Saturday 26th saw the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships at Tooting Bec Lido. Over 600 swimmers raced in many different classes in sunny weather. There were no wetsuits in use…however many competitors wore excellent hats. If you have never seen the Lido, here is one swimmer’s hat representing the pool, complete with Lego shark:

TTT had a stand all day – very many thanks to volunteers who stayed in the marquee, and missed some of the fun outdoors. We talked about TTT with local people and visitors: the Tooting Community Garden is only a few hundred metres away, and the Lido was a stopping point on two of our Wellbeing walks in 2012. The Lido is a wonderful example of Tooting’s diverse community activities to be treasured by us all!         More at: http://www.slsc.org.uk/cwsc/cwsc-gallery/

Carbon Conversations
The water in the Lido was +2 degrees. That’s a good segue: if you’ve been following the science of climate change, you’ll know that a long-term two degree rise in the atmosphere’s temperature may be an optimistically low prediction. Reported on the same day as the swim, Lord Nicholas Stern (author of the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change in 2006) stated in Davos at the World Economic Summit: ‘I got it wrong on climate change – it’s far, far worse…’

Strong words, and there is action we can each take in Tooting to help reduce emissions…and save energy, and reduce our bills.

If you would like to explore exactly what you and your household can do to reduce your own carbon footprint, please join our next series of TTT Carbon Conversations meetings. Over 50 people have joined the six series of these facilitated meetings we’ve run locally in the past 18 months. During the highly participative sessions, you’ll discuss and make plans concerned with home energy, travel, food, consumption and waste…and meet others locally who are doing the same things.

The first meeting is on Monday 25th February, in Tooting, at Graveney & Meadow, 40 Mitcham Road. Details in the flyer at this link.

All welcome – please join us!