Transition Southampton believes in a positive, sustainable, community imagined future. We work with local communities, organisations and local governments to create positive, sustainable, community-based solutions that tackle climate change and energy scarcity. We are part of the international Transition Network, and have a range of active and past projects across food, energy, waste, transport and the built environment, including our long-running Repair Cafes (see below.)
Some of Our Projects
Our current projects include Repair Cafe, Growing Places and Composting projects. We’ve run various projects and events over the years including our Open Homes Weekends. Check out the full list here and get in touch you’re like to get involved or have an idea you would like support with, by emailing chair[at]transitionsouthampton[dot]org
Autumn Climate Gathering
We invite everyone who is concerned about climate change to the inaugural Autumn Climate Gathering – a gathering of people who want to make a difference. Saturday 25th November, 12:00pm – 3:30pm at October Books, 189 Portswood Road, SO17 2NF. The event is open to all individuals and groups around Southampton who are involved in working towards a greener, better Southampton and a better future for our beautiful planet. Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/6Hqs7tguMGFVUaMg7 There’s no agenda, it’s just an opportunity to gather, meet and share. Share our concerns (it’s been a difficult year!), share our successes, and share our hopes and dreams for a better future. So many groups around the city all work so hard, with little time and space to simply be together. So we wanted to create a space and open it up. Do come along, even if it’s just for an hour. We’ll have some drinks and a few nibbles. Feel free to bring a small edible contribution if you wish but it’s not expected or required. We look forward to gathering, sharing, and being together.
Repair Cafe News
Repair Cafes run regularly around the city: see full list of dates below. In an effort to reach more people in Freemantle and Shirley we have changed our schedule to alternate our new venue St James by the Park Parish Hall, 1 Colebrook Ave, S015 5NS with the current venue at Freemantle Baptist Church Hall, Testwood Rd, SO15 8RL. This is near Millbrook station, on the corner of Testwood Rd and Wasterhouse Lane. Look for the ‘Memorial Hall’ sign above the church. Map details: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ttbxs2vFqWyMgtTJ6
On the other side of the city the venue alternates between Immaculate Conception Church hall, Portswood Rd, SO17 3SB (the hall is behind the church and access to parking is off Belgrave Rd near its junction with Kent Rd) and St Denys Community Centre, Priory Rd, SO17 2JZ. Totton repair cafe continues, run by one of our volunteers – for more details see their facebook page.
All Repair cafes run from 10.30-13.00. Just turn up for repair or a cuppa! We welcome cash donations.
Upcoming dates in 2023-24
Dec 2 Freemantle Baptist
Dec 9 Totton
2024:
Jan 20 St Denys
Feb 3 Freemantle Baptist
Feb 17 Immaculate Conception and Totton
Mar 2 St James by Park
Mar 16 St Denys
Apr 6 Freemantle Baptist
Apr 20 Immaculate Conception and Totton
May 4 St James by Park
May 18 St Denys
June 1 Freemantle Baptist
June 8 Totton
June 15 Immaculate Conception
July 6 St James by Park
July 20 St Denys
Aug 3 Freemantle Baptist
August 17 Immaculate Conception and Totton
Sep 7 St James by Park
Sep 21 St Denys
Oct 5 Freemantle Baptist
Oct 19 Immaculate Conception and Totton
Nov 2 St James by Park
Nov 16 St Denys
December 7 Freemantle Baptist and Totton
For more on Southampton Repair Cafe see our Repair cafe page or our Blog about its history.
Blog: Could Southampton become one of the first National Park Cities?
STOP PRESS: Southampton (alongside Glasgow, Rotterdam and Breda in the Netherlands and Chattanooga in Tennessee USA, will join London and Adelaide, the only two cities to have already been given the accolade, on UN World Cities Day 31 Oct 2023!
Southampton is a unique city well known for its Maritime history, ancient walls and it’s pioneering in the fields of science and medicine. But Southampton’s natural heritage; our parks, the Common, green spaces, allotments, gardens, local nature reserves, and rivers are often undervalued. Learn more about Southampton National Park City on our Blog here.
Blog: From Gas Boiler to Air Source Heat Pump
If you’re curious about what’s involved in converting from a gas boiler to an Air Source Heat Pump, check out this fantastic write-up from one of our new contributors Richard, which has recently been updated 18 months after installation.
Imagine Southampton Film
What do you see when you imagine a better Southampton? Our new Imagine Southampton film harnesses the collective power of our community’s imagination to imagine a better future for our city and our communities.
Bitterne Park Growing Places
We’re repeating our successful community food growing project again this year, with a big seed giveaway in February. Watch this space for news of what’s next this year.
Imagine 2030 using the Transition Time Machine
See what people saw in 2030 when they travelled into the future. A full write-up is available on our Blog.
Gardening projects
Our green gardening consultancy program continues for those within walking distance of Portswood. Feedback from recipients has been uniformly positive – why not see if our volunteer ecologist’s advice could help your garden support wildlife. Our retro-fit “rat proof composting” research also continues. If you have rats in the garden and are interested in trialling a rat-proof bin or compost collar or live within walking distance of Portswood and would like a wildlife garden consultation see our Green Gardening Consultancy page.
Join a Southampton Group
If you’re looking to get involved with a local group there any many amazing environmental organisations around the city, some are listed here.