GREEN campaigners have been putting their heads together to decide the best way to take action.

Representatives from Transition Town groups in Dorset met for a mini-conference at the Dorford Centre in Dorchester to share their experiences.

They discussed topics like how to get their messages across to communities and how to attract more women to the groups as there is a lack of female members.

The Transition Town movement is about getting communities to respond to the challenges of climate change and the end of cheap oil.

Communities are encouraged to work together to find ways of becoming more self-reliant and less dependent on imported energy and food.

There are more than 10 Transition Town groups in Dorset ranging in scale from village to district-wide organisations.

They have all been involved in setting up a number of projects including car clubs, community food growing, and also raising awareness through organising public meetings, screening documentary films, and imaginative ways such as Shaftesbury Transition Town’s eco-circus.

Steve Atkins, the chairman of Transition Town Dorchester, said: “The gathering was a chance to connect, share, learn and eat a tasty bring-and-share lunch.

“The range of activities and number of people getting involved in Transition is clearly on the up – this can only be a positive thing for Dorset.”

The event was organised by sustainability organisation da21, hosted by the Dorset Transition Gathering through its GreenAssist project, and supported by the Big Lottery Fund and a grant from the co-operative membership.

Manager of the GreenAssist project for da21, Andrew Barker, said: “Transition Towns is a very energetic and positive grassroots movement.

“It is precisely this sort of activity which we at da21, through the GreenAssist project, want to encourage and support, and it is a pleasure to arrange events such as this gathering to do just that.”

A list of Transition groups in Dorset is available on the da21 website www.da21.org.uk