Community

Charlbury Green Hub


www.charlburygreenhub.org.uk

REPAIR NETWORK

The Repair Network is back I still have a backlog of repairs and we are limiting people to one item repair at a time. Many thanks for your patience Colin.

In Spring 2020 we launched a local repair service for things that can't easily be repaired elsewhere. We don't intend to take work away from people who currently do repairs as a living, but we do want to help people get things repaired to prevent so much stuff being needlessly thrown away. If you have something that needs fixing then please email repairs@charlburygreenhub.org.uk to see if we know someone with the skills to do the repair. Electrical items are PAT-tested before return. This is a free service but we would welcome donations to Charlbury Green Hub (cash, cheque, or bank transfer) to show your appreciation for getting the item repaired and of course payment for replacement parts. Also if you have repair skills and would like to help with local repairs, then please contact us. The following list gives an idea of the sorts of things that we have repaired.
Audio/Visual Equipment
* Roberts radio - soldered aerial wire & mended handle
* Phillips CD - replaced optical unit
* Cambridge audio/CD - replaced optical unit
* Logitech amplifier - replaced various components
* PVR - replaced corrupt disk and copied files over
* CD Player - cleaned & serviced to stop jumping
* Bose speaker - unable to fix but sourced replacement
* Pioneer Blue Ray Player - replaced diode
* Roberts Digital Radio - repaired PCB track
* Sony Radio Cassete Player - replaced perished drive belts
* Sony Walkman - replaced perished drive belt
* CD Player - unjammed disk
* CD Player - cleaned & lubricated
* Radios - replaced broken aerials
IT Equipment
* Laptop - installed Linux OS
* Mac PSU - replaced capacitors
* HP Laptop - replaced case
* MacBook Pro - replaced keyboard
* Laptop - removed jammed SD card
* Printers repaired
Kitchen Equipment
* Cafetiere - replaced domed nut
* Nutribullit - cleaned spillage from bearings
* Kenwood mixer - replaced capacitors & plug
* Tefal iron - cleaned corroded contacts
* Electronic scales - repaired charging point and replaced charger
* Kitchenaid mixer - replacement gear
* Kettle - carbonised contacts cleaned
* Braun hand blender - replacement coupler 3D printed
* Dualit toaster - replaced element
* Kenwood mixer - cleaned, replaced grease
* Weighing scales - replaced battery
* Toaster - repaired timer
* Salter scales - reattached sensor
Vacuum Cleaners
* Miele vacuum cleaner - unblocked & cleaned
* Bosch Pro Animal vacuum cleaner - restored charger
* Panasonic vacuum cleaner - replaced belt
* Dyson vacuum cleaner - unblocked & cleaned
* Dyson DC34 vacuum cleaner - replaced power supply
* Vileda Robot vacuum cleaner - replaced wheel driver chips
* Dyson vacuum cleaner - replaced body & motor
* Miele vacuum cleaner - repaired motor
* Miele vacuum cleaner - unblocked & cleaned
Other Electrical Equipment
* Rechargeable torch - replaced charging unit
* Soldering iron - replaced heating element
* Extension cables - cut down damaged lengths
* Touch table lamps - replaced triacs
* Standard lamp - replaced fitting for bulb
* Table lamp - replaced switch
* Travel hairdryer - shortened broken flex
* Easy Home hairdryer - replaced cord and plug
* Dyson hairdryer - replaced triacs & heatshrink
* Solar powered lights - resoldered connector
Miscellaneous
* Merino wool jumper - darned holes
* Icebreaker merino wool top - darned holes
* Stainless steel spade - replaced rivets
* Stainless steel spade - fitted new handle
* Loppers - broken stays replaced with stainless steel
* Alabaster statue - glued broken base
* Silver Photo Frame - repaired support
* Faded B&W Photo - rescanned, digitally enhanced and reprinted
* Spectacles Frame - replaced hinge
* Wristwatch Strap - removed links to fit
* Wristwatch - cleaned corrosion & replaced battery
* Jewellery Box - hinge repaired
* Toilet Seat - new lugs 3D printed
* Wooden Venetian Blind - replaced cord
* Bankers Lamp - replaced shade
* Alarm Clock - cleaned
* Minolta SLR Film Camera - replaced capacitor
* Rucksack Strap - resewn
* Laminator - unblocked
* Atomiser - removed broken top so contents could be transferred
* Spectacles - replaced screw and tightened hinges

FARMERS MARKET PRODUCE IN CHARLBURY EVERY WEEK

Since the start of the covid-19 restrictions we have been organising the safe collection of fresh fruit and veg etc from outside the Community Centre. Styan Family Produce usually have a stall every three months at our Farmers Market but since the beginning of April 2020 they started selling online and dropping boxes off for collection in Charlbury EVERY SATURDAY. The produce comes from our nearest market gardening area near Evesham in Worcestershire. Their website also includes produce normally available at our Farmers Market -  Stainswick Farm oils and dressings, Charlbury honey, preserves, free-range eggs and a range of Smarts cheeses. Anyone can order and pay online each week, there is no minimum spend, just select individual items from their website. When checking out specify "collection from local volunteer/farmers market", enter your postcode and then select Charlbury and the date for the coming Saturday. Your order will then be ready for you to collect from outside the Community Centre between 9.30-10.30am.

For more information about the wide range of local food available near Charlbury please see the Local Seasonal Food page on the Charlbury Green Hub website

Weekly drop-off and collection for refilling SESI Household Cleaning Products at the Community Centre OR at the quarterly Farmers Market

We are providing a drop-off and collection service for refilling SESI household cleaning products every Saturday morning 9.30-10.30am alongside the Styan fresh veg collection for collection the following week. Bottles can also be dropped off for refills at the quarterly Charlbury Farmers Market for collection the following Saturday at the veg collection.

We have their full range so you can also buy a full bottle for refill another time if you order in advance by emailing sesi@charlburygreenhub.org.uk.

FREE GARDEN PRODUCE including apples, plums etc AT THE CORNERSTONE AT THE CORNER HOUSE

After 12 years, the COVID-19 rules about social distancing meant that the fortnightly Big Apple Take-Aways had to be cancelled in 2020 BUT the good news was that apples, etc became available at The Cornerstone at the Corner House as soon as they were picked. The Cornerstone is open Monday - Saturday from 10-1. The growing weather this year in 2021 has been dreadful so garden produce is very late in becoming available - please bring along any spare produce from your garden or allotment - you can be sure that other people in Charlbury will be delighted to eat it. Please contact sharecroppers@charlburygreenhub.org.uk or phone 811057 if you would like to arranged for your spare fruit to be picked.

       

SECURE PAPER SHREDDING

Twice a year, bring along your bags of confidential waste paper for secure shredding. Strong polypropylene sacks are available FREE at The Cornerstone at the Corner House.

BRING & TAKE

  • During COVID-19 restrictions we organised two garden gate Bring & Takes throughout the whole town, but we were pleased to be back in the Memorial Hall (and more spaced out) in May 2022
  • Electrical items always have to be PAT tested in advance so items are already tested and available at the event.

DIY SPARES WEB PAGE

Browse our virtual DIY Spares warehouse - paints, ceramic tiles, nails, brackets, doorstops, stove pipe flashing, wire garden fencing, etc, etc - spare DIY stuff large or small, all available FREE locally. Browse the site to see if there is something that you need. You probably have stuff you could advertise on the site too. Email a photo, description and contact phone number to DIYspares@charlburygreenhub.org.uk and then let us know when someone has taken it.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Use our website to find out more about environmental issues. Each page has relevant links to external sites, BBC radio & TV programmes, and relevant books which can be shared locally. The site is continually updated with interesting items.

COUNTRYSIDE PAGES

Information about our local Countryside including:

Sites listed include several lovely fragments of ancient woodland nearby which were once part of the more extensive Wychwood Forest and which are good for bluebells in the spring like Knighton's Copse in Wychwood Forest (below).

OXFORD REAL FARMING CONFERENCE

ORFC is held in early January every year, it is always an uplifting start to the year, and Christine from the Charlbury Green Hub always attends so she can pass information on to people in Charlbury. Because of COVD-19, the 12th annual conference in 2021 was held online with thousands able to attend from all over the world - the recordings are available on YouTube.

The Farm Gate podcasts from FAI Farms at Wytham are good to keep you up to date on various farming and environmental issues.  If you want to understand better the current debate about methane emissions then please listen to Episode 1: Ruminant Methane, GWP* & Global Warming.

See Charlbury Green Hub website for a good summary of local food suppliers

OUR AIMS

The aim of Charlbury Green Hub is to help local people and groups find their way around environmental issues, to share their experiences and to spread Charlbury's good ideas to other communities in Oxfordshire. The website is a good starting point for you to find out more about our local countryside, food, energy, travel, and the wider implications for our planet's limited resources and climate change.

WHAT WE DO

The pandemic has meant we are having to reinvent all the events that we normally run. So far, we have set-up the collection of Styan fresh veg every Saturday morning, we have also replanned the SESI refill arrangements for household detergents and our Farmers Market stall, the Tool Sharpening, the Secure Paper Shredding, the Big Apple Take-Aways, and the Bring & Takes. We have also launched a repair service within the town. We have had to suspend collecting things like bras, spectacles, batteries, water filters, printer cartridges, lightbulbs for reuse or recycling. Every winter we borrow the thermal imaging camera from WODC to carry out heat loss surveys for houses in Charlbury - contact us if you want to book a free survey.

In 2013 we changed our name from Charlbury Area Waste Action Group which had started in 1997 and was one of the first members of the Oxfordshire Community Action Group network which originally concentrated on waste. But times and issues move on, and now we are one of about 60 community groups in the Oxfordshire network all taking action on climate change, including waste reduction, carbon reduction, sustainable transport, and food, energy and water issues, to live a more sustainable and less resource dependent life in our local communities. More about us

https://www.charlburygreenhub.org.uk

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