Who we are
Who we are • What we do • How we do it • Join our CAN
We’re the Community Action Network for the innovative market town of Stroud, at the meeting point of five south Cotswolds valleys in Gloucestershire. Our CAN was founded and formed by a group of local organisations with similar concerns over the climate, nature, and sustainability crises, and a common desire for Stroud to do a more effective job of responding to them.
Stroud Town Council is the Council for the town of Stroud in the first tier of UK local government. In 2019, the year it declared a climate emergency, it represented about 13,800 people living in about 2.8 square miles. It has a long-term commitment to the environment, and an established reputation for community development.
Transition Stroud explores and fosters solutions as to how people in Stroud might adopt sustainable, locally-based, low-carbon lifestyles, and how the Five Valleys as a whole might be more resilient. It works through community groups focusing on key issues, including transport, food, reuse and repair, and reducing carbon.
Stroud Valleys Project works with local community groups and volunteers helping, inspiring and training them to discover and nurture the natural world around them, creating opportunities for a much wider group of people to become involved in environmental improvement: young and old, and those previously excluded by disadvantage or disability.
Earth Protector Communities is a local to global grass-roots movement in which communities, educational Institutions, businesses and other organisations work together to protect the land, wildlife, air, soil and water, and also endorse the Stop Ecocide campaign, which supports the legal and diplomatic work to make ecocide an international crime.
The Landwise Network is a grass-roots organisation that aims to respond to the problems of food security, the climate crisis, habitat loss and reduced biodiversity by supporting and working with individuals and groups to take action towards a more resilient, connected and just society.
Stroud Nature organises the annual Stroud Festival of Nature, a three-month long programme of workshops, walks, talks, visits and exhibitions involving over forty local and regional nature-based organisations, and engaging thousands of people. It also promotes networking and collaboration outside of the festival, particularly for those who find it difficult to access our countryside and green spaces.