prepares its application for planning permission, a group of local residents are fighting […]
One for the women and girls, whatever your age, but also for the gents because it is important to be informed and know how this subject is affecting the ladies in your lives. We’re halfway through Environmenstrual Week, organised by non-profit Women’s Environmental Network (WEN), to raise awareness of just what is in the period […]
Activists, community groups and campaigners came together in Poole on Saturday 11 October 2025, for a march for climate justice. Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP) organised the event as part of Black History Month. The march highlighted the deep links between the climate crisis, colonialism and corporate exploitation — both globally and […]
Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP) and allied groups will march through Poole on Saturday October 11, calling for climate justice and standing in solidarity with communities around the world on the frontlines of the climate and ecological crisis. The march will begin at Poole Park at midday and finish at Poole Quay […]
Dorset Council is considering an application to extend a previously granted oil drilling plan for ten years. The decision was deferred last week by the Planning Committee after questions were raised about the “significance” of its greenhouse gas impact. It’s now likely to be decided in November or January. Objections were raised in 2023 when […]
A new independent review of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council’s weed management programme has raised serious concerns about the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The analysis carried out by local environmental researcher Steve Harper, found that 49 of the 51 chemicals used by the council in 2024 – […]
Local residents gathered at Boscombe Pier on September 6, 2025, as part of a nationwide day of action demanding that the government reject Rosebank, the UK’s largest untapped oil field. The Bournemouth action featured a striking banner drop from the pier, music from Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (XR-BCP) Rhythms drummers, and an outreach […]
According to Oxfam, private jets are the most polluting form of transport per passenger. A single flight from London to Paris on a private jet emits six times more CO₂ per passenger than a commercial plane, 12 times more than a car, and 180 times more than taking the train. A round trip from London […]