BATCOM is a Community Benefit Society

Hi, we are Brimscombe and Thrupp Community Composters Ltd

Happy Days! BATCOM is now a registered Community Benefit Society. This means that our composting scheme will belong to anyone living in Brimscombe and Thrupp who has bought a share for the princely sum of £1. This will allow BATCOM to grow as the community want it to, truly reflecting the needs of those who nourish it. Keep watching this space to find out how to become a shareholder…

Thank you Parish Council

When BATCOM applied for B&T parish council’s £500 annual grant in April (their assistance to local community groups which are set up to promote community life), the  Council decided instead to explore how they could offer us further support – and have commited to paying for the groundworks and bays to be built at the composting site! This covers by far the lion’s share of the funding needed to open the scheme and we are delighted that Yateman and Sons will be moving in to start the work at the end of summer. Yikes!

Community Fundraising Update

You’ve been pulling out the stops to get the money rolling in these past few weeks and the BATCOM bank balance is looking much healthier. Special thanks to everyone who manned stalls, baked cakes and/or fetched and carried.. also to Stroud Brewery, Merlin Sheldrake and all who bought tickets to a fascinating screening evening yesterday.

  • The Allotments Party fundraiser at the end of April was a winner – sunshine, cake and plants drew the crowds and raised £700
  • The showing of the captivating film, ‘Fungi – Web of Life’ and Q&A with author Merlin Sheldrake at Stroud Brewery raised nearly £700
  • Individual pledges from the community and organisations currently excel a whopping £3,000 – amazing – if you haven’t made a pledge yet you still can by filling in this Google form.

BATgardens – got one?

We would like to offer a bespoke advice service for people in Brimscombe/Thrupp who  want to learn more about certain aspects of gardening, and we need experienced gardeners and growers for this one! Ideally this would involve a 20-30 minute visit to the garden or allotment of a nearby neighbour to offer any tips or advice in return for a donation to BATCOM.

The topics covered could include:

  • composting (obvs!)
  • organic growing
  • pruning
  • planting for shade
  • fruit & veg growing
  • pond building & maintenance
  • planting for wildlife
  • garden design & troubleshooting
  • gardening in a small space
  • container growing
  • gardening for climate change

or any number of gardening-related topics you have experience of and feel you could offer advice about!

We’ve had some initial interest – from people needing advice and also those willing to give it – but we’d like to build up our list of knowledgable gardeners in more parts of the parish.  If you think you could support the BATgardens project, email hello@batcom.org.uk