This week Co-operative Fortnight begins, two weeks of events and activities across the country to share and celebrate the successes and achievements of the co-operative sector in the UK. Co-operatives are businesses owned and run by their members, not managers … Read More

Its been a busy few weeks for those of us excited about reducing plastic waste and supporting a culture of reuse. Last Tuesday Waitrose unveiled its first ‘unpacked range’ in our local Botley store, with a wide range of plastic free products, including; … Read More

We are very excited to invite you all to the first ever AGM of the CAG Oxfordshire network, taking place Wednesday 3rd July, 6:30-9:30pm at Makespace, Oxford. At our first AGM, we will be electing the board of the new organisation that … Read More

Repair cafés are becoming a regular fixture at Rose Hill Community Centre in Oxford, thanks to a collaboration between Community Action Group Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon and staff at the community centre. The repair cafes have been developing … Read More

We are very excited to announce that we have now opened applications for people to apply to be on the brand new board of the new independent CAG organisation. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who feels passionately about … Read More

Its been an amazing year for the CAG network, with even more events being run, carbon being saved, volunteer hours being contributed and new groups joining the network. Check out our infographic to see all the network has achieved in … Read More

Hello CAG network! I have recently taken over from Marta Lomza as the Project Officer for Replenish. This project aims to reduce the vast amount of food that ends up in the Oxfordshire bins – almost 20% of the food we … Read More

We’d like to warmly invite you to the ‘Our Network, Our Future’ event we’re holding from 6.30 – 8.30 pm on the 28th November, at Makespace Oxford. It’s an opportunity to shape the future of the CAG Project and how … Read More

Exciting news everyone! Its International Repair Cafe Week – which means this week is an excellent opportunity to finally get around to fixing some of those clothes, electronics or household items you have been meaning to repair and give a new lease … Read More

We are recruiting for a new project officer to join the CAG team and work on delivering our Replenish Project. Replenish Project Officer £20,500 pa (pro rata) /// Part time (15 hours per week) Fixed Term until end September 2020 … Read More

Collaborate events are opportunities for Community Action Groups (CAGs) working on similar projects or across a common theme to meet up, share and find ways of working together. The meetings are open to members of the CAG network, as well as other associated, … Read More

Are you looking for fresh thinking in your life, work or activism?  This Autumn we are bringing you 8 workshops designed to bring fresh ideas and skills into community groups, organisations and social enterprises across Oxfordshire. Become more effective at … Read More

CULTIVATE COMMUNITY VAN (aka Van Diesel) The Cultivate Community Van, is now available for community groups in the CAG network to use. It is a short wheel based 3 seater van, insulated with roof rack and shelving with access from … Read More

The CAG Project is announcing a change to the way we are administering our Special Project Grant and putting out a call for applications! What is the Special Project Grant? The Special Projects Grant is a fund held by the … Read More

Whilst this heatwave has been jolly nice, we can’t ignore the links between the hot weather and climate change. One of our members Low Carbon Oxford North have written an excellent blog post on how its important to connect the dots, make sure … Read More

There has been a lot in the news recently about plastic. From headlines about the 8 million tonnes of plastic being dumped in our oceans each year, to America dumping its electronic waste in Ghana. From Mumbai in India being … Read More

It’s been an exciting couple of months within the CAG team, with many changes afoot. New Project Officer Firstly we would like to welcome Rhiannon Colvin, the newest addition to our team. Rhiannon will be taking over Henry’s old job … Read More

This years Big Green Day Out was a huge success with sunshine, CAG’s and the general public out in full force to celebrate all that Oxford’s green movement has to offer! It was great to see so many established and … Read More

Following the first wave of repair cafes this spring, there’s a whole lot more coming up this summer. From fixing broken electronics, to learning a new skill, taking old clothes to a swap shop, to upcycling old furniture, the focus … Read More

The CAG Network received special recognition last night at the Oxfordshire Charity and Volunteer Awards ceremony. The annual event held by the Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA) celebrates the achievements of the third sector to a packed audience at … Read More

Community Action Groups in the spotlight as The Big Walk came to Oxfordshire Last week Oxfordshire was visited by two walkers, Steve and Katherine, who are travelling hundreds of miles across England to shine a light on fantastic communities and projects that make great things happen as part of The Big … Read More

Tandem Festival celebrates culture, fosters cooperation and inspires change, and they’re back for our 4th edition! This summer the Tandem experience comes to life from 22nd – 24th June. Cycle powered, volunteer-run and community led, Tandem brings you different worlds … Read More

The CAG Project is hiring a new Project Officer to work with us on building community action on climate change in Oxfordshire. We’re excited to announce that Henry, the current project officer, will soon by job-sharing the Project Coordination role … Read More

Oxford’s Big Green Day Out (Sat 9 June, 10am-5pm) & Oxford Green Week (Sat 16 – Sun 24 June) We’d love for your green group or project, from anywhere in Oxfordshire, to be involved! This is the biggest sustainability/environmental festival … Read More

Incredible Edible Hooky (IE Hooky) have very exciting news – and a request. In the coming months, they will be launching a new initiative in Hooky – the Hooky Food Assembly. This will allow all in the Hook Norton area easy … Read More

“We agree to try and be, cool, kind, caring and cooperative.” – Langford Community Orchard Junior Volunteers At Langford Community Orchard in Bicester, 2017 was an exciting year. A new dedicated children’s group was started. Susan Hall, the project’s lead … Read More

Bring your broken electricals and electronics to one of the series of Repair Cafes hosted by Community Action Groups, across Oxfordshire this April! Alternatively if you have unwanted but working items (of any kind) you could take them to a … Read More

Oxford Community Action Group (CAG) Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon (RHILC) won the Green Heart Hero Community Inspiration award at The Climate Coalition’s award ceremony at the House of Commons last week. Huge congratulations are in order! Eleanor from … Read More

A new regulation called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into effect from May 25th 2018 – which will affect us all. The regulation aims to strengthen the data protection for all citizens within the EU & giving people … Read More

Are you the person to make this Oxford Green Week the best yet? The CAG Project is looking for a temporary paid associate to support the planning, coordination and delivery of Oxford Green Week and the Big Green Day Out. Oxford … Read More

We are excited to announce that Resource Futures, the parent company of the CAG Project, will be delivering a major new “Waste Advisors” programme in Oxford, on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council. This programme will merge the existing Love Food Hate … Read More

Planet-friendly power? It costs less than you think. A big new campaign is challenging people in and around Oxford to become leaders in support for clean renewable energy. The Oxford Big Clean Switch has been launched to make it easy … Read More

Funding has been secured to provide truly affordable working and making space for Oxford community groups and social enterprises. We’re thrilled to announce that funding has been granted to continue the work we are doing with Aspire Oxford, Transition by Design and Broken … Read More

Written by previous CAG Oxfordshire Project Coordinator Simon Kenton.  It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of John Gordon who died in February after a hard-fought battle with cancer. John was a pivotal figure in the CAG … Read More

For organisations who put social impact above generating a profit, finding secure affordable premises in the city of Oxford can be a serious, and sometimes insurmountable, challenge. This issue is particularly acute for organisations that require workshop or warehouse space … Read More

Sustainable Didcot had a storming 2017 year, with many successful events and highlights. From getting their hands in the soil and nurturing wonderful produce, to using high-tech thermal imaging cameras to help their neighbours save money on their bills – … Read More

This post was first produced as an opinion piece for the Oxford Times and Oxford Mail, and was originally published there on 24 January 2018 with the online headline ‘Why tackling plastic is crucial for our future’ and ‘Why tackling … Read More

Do you know that each household in Oxfordshire produces one tonne of waste each year?   Residents in Oxfordshire have been amongst the best in the country at recycling and composting for a few years now, and our countywide recycling rate … Read More

Have you heard of our Network Forum? The CAG Project staff team are lucky enough to have a voluntary advisory body supporting us in our work; a group we call the Network Forum. Currently our network forum comprises 9 people from … Read More

  By Hannah Egawhary CAG Project volunteer Are you a CAG doing a thermal imaging project this winter and would like a better and more efficient way to store and analyse your data? If so, then the Community Energy Manager … Read More

Waste electronic equipment is a huge environmental problem in the UK and abroad. There are also huge missed opportunities for communities to benefit from what is currently classified as ‘waste’. At the moment only 45% of UK waste electrical goods are recycled, … Read More

Incredible Edible have been awarded a grant from the European Social Fund by Oxford City Council to deliver a programme of horticultural, sustainable building and agroecology courses with young people at risk of becoming NEET (not in education or unemployment) … Read More

This guest blog post is re-posted from the Sustainable Blewbury newsletter, and written by Jo Lakeland and Glen Meadows. Photos have been taken from the RHS website, or by Glen Meadows in the second half of the article. More plants … Read More

In this tale of two CAGs, the power of mixing ideas across the county is clear!  Image credit: SESI – Paul and Rina Pictured above.  Sustainable Wantage are pleased to announce the launch of four SESI detergent refill stations at … Read More

Last Saturday active citizens from across Oxfordshire, and beyond, came together to share their skills and experience with each other. In its fifth successful year the Skill Share combined eight different workshops with opportunities to meet and connect with others … Read More

Outstanding CAG Bicester Green are looking for new trustees to join their board to help them navigate their next stage of development. Do you have what it takes? See this brilliant poster outlining what they’re looking for:   Get in … Read More

The Oxford Action Resource Centre (OARC) in the East Oxford Community Centre has the potential to be an amazing resource for groups working for social change in our community. We have crowdfunded to create an exciting one day a week … Read More

About Orinoco: Orinoco is a small but popular charity, based in Oxford, committed to reuse and to providing interesting and unusual materials and tools for creative and DIY projects. We collect waste and unwanted household items from local businesses and … Read More

We’ve just finalised our programme of community change-boosting workshops for next week’s Skill Share, taking place on Saturday 11 November at County Hall in Oxford. Reserve your space now to enjoy good company, interesting workshops, and delicious food and drink. … Read More

The Oxford Circular Collective have just launched their annual report (and new logo, above), at an event for volunteers and partners at Restore Café in East Oxford. The report highlights how they’ve done in achieving their five aims this year. It’s … Read More

Guest Post by Richard Luff, member of the CAG network.  The Building a Healthy Sustainable Society event on 19 October, which was supported by NHS England and Public Health England, provided a fascinating outsiders view of how the NHS is … Read More

The Oxford Pumpkin Festival is returning for its fourth year with events across the city run by the Good Food Oxford network. This annual event is a celebration of food: creatively encouraging people to think about the food they throw … Read More

Three years after they opened their unique community shop, Monday Shop are saying ‘Caio for now’. Of course many of us are sad to see this pioneering surplus food shop and social space closing – but it’s not all bad … Read More

Join us at County Hall in Oxford for the fifth annual CAG Network Skill Share on Saturday 11 November. The CAG Network Skill Share is the highlight of the CAG calendar and a chance for community groups from across Oxfordshire … Read More

Oxford City Farm’s festival earlier this month was a roaring success, with over 700 people attending and taking part in activities such as apple pressing, pony rides, dancing, face painting, and petting some rather adorable farm animals. Food was also … Read More

The CAG Project has recently welcomed a new team member, with Henry Owen joining as Project Officer. Beth has moved on from this role to work with our friends at Low Carbon Hub, and we wish her all the best … Read More

It’s the time of year when we celebrate the humble pumpkin and “squash food waste” by encouraging people to eat rather than discard their Halloween pumpkin’s flesh! The message is simple: Carve it, Cook it, Eat it – Don’t bin … Read More

By Eleanor Watts, on behalf of Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon Rose Hill & Iffley Low Carbon had a great celebration of Project ERIC on Friday 22nd of September 2017. Attendees packed out the ballroom in the Rose Hill Community Centre … Read More

You may have seen coverage in the national news about the “first” zero-waste supermarket in the UK. A married couple have opened Earth.Food.Love. in Totnes, Devon which stocks organic wholefoods in self-serve dispensers. Customers are invited to bring their own containers to … Read More

Last weekend (15th-17th of September), the CAG Oxfordshire Project team attended the Offline Festival. Organised by Project Dirt, Power to Change and Eden Project Communities, Offline was an ‘un-conference’ with a festival vibe. The days were packed with panel discussions … Read More

A new piece of research, conducted by an intern from Oxford University, which analysed the benefits of community-led land management has found that 38 plots of land across Oxfordshire are being activity managed and maintained by members of the Community … Read More

Team Oxford would like to hear from Community Action Groups who have events running in October that would benefit from additional volunteers and promotion so that these can be added to programme of activities taking place during ‘Actober’. If you … Read More

We’re hiring! The CAG Project is looking for a new Project Officer. £20,500-£22,500 (pro rata) depending on experience 22.5 hours per week Fixed Term until end November 2018 (with possible extension) Based in Central Oxford Role & Purpose You will … Read More

We have a date for the next annual CAG Network Skill Share: Saturday 11 November. Get it in your diaries now and share with your groups. As a reminder, the CAG Skill Share is an opportunity for members of the … Read More

A massive warm welcome to our new Community Engagement Manager – Dr Kerry Lock. Kerry joins us from Earth Trust (an environmental learning charity) where she held the posts of Head of Learning and Head of Research and Skills. As … Read More

Project Dirt is a social enterprise working to resource grassroots community projects around the UK. In collaboration with Power to Change and The Eden Project Communities, they are hosting Offline Festival – unearth the power of your community – 15-17th … Read More

Another busy and productive year for the CAG Network in 2016-17. Lots of events, huge numbers of volunteers giving their time to their communities, and crucially a lot of carbon has been saved from being released into the atmosphere. Well … Read More

Community Action Group, Feeding the Gaps, along with Oxford City Council and Good Food Oxford have launched a map and database of food services providing free or subsidised food within Oxfordshire. The map provides people with information on what food … Read More

Do you think new housing schemes look boring and lack social interaction? Are you angry that affordable and environmentally-sustainable places to live are becoming rare for a growing group of people? Want to use your experience and skills to do … Read More

By Beth McAllister, CAG Project Officer I recently returned from an inspiring time at the 2017 Sustainable Food Cities conference in Edinburgh. The conference is an opportunity for members of the network (of which Oxford is one through Good Food … Read More

On Saturday 10 June, the CAG Project took part in the Big Green Day Out celebration on Broad Street. The day was an opportunity for people to showcase what they’re doing in Oxford to tackle climate change, improve the local … Read More

Since its launch, Tandem Festival has been a brilliant celebration of CAGs in Oxfordshire. We have always worked closely together as lots of CAGs have had a presence at the festival for workshops, talks, or just plain fun. This year the … Read More

The CAG Project is really pleased to welcome lots of new groups to the Network! We’ve recently expanded to welcome five new groups, some shiny and new, some with a pretty long history. Here’s a little information about them. And … Read More

SESI is recruiting. We are looking for someone with good communication skills, experience as sales assistant, as well as a commitment to low carbon behaviour and developing the role of the community sector. Role: SESI Stall coordinator Hourly Rate: £11.11 Hours: 9 … Read More

The annual CAG Network Social is an opportunity for members of the CAG Project to get together, pause and reflect on the year just gone, celebrate the successes and chat over what’s to come. This year however was tinged with … Read More

  The achievements of the Community Action Group (CAG) Network were celebrated on the 9th of May 2017 at the Oxford Community & Voluntary Action (OCVA) annual awards ceremony. 3 groups won awards for their outstanding projects and dedication, with … Read More

Navigate are a team of trainers and facilitators, who used to be known as Seeds for Change Oxford. They offer a wide range of support for groups. We thought members of the CAG Network would like to know more about … Read More

We are very sad to let you know the news that Councillor Van Coulter, ward councillor for Barton and Sandhills in Oxford City, died on 13 March 2017. A member of Low Carbon Headingon and a strong advocate of the … Read More

Guest blog from the New Internationalist.    With Trump in the White House, fake news and nationalism spreading, the world urgently needs media that stands for something better. At New Internationalist, we’ve pioneered our unique kind of global journalism for … Read More

Guest blog from Sophie of Team Tandem. Oxford’s own eco-friendly festival is back from June 16 to 18! After a smaller edition in 2016, Tandem called for some changes and will be set in an exciting new location in 2017: … Read More

If you haven’t yet heard of the concept of a community fridge then I’m sure that will change in the coming weeks and months. It’s an idea that’s gaining a lot of interest across the UK, as communities are trying … Read More

Have you heard of the Incredible Edible phenomenon? A food-inspired movement that originated in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, that has developed to over 100 groups in the UK and has spread globally as far as Canada and New Zealand. From small … Read More

The CAG Network Social is an annual opportunity for the network to get together, with wine, to celebrate all that we’ve achieved through the year, to learn from each other and share enthusiasm and ideas. There will be stalls from … Read More

By Peter Lefort, co-founder of the CAG Project’s The Oxford Food Surplus Cafe, and Country Manager for Eden Project Communities.   One of the hardest things about local action on climate change, in my experience, is making a global issue … Read More

Have you heard about the proposal put forward by Oxfordshire County Council to disband the current council structure to create a single unitary council? It’s important to have your say in the debate which will affect the future of the … Read More

Since 2006 SESI have been helping people cut out the plastic by producing and supplying their own organic, fair-trade and local food and detergents. So far, they have refilled an astonishing 40,000 plastic bottles just in Oxford. Cultivate stock local, … Read More

The newly named Oxford Green Week is back and will run from Saturday 17 to Sunday 25 June. Previously known as Low Carbon Week, this annual festival encourages creativity, culture and community to inspire people to take action on climate … Read More

2016 was a busy year for the CAG Network. Check out our infographic illustrating what everyone’s amazing work has contributed to:  

Community Action Group, Sustainable Blewbury, had a busy year in 2016! Here is just a glimpse of what the group got up to. The Mike Edmunds Community Orchard kicked into action on Tickers Folly Field, they continued with Hedge-laying for … Read More

Can you help make Barracks Lane Community Garden even better? The trustees of Barracks Lane Community Garden are asking you to give your thoughts, suggestions and ideas for the future of the garden. They will be holding a meeting to … Read More

The CAG project is really pleased to welcome Incredible Edible Oxford as the newest member of the network. Inspired by the global Incredible Edible movement, which started in Todmorden, the group are active in Oxford creating edible spaces and engaging … Read More

The CAG Project is working with 4 “Low Carbon” Community Action Groups (CAGs) in the East Oxford area to help “power down” neighbourhoods through a thermal imaging project. Thermal imaging is a powerful tool for engagement to help people understand … Read More

The CAG Project is excited to launch The Resource Community Impacts Tool (ResourceCIT), an easy to use online tool which supports community groups to monitor the effect of over 120 different activities, from tree planting and swap shops to bike … Read More

This week the CAG Project welcomes a new addition to the team with Beth McAllister joining as Project Officer. Beth has a background in communications and marketing, most recently as the Marketing Coordinator for Pegasus Theatre and Communications Coordinator with … Read More

As 2016 draws toward a close, it is time to celebrate the successes of the CAG Project. Currently there are 58 active groups in the CAG Network, spread across the county, working on a huge range of activities from swap … Read More

Rose Hill & Iffley Low Carbon group’s Project ERIC has won Residential Building Energy Project of the Year at the Energy Awards 2016, which were announced last week in London. Project ERIC (Energy Resources for Integrated Communities) is a pioneering smart local energy system … Read More

This December, Cultivate are partnering with their fellow Earth Trust Farm Step tenants to present a series of festive feast ideas, showing the local community that their festive meals can easily be sourced entirely from local producers. Oxford is a … Read More

The CAG Skill Share 2016 on the 12th of November was a major success, with over 90 people attending over the course of the day from CAGs, Oxfordshire based community groups and groups from as far away as Devon! The … Read More

By Jack Pritchard of Rose Hill & Iffley Low Carbon Group The seasons are turning: we have days of fireworks and poppies, of squirrels skittish on ripe conkers, and clock-hours turning back. I worry about the bees. As I walk, … Read More

We are excited to announce the full workshop details for The CAG Skill Share 2016. The event will take place on Saturday the 12th of November from 10.00 to 17.30. The day will be full of opportunities to learn new … Read More

A community orchard for Blewbury – dream becomes reality by John Ogden of Sustainable Blewbury  The idea of community orchards was put forward in 1992 by the charity Common Ground and since then the idea has taken off across Britain. Blewbury’s … Read More

The first open Loneliness Workshop, held by Eden Project Communities and supported by Oxford Hub and the CAG Project, took place on Wednesday 19 October. The session was a great success, and created some really insightful discussion around how we … Read More

  Low Carbon West Oxford is looking for a confident, creative, engaging and dynamic person to take initiative and lead it’s carbon cutting work in West Oxford and beyond. LCWO Lead Programme Manager Hours: 18 hours per week  (spread of … Read More

Incredible Edible Oxford, a volunteer- led CAG of locals planting edibles in parks and encouraging others to do so in their own spaces city-wide, has just launched a new series of community courses in the city. The courses will be … Read More

Opinion piece by Hugh Osborn of Sustainable Blewbury CAG The Blewbury Energy Initiative of Sustainable Blewbury strongly support smart metering to provide consumers with accurate bills and monitoring, and to enable the optimisation of smart grids with local electricity generation and … Read More

Rose Hill & Iffley Low Carbon were lucky enough to host the former editor of The Guardian newspaper at the Rose Hill Community on Thursday 29 September to encourage people to take a stand on climate change. Alan Rusbridger who … Read More

The CAG Project is recruiting for a new team member. This is an excellent opportunity to support one of the largest networks of its kind in the UK, at the forefront of community led climate change action. We are looking for … Read More

Local architecture and design Co-op, Transition by Design, has applied to Toe2 Oxfordshire for a grant to bring pedal power to CAGs across the network. ‘Pedal powered Rose Hill’ aims to bring a pedal powered cinema and sound system to … Read More

by Robin Morris (on behalf of Low Carbon East Oxford) The Low Carbon East Oxford study on fuel poverty in Oxford was included in the Chesshire Lehman report, Understanding Fuel Poverty. We were at the report launch at the House … Read More

From Richard at East Oxford Farmers Market: This year we are celebrating an incredible ten years of East Oxford Farmers’ and Community Market. After starting out with six stalls on Manzil Way back in 2007 the market has gone from … Read More

From Jo Harvey at Sustainable Wantage We have been running a project with Oxfordshire Learning Network to fund tutors to deliver training at the Mix. We are pleased to announce that they have recently offered to carry on funding the … Read More

From Linda Brawn at Greening Chinnor:   In May we held our AGM and I thought it would be interesting to share with you how far we have come since Greening Chinnor started in 2011. We are a small core … Read More

Orinoco is a small but popular charity, based in Oxford, committed to reuse and to providing interesting and unusual materials for children, adults, students, playgroups, schools and other organisations for creative projects. They collect clean waste from local businesses and sell … Read More

The outcome of last week’s referendum has left many wondering how leaving the EU will impact on the country’s commitment to tackling climate change. The CAG Project has compiled a news round-up giving a few different perspectives and opinions on … Read More

Rose Hill and Iffley are on the brink of an energy revolution. On 3 June, we moved a bit closer to our goal of a zero-carbon community when forty people attended a film and discussion evening at Rose Hill Community Centre. … Read More

The Community Action Group (CAG) Project scooped up four awards out of 16 shortlisted entries at the 2016 Oxfordshire Community Voluntary Action (OCVA), Charity and Community Awards. The awards ceremony, held on the 11th of May at the Oxford Town Hall, … Read More

Over the last few years, the scandal of food waste has rightfully moved from the periphery and into the mainstream. From Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s prime-time War on Waste TV show to France’s trail-blazing legislation banning super markets from binning unsold food – the chorus … Read More

The CAG Project’s Peter Lefort attended The Ecomodernism Debate at the Oxford University Centre for the Environment on Friday 15 January. In 2015 The Ecomodernism Manifesto was launched by a diverse collection of academics, authors and other environmental authorities. Their … Read More

By Henry Owen, CAG Project Officer It’s that time of year again, with the evenings drawing in and the clocks about to change, when I start pull on an extra jumper in the evening and think about putting the heating on. … Read More

CAG Project Manager Peter Lefort shares his thoughts on the Friction Talks evening with George Monbiot and Rewilding Scotland   On Wednesday 11 November, George Monbiot appeared at East Oxford’s independent cinema the Ultimate Picture Palace to deliver a talk … Read More

Saturday 21 November 2015 saw an amazing coming together of individuals and groups from across Oxfordshire as well as further afield, including Bristol and Birmingham, to learn and share a huge variety of skills and ideas. To ensure that these … Read More