TV ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER TO TELL SHIPSTON HOW TO GO GREEN

“See through the spin to really go green!” That will be the message that TV architectural designer Charlie Luxton will be giving in Shipston on Wednesday 21 March, when he speaks at the Shipston Community Energy Fair. Charlie Luxton is the presenter and "architectural expert" for many TV programmes including 2011DIY SOS: The Big Build(BBC1) and Britain’s Hidden Heritage (BBC1),and he has many years’practical experience as an architect in the design of environmental buildings. He is currently working on a programme for BBC2, Rebuilding Britain, which will be aired later this year. At home he has helped start Hook Norton Low Carbon, a community co-operative that has invested over £400,000 into village-wide carbon reduction schemes. This includes green-furbishing thirty houses, creating a car pool, installing a 12kW solar array on the local school and exploring the potential for a community wind turbine.

"Seeing Through the Spin to Really Go Green"
Charlie Luxton’s talk will take place at

7.30 Wednesday 21st March

Townsend Hall, Sheep Street, Shipston

(as part of the Shipston Community Energy Fair)

The Community Energy Fair, which is being organised by local energy advice charity Act on Energy & Transition Shipston, will showcase the work of local organisations and energy businesses. There will be the chance to find out more about different types of insulation, heating, lighting and renewable energy technologies – all things that can help improve energy efficiency in the home. The Community Energy Fair will be open from 4pm to 9pm and entry is free.

Energy costs have doubled in the past five years and are likely to continue to rise in the future, making energy efficiency increasingly important, both environmentally and financially. Transition Shipston has recently organised an energy study of the town with support from Shipston-on-Stour Town Council. Dave Passingham from Transition Shipston, one of the authors of the report, said: “Our study showed the importance of improving energy efficiency in the town, so the energy fair will give people a great opportunity to find out more about this.”

For more information about Shipston’s Community Energy Fair, or the programme of energy fairs which Act on Energy is organising across Stratford District during March, contact Roger Matthews on 01789 298503 or e-mail him at roger.matthews@phonecoop.coop.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The first of a programme of six Community Energy Fairs in Stratford District took place in Alcester on Saturday 10 March. In addition to the Fair in Shipston on 21 March, Fairs are being held in Studley on Tuesday 13 March, Henley-in-Arden on Saturday 17 March, Southam on Saturday 24 March and Stratford upon Avon on Saturday 31 March.

For further information about the overall programme, contact David Jullien at Act on Energy on 01789 472690. For information about individual energy fairs, contact Roger Matthews on 01789 290736.

Funding for the programme of community energy fairs has come from the Government’s Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF), which is distributed by the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

In addition to the support for the energy fairs, Act on Energy is also using LEAF money to pay for the setting up of a specialised website which will provide information to owners of older homes, for energy audits of community buildings in the district including the Townsend Hall, for the creation of a series of case studies of energy efficiency improvements by local home owners, and for training. Information about these developments will be available at the community energy fairs.