Oxford Climate Awards winners: Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon (RHILC)
Here’s a brief introduction to our group.
Setting off for a litter pick.
What is Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon?
Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon (RHILC) is a Community Action Group in the south-east of Oxford City. We are indeed an action group and arrange a variety of hands-on activities that we hope will appeal to the interests of our diverse membership, for example: tree planting, repair shops, renewable energy projects, energy conservation and litter picks.
We try to include everyone in Rose Hill and Iffley, whatever their age, hobbies, social status, ethnicity or mother tongue. We will work with anyone who will work with us – the local school, community centre, faith groups, youth clubs, football clubs, nature park and community network.
When it comes to protecting the planet, we are all on the same side!
Our aims are to involve our community in cutting pollution, protecting nature and living sustainably.
Our group emerged in 2012 when a small group of neighbours met to talk about the threat of the climate emergency, but felt powerless to do anything about it. We decided to do something practical about our own locality, which we can affect – to ‘think global, but act local’.
Our first major action was to lobby for solar panels at the planning stage of Rose Hill’s new Community Centre. We were surprised that some people were against this idea and realised that climate change can’t just be solved by ‘top down’ projects. To make a real change, we need to bring everyone along with us by addressing every-day needs.
So our next campaign was to collect broken electricals every month, take them to recycling hubs, or – as a last resort – take them to the tip as a service to neighbours without cars. We’ve also come to see that it’s sometimes important just to bring people together for picnics in the park or at shared meals.
Juicing apples at a picnic.
Why we take climate action
It’s frightening to think about climate change. To survive, most of us push it to the backs of our minds, focusing on work, family and fun. But sometimes we have to face up to the truth.
Last year (2024) was the hottest on record, according to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization. All reputable scientific studies show temperatures getting higher, deserts getting bigger, storms getting fiercer, ice-caps getting smaller.
The poorest will be the first to suffer and millions are already beginning to migrate because their lands cannot support them due to droughts or flooding. Climate change will make us all poorer unless we can halt it and minimise its effects. Climate change and pollution are also damaging the natural world and making thousands of species extinct.
This is a huge problem and certainly the people of Rose Hill and Iffley can’t solve it! But, as the Chinese proverb goes, ‘Better to light a candle than to complain about the darkness.’
Some projects we're proud of
Since 2012, we’ve cooperated with other organisations in many areas. Here are a few:
Renewable Energy Projects
- 190 solar PV panels on Rose Hill Community Centre (installed by the City Council, 2013-14)
- Solar PV panels on 76 social homes & an EV charger at the Community Centre (through Project ERIC, 2015-16)
- 109 solar PV panels on Rose Hill Primary School (through Low Carbon Hub, 2016)
- PV arrays on new blocks of flats at The Oval and Carole’s Way, with a 50 kWh battery on the school (through Low Carbon Hub, 2019-2020)
- 31 air source heat pumps in a few targeted streets of Rose Hill and Iffley at a greatly reduced cost (through Clean Heat Streets, 2023-24) Here’s a short film about it.
A Rose Hill heat pump installed last year through the Clean Heat Streets project.
Reducing Energy Consumption
Over the past nine years, we’ve thermally imaged Rose Hill School and more than 200 houses in Rose Hill and Iffley, following up with advice sessions on how best to insulate local houses. We also help to organise open homes to demonstrate ways of saving energy through Energy Saving Homes.
In 2022, we collaborated with Rose Hill film maker, Benedict Robbins to make seven 'bite-size' films on ways of saving energy at home. Our energy champions organise stalls at our events to provide simple energy-saving materials, thanks to a grant from the Low Carbon Hub.
A thermal image of a Rose Hill house. Lighter colours show where heat is leaking out of the house.
Cutting Waste
Since 2019, we have run a repair café at Rose Hill Community Centre on the first Saturday of every other month (February, April, June, August, October, and December).
At our repair cafes, our volunteers mend electrical gadgets, clothes and bikes - all for free. We also provide a toy share stall and a simple café so that people can get together for a chat over tea and home-made cakes.
The repair cafés take place at Rose Hill Community Centre from 10 am–12.30 pm and save hundreds of kilos from landfill - and save money for local residents too. We also run litter picks every year.
A repair café in action.
Land and Nature
Since 2015, we have planted 800 native species of trees on Rose Hill Recreation Ground. In the early years, we watered all of them through periods of drought. Our members support working parties in Rivermead Nature Park and the Recreation Ground.
We also run picnics and talks about local nature. In December 2023 and 2024, we facilitated a garden tree give-away from the International Tree Foundation. In the summer of 2024, we collaborated with Earth Watch to document the biodiversity of the woodland that we planted, using the I-Naturalist app.
One of the 100 tree planters in 2019.
Local Sustainable Food
In 2020, pupils and representatives of fifteen local groups planted a community orchard of 30 fruit and nut trees in the grounds of Rose Hill School. You can watch a film about it here. Our members regularly water, mulch and care for the trees, especially during dry spells. This year, we are working with the Year 3 and 4 children and their teachers to maintain the orchard.
The Football Team with their tree.
Travel and Transport
In 2018, we got 1,936 signatures with our petition for continuous, segregated cycle lanes into Oxford along the Iffley Road – which have now been put into effect. We also facilitate regular cycle repair workshops – usually by Dr Bike from Cyclox or Broken Spoke. See below for the next one on 1 March.
One more cycle repaired in February 2025.
Get involved with us!
- RHILC Planning Meeting, Wed 26 February, 7.45 – 9 pm, Rose Hill Community Centre OX4 4HF: Come and join us to plan our up-coming events. Info here.
- Free Cycle Repair Workshop, Sat 1 March, 2-5 pm, Rose Hill Community Centre, provided by Broken Spoke
- Rose Hill Litter Pick, Wed 15 March, 11 am – 1 pm: Meet at Rose Hill Community Centre and enjoy a free snack afterwards. Wear old clothes and gloves. Bags, litter-pickers and reflective jackets provided by OxClean.
- Rose Hill Repair Café, Sat 5 April: 10 am – 12.30 pm (last items accepted at midday), Rose Hill Community Centre OX4 4HF: Get your electrical gadgets, clothes and bikes mended. Swap toys (3 years +) and toiletries. Energy advice given. Hot drinks and cakes. Seedlings share.