Live Simply Haslemere

Haslemere is a wonderful, interconnected web of people, plants and animals, and we often find ourselves giving thanks for living in a very special place! We have many opportunities to enjoy the beauties of the natural world and we can easily be lulled into thinking that “Nature is doing okay in our area” . In truth, the future of our environment, and with it our own food security and resilience in the face of extreme climate events is in jeopardy

*Probably, the most helpful thing we can do for local wildlife is to take time to observe and enjoy it!*

Have fun capturing the moment, on camera, in a quick note or recorded message, to share with others. If you dabble in any creative medium, sharing your joy and appreciation through such activities can be very rewarding personally. Sharing what you value also raises the profile of wildlife in the eyes of others, not least the policy makers whose decisions can make or break the town’s wildlife recovery plan.

Surrey’s Biodiversity Losses

•    972 species are currently under threat

•    626 species already extinct locally

•    56% of wildlife has shown a decreasing trend 1970 - 2013

•    43% decline of pollinators in urban area

When we venture outside, we can find  a great many plants, insects and animals but it tends to be the same few species we see over and over again! The State Of Nature 2023 highlights significant challenges facing biodiversity in Surrey: Like much of the UK, Surrey is witnessing a decline in wildlife. The average abundance has dropped by 19% since 1970 and nearly 1 in 6 species is at risk of extinction. Key drivers of this deterioration include habitat loss, intensive agriculture, climate change and urban devopment. Of particular concern are invertebrate populations, particularly pollinators like bees and moths, impacting ecosystem functions essential for human survival and agriculture.

We don’t have to go far to see wild creatures - in many cases we don’t have to go anywhere at all because they come to us in our gardens and streets. 

Our Gardens

Gardens cover a significantly larger area of the country than all the nature reserves put together, so they can play a vital part in enhancing biodiversity, climate resilience, rainwater harvesting and quality of water entering local streams.

Every living creature needs food, water and shelter for survival. The more we can supply of these vital resources in our gardens the better! Besides pollinating our crops and floral displays, insects form the main food source for many other creatures which are in turn predated by those higher up the food chain. This makes the decline in insect diversity and numbers a particular concern. Even if we have room for just a window box or pot, we can play a part in providing food for pollinators by maintaining a seasonal display of flowers in it, along with a saucer of water. If we have more space, we can provide a range of suitable plants - diversity is more helpful than numbers of blooms because different plants attract different species. Water is particularly important - the more the merrier but every little helps!

A particular problem for wildlife is the fragmentation of habitats when development blocks off a species' route to other feeding and mating areas. Biodiversity groups in the town and local environmental charities are coming together to address this problem and are seeking the help of local landowners and gardners to create 'wildlife corridors' to link areas of habitat. Examples are neighbours creating 'hedge-hog highways'  by making hedgehog sized holes in perimeter fences or tunnels under walls and cement fence bases, complementing the wildlife-friendly offers of adjoining properties in the garden's planting and features.

Beyond the Garden Wall

In the town and beyond, volunteers are creating 'bee-lines' - sowing wildflowers along roadside verges and in 'pocket-parks', restoring or widening open strips along rivers and streams, and restoring areas of heathland. Haslemere Biodiversity Group, along with partnering groups and charities, are working on several exciting projects to bring back key species which once flourished here but have not been sighted in many years. If you would like to know more or get involved, check out:

https://haslemerebiodiversity.org.uk/about/

There are several local conservation groups that would welcome volunteers: National Trust groups care for Blackdown, Shottermill Ponds, The Devil's Punchbowl, many local commons, including Hindhead, Bramshott, Witley and Milford, and Ludshott. 

myvolunteering - National Trust

Southdowns National Park

Volunteering in the South Downs - South Downs National Park Authority

At Lynchmere, Cow Club cares for the animals that provide essential grazing of the Lynchmere Commons nature reserve.

Volunteer Cow Lookers – Lynchmere Community Grazing

Autumn 2025 produced a bumper crop of acorns. Many of us, having an oak in the garden, must have puzzled over what to do with them all!  Of course, few of them will actually grow to maturity.. Many that do receive insufficient water and nutrients, these quickly perish. Imagine, though, what a mighty forest would grow from our oak, if each acorn was planted, fed and watered!

In January, just like the acorn abundance in autumn, our ‘ground’ is littered with resolutions made and rapidly abandoned! If we just slow down, plant and foster one small resolution each to contribute to the community future we would like to see, here in Haslemere, we CAN make a difference! In this post, we will suggest a few small initiatives in the town to which we might contribute. Then, by way of encouragement, we’ll explore some of the ways initiatives set in motion by individuals and small groups have significantly influenced public awareness and behaviour regarding climate change. 

First, though, a couple of tips on how to approach a resolution to play our part in tackling climate change: Living simply should be just that - simple! We’re unlikely to persevere with anything that requires major effort, or that is not integrated into our established routines. Here, habits play a crucial role in sustaining efforts against climate change by taking on the heavy lifting. Once having made the decision to incorporate an action, we don’t have to think about it. Soon, it becomes easier to do than not. 

We need to start small. It’s daunting to make several changes, or too big a change, in one go! Build confidence and momentum by adding intended habits one at a time. When the first has become second nature, add another, and so forth.

Surrounding ourselves with like-minded individuals can do wonders for motivation and encouragement, so check out green initiatives in the town to which you might contribute.

A few ways to engage with like-minded townsfolk

•     Volunteer with one of the Love Haslemere. Hate Waste initiatives

•    Use or contribute to the Community Fridge

•    Pop in to the Community Coffee Morning at the Community Fridge, Pathways Community Pavilion, Fieldway, Haslemere, 11am to 1pm, every 2nd Saturday

•    Support the Food Bank

•    Join a Litter Pick

•    Subscribe to Transition Haslemere’s newsletter, or go along to ‘Green Drinks’ discussions on  1st Thursday of the month at the Mill Tavern, 7.30pm

•    Help to tend the community orchard and share in its harvests/ apple pressing, etc...

•    Subscribe to the Haslemere Biodiversity Group newsletter and join in their discussions and activities

•    Join Wey Hill in Bloom volunteers

•    Subscribe to Surrey Wildlife Trust newsletters

•    Respond to polls from the Active Travel Group and share with them your hopes and experiences of the town in this regard

•    Look out for green events to attend on the Haslemere Museum Programme

•    Follow local groups on social media, including the Live Simply Haslemere Calendar, to keep abreast of what’s happening

Here, by way of encouragement, are a few examples of small starts that have grown to have big impacts:

 1. Plastic Bag Bans

Initiative: Some communities began by implementing small-scale bans on plastic bags, often starting with local retailers.

Impact: These bans led to widespread awareness of plastic pollution. Over time, many areas adopted similar policies, significantly reducing plastic waste and inspiring businesses to offer eco-friendly alternatives.

2. Community Recycling Programs

Initiative: Local communities organised recycling initiatives, starting with simple educational campaigns or neighbourhood collection points.

Impact: As these programmes expanded, they promoted conscious waste management practices. Increased community participation in recycling has led to substantial reductions in landfill waste and fosters a culture of sustainability.

3. Plant-Based Eating Campaigns

Initiative: Local organisations and online platforms launched campaigns encouraging people to try meatless meals, often through events like "Meatless Mondays."
 
Impact: As participants spread the word and shared experiences, these initiatives have fostered broader acceptance of plant-based diets. Restaurants & food outlets have massively increased their plant-based offerings and supermarkets report that these are their fastest growing lines. This shift has led many to explore sustainable eating habits, ultimately decreasing meat consumption and its environmental impact.

4. Urban Gardening and Community Farms

Initiative: Small community gardens began in urban settings to promote local food production and green space.

Impact: These gardens have transformed neighbourhoods, improving local biodiversity and food security while encouraging residents to engage with sustainable practices. Many communities have expanded these initiatives into larger urban farms, leading to a cultural shift regarding local produce.

5. Climate Strikes and Activism

Initiative: The Fridays for Future movement started with a single teenager, Greta Thunberg, skipping school to protest climate inaction.

Impact: This small act sparked a global movement, inspiring millions of students to join climate strikes. It fuelled public discussion around climate policy, significantly increasing pressure on governments to take action.

6. Renewable Energy Co-ops

Initiative: Community-led renewable energy cooperatives began as small groups pooling resources to install solar panels.

Impact: As more residents become involved, these initiatives help democratise access to energy, encourage local investment in renewable technologies, and raise awareness of the environmental benefits of clean energy.

7. Bike Share Programs

Initiative: Some communities introduced small-scale bike-sharing systems to encourage cycling as a mode of transport.

Impact: These schemes have grown substantially, promoting healthier lifestyles and reducing reliance on cars. In some places, they have led to increased investments in cycling infrastructure and contributed to a cultural shift toward sustainable transport.

We invite you to take a fresh look at Haslemere as the destination for discovering a range of unusual and planet-friendly gifts. Try, if possible, to walk or cycle to the shops, or to leave the car at home and take the bus. That way, you will not only reduce your carbon footprint, but also avoid the aggravations of struggling to find a parking space or the constraints of getting back to the car before the ticket runs out. You will have time to pop into shops you have never explored before and experience the more unaccustomed pleasure of friendly, personal service. You will have more leisure to take time out from shopping and take refreshment in one of the town's many cafés. Supporting our local traders is vital for a sustainable and resilient community, as well as being more fun!

We will start our tour of the shops in West Street. At Carlo Independent Italian Restaurant & Delicatessen, you can purchase gift tokens for the restaurant and Italian Christmas hampers.

Between the Lines is part of a high street chain, and it is encouraging to see many attractive gifts that are made in the UK from sustainable resources and are bio-degradable or recyclable. 

Gallery Thirteen is a great place to discover the work of local artists and find unique art and craft gifts, many of which are produced in the studio on the premises, with much thought given to sustainability in the production process and packaging.

Sass & Spirit is an independent lifestyle, gifts and homewares store, stocked with a bountiful, eclectic mix of products, with a preference for eco-friendly products where available.

Turning left into the High Street, we quickly come to Haslemere Bookshop.  Here, you will find lovingly selected books to suit all ages and interests. If, and when, you feel ready to pass them on, you can sell them back to the second-hand department upstairs. Better still, you may find the ideal gift in the pre-loved section!

On the other side of the road, the Museum Shop and Scope Shop are often the source of sustainable stocking fillers. 

Between the last two shops is Curated Living, specialising in quirky, unique and luxurious products for home and lifestyle, fron authentic vintage to contemporary finds. By nature of the eclectic collection, products are sourced from all over the world. For many products, air miles are balanced balanced by pre-loved, long-lived vintage and durable, eco-friendly hand-crafted items made from natural materials.

Although we are not covering clothes shops in this article, we should probably mention Plum, which sells pre-loved and new designer clothing, where you may find an extra-special outfit for a loved one, helping your purse and the planet.

(If you are looking for pre-loved gifts or sustainable greetings cards, do check out the Cancer Research Shop on Petworth Road and the Tantum Trust Shop, 2c High Street.)

At the other end of the High Street, in Raymond Reid Photo, you can purchase gift vouchers for a wide range of photo services, including fun ways to creatively transform photos and printing on a range of items - mugs, jigsaws, slates, canvases, toys, etc., creating unique gifts.

Back on the car-park side, Notte Della Villa, a vintage and antique shop, is a very sustainable business that uses eco-friendly materials to restore and update pre-loved items. 

Marley Flowers takes orders for the delivery of flowers anywhere in the UK, from local florists. There are several eco-friendly options. Flowers are wrapped in paper, not cellophane. The little shop is full of planted arrangements, gifts and, particularly at Christmas and Easter, artisan chocolates from the UK and Belgium.

On the corner of High Street and Lower Street, you will find Rock 'N' Shards, specialising in Gems, Glass, Jewellery and Gifts. There are sustainable choices, e.g., avoiding mined gems, choosing glass over plastic, and jewellery made with English silver.

At 13a Lower Street, is Party Arty, which runs classes and workshops for children and adults. You can buy gift vouchers for these sessions, resourced with eco-friendly materials - a lovely gift to inspire a new hobby?

Right out on Hindhead Road, next door to Shottermill Club, is Past & Present. It’s a bit of a jaunt from the High Street, but not to be missed! This small shop is packed with lovely gifts, selected  with a preference for those that are sustainably sourced and packaged.

Left till last, but certainly not least, are two Haslemere florists who do not have a physical presence in the town but create flower bunches, arrangements and displays with locally-grown flowers:

Bunch Lane Florist prioritises sustainability and works with local growers and home-grown flowers, to prepare simple, natural-looking bunches, arranged in vintage glass vases.  Events, Bouquets, Farewell Flowers, Christmas Wreaths. https://www.bunchlane.com/

The Random Florists offer seasonal door wreaths, garlands and table decorations, hanging decorations and installations, and unique bouquets of fresh flowers that are homegrown or sourced locally wherever possible  https://www.therandomflorist.co.uk/index.php

We are blessed in Haslemere to have so many independent businesses, committed to the town and eager to do what they can to support its sustainability in what are very challenging conditions for retailers. Please support them!