Climate conference
Dear Editor: Hayesfield Girls’ School hosted the largest school climate conference ever held in Bath & North East Somerset on 18 March, bringing together students, educators and local organisations for a day of inspiration, learning and action.
Supported by the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership (MNSP) and Bath & North East Somerset Council, the conference welcomed 180 students aged 11–18 from 20 secondary schools across the region. Each school brought a delegation of pupils to take part in a programme built around this year’s theme, ‘Small Changes Make a Big Difference’.
The day featured eight interactive workshops led by organisations including Greenpeace, Eco Together, Share & Repair and Energy Sparks, a UK charity helping schools reduce energy use and carbon emissions. Students also heard from keynote speakers B Corp ambassador Paul Hargreaves and adventurer and filmmaker James Levelle, who shared insights on responsible business and global climate action.
The conference concluded with a vibrant Eco Fair, where students connected directly with local organisations working on climate and nature initiatives.
Transition Bath played a role in shaping the day, recommending speakers and hosting an interactive stall. Activities included a Sustainability Spinner to inspire personal pledges and a thermal imaging camera station, where students explored heat and energy use through hands-on challenges. Other organisations represented included Bath and West Community Energy, the University of Bath, Eco Together, Another Way, Climate Hub, Bath Organic Growers (BOG), Share and Repair and Charlcombe Toad Patrol.
The event reflects Hayesfield’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, including expanded recycling, waste reduction initiatives and a growing focus on biodiversity across the school site.
A spokesperson said: “This conference is about empowering young people to see that small, everyday actions can lead to meaningful change.”
Organisers hope the event will inspire continued collaboration and climate action
Charlene Adams
Hayesfield Girls’ School
Bath
Bath Talking Magazine
Dear Editor: We keep the blind and partially sighted community in Bath by bringing local news to them for over twenty years. Until now this friendly audio magazine has not been available online, but this has recently changed with the creation of an easily accessible website.
To listen to Month in Bath online, just search monthinbath as all one word and The Month in Bath Talking Magazine will come up.
Volunteers provide local news and information, but also contribute recipes, gardening tips and local sports news. Interviews, stories and poetry sometimes feature.
You can also contact us through the new site at https://www.monthinbath.org/.
Previously listeners had to sign up to have a memory stick sent to them once a month with the current edition recorded on it. The memory stick is played back with a small speaker unit that is provided. This free service is still available.
There are over 300 local groups in the UK providing free weekly or monthly audio recordings for the blind and partially sighted community, or those who have difficulty accessing the printed word.
Ronald Sturt, a senior librarian in Aberystwyth, started the Talking Newspaper movement in the UK in 1968, after witnessing a similar service in Sweden. The first recorded ‘newspaper’ was produced in January 1970 with support from the local Round Table.
Month in Bath continues this long tradition. Maybe give it a listen?
Tom Browne
Month in Bath Talking Magazine
Cost of Living
Dear Editor: For many households the pressure of high living costs has not gone away and the global crisis has brought further stress on family finances. For some residents, particularly those who rely on heating oil rather than mains gas, energy costs are now especially challenging.
The council is supporting people on a low income who are struggling with the rapid rise in heating oil costs. If you need help you can apply for help through our Crisis and Resilience Fund, details are on the council website or by calling our Welfare Support Team on 01225 477277.
Supporting residents also means making sure people can trust the information they see and hear, especially online. The digital world is changing fast, and alongside many benefits, it has become much easier for false or confusing information to spread. Sometimes this happens unintentionally, but at other times it can be shared deliberately to mislead.
That’s why Bath & North East Somerset Council has launched a new webpage to help residents check facts and find trustworthy information more easily. The page brings together clear, practical tools to help people pause, check and think before sharing information, and to feel more confident about what they read online.
Importantly, the webpage also signposts current council projects and consultations, giving residents an easy way to find up‑to‑date facts in one place. This is part of our wider commitment to open and transparent communication.
Councillor Kevin Guy,
Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council
Ukrainian Music
Dear Editor: On 17th May 2026, The Friends of Oleksandriya present a unique cinematic and musical fundraiser at Wiltshire Music Centre.
It features a programme that celebrates Ukrainian artistry and supports vital humanitarian aid. The evening includes five independent films and performances by a piano quintet.
The event will also feature artistic films A Woman’s War and Children’s Voices, as well as documentary Farmers in Kherson.
Acclaimed composer Illia Bondarenko will lead a piano quintet, performing his own composition as well as the piano quintets of Borys Lyatoshynsky and Robert Schumann.
There will also be a book and merchandise stall open from 2.30pm.
This is a charitable concert in aid of Ukraine organised by Friends of Oleksandriya who have strong links to Bath.
Zhenya Shkil
Friends of Oleksandriya
www.friendsofo.co.uk
Bath Voice Monthly Newspaper is distributed free to thousands of homes and some supermarkets – distributed from the first of the month. Harry Mottram is the News Editor
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