Solar Together reopens in west Cheshire offering residents affordable renewable energy
The community-led solar panel initiative, Solar Together, is back open for the third year running in west Cheshire. Residents are able to join the group-buying scheme for solar panels and battery storage, helping homeowners to increase their independence from the national grid. 447 households in the borough have already benefited from having solar panels or batteries installed over the last two years. Sign up before the 17 October deadline for your free, no-obligation quote.
Guide to help schools develop a school climate action plan
A guide to help schools to develop a climate action plan, a requirement set out by the Department for Education, has been developed by the Council’s Climate Change Team. Creating a climate action plan will help to set out the steps schools are taking to meet climate targets, providing an opportunity for students and staff to understand more about the topic and open up discussions about developing green skills. It could also help reduce energy bills and prepare schools to deal with the negative effects of climate change, such as overheating.
Funding available for west Cheshire projects that tackle the Climate Emergency
Lots of local projects are live and fundraising on Cheshire West Crowd, with many projects put forward that are helping to improve the energy efficiency of properties or install renewable energy systems, such as solar panels or air source heat pumps. It’s not too late to get involved if you have a project that tackles the Climate Emergency by delivering quantifiable carbon benefits. The Climate Change emergency fund, worth £80,000, can provide capital investment for projects if they meet the funding criteria. The deadline to create your project, pass verification and launch your crowdfunding campaign is Friday, 26 September.
Have your say on walking, wheeling and cycling in Hartford, Weaverham, Frodsham, Helsby and Neston
Residents are being invited to share their views on how to improve walking, wheeling and cycling in Hartford, Weaverham, Frodsham, Helsby and Neston. The Council’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan wants to add improvements for these areas, and views are now invited to develop these plans to make active travel as easy and safe as possible. There are a number of drop-in sessions due to take place over the coming weeks or you can have your say online.
The Council is working with cycle trainers Bikeright to offer residents access to adult and family cycle training across the borough. The training will be tailored to suit your needs, whether you are a complete beginner or want to learn some more advance skills on your bike. Courses are available on a one-to-one basis with an instructor at a time and location that suits you. For family training, up to a maximum of six people can receive the training within your group.
Residents are being encouraged by the Council to build upon the borough’s excellent recycling rates by supporting communities to ‘recycle right’. The borough has one of the highest recycling rates in the country at over 59% but even more can be done to ensure the correct items are recycled. Specialist advisors will visit homes who have been identified as putting wrong items in their recycling containers, so they can be given more support through the Recycle Right campaign.
Graduating student recognised for pivotal and pioneering volunteer roles
A soon-to-be graduate has made a difference for the environment and fellow students as “the driving force” behind a new volunteer-run scheme at the University of Chester. Yana Laszcziw has been praised for her care, enthusiasm and dedication in leading a team of students in setting up and running the University’s first-ever clothes and accessories Swap Shop following some Carbon Literacy training that she took part in. Yana was commended for her work at the University’s Student Volunteer of the Year Awards 2025.
Eco Communities launch new sustainable business guide
Local sustainability experts, Eco Communities, are exploring new ways to support businesses on their sustainability journey and have recently launched a sustainable business guide. Their goal is to empower businesses of all sizes to take action, creating a more sustainable, resilient future for everyone. The team are offering carbon reduction workshops and carbon literacy training designed to make sustainability accessible, realistic, and most importantly—actionable.
Savers and those reaching retirement age are being warned to protect their pensions and look out for criminals trying to catch people out of their life savings, with Action Fraud revealing a total annual loss of £17,567,249. This equates to roughly £48,129 lost to this type of fraud per day in 2024.
Data reveals there were 519 reports of pension fraud in total and £17,567,249 lost in 2024, with an average loss of £33,848 per person.
Action Fraud, with support from the Pension Scams Action Group (PSAG), launched a pension fraud awareness campaign, warning people to take extra measures to protect their pension scheme accounts and to be cautious of investment opportunity offers from criminals that could be targeting them.
How can you protect yourself against Pension fraud?
Secure your online pension account: the account you use to manage your pension should have a different password to all of your other accounts. Use three random words to create a strong and memorable password, and enable 2-step verification (2SV).
Ignore unsolicited calls about your pension: cold calling about pensions is illegal and likely a sign of a scam. If you’re thinking about changing your pension arrangements, you should get financial guidance or advice beforehand.
Investment opportunities: don’t be rushed into making an investment. Remember, legitimate organisations will never pressure you into investing on the spot.
You should treat investment opportunities with extreme caution if there’s:
Pressure to invest (for example: time-limited offers).
What can you do if you have been a victim of pension fraud?
Report pension scams: if you’re worried about a potential pension scam or you think you may have been contacted by a criminal, report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
If you have made a payment: inform your bank or pension provider as soon as possible, they can help you prevent any further losses. Monitor your bank and pension statements regularly for any unusual activity.
PCSO Netherton - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. PC Harrison - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
