You say tomato I say Get It Out!!

A can of tomatoes donated through the Get It Out For Cardiff Scheme has been tracked from donation point to a family in need.

The Get It Out For Cardiff re-use scheme set up 20 end of term Green Zones across the city’s student halls of residences and Unions. The Green Zones comprised of a collection for the YMCA Housing Association, Food for FareShare Cymru and Kitchen equipment for storage at Cardiff Self Storage and re-sale at the start of term with proceeds to charity.

Kieran McCann and Lucy Prisk GIOFC re-use organisers

These compliment the newly installed YMCA HA re-use banks and now Cylch Wales Community Recycling Network whose members include FareShare Cymru and YMCA HA have been tracking a can of tomatoes from a student kitchen, via a donation green zone in a hall of residence, through the FareShare Cymru depot and on to Foodbank Cardiff.

The can was destined to end up in the hands of one of Foodbanks volunteers who gave it out along with a crate of other food donated through Get It Out to people in extreme food poverty or homelessness.

Get it Out for Cardiff is the Cardiff Council initiative in association with Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan and Glamorgan University which helps students to clear out their rubbish at the end of the academic year. The aim is to re-use and recycle as much of it as possible utilising Green Zones and YMCA HA re-use banks.

The zones and banks are located around partner organisations; Cardiff University, Cardiff Students Union, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Glamorgan University, Liberty Living and Victoria Halls.

Already over 7 tonnes of material has been donated and saved from landfill through the YMCA HA, 384 kilos of food was donated to FareShare Cymru and the kitchen equipment is being sorted ready to smash last years re-sale target for the start of term which last year raised £780 for the Lord Mayor’s charity. The final totals will be known at the start of term.

Get It Out For Cardiff is a Keep Cardiff Tidy partnership. The re-use campaign is lead by the city’s Student Liaison Officer, Kieran McCann and Lucy Prisk from waste management. Kieran Get It Out organiser said:

“To see the process and end result of our student donations benefiting vulnerable members of our local communities is a joy. This really showcases ongoing partnership commitments to civic pride and dedications to re-use. Thank you to all who kindly donated and to all our partners for making this such a huge success”

The photos track the can from a Local store, brought by students but unused in their Student kitchen to a door step donation from Students to Get It Out Volunteers and into one of 20 Green Zones set up for the campaign. From the Green Zone FareShare cardboard boxes it is collected by Get It Out For Cardiff organisers and taken to FareShare warehouse, where it is sorted into crates with other emergency supplies for families for delivery to Foodbank. Foodbank on Cryws Road Baptist Church then distributed via a voucher system to those in need.


All photos credited to Kath Hilsden, Girl About Cardiff.




Megan David, Community and Welfare Sabbatical Officer at Cardiff Student’s Union said: “It is really great to see the success of the “Get It Out For Cardiff” scheme achieved by the help and the donations of students across Cardiff. Cardiff Students Union is very proud to be part of a local project, benefiting the lives of members of the community which also highlights the importance of sustainability”

Megan David and fellow housemates donating food

Campaign information including pin point google maps of the locations of the Green Zones and YMCA banks can be founds via the website:

http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/getitout.htm

For more information contact Kieran McCann kmccann@cardiff.gov.uk
All photos credited to Kath Hilsden, Girl About Cardiff.

Tackling Doorstep Crime

Cardiff Council’s Trading Standards team is campaigning to raise awareness of doorstep crime, rogue trader and distraction burglaries throughout Cardiff.

Doorstep criminals use a variety of tactics to deceive residents to get into their homes. They frequently claim to be from the water board, an electricity company, local council or other organisations and they will try to pressurise or confuse the person who answers the door. Often they may carry an official looking Photo-ID, and wear an official looking jacket or overall.

Rogue traders are also just as likely to knock on the door without any warning as they are to be invited to the home. The key way to identify a rogue trader is the way they devise their contracts, or rather, the things they fail make clear in them. Critically, any contract concluded at residents’ homes legally has to have cancellation rights provided in writing; a failure to do this is a criminal offence. Similarly, a failure to offer a reasonable price constitutes a banned practice under Trading Standards legislation.

Most worryingly, many rogue traders approach home-owners by offering to do regular maintenance work; this work is often entirely unnecessary, and the trader can even cause damage that wasn’t there before.

In the case of distraction burglaries - a crime often linked to rogue trading - whilst the home-owner is at the door, an accomplice may be entering the premises elsewhere, quickly searching for cash and small valuables they can sell on. In other cases, the distraction can even lure the homeowner away from specific rooms whilst the criminals carry out their theft.

Cabinet Member Councillor Lynda Thorne, who is responsible for Housing, Communities and Social Justice in Cardiff, said: “Tackling cold callers and putting a stop to these truly despicable doorstep crimes is a key priority for this administration and, on a personal level, something I feel very strongly about.  “These are calculated crimes carried out by unscrupulous people who are only interested in making a profit, quite literally at the expense of others.”

“The price that is paid by those who have been targeted by door step criminality is not just limited to financial loss but also includes emotional trauma and scarring, which can be equally if not more difficult to address. Everyone can do their bit to help and we would therefore encourage communities to work with us on this.

Keeping an eye out for neighbours and loved ones, particularly if they are elderly or vulnerable, and reporting any suspicious activity to us won’t cost you a thing but it may well help to save someone from losing their life-savings or suffering the emotional pain of becoming a victim.”

Trading Standards recommends the following tips to avoid the Rogue Traders:

Before they knock at the door:

· Consider setting up a password with your utility suppliers

· Trading Standards and South Wales police support a 'Nominated Neighbour' scheme whereby vulnerable members of the community can nominate a neighbour who will check the callers' identity and then return with the caller

· Consider installing a wireless intercom with a Bogus Caller Button or Pendant Buttons with the Community Alarm Service at Cardiff Council

· Do not be afraid to chain your door or speak to caller while your door is locked

· If in doubt, keep them out

When they knock at the door:

· Be wary of any business literature that only gives a mobile phone number. They are difficult to trace

· ID Cards are very easy to fake on a computer. Use a phone number from the telephone directories or directory enquires to see if the caller is genuine

· If you let someone in – stay with them at all times

· Never part with money, documents or other things whatever they say

· Get more than one estimate for work

· Official organisations usually write first. Have you had a letter?

· If you feel afraid, harassed, threatened or intimidated by a caller, call the Police on 999 straight away

Cardiff Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Ashley Govier added:

“Our strategy for tackling this issue is wide ranging and we intend to cut these criminals off from all angles and at all levels. By working with other agencies and the wider community we will make Cardiff a no-go area for the people involved in this type of crime.”

South Wales Police Detective Chief Supt, Stuart Mckenzie said: "The information the public provide us with is critical in the successful detection and prevention of such crimes. I would urge anyone who comes across such operators to contact the police so we can stop these people from profiting at the expense of innocent people.”

For more information, or to arrange a free informative talk for your community group,

contact Cardiff Trading Standards on 02920 872 059, or Tradingstandards@cardiff.gov.uk

Cardiff Rivers Group 50th event

Cardiff Rivers Group undertook their 50th event on Saturday as they helped residents in Llanrumney collect litter and remove Himalyan Balsam from alongside the River Rhymney. Photos can be


15 volunteers travelled to East Cardiff to help local residents and Communities First tackle the vast swathes of invasive Hiamlayan Balsam that threatens the native species and wildlife. They also litter-picked the riverside path and all rubbish was disposed of by Cardiff County Council’s Parks Department. Communities First thanked the volunteers with refreshments and cakes to celebrate their great achievement!

Louise Tambini of Cardiff Rivers Group said, “Today, was a milestone event for Cardiff Rivers Group. When we started the group almost 3 years ago, we did not know how long we would last or what we would achieve, so I am absolutely delighted that we have reached our 50th event and are stronger than ever!

We held our AGM last week, which was very well attended and have events planned for the rest of the year. We now have over 270 volunteers on our database and are very active across Cardiff in a range of environmental activities. Other groups and organisations frequently request our help and we are only too happy to help out like-minded people. I really hope we are still here to celebrate our 100th event!”

Cardiff Rivers Group formed in 2009 as part of the ‘Tidy Towns’ project: a partnership between Keep Wales Tidy and Welsh local authorities. Funded by the Welsh Government it supports the people of Wales to improve the quality of their local environment.

Cardiff Rivers Group are always looking for new volunteers, so if you would like to lend a hand, please contact Louise Tambini on 07824 504790 or e-mail louise.tambini@keepwalestidy.org.

Photos from the event can be viewed here

More information on Cardiff Rivers Group and their activities can be found on http://www.cardiffriversgroup.blogspot.com/

Keep Wales Tidy is a registered Environmental Charity working for the improvement of the Welsh environment. Visit our website for more information; http://www.keepwalestidy.org/

cardiffdigs survey; two weeks remain

Thank you to those who have already completed the cardiffdigs survey we’ve had some great feedback which I’m very grateful for. There is only two weeks left to complete, with the chance to win an ipad:


http://www.surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/cardiffdigs/

It is essential that we get a good range of partners completing this survey so that I can spend time during August making amendments and updating the site.

Please complete the survey and let me know how we can improve the site, what information you think we are missing, what we can do better. Please be candid with your responses.

cardiffdigs.co.uk is a one stop website for student housing and living needs, addressing the needs of students and the community. The website is funded by a partnership made up of Cardiff Council with the three universities; Cardiff, Cardiff Metropolitan and Glamorgan.

Your feedback it greatly appreciated. On completion you can enter into the prize draw for the chance to win an ipad http://www.surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/cardiffdigs/

Thank you for your help

Writing Cardiff

Students from Cardiff University's Centre for Lifelong Learning have been attending a weekly creative writing course at The Cardiff Story Museum http://www.cardiffstory.com/

On Monday July 16th they will be reading examples of their work. Come along to hear poetry, short prose pieces and dramatic monologues: stories about Cardiff, tracing its development from a coal port to a tourist destination, and its rich cultural history.

Free Event
Monday 16th July 2.30pm

Cardiff Cycle Challenge is back

Register for Cardiff Cycle Challenge – cycle for as little as 10 minutes to win a £500 bike, hot air balloon ride, luxury spa day and many more prizes!

Cardiff Cycle Challenge is back and we’d like to invite you all to take part. If you haven’t cycled for years, don’t worry, you can cycle for as little as 10 minutes and you don’t have to cycle to work – any journey by bike counts!

The Cycle Challenge is a FREE and EXCITING 3 week competition to see which workplace can get the most staff cycling from 2 – 22 July. There are a host of prizes for new and existing cyclists that are being given away – win a £500 bike, hot air balloon ride, luxury spa day and more! There will also be try-a-bike sessions so that you can take part if you don’t have your own bike

It takes just 2 minutes to register. Go to http://www.cardiffcyclechallenge.org.uk/, click Register, then enter your details. (It you took part last year, you don’t need to register again.)

If you ride a bike for the first time in a year or encourage someone else to you can win a Cineworld cinema ticket. They’re giving away 200 tickets!

Get registered and ready to get pedalling on 2 July. It’s all about which department can get the most people taking part. Best of luck!

For more information, visit http://www.cardiffcyclechallenge.org.uk/

Cheryl Owen
Travel Plan Officer
http://www.keepingcardiffmoving.co.uk/
chowen@cardiff.gov.uk

Get It Out For Cardiff is Back with a Bang

Thank you to South Wales Echo who ran this story through their Go Green pages:


The award-winning recycle and re-use scheme, Get It Out for Cardiff (GIOFC) is back for its 8th year and off to a flying start http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/getitout.htm

Get it Out for Cardiff is the Cardiff Council initiative in association with Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan and Glamorgan University which helps students to clear out their rubbish at the end of the academic year. The aim is to re-use and recycle as much of it as possible utilising three re-use schemes.

The final extra recycling and waste collections in Cathays, Roath and Gabalfa will take place this weekend on Saturday 30th July.

In an exciting new partnership, GIOFC has teamed up with the YMCA who are providing re-use banks at key campus and hall of residence sites to collect clothes, shoes, bags, textiles, small electrical items, books, CD’s/DVD’s at the end of term and all year round, an important first for GIOFC.

This is underlined by the fact that these new banks have already collected over 4 tonnes of reusable items since they were installed in April. The items collected will be used by the YMCA to directly reinvest in projects and services for homeless people at the Cardiff YMCA Housing Association.

21 Green Zones are in operation across the city university sites where people can donate clothing, food (tins, packets, jars etc), small electrical items, books, CD’s, DVD’s and kitchen items (plates, mugs, utensils, pans etc) Any food collected will be re-distributed by Fareshare Cymru to relieve food poverty in our communities.

Kitchen items collected will be stored over the summer by our partners Cardiff Self Storage and sold at the start of term at heavily discounted prices with all proceeds going to charity.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Ashley Govier said, “GIOFC is a fantastic and innovative campaign run by a highly committed partnership team. Through this scheme, we work closely with Cardiff’s universities to give students a great opportunity to recycle, reuse and dispose of their waste in a responsible manner while making a valuable contribution to their communities and charities through our partners, Fareshare Cymru and the YMCA.

“The fact that the YMCA collection banks will be in place all year allows everyone to donate a wide range of items that may have ended up in landfill. Everyone benefits from this scheme and it’s excellent so much has been collected already, a record-breaking year could well be on the cards. The whole community can play an important part in making Cardiff a cleaner, greener and more sustainable city.”

Student Liaison Officer and GIOFC organiser, Kieran McCann said, “Over 4 tonnes is an amazing start to our campaign, thank you to all our partners who have been tirelessly promoting the Get It Out charity collections, hosting green zones and re-use banks, to the YMCA team for all their hard work collecting and especially a thank you to all the students and local residents who have been so generous with their donations”.