A CHEPSTOW community action group which is trying to make the town more sustainable in the battle against climate change is celebrating the success of its first year.

Transition Chepstow was set up around a year ago by a group of eight local residents concerned about climate change and dwindling oil supplies.

It now has around 100 members. Co-ordinator of Transition Chepstow, Marcus Perrin, said the initiative started after Ben Brangwyn gave a talk on transition towns to Chepstow Friends of the Earth in September 2007.

The first significant project for the group was the Chepstow Bag, a fairtrade organic cotton shoulder bag, with 6,000 given out since last Summer.

The project was a partnership with Monmouthshire Community Recycling who provided a grant of £11,000 and also Keep Wales Tidy.

It is now the intention of the group to make Chepstow the most insulated town in Britain by encouraging people to apply for insulation grants.

Members of Transition Chepstow have visisted people's homes to pass on information from Monmouthshire county council and south east Wales energy advice centre about loft and cavity wall insulation and will continue this throughout next month.

Over the next few weeks the group will be working with Chepstow town council to plant apple and pear trees in the town.

Mr Perrin said: "It's about developing more local food supplies and not being reliant on those hundreds of miles away."

Transition Chepstow will celebrate its first year with a presentation by the founder of the Transition movement, Rob Hopkins, at the Drill Hall in Chepstow on Wednesday, February 25.

Places should be reserved by emailing info@transitioncheptow.org.uk