Alston Moor Partnership seeks to improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the residents of Alston Moor, largely through implementing the area’s community plan, which has a strong sustainability element running through it. As an isolated community, it is particularly important for residents to become as self sufficient as possible.

The Alston Moor Repair Café has proved very popular, encouraging people to come and get things fixed instead of going out and buying new – better for the environment and their pockets! It’s based in Alston Community Workshop in the Town Hall Annexe. The Community Workshop has really developed into something much bigger than just housing the Repair Cafe and is now a Community Interest Company (CIC).  It is an ‘umbrella’ organisation that incorporates the Repair Cafe, Men’s Shed and Busy Buddies groups (open to all over 18’s), and will also probably have the Alston Tool Library under its wing in a few months.  See further details under Alston Community Workshop.

The Partnership owns a thermal imaging camera and is working with Alston Community Workshop to develop a Warmer Homes on Alston Moor project to run over the winter months. Volunteers will be receiving training organised by CAfS to use the camera and understand how to read the results.  Local homes will be surveyed to find the cool spots and diagnose the problem and where possible offer a solution.  This will follow a similar programme to the Warmer Homes project in Ambleside, and we are very grateful for the support from Mike Green of Ambleside Action for a Future (AAFAF) who have been running the Ambleside project.

We previously had solar mapping done for Alston Moor and we plan to follow this with a Solar Made Easy project next year.

Anyone who would like to get involved in these or future projects is invited to get in touch.