Kendal Town Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and have actioned numerous projects to support Cumbria’s Zero Carbon goals.

Kendal Climate Change Citizens Jury

Kendal Town Council commissioned a Citizens Jury to answer the questions ‘What Should Kendal do about Climate Change?’

Kendal was the first town in the UK to host a Citizens Jury and to conduct it online during the covid pandemic.

Facilitated by Shared Futures, Climate Change experts (see presentations here) shared information about energy, transport, food and political leadership which Jury members discussed to inform their recommendations, available here.

Thanks to crowdfunder supporters, SLDC funding and the skills and generosity of Land & Sky media, a short film featuring Jury members has been created, please click on the icon on the left to view it.

Kendal Town Council aims to collaborate with partners to develop solutions and celebrate progress against each recommendation.

The Zero Carbon Kendal website celebrates progress in carbon reduction across Kendal and inspires action by sharing practical ways to reduce carbon.

Biodiversity

Kendal Town Council have supported and initiated several biodiversity projects:

• Biodiversity Grants

In 2020 Kendal Town council supported five biodiversity projects including a £1000 contribution to Nobles Rest which contributed towards 70 new tress, snowdrops and bluebell bulbs, 3 flowering cherry trees and bog plants will be planted this autumn.  £1,500 will create a new Wildflower meadow at Somervell Gardens and £1000 will support a new Biodiversity Garden on Belmont in Fellside. A grant to Appleby Road Community Garden for £700 will install a solar panel to run power for the community garden to provide brews to all the volunteers!

• Wildflower Meadows

Kendal Town Council have developed and maintained Wildflower areas at Summervell Gardens, Aynam Road and Kendal Green.

• Encouraging Biodiverse Allotments

The Allotment Committee are developing a nature-friendly allotment handbook to encourage holders to maintain their plots without pesticides. Kendal Town Council stopped spraying weeds at Allotment sites in 2018. Since 2018 Kendal Town Council have allowed allotment holders to keep bees on their plots. Four tenants are now keeping bees which is fantastic for Biodiversity. We have supported an allotment holder to create ten hedgehog houses and are keen to roll out across additional allotment sites.

Dark Skies

We are an active supporter of the Dark Skies Cumbria project. Kendal is a pilot town and we’ve supported an audit to assess light pollution. We’ve contributed toward nature friendly street lighting on Cliff Terrace. More detail available here.

Natural Kendal

The Town Council funded a base line review for Natural Kendal to identify opportunities to increase biodiversity across Kendal. Town Councillors are members of the steering group to ensure co-ordination across both groups.

Air Quality

We are actively trying to improve the Air Quality of Kendal by working with partners to implement 20mph across the town. We commissioned a report, available here, to asses the viability of a 20mph scheme. Ivy screens planted at Blackhall Road and Longpool help to absorb pollution and we have supported the Local Cycling and Walking Improvement Plan to attract funding to bring cycling and walking improvements to the town.

Local Produce

We maintain and promote Edible Planters at the entrance to Noble Rest and encourage allotment holders to donate additional vegetables to Kendal’s Waste into Wellbeing project. 

Each month we feature a producer from Kendal’s Farmers Market on Visit Kendal and promote stalls on the Zero Carbon Kendal website as well.

Compost

We promote peat free compost throughout our allotments and use peat free compost for all civic planting. We have funded the installation of three compost beds to encourage municipal composting and are working with SLDC and Continental to ensure the beds are utilised to reduce wasted leaf litter and in the long term, create our own compost for Civic Planting.

Office Footprint

Kendal Town Council Officers are based in a solar panelled building and the majority of staff cycle or walk to work. We have recycling facilities in the office and all projects are managed with up-cycling in mind, for example all civic planting annuals are donated and the large town centre tubs were up-cycled with wooden cladding.