Newsletter - Autumn 2009
Contents of this edition:
Tomorrow’s Transport Today
Monmouth’s recent Green Travel Day in September gave surprising opportunities for ‘time travel’, showcasing both transport of the future and of the past.
On the old Monnow Bridge, people found out more about the latest low emission vehicles from VW and Toyota, and an electric car with a range of 60 miles. Also on the bridge were a wide variety of bikes available for hire from Pedalaway or to buy from Bridge Cycles. Bridge Cycles administers a Welsh Assembly scheme which aims to subsidise the purchase of bikes used for commuting. If you would be interested in taking part in this scheme, pop in to the shop for the relevant forms.
More unusual - but very useful in our hilly terrain - were electric bikes displayed by On Bikes of Presteigne and Kidderminster. These vehicles provide that extra boost for those of us who are too proud to get off and push. If you would be interested in more information, ring On Bike on 01299 251514.
Two electric bikes loaned to Monmouth by Talybont Energy Project, proved a big hit, with more than a dozen local people taking part in the research project. Some whizzed around town seeing friends and shopping and some went further afield to Symonds Yat, Llangarron, Chepstow, Raglan and even Bettws Newydd. Thanks to everyone who took part.
Mobility Monmouth also talked to local people about the mobility scooter hire scheme that they are setting up in the town. Bus passengers in Monmouth were surprised to find that all of the W buses were free of charge for the day, thanks to the generosity of Francis Drake Travel.
At the information stalls, many people signed a petition to improve Monmouth’s long distance travel connections and pledged their support to Monmouth Links Project which is in the process of bringing the old iron bridge over the Wye back into use as a cycle route. A walk along the route was very enjoyable and well attended.
During the afternoon Monmouth returned to the past briefly with a parade of seven horse drawn vehicles from Hereford and District Driving Group. The sound of hooves, and the sight of a governess cart with a dalmation trotting obediently behind, stopped pedestrians in their tracks.
Transition Monmouth provided a suitably green and convivial end to the day with a locally produced Harvest Feast and a talk from Monmouth wine merchant Tom Innes on local ciders, perrys and beers. The following day, the weather continued to be balmy for a family cycle ride along the Peregrine Path to Symonds Yat, in which more than 40 people took part.
Green Travel Day organisers from Monmouth Sustainable Transport Group would like to thank everyone who made the day such a success.
Transition Monmouth - Community Orchard Diary
Having considered the prospect for some months, it was in April 2009 that the transitionmonmouth Food Group decided to make a community orchard a priority. Roslyn Aubrey agreed to start researching – possible sites, orchard designers, tree availability, and costs.
May 2009: We obtained agreement from Monmouthshire County Council and from the local Millennium Field Group to use part of the field for our first orchard.
June 2009: We met Rob Boyle of Carrob Growers at the site and, as a result, he produced two possible planting plans. We opted for the more complex one which incorporated herbal orchard mix under-planting; this includes herbs that attract insects that would otherwise be detrimental to our trees. We also met John Cummings who is prepared to design a permaculture orchard for us; this involves a great deal of ground clearance and we decided this should be left till later. Well, there’s plenty of land to spread out to! He tested the soil and declared it to be good for our purpose.
July 2009: We were fortunate in being chosen by Waitrose as one of their causes for July so encouraged everyone to put their green tokens in our box. We also put in for an MCC Community Environment Grant (successfully), having obtained quotes from three suppliers. We chose Carrob Growers of Llanrothal – reasonable prices, able to supply a wide range of trees + sundries, and local. A list of volunteers started to build up.
August 2009: We had a further meeting with Rob Boyle and agreed on named varieties. He patiently took us through the various stages of ground preparation and ongoing maintenance we needed to do.
September 2009: The field – shoulder high with grass, nettles, docks etc - was cut and we had our first working party – Gerry Bright, Andy + Bethia Smith, Sarah Robson + Lewis, Mike Jones and Vivien Mitchell. Despite the rain we marked out much of the area, strimmed and laid old carpet around where each tree was to be planted, and piled up the grass cuttings to keep the carpet in place. There is a large tree at the edge of the new orchard which provides shelter from sun and rain; Andy cleared it of nettles so we use it as a base camp. We keep our energy levels topped up with food and drink that we share. Two further working parties – the first disrupted by some hay bales at the far end of the field catching fire so time was spent carrying water from the river to put it out - completed this work and we were ready to start digging and getting rid of the pernicious roots. The soil is good but, never having been cultivated, requires some strength for the initial dig. Our original aim was to have sufficient ground prepared to plant 16 trees in National Tree Week in November. At the rate we are going we might well get the ground prepared to plant all 34! That doesn’t mean to say our work will be done – there is still the ground preparation for a further 16 trees + soft fruit beds + 60 square metres of the herbal orchard mix. The number of volunteers is heartening; apart from those at the first working party we have also been joined by Anthea Dewhurst, Felicity Greenman, Richard Corbett, and Geoffrey Jones (with his amazing spork). In total we got 42 volunteer hours under our belt during the month (our bid for the grant from MCC included 100 volunteer hours by the end of April 2010). We now have six of our trees sponsored – by Charlotte Jones, Christopher Cooper, Mary Newman, Olive + Gerry Bright, Carole Were, Tess + Jacquie Hutley.
October 2009: Two further working parties clocked up a further 32 volunteer hours and we finished the ground preparation for 34 trees – amazing! One of the working parties was particularly jolly as we were joined by eight marvellous children from Llangattock School with their teachers, Rosemary Francis and Jeannette Shalliday. The children worked so well and were impeccably behaved – and they gave us a big box of biscuits to maintain our energy levels. We hope they enjoyed themselves and will come again. Other new volunteers included Andrew von Staufer, Colette Mooney, Melinda Andrews and Ian Curley. Hazel Eyles, Monmouth Priory, Nick + Sarah Frost, Melinda Andrews, and the Dewhurst sisters joined the list of sponsors. A further meeting with Rob Boyle finalised the planting plan for the rest of the orchard – mainly apple trees as these seem to be the most popular + beds of raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries and loganberries.
Onwards and upwards for the inaugural planting at 2 o’clock on the 28th of November by the Mayor, Cllr Ann Were – everyone welcome! David Thorp has offered us a marquee, and a camping stove so we can make a hot spicy apple drink. There will be local perry and apple juice, and Andrew von Staufer has offered to organise the roasting of chestnuts.
This is all going so well – and, it’s good fun too! My thanks to everyone for their hard work and support.
Vivien Mitchell Transition Monmouth.
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CPRW Rural Wales Award to Ty Mawr Organic
The Monmouthshire branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW) has presented their Rural Wales Award for 2009 to Phil and Josie Bevan of ”Ty Mawr Organic” at Great House Farm, Llanddewi Rhydderch for the successful diversification of their dairy farm into the production and sale of organic vegetables.
Phil and Josie started organic vegetable production on their 265 acre (107ha) dairy farm in 2001. Through clever adaptation and recycling of unwanted and second hand horticultural machinery they have been able to develop vegetable production on the farm to its present level of 45 acres (18ha). Whilst field-scale vegetable seedlings are still bought in from specialised organic growers, many of their products are now being propagated on the farm itself. This means that, in these difficult times for the rural economy, their farm is now able to provide work not only for their four sons, but also two further full-time employees and a part timer.
Sustainability is an important aspect of the business. Any vegetable waste becomes fodder for their organic dairy herd, with the manure subsequently fertilising the vegetable crop. Transport costs and packaging are kept to a minimum, with most of their produce being retailed through local markets, shops and eateries, and a box scheme for customers in and around Abergavenny.
To sample their success for yourself, why not look out for Ty Mawr Organic at a local market or visit www.ty-mawr-organic-veg.co.uk? Back to news index
Give It Away, Take It Away in Chepstow
The event was organised by Transition Chepstow and ComBAT with support from Keep Wales Tidy and Monmouthshire County Council. A steady stream of people arrived throughout the day with household items and toys that they no longer needed and most of those items found new homes with people who had a use for them. The small number of goods left at the end of the day were taken by Homemakers, the furniture and white goods recycling charity based in Abergavenny.
Janet Rawlings of Transition Chepstow said “Most of us have heard of the three ‘R’s of waste – Reduce, Re-use, Recycle - but we tend to focus on recycling and overlook re-use which is even better for the environment. We are very pleased with the amount of re-use which took place here and hope to organize a similar event next year.”
For more information about Transition Chepstow and this event, visit www.transitionchepstow.org.uk or call Janet on 01291 625977.
Monmouthshire Walking Festival
Next autumn Monmouthshire will host a Walking Festival, from Friday 22nd to 31st October. Visitors will be encouraged to come to the County by train, spending time in Chepstow before moving on to Monmouth and then Abergavenny, from where they can return home by rail. The Walking Festival will provide the opportunity for local people to discover hidden parts of Monmouthshire’s landscape and heritage, and for visitors to explore the County on foot. It is hoped that one of the routes on offer will be a walk around the County boundary. If you want to be added to the email list to be kept informed about the Festival, or if you would be interested in leading walks, please contact Louise McGuiness at adventa louise@adventa.org.uk.
More Tools for Tanzania
The fourth container full of tools and sewing machines bound for Tanzania from South Wales is loaded onto a lorry. In the picture are Scott Mulligan, Mark Baker and David Handley - all members of Crickhowell-based TFSR Cymru. Mark has been responsible for filling the container and has kept careful records of the 95 fully-refurbished sewing machines and 12,083 tools included.
This has been a great joint effort by the group as tools have come from across Wales, and all have needed sorting and packing before being loaded. There were also 30 fully refurbished tool kits for Tanga and Singida Regions. The rest of the load was destined for the SIDO/Wales Tool Refurbishing Workshop in Mwanza, where they will be refurbished before distribution to artisan groups across Lake Zone - an area the size of Wales.
Now TFSR is starting work on 5th the container - help is always needed in their Crickhowell workshop
Further information: Tony Care 01874 730 155
Greening Chepstow Leisure Centre
Residents in Chepstow could soon be exercising in the greenest leisure centre in Wales if a grant application bid for £100,000 is successful.
Transition Chepstow, in partnership with Monmouthshire County Council, submitted the grant to the British Gas ‘Green Streets’ project and are one of three bids to reach the regional Welsh final which will culminate with a “dragon’s den” style presentation on the 9th November.
Tim Melville of Transition Chepstow explained "If we are successful, the funding will provide energy saving measures and equipment to generate green electricity at the site. In addition the grant will fund a permanent display for the Leisure Centre showing what can be done in the home to save energy and an education pack for all schools in the Chepstow area about green energy ". The plan will save over 30 tonnes of CO2 emissions from the Leisure Centre annually.
Councillor Giles Howard, Cabinet Member for Leisure said “Thank you Transition Chepstow for all your hard work putting this bid together. This is a wonderful opportunity for Chepstow and I hope we are successful. This work ticks all the boxes for us as a council; working in partnership with local groups, sustainable and green services and saving money as well. What more could we ask for? I am certainly keeping my fingers crossed.”
Transition Chepstow and Monmouthshire County Council members are all crossing their fingers that Chepstow is awarded the grant to give Chepstow the greenest leisure centre in Wales. The results of the competition are due to be announced early in November.
Chepstow has also just been selected as Monmouthshire's bid for the Low Carbon Communities Challenge, where just 12 communities in England and Wales will be selected to receive up to £500,000 for energy saving and renewable energy technology developments.
For more information about this or other Transition Chepstow projects, visit their website at www.transitionchepstow.org.uk or call Marcus on 07944 468052.
10:10 campaign in Monmouth
It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of a huge problem like climate change, but by uniting everyone in immediate, effective and achievable action, 10:10 enables us all to make a meaningful difference. 10:10 is an ambitious project to unite every sector of society behind one simple idea – that by working together we can achieve a 10% cut in carbon emissions in 2010.
How? Here’s a short checklist for starters:-
And after you’ve done all that you’ll be healthier for walking and cycling, you’ll have made new friends by swapping stuff and car sharing, you will save a load of money, and you will be part of the global effort to preserve our precious planet.
Football clubs and universities, hospitals and schools, local authorities, Tate Modern, the Environment Agency, Microsoft and 10 Downing Street have already signed up. If they can, you can too.
Sign up to the national effort on www.1010uk.org or contact Monmouth 10:10, a Transition Monmouth campaign, on voicemail 07989 168121 or mail@transitionmonmouth.org.
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Norwegians get the Wye Valley Experience
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), became host to a fact finding tour by high profile regional and local officials from Telemark in Norway.
The group of 36, who represented a range of business, tourism and local government interests, visited the Wye Valley AONB to examine the possibilities of designating their area in Norway into a form of regional park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in line with the European Landscape Convention. Having already visited the Forest of Bowland AONB, the Peak District National Park and the Cotswolds AONB they felt the unique position of the Wye Valley would give them an insight into partnership working within a specific landscape area.
After a presentation by Andrew Blake, Wye Valley AONB lead officer, they were treated to an escorted tour of Tintern by resident Abbey monk and historian Keith Underwood. The group then viewed the River Wye and examined the newly refurbished waterwheel at Abbey Mill, one of the 40 Overlooking the Wye projects funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The group travelled up the Wye Valley to Symonds Yat where they visited the Forestry Commission site at Yat Rock viewpoint.
Rural Development Advisor Kristian BjØrnstad, from Aurland Landscapeworks, expressed his thanks on behalf of the group. ‘These trips are always a great inspiration to us and we hope will lead to lasting projects and network partnerships for the future.’ The visitors were impressed by the working practices in the Wye Valley AONB, with the rural economy, tourism and the Overlooking the Wye project and felt they had gained an appreciation of the work undertaken in a special landscape area.
Wales Coast Path - A New Way to Walk Around Wales
As part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s plan to have a Wales Coast Path in time for the Olympics in 2012, Monmouthshire and Newport Councils are working together to improve access to and along our stretch of coastline.
Starting at the Old Bridge near Chepstow Castle, the planned route will hug the water’s edge wherever possible, continuing through Newport to meet up with Cardiff’s section of the Path.
Last year, with grant aid from the Welsh Assembly Government distributed by the Countryside Council for Wales, we improved some of the existing public rights of way to and along the coast. In the coming years there are plans to continue improvements to routes which will link towns and villages with the Severn Estuary.
Helen Howlett, Coastal Access Improvement Officer for Newport and Monmouthshire, says: “Our part of the Coast Path has so much going for it. It’s not just a gateway to the rest of Wales. There are still people who don’t realise what an asset we have here. There’s excellent scenery, wonderful history and special wildlife interest. On top of all that, most of our proposed route offers level walking so you don’t wear yourself out enjoying it!”
The Severn Estuary has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world. The dramatic changes between high and low tide create ideal over-wintering conditions for over 60,000 wading birds and wildfowl on its shores. From earliest times our coastal strip has been inhabited. Remains have been found of Prehistoric and Bronze Age activity here. Roman occupation and Mediaeval Times have left a visible impact on the landscape with the layout of drainage ditches and roads. Churches, castles and rediscovered ships all have their own story to tell!
The Project is recruiting Coast Path Volunteer Wardens to survey and walk sections of the route on a regular basis and undertake basic clearance of undergrowth. Full training is provided. The picture shows Hazel Worms, the first Coast Path Volunteer recruited under this scheme. If you are interested in joining Hazel, contact Helen Howlett on 01633 644825.
Photo above foreverfotos
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