The swifts are back! These delightful harbingers of spring and summer have returned to the skies over Leek, with reliable reports of sightings (plus the sound of their distinctive scream) coming from Haregate and several other locations.
Although hugely appreciated by us, they are not the only indicators of a rosier picture in the Moorlands. As we report in our articles elsewhere, there have been many positive developments locally, some already in train, some in the pipeline and some potential opportunities (we hope not mirages) for the future.
On the Energy front, the encouraging news is that parts of Leek have been mentioned as a possible target in a government consultation on Heat Network Zoning, which simply put could provide a community heating system for houses in tightly packed terraced streets. We have also been asked to take part in a consultation on barriers to community energy projects, so please contact our Energy team (
In addition to the swifts overhead, there has been a lot of activity on the ground in conservation and biodiversity circles, not least the progress of our Nature in your Neighbourhood project, which will have its official launch at our HuG Green Arts Festival on 22 June.
The intrepid Sally Perry, our Sustainable Consumer coordinator, is continuing to sign up Plastic Free Champions, despite having already reached official ‘plastic free’ status for Leek, and Mike Jones, our Repair Café coordinator, is taking the Cafés on tour to Cheadle and Warslow in May and August.
In addition to having more fruitful conversations with County Council officers, the Transport team is gaining traction in our campaign to promote and support Moorlands Connect, which will shortly be expanding the area that it covers and introducing a special summer service, to run on Sundays between Leek and Buxton. If you haven’t had a chance to do so already, please take part in our survey on the service, even if you haven’t used it. We want to know why it’s not being used or what the barriers are.
Last but not least, the Youth Action team has been busy running their Spring Art competition and all the entries are now in. The results will be announced in a ceremony at HuG. We’re looking forward to seeing the wonderful artwork from our creative young people.