Residents are invited to discover new ways to live more sustainably at New Leaf, a new community event taking place at Haywards Heath Town Hall on Saturday 24 October, from 10am to 12pm.
New Leaf has been created as a local hub for practical, eco-friendly action, bringing together a range of activities and opportunities to help residents reduce waste, reuse what they already have and make more sustainable choices in everyday life.
Have you got something at home that’s broken but too good to throw away? Bring it along and have a go at fixing it at the Fixing Station. A selection of tools will be available, alongside volunteers who can share their skills and advice. RBPM will be there to help bring wooden items back to life, while Artisan Studio Tailoring will be on hand to repair ripped clothing.
Fancy finding something new without buying something new? Bring along your unwanted books, puzzles and toys and swap them for something that catches your eye. It’s a fun way to pass on things you’ve finished with, discover something new to you and keep perfectly good items in use for longer.
You can also give your shopping a greener twist with a visit to Fill Good, who will be joining us in the car park. Bring your empty containers and refill them with pantry essentials, cleaning products and more. It’s a simple way to cut down on packaging and make refilling part of your everyday routine.
See how you can get creative with your old fabrics at the Reuse area. Explore darning, eco-printing and dyeing techniques, and discover how old clothing and materials can be transformed and given a new lease of life, rather than being thrown away and replaced.
Have a collection of those awkward items that you’re never quite sure how to recycle? Bring them along to New Leaf. We’ll be collecting a range of hard-to-recycle items, including clean food packaging, clean beauty products, blister packs, bottle corks, batteries, vapes, ink cartridges, bubble wrap and plastic carrier bags, helping you find another route for items that might otherwise end up in the bin.
Your unwanted items could also make a difference to someone else. Bring along good-condition clothing and essentials to donate to Knights Support and Haywards Heath Baby Bank, helping useful items find a new home within the local community. A full list of wanted items can be found on the Haywards Heath Town Council website.
Why buy something you’ll only use occasionally when you could borrow it instead? Come and discover SHARE, our local Library of Things, and explore the huge range of items available to borrow. It’s a chance to try something different, make use of resources already in the community and rethink what we really need to own.
And if you’re wondering where to start on your own journey towards greener living, take the opportunity to review your carbon footprint. Find out where your biggest impacts may come from and discover practical changes you could make to reduce them, whether that’s at home, when shopping or as part of your everyday routine.
With plenty of ways to get involved, New Leaf aims to make sustainable living practical, accessible and enjoyable. Whether you’re bringing something to fix, swapping an old favourite, filling up a container, getting creative, recycling, donating, borrowing or simply looking for inspiration, there’s an opportunity to take action.
New Leaf takes place on Saturday 24 October, from 10am to 12pm, at Haywards Heath Town Hall, 40 Boltro Road. The event is free to attend.
For more information, please visit the website.
By Kelly Lewis
