People coming together and supporting each other to make changes will be the key to looking after our planet

Brighton and Hove has one of the most active community and voluntary sectors in the country with protecting the environment and low impact living at the heart of what they do. The Community and Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF) hosts an environmental network that aims to improve information flow between all of this fantastic work and projects on the ground and then influences decision makers in the city.

From Friends of Parks Groups to arms of national charities like Friends of the Earth to the centrally located Brighton Peace and Environment Centre (BPEC) to Brighton Naked Bike Ride, organisations and projects all rely on the considerable time and energy of local volunteers. Volunteering for something you believe in is not only individually empowering but also helps causes and campaigns to grow in recognition and ability; these alternative voices can often be a source of balance in an increasingly complex world.

Many local allotment groups now offer training and workshops, like PLOT 22 in Hove, led by their volunteers that encourage members of their communities and families to have fun while growing healthy nutritious food. Brighton Permaculture Trust offers more in depth courses around sustainable eco-design and Brighton and Hove Food Partnership promotes a healthy food system in the city supplemented by seed swaps, preserving courses and family fun days.

Brighton and Hove also has an active cycling community that has sprung up from our environmentally aware local communities. The Bike Train has motivated people to form groups so they can cycle safely in numbers, every morning they leave the Old Steine to travel together along the Lewes Road to the universities. Bricycles has also done a great job of campaigning for better conditions for cyclists and promoting cycling as an environmentally friendly form of transport.

If you think supporting your local community endeavours are for you then there are always opportunities for you to take part. The following pages give you a really good flavour of what motivated people can achieve when they band together and volunteer just a little bit of their spare time and energy. Community based voices and activities form the fabric that underpins a healthy Brighton and Hove and continue to show that the well-being of the planet and its people are intrinsically linked where ever you live and work.