Sharing and Caring in Sutton

What a week! Some of the hottest days on record and the London Fire Brigade had to deal with fires all across London. It’s been tough for everyone and especially those people who had to brave the heat and work outside like bus drivers, refuse collectors, police officers and firefighters. Our thanks to all of you.

These extreme temperatures and wildfires show that now is the time to act on climate change. At Sutton Council, we are committed to tackling the climate emergency. Taking action on climate change is one of our priorities underpinning everything we do as a council. That’s why we introduced Sutton’s new Library of Things which officially opened yesterday at Sutton Central Library. The Library of Things has lots of useful items to help with cleaning, DIY, gardening and cooking. Once you’ve finished with the item, you return it for someone else to use and, by borrowing rather than buying, you’ll be helping us all reduce our environmental footprint, minimise waste and save yourself money. 

The Sutton Library of Things is just one of many ways you can help to make our borough greener. Two new Repair Cafes in Cheam and Carshalton are being set up by local volunteers to give old items a longer lifespan, and our Environment Champions group meets regularly to bring together anyone locally who is interested in improving their environment. If you care about Sutton's beautiful green spaces, then many of our Parks have active Friends groups which help us to look after them, plus our Biodiversity team welcomes volunteers to support our conservation efforts through the Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers group. Whatever you can do, each small step helps make our borough cleaner, greener and more sustainable. 

The Library of Things was funded through the Council’s Neighbourhood Fund. This is a dedicated pot of money that is used solely for making improvements that benefit the local community. If you have an idea for a project, or know of a community group of charity that might, there are still a few days left to apply for money - visit our application page to get started. 

However you choose to make a difference, even the smallest actions can help us to build a greener future for Sutton and for each other. 

Councillor Ruth Dombey