Hi everyone welcome to the new monthly blog. To start us off is Easter which is on Sunday 4th April which in the words of the Easter bunny is soon going to hop around!
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Now Easter isn’t all about the chocolate (I know I gave up chocolate for lent too) but don’t worry this blog will cover chocolatey goodness. But deep down it’s about having a special day and for some there is the religious focus of the resurrection of Jesus.
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Like most holidays and special days there are lots of different choices out there and to be fair it’s not easy to know what to get or what to do. Especially with this year where we can’t do absolutely everything we want or would normally do. But have no fear, I am here to take you on the Easter journey and give you some ideas for making this Easter extra special.

‘Easter on a budget’ it does not matter what budget you have. The ideas I have included in this blog you can tailor to your budget, plus I have added in some little freebie downloads and recipes which you can use for Easter or even tailor to any special day. Preparation is key, but the hardest part I find is deciding what to do, with so many choices out there it can be a little daunting. Within this blog I have come up with some examples of what you can do to make it special.

One way is to break Easter up in to manageable chunks, maybe go with the flow of the day. For example I have broken it down in to these areas breakfast, Easter treats and of course fitting in an Easter themed treasure hunt. Now to keep to your budget and in preparation write a list before you go out in to the supermarkets, decide what you are having so that you keep to your budget. Or even just use what you have already.
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Easter is special regardless of what you spend on it and that’s what matters.   

Eggs – no not the chocolatey kind just yet, but ordinary eggs. Get your colouring pencils out or any pen/pencil will do for this. Simply boil the egg to your requirements (here is a recipe should you need it) and voila we have an Easter themed breakfast. Or simply download an Easter picture and pop it near everyone’s favourite breakfast and colour it in and use them as placemats. Fancy chocolate at this time? Sure why not make a cup of hot chocolate and toast some hot cross buns.
Check out the this fab set of free Easter colouring links from Crayola click here to help make breakfast Easter special.

Making Easter treats can be fun for all the family. I personally love making Easter nests, don’t tell the Easter bunny but it’s not all about rabbits, Easter is often associated with chicks. Here is a recipe for Easter nests click here, now you can use cornflakes or even Weetabix just replace the shredded wheat for your cereal of choice. Why not make this extra fun and have a little picnic by making some sandwiches and nests which will make for a great fun lunch.   

Of course this year we can’t go out to a pre-planned hunt, but there are lots of wonderful ideas out there, so I have put together an idea but just tailor it to you and your family that way you will have a lot more fun. Great hiding places can be found inside and outside even pots of daffodils can come in handy. Click here for the idea.

The key to any special day is just to enjoy it, hopefully the sun will be shining and we can all enjoy a bit of sunshine on Easter Sunday and the bank holiday. Have fun that’s the main thing and take photos, I would love to see your colouring, egg designs, rabbit masks or whatever you do!
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That’s all for now readers, which leaves me with one last thing to say which is to wish you all a very Happy Easter and thank you for reading.
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Until the next post – Have fun, stay safe and take care Pen x

Just like Pen said, we'd love to see what fun you've been up to! Email us your photos or visit us on Facebook. Any photos submitted will be shared in our photo gallery. Enjoy!

Halloween is swiftly approaching... So it's time for pumpkin carving! Hooray!!! But it also means a lot of yummy pumpkin going to waste! Boo!!!

Ask yourself this, how many pumpkins do you think you've eaten compared to how many you've carved? They're a little bit like marmite aren't they, love them or hate them... But we all love a carved pumpkin even if we don't fancy eating it.

So we've come up with a few alternatives this year! We may have gotten a little carried away so it's in two parts. Fun for the kids today and fun for the bigger kids tomorrow! 

Hmmm. He looks like he may have been modelled on Freddie Mercury... Dependant on the variety some apples can ripen off in the trees right up until November. If you've still got some growing near you these little Halloween treats are a great way to use them and they're easy to tweak. If you add a touch of orange food dye you can make pumpkins or swap out the icing for decorations of your own choice. Raisins or melted dark chocolate perhaps?

Again, there are many ways to personalise this crafty little lady. You can use paints instead of pens and add as many decorations as you like. If you're really feeling fancy and have a steady hand then you with a sharp knife you could carve the face as you would on a pumpkin. 

Remember we don't like to waste anything so save the juices and pulp that you scraped out. You could use it to flavour jellies and truffles as an extra treat. If you've carved your orange that's pretending to be a pumpkin that's pretending to be a witch, then you can also use the peel later on. Use the zest in cheesecakes and brownies or make some preserved and candied peel  ready for Christmas!

It might be early but happy Halloween folks!

The growing season might be nearly over, but that doesn't mean we can't start thinking about next year. 

There is something special about growing your own, well, anything. Flowers, veggies, the odd few herbs, and small space growing is a great place to start. No matter where you live there is always something you can grow.

The nights are starting to draw in and the evenings are getting chilly. Why not use some of that sofa time to start thinking of what you might like to grow next year. Then when you're stuck for something to do on the weekends turn your attention to crafting a fancy planter all of your own. Pretty much anything can be turned into a planter, just remember a few key points:

• It must have drainage holes.
• It may need a liner.
• Depending on material it may need a protective finishing coat. 

Once you've got your planter, you can start planning your plants! If you're growing from seed, toilet roll tubes make excellent compostable seed trays. Fill your toilet roll  tubes with compost and pop your seeds in. Once seedlings are ready to be transplanted just reposition the whole tube in the desired pot. As you water your plant the tube will break up allowing for root growth.

You can experiment with colours, decorations and finding the best position around your home or garden. You may have to do a little research into what will grow best in your conditions e.g. window sill growing, shady corners or north facing gardens, but that can all be part of the fun. If you're growing edibles, make sure you choose things you will actually eat. We don't want anything going to waste, do we?

If you've got a little more space, then maybe something like this could be an option:

Jo made this planter out of old unwanted pallets that would have otherwise gone to waste. The planter was lined with leftover polythene sheeting. Gravel was repurposed from the garden to add drainage to the bottom, and then filled with compost. The herbs were saved from the clearance section of asda's fruit and veg section and replanted. With a little tender loving care they've come back strong and healthy... Just ignore the mint in the background, that's already had several months of use and is starting to give up the ghost ready for next year. By using unwanted materials, odds and ends of equipment he already had, Jo spent less than £10 on the whole project. To buy new planters of a similar size could easily cost you £50 or more. Well done Jo, that's quite the saving!

When reading guidance on seed packets or plant pots you're usually told how much space you should leave between each plant. To make the most of your small space growing, go a little mad and cram as much as you can fit in. Remember if your plants start to look a little cramped you can always take one or two back out... And then move them to other planters you've been busy making haha. A word of warning, once you catch the bug it can get a little addictive.

​But oh so worth it!

If you've got children (or pets) we're sure you'll be familiar with this story. You decide to give your little loved ones a treat, something fancy, possibly expensive and...

They ignore it completely and have more fun with the box.

As frustrating as it is they may well be on to something... We're all aware of the importance of recycling, but doing the weekly sort and separate can be pretty dull and just feel like yet another chore to add to the list. Rummage through your rubbish and turn it into something you feel proud of. You can start simple, like we did with our piggy banks, bird feeders and Christmas decorations. When you've got the hang of it you can let your imagination run wild!

Gainsborough Court is an independent living home for people who live with disability. The residents have formed their own art group and proudly took up the sustainability challenge when they heard about our photography competition. For the 'Doing Our Bit' category they gathered their recycling and worked together on their sculpture of the Severn Bridge... And yes, it does stand up, we have photographic proof! Great work everyone!

Wrong. It's not childish, it's called honing your artist talents! Who cares how small you start, one day you could be the talk of the town. What may seem silly now could soon turn into skills you can share with your community. With some practice, teamwork and some inspirational rubbish reuse, you could one day find yourself leading projects like these:

Thank you to LitterArti for helping us with various community projects over the years.

​Recycling doesn't have to be boring...

Deck the halls with boughs of holly... Falalala lalalala! It's never too early to talk about Christmas!

Especially if you're going to get creative with your decorations this Christmas... It's time for a little bit of papercraft.

Try to keep the paper in reasonable condition. You can then reuse it to make next year's decorations! You can get as creative as you like, experiment with different coloured papers and patterns. You could even create multicoloured designs: Stick the plain side of one paper, to the plain side of another. The folds will then display the different colours. If you can, avoid papers that have glitter on, as in most places glitter is a non-recyclable substance. If you can encourage your friends and family to use recycled wrapping paper for their gifts, even better!

Merry Christmas folks!

Plastic piggies might have been a teeny fib... How about plastic bottle piggy banks?

OK, so you're off to a good start, you've treated yourself to a fancy reusable bottle. Yay! But now you've got a recycling box full of plastic bottles waiting to be collected, right? Well let's put them to good use and have some fun with the kids. You get to give the bottle a new life and start teaching the little ones good saving habits at the same time. Win win!

Who said recycling had to be boring...

Anyone feeling crafty? 

If crafting doesn't come naturally to you, don't panic... This one's EASY! And has the added bonus of giving a helping hand to our feathered friends.

Looking simple so far...

The birds will thank your few minutes of not so hard work. They might even peck the tube to pieces and fly away with it to line their nests. Aww.

Now you've done it once, you can get creative! Here's some suggestions:

• Allergy sufferers, swap peanut butter for lard.
• Try a pine cone instead of a toilet roll.
• Remember those kitchen scraps you've been hiding away in the freezer? Create a tasty treat with a mix of bacon rinds, bread crumbs, fruit and veg etc.

Who knew toilet rolls could be so much fun...

In previous years we have applied for grants to enable us to do large projects during Sustainable September. Local residents may have noticed the underpass mural or the sculpture outside St. Nicholas Church. Well this year we're doing things a little differently with lots of small activities spread throughout the month, rather than one or two big ones. Sometimes I've been asked is it worth it? It's a lot of work for maybe not so much of a noticeable difference...

The answer is simple. Yes. Sometimes the difference goes unnoticed but has much more of an impact than you realise, because sustainable communities are just as important as everything else we've talked about so far. What makes a sustainable community? Social interactions, fun and laughter, inspiring each other... team work. 

I was talking to Debbie, one of our event volunteers a while ago about Sustainable September. We talked about the planned events, the photo competition and the blog. One of the things that came up was showing people how to make bird feeders out of stuff you might find around your house. I planned on posting this a bit later in September, but then yesterday I received this and couldn't resist bumping it up the calendar...

After hearing about Sustainable September, the residents of Nutfield House - Filton, with the help of their activities coordinator and carers had been saving up their own recycling to have a go themselves. They ran two sessions making bird feeders out of what they had collected and put their creations to good work in the gardens. It might seem such a small thing, but they've brought their friends together, kept their minds and bodies active all while doing something great for the wildlife sharing their home. Well done to everyone who got involved throughout the project!

It doesn't matter who you are, what your abilities are or what community you're from, there is always something you can do towards sustainable living.

There's just one last little thing we wanted to say...​

You're both doing great! Keep up the good work everybody!