Environmental groups in Cheltenham

Vision 21

Vision 21  is an independent sustainability charity focused on Gloucestershire. It is as much a social organisation as it is an environmental one, helping people to improve their quality of life as well as their living environment. Initiated in 1994, they work to reduce carbon emissions and so help to reduce the effects of global warming and climate change. Vision 21 recognises the importance of strong local communities and their need to make them both more environmentally sustainable and more resilient. They aim to:

• offer advice and assistance to the business sector, councils, community groups and individuals to help them cut their CO2 emissions
• take direct action to cut CO2 emissions and improve the quality of people’s lives and make communities stronger by running local projects
• Act as an agent to nurture ideas and attract funding to develop environmental initiatives/projects

Reclaim: Furniture and electricals re-use

Re-use of furniture helps reduce the volume of materials going to landfill and extends the life of the product, therefore making maximum use of the energy used to build the items in the first place. Efficient re-use reduces the need for more raw materials and energy to make new products, helping preserve finite resources.

Reclaim provides up to 20 voluntary placements, 15 of which are reserved for vulnerable adults. With day-to-day support and guidance, volunteers are able to learn skills, gain experience and develop confidence in a safe working environment.

You'll find the Reclaim showroom on the Lansdown industrial estate on Gloucester Road. Visit their website for more information.

Reclaim cycles

Also located at the Reclaim showroom, Reclaim cycles takes unwanted old bikes or parts, and offers bike repair and maintenance services. When in stock, adult bikes are available from £30, and children's from £20.

Community RePaint

Vision 21 is Cheltenham’s agent for Community RePaint, a charity sponsored by Dulux that collects unwanted surplus paint and re-distributes it for the wellbeing of people and their communities.

Donations of paint are accepted at the Reclaim showroom, but only if the tins are at least three quarters full and they do not have a black and orange hazard label on the side of the tin. 

In 2014 the Community Repaint network collected over 446,000 litres of paint and redistributed more than 300,000 litres to over 34,000 individuals and 3,382 organisations improving the appearance of places, across the UK.

Can Do

Vision 21’s CanDo project concerns metal recycling, chiefly aluminium, copper and steel.  Unwanted cables, wires and flexes are collected at Reclaim and a Cargo Bike Street Patrol collects discarded cans on Cheltenham's streets and parks.  Cable boxes are available for local organisations to act as collection points.