March 2025 Oasis – Claire’s Message of Hope

Listening to, or reading the news is often an arduous task, particularly as the world collectively struggles to meet any net zero targets, and as the effect of climate change impacts our daily lives.
At Oasis on Saturday 15th March 2025, Claire Ling from Suffolk Climate Change Partnership provided us with a beacon of hope. Claire gave us an overview of the programmes currently running in Norfolk and Suffolk that helps householders make their homes climate ready, and Claire encouraged us to research into grants that may be available to suit our individual circumstances. For example try this webpage to check what grants may be available to retrofit your home; Grant Finder. To add to Claire story, Oasis members Carole and Georgie were able to provided their own testimony. Carole may need to wait a while yet to recover her investment, but is clearly thrilled when her phone app tells her she is feeding electricity back into the network.

Claire asked us to choose an animal to reflect our fears about the future; as you might image, we Oasis folk presented a right old menagerie, from an eagle, to a deer, to a hedgehog, to a woolly mammoth. (Yes, it was definitely a mammoth!). Thank you Claire for infecting us with your boundless enthusiasm.

Chez Oasis runs like a well oiled machine, or the slickest of pop acts as they hit the stage; full of energy, connection, and a powerful sense of unity. This month put me in mind of Earth, Wind (Power) and Fire; everybody contributing to an amazing show. Never seen Earth, Wind and Fire? Try this Boogie Wonderland, so Oasis! Who was in the band? It goes something like this; providing the rhythm and driving us forward was ‘More Than a’ Sous Chef Rhian, who cooked a magnificent Massaman curry, ran the kitchen and ensured that our curries and rice arrived at the table piping hot. There’s more; Serena Two Glasses, Jane, Theresa and Billie were like the horn section, providing the groove with melodic hooks, then there was Stacey, Hillary and Jaqui on guitars, knowing all the cords. The Emotions? Lauren, Lorraine and Penny of course!

In our wonderful audience was the Lincolnshire Set (Janet, Sam and Kitty (welcome)) and the Cambridgeshire Gang (Lauren, Celia and Darren), who with all those miles under their belts were clearly in the mood to have a good time. They provided a certain je ne sais quoi to proceedings. Lasty thank you to Hana photographer and documentary maker.