PARTS of Malvern could become greener thanks to the work of an environmental group.

Colwall Greener is looking to extend its services within the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to Malvern Wells and West Malvern.

The group already has a car club, an electric bike club and offers home energy advice and assistance in Colwall.

Robin Coates, who is also the chairman of Transition Malvern Hills, says the group’s main aims are “building a resilient community to cope with the need to reduce the carbon footprint both for global warming and peak oil”.

He said: “Our progress depends on demand, we can only move as fast as people come forward.

The group’s electric bikes are available for a two-week trial as part of a ‘test before you invest’ scheme to give people an idea of what they’re like. The bike club also offers the use of panniers, a child trailer and a shopping trailer.

Robin said: “They make sense in a hilly area and it helps to attract people who wouldn’t normally ride. We want to have bikes near to those that need them, perhaps within a couple of hundred yards of their houses. It is for the residents, run by the residents.”

He added the “community aspect” and contribution from its members was essential in the way the club is run.

There are currently four bikes in Colwall, with three residents acting as ‘keepers’ of bikes and another six to eight people in the village who already ride electric bikes.

The Colwall car club currently has 13 households involved, with a total of 18 drivers sharing two cars. Mr Coates said he hoped for something similar to evolve in Malvern, with a view to eventually having an electric car.

Charges are made on a time-based rate, starting at £1.50 per hour for the first four hours, reducing to 75p per hour for the second four hours and then 25p per hour for the next 16-hours.

Bookings for both groups can be made online at the users convenience.

It costs £20 to join the club with a subsequent £5 monthly membership fee and a variable mileage rate depending on the size of car.

A home energy advice and assistance service offers a professional survey of your house and lifestyle to check for insulation and draughts as well as suggesting how to improve efficiency. Participants can be pointed towards available grants and reliable contractors.

The group receives support from the Malvern Hills AONB Partnership via the sustainable development fund. It supports projects that bring social, environmental and economic benefits to the AONB and which help to deliver the Malvern Hills AONB management plan.

Colwall Greener currently benefits from a few start-up grants, with two for the home energy advice service and one each for the electric bike and car club schemes.

For more information call 01684 540284 or visit greener.colwall.info.