Newsletter - Summer 2010
Contents of this edition:
Llanover Farmer’s diversification into energy generation
Alan
Alan Williams farms beautiful land with great views on the slopes of the Blorenge above the Goose and Cuckoo Pub, Upper Llanover. A group of about a dozen members of the Abergavenny Climate Action group recently went to see the micro-hydro scheme he has installed on his farm.
Following advice from Brecon Beacons National Park officers about 3 years ago Alan embarked on a project to generate electricity from the stream that flows through his farm. Quotations from installers were discouraging [£80- 100,000] so he decided to undertake the project himself. This meant dealing with the Environment Agency to obtain an impoundment licence for the small weir and an abstraction licence to allow him to remove up to 75% of the water from the brook for a distance before returning it to the streambed below the turbine shed. The Agency require him to monitor and report water flows daily and they can also check these figures remotely. At the time of our visit he had been switched off for 3 or 4 weeks due to low water flow in the brook. Alan also had to obtain planning permission and negotiate with the power company who were to buy the electricity he generates.
Persistence saw him through and he completed the project at a cost of £20,000. He does not qualify for the new "Feed-in Tariff" so he receives only 9p per unit [plus 3p/unit for electricity he exports] rather than the 19p/unit now on offer for new schemes. Nevertheless he earns about £8,000 pa in profit so he has already recovered his cash investment. Heavy duty six inch pipes channel the water down a 74metre drop to the generator, reaching speeds of 80mph or more and generating 9.5 kilowatts per hour. He is about to install more efficient equipment now available which should raise output to 12 Kw/hour. The whole system is computer controlled and automatically closes down in the event of a power cut or fault.
Mr Williams is rightly proud of his micro-hydro and has hosted visits and given talks to groups of farmers and other landowners all over Wales. Already one of his neighbours is constructing a 7Kw scheme on a stream with a 30metre head. He would like to see the Environment Agency work quicker and closer with farmers and every hill farmer with a suitable stream to consider installing a micro-hydro. Back to top
Chepstow Society news
The Chepstow Society’s speaker for its June meeting was Paul Barnett who gave a very informative talk on the extensive ship graveyard at Purton on the other side of the Severn. The story began in 1909 when the river washed away some 60 metres of bank exposing the Sharpness canal to a threat of being breached. The authorities' answer was to encourage owners to strand redundant vessels in such a position as to help strengthen and protect this weak point. When these vessels were holed and filled by the twice daily tide of water and alluvial mud they had over the almost one hundred intervening years effectively protected the canal. However, joined by many other unwanted craft since then they have become a museum source of growing importance. Many are now unique examples of types of coastal vessels that are long gone. Their remains are scanty but evocative. Tragically the wrecks currently have little or no statutory protection but there are hopes that the situation might shortly change. Chepstow's own historic vessel the restored Trow "Spry" was also mentioned. She is presently high and dry as an exhibit at the Blists Hill museum in the Midlands. To find out more about the Purton Hulks site, and ongoing work to record and preserve the wrecks visit The Friends of Purton website http://www.friendsofpurton.org.uk/
Following the talk members went on to discuss local matters. They were pleased to hear that after many years without, there is now the possibility that MCC are to put in place a "Conservation Area Character Assessment" for the Chepstow Conservation Area . The lack of this important document has led on many occasions in the past to ambiguities in the standard of protection afforded to listed and other buildings in the town. They also welcomed the proposed "origin and destination" traffic survey which the Council were about to undertake. This they felt might help to settle the controversy regarding the route taken by some of the many heavy vehicles passing through the town. The Society had heard at its May meeting that the release of the Bridge Works site for redevelopment, combined with large housing allocations on the Forest of Dean side of Chepstow, would exacerbate existing traffic problems in the town, so the traffic survey would be welcomed. The Chepstow Society meets monthly at The Drill Hall, Chepstow on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7.15pm. New members and visitors are welcome.
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Transition Chepstow Give it Away Again
Everything including a kitchen sink found new homes at Chepstow’s second Give It Away, Take It Away event held at the Severn Bridge Social Club’s Car Park in May. 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 Tools for Self-Reliance and 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 all free of charge”.
The next Give It Away, Take It Away event, will be held at Chepstow Comprehensive School car park on the 12th September so forget about a ‘spring clean’ and start your ‘summer clean’ now.
For more information about Transition Chepstow and this event, visit www.transitionchepstow.org.uk or call Janet on 01291 625977. Back to news index
GAVO Volunteer Achievement Awards
Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations (GAVO) held its annual volunteer achievement awards ceremony early in June at Glen yr Afon House Hotel in Usk. The awards evening celebrated the work of the unsung heroes and heroines of Monmouthshire - its volunteers. There were various categories, including young volunteers, service to the community, caring in the community, environment awards, and special awards for courage and long service. It was good to see so many young people represented at the awards evening.
The GreenWeb Environment Award for an individual volunteer who has made a difference in their community was presented by GreenWeb Chairman Dick Cole to Annette Baker, for her tenacity and patience on the Monmouth Links Project, which is developing a new network of walking and cycling routes that will connect Monmouth's suburbs to the town centre. Annette has also played a key role in organising Monmouth's Green Travel Days to promote sustainable transport in Monmouth.
The Tidy Towns/Tidy Local Communities Award was presented by TLC Coordinator Deserie Mansfield to the Rights of Way Maintenance Volunteers. This group of 14, mostly retired walkers, work with the Monmouthshire Countryside Service Field Wardens, and have contributed more than 200 days work in the last 12 months. The group are keen to 'put something back' after the enjoyment that they have gained from walking rights of way in the County.
The Individual Award for Service to the Community was presented to Grahame Thomas, Chairman of Monmouth Civic Society by Rick Longford of Monmouthshire County Council. Grahame has worked tirelessly in a number of local groups in Monmouth, driving forward the Civic Society's Blue Plaque Scheme, marking 24 historic buildings in the town, Church Warden of St Mary's Priory Church, Vice-Chair of the Shire Hall Stewards, trustee of the Savoy Theatre and involved in the Nelson Memorial Garden and Friends of Monmouth Cemetery.
Working Together - the Environment Partnership Board
For some years ‘partnerships’ have been extolled by Government as a means of overcoming the lack of joined-up working between organisations engaged in overlapping areas of interest. Partnerships are a statutory requirement at a county level for health and well-being, children and young people, community safety, and some other services. There is no such requirement for environmental services, but in 2004 the County Council sensibly decided to form an Environmental Partnership Board of representatives of the key bodies in this area of work.
Full information on the Board is available here but this article summarises its story to date, and invites comment.
Much environmental activity today relies on some form of partnership working and the Board has not tried to oversee, let alone control, all this. Essentially its role has been to identify new areas of work that need to be pursued, and to encourage its members to fill these gaps by working together or with others. Close touch is maintained with Monmouthshire’s increasingly active community-based environmental groups, particularly by links with the Council’s Community Climate Champions group. At a higher level the Board’s Chair and Vice-Chair are members of the Local Service Board http://www.monmouthshirelsb.org.uk/site/index.php.
After a number of workshops attended by many GreenWeb organisations, in 2009 the Board adopted the report ‘Environmental Objectives and Action Plan 2009/10’. The first part of the report is a policy framework based on the main aims of the partners, and a context for the Action Plan which sets out the projects that the Board itself is promoting. Progress on the Action Plan has recently been reviewed and the Plan rolled forward.
Quarterly Board meetings have had vigorous debates about waste collection, barriers to the development of renewable energy projects, the Community Strategy and the Local Development Plan, often influencing subsequent actions. Sue Mabberley of the Countryside Council for Wales, who chairs the Board, says 'I am particularly encouraged by the enthusiasm of Board members to listen to community groups in Monmouthshire and work with the Local Service Board to make things happen.'
Have a look at the Board’s pages on this web site; the Board is keen to hear from anyone who has suggestions to make for its consideration. Just email admin@monmouthshiregreenweb.co.uk.
Stop Press! You can meet members of Monmouthshire EPB and its Coordinator at the Usk Show on Sept 11th, at its Green Energy and Climate Change Area. Find out about about various renewable energy technologies, energy saving and take part in childrens' activities.
Heritage Open Days with Monmouth Civic Society
Once again the Society is arranging the Annual 'Open Doors' Weekend in Monmouth. On Saturday and Sunday, 11th and 12th September, 15 properties will be part of the scheme to encourage the public to visit them. Included this year for the first time is the private Hydro Electric and Salmon Ladder scheme on the River Monnow at Forge Lane, Osbaston (see picture above). The Shire Hall is also available following the massive renovation programme. There is a guided tour of the Blue Plaque Trail on Sunday at 2.30 p.m. commencing at Monnow Bridge. Leaflets will be available from the Tourist Information Centre, Shire Hall and the Nelson Museum, Priory Street.
The Monmouthshire Walking Festival
The first Monmouthshire Walking Festival takes place from Friday 22nd to Sunday 31st October 2010. There are a total of 32 walks on offer, providing a taste of the best of our landscape, heritage, culture and food. Each day offers a long walk, and a couple of shorter walks, so there is something for every level of fitness, interest and ability. The Festival’s featured walk traces the boundary of the County over the 10 days. Many of the walks will allow dogs, provided they are kept on a lead, and there is encouragement to leave the car at home, as lifts can be arranged for those arriving in the county by public transport. The full programme of walks and details of accommodation and transport can be downloaded here.
The Wye Tour, and Art of the Picturesque
Members of the Wye Valley Society enjoyed an evening following in the footsteps of William Gilpin in July, when they undertook a boat trip up the River Wye from Chepstow Back to Tintern's Wireworks Bridge. The cruisers belong to Chepstow Boat Club. The boat trip is a superb way to explore the otherwise inaccessible tidal lower Wye, with woodland clothing the entire valley right down to the river banks, and glimpses of the limestone pinnacles high above. This part of the valley, virtually undisturbed by modern life, is rich in wildlife and echoes with birdsong. The trip is unfortunately only rarely available.
Meanwhile the Wye Valley AONB continue with their series of special events supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. An exhibition of over 70 watercolours that illustrate the Picturesque Landscape that the first Wye Tourists came to see continues at Chepstow Museum until September 5th. Artists represented include JMW Turner, Paul Sandby, David Cox and Samuel Palmer. The exhibition is guest curated by author/playwright Julian Mitchell.
A more modern take on the landscape of the Wye can be seen at The Kymin open air sculpture exhibition, open until October. The Kymin, with its dramatic views looking west to the Welsh hills, has been a popular picnic spot for more than 200 years. The Roundhouse, built as a banqueting house by local gentry for their private dining club use is open on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays until October, a croquet set is available for visitors to use when the house is open. The site is owned and managed by the National Trust.
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