Working to reduce single use plastic in Ruislip
Want something fun to do in the half term break ?
We are hosting a super cool workshop for 12 – 16 year olds.
Tuesday May 28th 1pm – 4pm
Hosted by Dr.D aka Dr.d – Subvertiser
Aerosol paint and sharp knives will be supplied*
Tickets need to be purchased in advance, either in store or online
This is back by popular demand, so we encourage you to book up quickly as spaces are limited.
*An adult will need to sign a disclaimer/permission slip before Teens will be let lose
The Duck Pond Collective shop has now been open since April 2nd and it’s just fantastic. In the last 6 weeks we have created the most incredible community space – consisting of three parts.
1. The retail incubator – a pop up shop of locally, ethically and sustainably made products, paying a small fee and commission on anything they sell – all profit going back into the Sustainable Ruislip project.
2. The environmental education zone – a place to engage, discuss, and find meaningful changes at home and at work to benefit our planet.
3. The Workshop Area – a meeting and workshop space open to all – with low cost workshops and our calendar gaining momentum every day!
The response has been amazing. It’s emotional to discuss the scary state the world is in, but our wonderful team of people, most of whom didn’t know each other in February have all bonded and developed and the creativity is just outstanding.
Please take a look at our Insta feed for a picture diary..
https://www.instagram.com/theduckpondcollective/
Please pop into the shop if you’re local. We have so much to tell you. Our government are the first in the world to declare a climate emergency, which is terrifying, but positive that we are now working to slow it down… (can someone tell Trump?)
Part of our vision is to acquire funding to enable us to build a wall of packaging free products – a refill store, eliminating more waste. Recycling isn’t an option – the only option now is to not create the waste in the first place. In the Atlantic sea there is a gyre slowly spinning, it’s packed with plastic and is growing every day and it’s TWICE THE SIZE OF FRANCE.
To move forward we need your views and words of encouragement, so that we can show this to potential investors, If you can take a moment to:
Comment below
Give us feedback, engage, spread the word – everything you do can make a difference.
We will then run on with it, fly the flag for Ruislip and keep this opportunity alive
Our Warmest (sustainable) Wishes
Alicia, Ali, Caron, Damon, Donna, Fran, Karen, Linda, Lucy & Samantha
Friday 17th May 7.30pm
STEP ONE: BUY YOUR TICKET
STEP TWO: BAG UP YOUR CLOTHES
They need to be in a bag that is clearly marked with your FULL name (we have a LOT of Clares coming)… if possible, please provide coat hangers, any spares are greatly appreciated.
We are looking for good quality, washed and ironed clothes, shoes and handbags in excellent condition (no stains or rips)
MAXIMUM of 30 items from each participant
STEP THREE: THE CLOTHES DROP!
Drop them any time between NOW, and 7.30pm on the night of the SWISH, to The Duck Pond Collective (TDPC) – 72 High Street, Ruislip HA4 7AA
#THESOONERTHEBETTER
STEP FOUR: ARRIVE AT TDPC STORE FOR 7.30PM
On the night please drop your clothes by 7.30pm at the latest. Our hosts will direct you to the Hop and Vine for a complimentary drink whilst our in store style guru sorts the clothes ready for the swap. No quibbles on banding, please ☺.
If you are likely to be uncomfortable with our decision we would ask that you hold onto your clothes.
Clothes will be sorted into three bands:
To keep a balance of style, please pack your bag with a maximum of:
30 CLOTHES IN TOTAL – No children clothes. You are welcome to bring men’s clothes
STEP FIVE: RETURNING TO THE SHOP
You’ll be given vouchers for each item that you have donated. The number of vouchers you get will relate to the clothes you have donated and which category they belong in.
When you look through the rails and find something you would like to take home, you hand over some of your vouchers and then, congratulations, you’ve just contributed to sustainability and that little item in your hands has found its new home. #adoptdontshop
Fast Fashion: 1 voucher
High Street: 3 vouchers
High End 5 vouchers
STEP SIX: AFTER THE EVENT
After the event we will be keeping a clothes swap rail in the store, so keep hold of left over vouchers and swap again in the future. (or collect your remaining items during the following week)
AWESOME EXTRAS…
SEAMSTRESS: There will be a seamstress in store on the night. Bring along those jeans or dress you brought and never turned up and they will alter them for a small fee.
UPCYCLER: Nina, our expert up cycler, will also be on hand to add sparkle to item that need a revival. We will have ribbons, buttons, leather and lace on hand – so please bring along plain t-shirts, or any items that could do with a quick revival, and Nina will turn them into something special for you
Thursday 23rd May 1-3pm
Upcycling workshop, incorporating feline-inspired Mindfulness training, cat wisdom-ergonomics, and a Pussycat Prosecco cocktail (or non-alcohol option) along with the upcycling tuition to create your first Wonky Cat.
Materials included – take your Wonkies home with you!
Skill requirement;
1. Basic sewing skills only – no knitting, its upcycling sweaters already in existence
2. Cat-ergonomics, Mindfulness training; no experience necessary
3. Cocktail management – able to hold glass without spilling!
£12 per person
Over 16s only
All profits from workshops will be going to Wonky Pet Rescue, who provide forever-home care for all sorts of rescue animals with physical, medical or psychological wonkyness.
Microsoft Excel Workshop / Drop in
Are you daunted by spreadsheets and don’t know where to start ?
Or
are you a more advanced user who wants to move to the next level ?
This session can help get you started with basic formulae and tables
or
some of the more complex functions like vlookups, pivot tables and charts.
You can also bring along your own spreadsheet for some help on a particular task .
Excel (or its free Google equivalent – Google Sheets) is a brilliant tool for calculating and tracking all types or numerical data – most obviously household expenses or small business accounts but can be daunting if you’ve never used it before.
NEXT WORKSHOP:
WEDNESDAY 22nd May 1-3pm
To get the most from this session, please book a ticket in advance*
(Please book at least 24 hours before)
Once you have booked Linda will contact you to understand what level of support you would like so she can best tailor the session.
If you are keen to have help, but cannot make this session, please fill in the form below:
Do you have a workshop idea?
Looking for somewhere to host your course?
To enquire about/book our community workshop space please download and complete:
Drop your form into the shop or email it back to us at:
We will then link you up with our Workshop Coordinator (volunteer)
STEP ONE: Is to register with Duck Pond Market, Please have a read through our Ethos and the Makers & Traders pages of the market website which hold all the information you require about the Brand.
Once you have done that, if you feel you fit the Duck Pond brand and wish to apply, please send through some photos of your products as well as info on how you can demonstrate the market ethos of locally, sustainably or ethically made/sourced products for our customers.
STEP TWO: This will then be sent to Caron (Duck Pond Market Owner) who will appraise your application. If successful, she will send it back to ‘The Duck Pond Collective Coordinator’ to send you more details about how the shop works and arrange moving into the shop.
NB: If you are already a trader with Duck Pond Market, please contact Caron directly to ask if you are eligible to sell in the shop, and she will introduce you to us to arrange moving dates.
Send your emails to:
Keep in in the loop of all things ‘Sustainable Ruislip’ & ‘The Duck Pond Collective’ by signing Up to our Newsletter HERE
We want you to help us decide how to spend the shop’s profits, recycling them to benefit our community.
Some ideas are: water fountains for refillable bottles and recycling bins for plastic.
We’d love to hear your ideas to encourage sustainability and a plastic free environment.
Also if you would like to see this shop a more permanent feature on the high-street and would like us to stock products that make it possible to shop with ‘zero waste’ in mind, refillable products etc, please let us know if you would be a customer.
What can Ruislip businesses do to help save the planet?
Good question!
Globally 5 to 13 million tonnes of plastics end up in our oceans, canals, lakes and rivers every year and it’s impossible to ignore the effects of single use plastic pollution on our environment, wildlife and health.
Blue Planet II on the BBC, the call for a deposit return system and the so-called ‘latte levy’ being recently debated in the Parliament has raised
awareness of the UK’s 25-year environmental plan, with a firm focus on tackling plastic waste.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is determined to reduce the use of single-use packaging across London – right now.
There’s tons we can do together locally to support these initiatives. ‘Plastic Free Ruislip’, a community group supported by the charity ‘Surfers Against Sewage’, is here to help you help the planet and take a step towards
becoming plastic free.
In Ruislip we’d like to see a reduction in single-use plastic such as
water bottles, plastic spoons and straws.
We are hoping to become amongst the first ‘Plastic Free’ communities in London.
Five single-use plastic items have been identified by ‘Surfers Against Sewage’
as easy to avoid, reduce the provision of,
or even eradicate across businesses large and small.
These are:
Plastic Cutlery
Plastic Straws and Stirrers
Single Serve Condiments
Soft Drink Bottles
Coffee Cups (including lids)
‘Plastic Free Ruislip’ are encouraging local business owners to ‘swap out’ three single-use plastic items and replace them with sustainable alternatives, which will slow the tide of plastic that is choking our water courses, reduce the effects of micro-plastics on our health and SAVE YOU MONEY!
Below is a list of companies who offer sustainable alternatives that don’t cost the Earth:
https://www.vegware.com/
http://www.packagingenvironmental.co.uk/
https://www.londonbiopackaging.com/
‘Surfers Against Sewage’ has created a number of Plastic Free projects to bring together communities, schools and businesses.
If we all take part we can create positive long lasting change to benefit everyone.
Please get in touch for more information or if you require any help in making changes.
We will be in touch with you in four weeks to see how you’re getting along!
We look forward to working with you.
Kind regards
Plastic Free Ruislip
