SUSTAINABLE OVERTON IS A COMMUNITY MOVEMENT
SO is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). It is led by a group of Overton people who are here to inspire you to actively take part in our local sustainability projects. Our team always has space for one more too. Get in touch if YOU would like to be the next member of our team. We currently need a secretary, but equally if you have a way with social media, we need you too!
STRATEGY TEAM
Chair and Trustee
Laura Harrison
As the founder and chair of SO, Laura is keen to influence, inspire and support as many people as possible. Doing her best to live sustainably herself and being a role model to her family and friends is a given, but the real satisfaction comes when she is spreading the message to the whole community and can see it making a difference. Laura is proactive and likes 'getting things done’ and that is a quality SO benefits from every step of the way.
Vice-Chair
Alison Zarecky
Ali is a trained energy efficiency and retrofit advisor, and in her day-job she helps people make their homes more energy-efficient, reduce costs and access available grants. She also facilitates Climate Fresk workshops. She is in her element when she is talking to individuals, communities, and businesses about their options in the transition to net-zero and that is what SO is all about.
Liason Officer and Trustee
Sarah Warriss-Simmons
Sarah’s main career has been in ecology and nature conservation and she now works in the Environmental Sector. She has been with SO from the start. She has done and still does a lot of the liaising with the school and other community groups, does the design of our posters, keeps social media up to date and helps run events. Educating and enthusing the next generation about nature and sustainability is where her heart lies.
Website Lead
Gitte Louise Lamb
With a background in marketing and having previously built her own website, Gitte now keeps the website looking spik and span. Gitte has transformed her own garden from just lawn to being much more pollinator and wildlife friendly and enjoys taking part in the on-going work making Overton Hill more biodiverse.
Overton Conservation Lead & Trustee
Holly Flanders
Holly has a degree in Wildlife Conservation and has lots of practical experience volunteering with local projects such as protecting our beloved River Test. Spending time with like-minded people when she runs the work parties up on Overton Hill is part of why Holly enjoys volunteering for SO. The drive comes from seeing the difference it makes when people get involved, both in the people and on the meadow itself.
THE HISTORY OF SO
Sustainable Overton was set up in 2019, after our chair, Laura Harrison asked the Parish Council to declare a Climate Emergency and make sustainability a priority for Overton. A working party was created and SO soon had enough volunteers that we could split into project teams and start to take action. Over the last 5 years we have launched a number of successful projects, including a reusable nappy library, a Repair Cafe, a reusable cup scheme and returnable bag scheme unique to our village, established a wildlife haven at Overton Hill, held countless events and spoken to hundreds of people.
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Since then, we have grown and are now independent from the Parish Council, working as a CIO. However, we still work very closely with the Parish Council, and are very grateful for their ongoing funding of our work. We also work collaboratively with Basingstoke & Deane Council, taking part in their Basingstoke Area Sustainability forum to build connections with other groups throughout Hampshire such as Eco Oakley and Wilder Bramley.
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Before Sustainable Overton, 2 of our founding volunteers created Plastic Free Overton, becoming one of the first places in Hampshire to achieve Plastic Free status. This group has continued as an independent group to enable us to work more closely with local businesses than the Parish Council is able to, although the team overlaps greatly with Sustainable Overton.
Every 2 months we hold a public meeting at the Community Centre, and anyone is welcome to come along, find out more about what we do, and how you might get involved. Dates for this are on the Calendar linked below. Key to our success is the passion, skills and dedication of our volunteers - people just like you who live in Overton.