Contents:
Queen's Avenue
Community Orchard
No-dig With A
Difference
Ilmington Solar
School - update
Great British Elm
Experiment
Small Wind Turbines
For Shipston?
Some Wind Energy
Facts
Free
Compost Bins
Energy
From Waste In Chipping Campden
Queen's Avenue
Community Orchard Planting
Following
a two-fundraising campaign led by Polly Taylor , there is now a
climbing frame, swings, five-a-side football pitch and a basketball
hoop, along with a slide and benches at the Queen's Avenue Play
Area. Transition Shipston has been raising money for 3 years to
plant a community orchard to surround the play area. On Sunday 19th
January pear, cherry, plum and apple trees planted with the help of
Shipston Cubs.
Mike Ashton, Chair of Transition
Shipston, said: "I'm delighted that the site is now starting to
come together. A year ago we started work with the first plantings
and now much of the play equipment is in and the landscaping's going
well."
Phase two of the
project which will include a zip line and more toddler equipment
should be completed by late summer.
No-dig With A
Difference
Permaculture enthusiasts
from Transition Shipston and Hook Norton have been making no-dig
raised beds with a difference. The new method called “Hugelkultur”
is being tried out at Jenny Lanham's allotment in Long Compton.
Instead of putting organic waste in the bin on the kerbside for the
bin men it was saved to build the Hugelkultur. Logs, branches,
leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper,
manure and compost were built into a mound and topped with soil.
Herbs and veg will be planted on the top and sides in the spring..
Hugelkultur
has many advantages over a standard veg plot. It holds moisture,
builds fertility, maximises the surface volume and are a great space
for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs. For more information about
Hugelkultur see:
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur?utm_source=GraphicMail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=NewsletterLink&utm_campaign=newsletter-3978-Oct-2013&utm_content=
A
work party to finish off the Hugelkultur will be held on Sunday 2nd
Feb. The next pub meeting of the group will be at 8.00 Monday 24th
February at the Red Lion Long Compton
We
are looking for projects to work on as a collaborative learning
experience, seed sharing etc? If you have any ideas please email
Jenny Lanham – photojourno2003@yahoo.co.uk
or join the 3 Counties permaculture group
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/3CP/info
Ilmington
Solar School
The
fund for the solar panels now stands at nearly £3000,
thanks to the people sponsoring solar tiles on the website, a
sponsored cycle and a sponsored swim. The target is £17000 so more
fund raising events are planned. Donations welcome to:
www.solarschools.org.uk/ilmington
e (charity number: 1028139). Donations of £100 or
more will allow a company to place a logo and website link on our
fundraising site. Supporters can also follow our fundraising story
on twitter (twitter.com/ilmingtonsolar)
and facebook (www.facebook.com/ilmingtonsolar).
Great British Elm
Experiment
Stretton village
biodiversity group has just planted an elm tree sapling as part of
the “Great British Elm Experiment”. The experiment is being run
by the Conservation Trust and involves planting elm saplings which
have been grown from cuttings taken from mature trees that appear to
have resisted Dutch elm disease for over 60
years and that have been skilfully micro propagated. The
resulting saplings are being distributed to hundreds of schools,
community groups, local authorities and private landowners who have
signed up to take part in The Great British Elm Experiment.
Saplings are free to schools and
non-profit organisations, whilst private individuals and businesses
can purchase a special sapling at a modest cost. Find out details on
receiving
a sapling here.
Each small tree is accompanied by a
certificate showing its parent tree and variety. Schools will also
receive a poster with growing tips and project ideas.
Small Wind Turbines
For Shipston?
Warwickshire Community
Energy (CEW) is hoping to bid to the Rural Community Energy Fund for
funding to carry out a feasibility study to find suitable sites for
small wind turbines in the Shipston Area. They are hoping to find a
site that could accommodate two or more 10kW wind turbines, each of
which could potentially generate 30 - 35MWh of electricity a year.
CEW is hoping to get the support of Shipston Town Council for their
bid.
Community Energy Warwickshire is a
new approach to local energy – a co-op which invests in renewable
energy projects and helps local people to reduce their use of energy
and save money. As a co-op, they’re able to raise money to fund
projects by inviting people to become members of the co-op by
investing in shares in Community Energy Warwickshire. They’ve used
this approach to fund the solar
powered hospitals
project which has put 60 kWp of solar panels on roofs at Stratford
upon Avon and Warwick Hospitals.
The Rural Community
Energy Fund is being administered by WRAP on behalf of DECC and aims
to help rural communities in England to access funding for
professional consultancy input to feasibility studies and other
pre-approval expenditure for renewable energy projects. A total of
£15 million is available, with no time limit on applications.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/rural-community-energy-fund
Some
wind energy facts:
Wind energy is a pollution-free energy source.
Wind energy is mostly used to generate electricity.
Wind energy is one of the lowest-priced renewable energy sources.
Wind energy can relieve fossil fuels shortage.
Wind energy can even provide new sources of income to some rural areas
Wind energy use has been a growing trend in many countries, especially in Europe.
Wind energy is a pollution-free energy source.
Wind energy is mostly used to generate electricity.
Wind energy is one of the lowest-priced renewable energy sources.
Wind energy can relieve fossil fuels shortage.
Wind energy can even provide new sources of income to some rural areas
Wind energy use has been a growing trend in many countries, especially in Europe.
Energy From Waste in
Chipping Campden
Transition
Shipston is arranging a visit to the Northwick Biogas plant near
Chipping Campden. The
plant derives methane gas from farm waste (such as animal slurry)
and from waste food. A generator then converts the methane into
“green” electricity. If you are interested in seeing how this is
done come along on the visit. Contact: Dave Passingham
davepassingham@hotmail.com
01608 661816
Free
Compost Bins
Warwickshire
County Council are keen to promote home composting. It is a
great way for gardeners to make their own compost and it diverts
garden and food waste from the waste stream, saving Council tax
money. To
encourage residents of Warwickshire to either start composting or
help existing home composters improve their knowledge, the County
Council's waste management team are running a series of free home
composting workshops across Warwickshire. Each resident
attending the workshop will receive a free
330 litre compost bin. (Limited
to one free bin per household). Each workshop will last
approximately 45 minutes consisting of a 30 minute presentation by
two County Council officers with an expertise in home composting and
waste management plus a question and answer session. The
workshops for the Stratford
area
is on
Thursday 10th April
Holy
Trinity Church Centre, Old Town, Stratford-upon-Avon 6.00pm - 6.45pm
We
would be grateful if you could spread the word about the workshops
to the residents in your Parish area. To book on to a course
either:
- Book a place online at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/composting
- Email the Waste Management Team at composting@warwickshire.gov.uk
- Telephone 01926 412593
If
you would like a poster to help advertise the workshops in your
parish please let me know. If you have any queries about the
workshops please let me know using the contact details below.
Katey
Stoneman
Waste
Projects Officer
Waste
Management
Warwickshire
County Council
01926
412724
Bring
& Share Again
The
next gathering of Heart of England Transition groups will be a bring
& share meal at 7.00 on Friday 31st
January at Lifeways in Stratford. Transition supporters from
Stratford, Snitterfield, Chipping Campden and Ilmington, Leamington
and other places in Warwickshire are due to attend. There will be a
discussion after the meal about how to implement street and village
projects such as
http://www.transitiontogether.org.uk/totnes-streets/.
Diary:
Friday
31st
January 7.00 – Heart of England Transitioning
Lifeways,
Albany Street, Stratford
Sunday
2nd
February, 10.30 – Permaculture Group “Hugelkultur” making
Long
Compton – see above for contact details
Wednesday
5th
February, 6.45 – Queen's
Avenue Play Area Group
Black
Horse Pub, Station Road
Wednesday
5th
February, 7.30 – Transition
Shipston
Black
Horse Pub, Station Road
Tuesday
11th
February 10am – Shipston U3A Nature Group
Monday
24th
February 8.00 – Permaculture Group Drink
Red
Lion, Long Compton.
