Rotary and Plastic Free Farnham - how the partnership began!

Rotary and Plastics Free Farnham – how the partnership began

Plastic Free Farnham was borne out of the partnership between the two Rotary Clubs of Farnham and a member of Zero Carbon Guildford, Isabel Robson in 2021.

Both Farnham and Wayside Rotary Clubs have always had proactive environmentally aware members and during a 2020 planning meeting, the Rotary decided to make their main focus for 2021 around the theme 'supporting the Environment'. Within this theme the clubs agreed to focus on the reduction of single-use plastics, though not at the exclusion of supporting other environmental initiatives. And so in February 2021, an article in the local Farnham Herald newspaper and elsewhere was the beginning of this journey.

Isabel, who is an active member of Zero Carbon Guildford and a Farnham resident had recently set up Plastics Free Farnham as part of ‘Plastic Free Communities’ a Surfers Against Sewage UK wide initiative to tackle single-use plastic pollution. Having spotted the press release by the Rotary Clubs, she got in touch and as a result formed a partnership with members of the Rotary Clubs' environmental committee, who alongside other eager volunteers make up the group.

The group's first action was to gain the support of Farnham Town Council which they did and then launch the partnership at the town's new Sustainability Festival in May 2021.

Since then, we have been working hard in partnership with the Town Council towards gaining plastic-free status for Farnham and many businesses and organisations have joined us as Champions or Allies to support our cause.