By GRIZELDA TYLER, Chair of ACE
ACE was shortlisted for three environmental awards in the Broadland Communities Awards held in October 2025: Nature and Biodiversity in the Norfolk Nature and Biodiversity awards; for rising stars Heather Walters and Bryce Davies; and for Environmental Champion.
Rising stars Heather Walters and Bryce Davies with the blister pack sacks.
Although not finalists, this is a major achievement and recognition of the work ACE is doing to improve our environment and work towards a better future for our children and grandchildren.
We have now established ACE in the mindset of the residents of Aylsham who are supportive and interested in what we do. Our recycling project is particularly well supported with residents bringing their blisters packs to the monthly Saturday Food & Craft Market for us to mangle and send off for recycling.
To date, we have recycled more than 720kg of blister packs, equivalent to 60 full wheelie bins.
We are also lobbying pharmaceutical companies to take responsibility for this rather than just taking the profits.
Get involved
ACE is active in promoting nature and biodiversity and we have many projects that people can get involved in to whatever extent suits them.
Currently we are working to make the verges on Henry Page Road more nature friendly, we are clearing the old Station Yard, we have started Gardening Matters in Aylsham and in the next couple of months we will be doing tree planting.
Or you can borrow our thermal imaging camera to help improve the efficiency of your home.
Another interest is food sustainability and for this we have teamed up with Slow Food.
Saving the planet can be daunting at times, but if everybody does a little bit we can get there.
I would like to end with a poem by one of our young supporters, Orson Dolling.
We’re recycling blister packs,
This isn’t some mad Tik Tok hack,
If it was that would be cool,
But you must just work at this stall,
This is an eco-friendly scheme,
It ain’t as mad as it might seem,
We’re saving the environment,
You could call it heaven sent.
If we don’t do this, the result
Incineration so we halt,
All this nature crushing stuff,
It isn’t much, but it’s enough.
