The BATCOM Community Composters Build

Continuous
fundraising

BATCOM (Brimscombe and Thrupp Community Composters) are building their brand new site, where we will take green garden waste and turn it into beautiful compost for our community.

£26,060 Raised of £24,216

58 Backers

107%

Back this project

This project has reached its fundraising target. It has also activated Continuous Fundraising, which means you can still donate and support the project.

Costs

Site preparations by builders £1,729
Three years free rent £1,729
1000 x green recycling bags with BATCOM logo £1,729
Boundary fencing and gate £1,729
Lean-to materials £1,729
Bat and bird boxes £1,729
Hedging and saplings £1,729
Stroud Vallys Project x1 day landscaping £1,729
Banner, Bay signs, Site sign £1,729
Fire extinguisher point plus £8 delivery £1,729
Other + £1,729

Lithium Battery plus £8 postage £228

Forks x4 £194

Wheelbarrows x2 £187

Solar pump £180

35 scaffold boards for bays £175

20 litres shipping grade paint + £8 postage £146

20 litres primer + £8 postage £146

Spades x4 £118

Wildflower seeds 500g £70

Treatment for scaffold boards 10 litres + £8 postage £63

Pipeline £55

Padlock plus £4 postage £49

High Viz vests plus postage £7.78 £47

Chain plus £4 postage £45

Float switch plus £5 postage £26
Target: (inc. fees) £24,215

http://www.batcom.org.uk

BATCOM came about in 2019 when a group of people got together to discuss the possibility of starting up a community composting scheme for Brimscombe and Thrupp. The project had lots of local backing with many people struggling to manage their garden green waste and supportive of the idea of coming together to compost it as a community.

Advised by Bisley Community Composting Scheme, we researched what needed to be done - find a site, get planning permission, obtain an Environment Agency waste exemption certificate, build... and compost! One end of an empty Hope Mill industrial plot belonging to the parish council was the obvious choice - flat ground, easily accessible, spacious and available. It's part of a wider site the parish council have earmarked for future community projects, and BATCOM would be a perfect conduit to bring people to the land and sow the seeds of new ideas.

Thanks to our County Councillor Chloe Turner, we were able to secure some GCC funding and with the parish council's blessing we applied for planning permission. This was a tricky endeavour due to the proximity of the River Frome and concerns about the river and its rich ecology. With the help of Stroud-based community architects Extended Works, we were able to produce a sensitive application and with a number of conditions, permission was granted in September 2023.

More funding was needed to progress. A community fundraising drive raised another £1.5k and a few thousand in pledges. When we applied for one of the parish council's Community Grants in April, they went a (huge) step further and offered to pay for local builders Yatemans to prepare the site and install the six large composting bays together with the concrete base and drainage system required by our planning. This shouldered the lion's share of the build costs, turning an empty site into a purpose-built composting facility ready for BATCOM to move into and finish. Yatemans is expected to start the work in early November.

The time came to incorporate. We felt that BATCOM would work best as a Community Benefit Society, co-operatively owned and run by all its members. With £1 shares available to anyone in Brimscombe and Thrupp (not just our compost scheme members), BATCOM will grow as the community needs. We became a CBS in May 2024 with six directors and a big waiting list of composters, ready to help with the BATCOM Build!

Project Owner: BATCOM The Project Owner takes legal responsibility for receiving and spending the funds raised and ensuring the project is delivered.