The many who attended the "Transition Town" event at St Edwards Middle School in Leek last Thursday night will, I'm sure, come away with the mixed feelings of being daunted and inspired.

Daunted by the challenge of climate change and its global impact and inspired by the ideas that many individuals present had in confronting one of the most important questions of the age locally and internationally.

My particular favourite was the encouraging contribution made by the two women from Todmorden.

Their Incredible Edible Todmorden project aims to increase the amount of local food grown and eaten in this Pennine hill town.

Businesses, schools, farmers and the community are all involved. Vegetables and fruit are springing up everywhere. Pubic flower beds being transformed into community herb gardens and vegetable patches. Even the local railway station has outside it pots of herbs from which passer by's take cuttings.

This, many felt, could serve as a model for other communities like Leek to aim to grow most fruit and vegetables within the locality.

The speakers felt that there were three aspects to the success of the scheme, a land bank of sites where food could be grown, the re-establishment of a food culture and a collective effort that encourages local food production. The will seemed to be very evident at the meeting.

How can we change what we see around to ensure a more sustainable outcome? I have one example.

I have a particular gripe about the stock of apples that are sold in Morrisons in Leek.

The supermarket sells 11 different types of apple. Two are grown in the UK and the rest come from places as far away as China, USA, New Zealand and Chile.

There seems to be no appreciation of the environmental costs of transporting apples half way around the world. What about producing apples locally and making available such varieties as Lord Lambourne, Wyken Pippin or Old Pearmain rather than the bland and tasteless varieties that are supplied?

The public, as was evident, do have some excellent ideas that should be explored.

Viv, who runs the launderette in Picton Street, suggested to me that methane gas that runs off the landfill site at Fowlchurch might be used to heat the swimming pool at Brough Park. What an interesting idea.

Certainly the idea of using methane is one that other authorities are developing although the attempt I made to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council to pass this idea on came to nothing.

I will end with something that puzzled me and something I found slightly depressing.

All the main political parties have concluded that climate change is one of the most important challenges of the century yet, as far as I could ascertain, no councillor or major party representative attended a meeting which was arguable the most important meeting held in Leek for many years.

The meeting was well publicised, well organised and well attended. Perhaps the people of Leek do get it while the seriousness of the situation and the energy that could be applied has yet to dawn on their elected representatives.

Bill Cawley

Leek