Archive for category: News

Abberley Parish has two defibrillators.

One is at Abberley Village Hall and the other, a new device, is based at the Manor Arms Abberley.

Useful information on how to use these are available from this video.

Energy Savings – reducing your winter energy bills.

Energy prices have gone through the roof and despite the caps will still be unaffordable for many so here is a reminder of some of the things you can do to help reduce your bills and help the planet at the same time.

Heating costs: if you are running an LPG or oil boiler turn down the flow temperature behind the front panel. Ask your service technician if you need help to do this. This can save 7-8%.

Turn down you thermostat to 19^oC or just heat specific rooms where you benefit most from the heating. Savings of 10% per degree turn down. Buy a better duvet? Use weather compensated controls to save even more so the boiler works at the right level for the outside temperature.

Simple measures to cut your heating bills include:

• Fitting heavier or thermally backed curtains on the big windows will help heat loss.
• Install more loft insulation– think about having 400mm of breathable style insulation to meet current building standards. Around 25% of heat goes through the roof.
• Taking a shorter shower- you might need to explain this to your children! Savings around £70/year for 5 showers/week. Or fit low flow devices.
• Reducing draughts will help but check how your house is designed to be ventilated first- trickle vents are there to provide background ventilation. If you have wood burners check the air intake is from outside and not from the room.

Simple measures to reduce the electricity bill include:

• Converting all your lights to LEDs. Households typically use 11% of energy on lights and LEDs use half the amount of energy. More expensive but hey last longer. Changing a dozen 40W bulbs would save £200/year after costs of £42 for the bulbs.
• Remember to turn lights off when you’re not in the room.
• Fit LED  security lights with PIRs (proximity sensors) so they go off.
• Simply understanding how your energy varies with appliances by measuring it will help- ask for a smart meter from your energy supplier or fit a clamp device that displays your usage in the house. What is still on standby when you go to bed?
• Cooking uses a large proportion and microwaves, air fryers and slow cookers are all energy saving options compared with an electric cooker. A BBC article estimated by Sust-it suggest £1.02 to cook a baked potato for 90 minutes versus 5p in a microwave but if you’re cooking lots then savings will be less.
• Some simple behavioural changes are free: Pick a sunny day to do your washing- tumble driers use a lot.
• Wash programme at 30^oC or cold for
• Buy A+ energy rated appliances when it’s time to replace fridges and freezers.

Medium term improvements could be upgrading your boiler to save 20% on an old inefficient boiler or even better to invest in a heat pump using the Boiler Upgrade Scheme £5,000 grant. This will reduce bills for households in our parish paying for oil or LPG fuel and cut your carbon footprint by at least 75%. Heat pumps are reliable and very efficient now. Upgrading will also mean that your hot water tank will be improved with factory fitted insulation. In the meantime wrap up your tank with a duvet or insulation blanket.

Next order some Photovoltaic (PV) Panels from an MCS certified supplier for your house- this will take some time but make sure you get 3 quotes. This will save you 4,000 kWh year if you use all the energy. You will use at least half of it saving around £2,000/year and can arrange to be paid for the export you don’t use. Look at some of the green energy suppliers like Octopus Energy. Divert spare PV energy to your hot water tank with an iboost or similar. Check your roof quality at the same time.

Lead times are  longer at 4-6 months as installers are busy but if you act now you will be better prepared for next winter and maybe able to install quicker than you think.

Remember there are further savings to make as there is no VAT on insulation, PV panels or heat pumps at the moment for residential projects.

If we all cut our energy usage by 20% during peak times we are much less likely to experience black-outs!

If you need more help look at these websites:

www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-may-be-eligible-for-the-boiler-upgrade-scheme-from-april-2022

Cathie Eberlin

On behalf of Abberley Parish Council.

Look at our climate change page www.abberleyparish.org.uk and check out the climate page under local information 

We will organise another free energy information evening at the village hall in due course.

 

DOWNLOAD Safer Neighbourhoods Team Newsletter to 30 June 22

 

 

Good evening and welcome to the Annual Parish Meeting for Abberley

The Covid years and all associated trauma are hopefully, at least for a great number of us, a thing of memory. However, they seem to have been replaced with an even bigger threat, due to the invasion of Ukraine, which many of us had mistakenly believed to be consigned to the annals of history. The Cold War and its ugly potential repercussions have reared their heads.  It is a truism that nothing in life can be taken for granted. The positive outcome thus far is the uniting of millions of people in support of freedom. And it allows us to view any difficulties we may face as a Parish with perspective and a sense of appreciation for what we do have.

We started the new Parish year still on Zoom but were able to resume normal face to face meetings in September. And we were able to welcome Sarah Outwin as the newest recruit to the Parish Council.

The last year has seen a flurry of Planning Applications which almost seemed to reflect a huge collective sigh of relief for the fact that normal activity could continue. The two largest, The Orchard site and the Land around the Village Hall are still to be determined.

Over the last year the Parish Council has been active in trying to promote an awareness of Zero Carbon, Dark Skies and Environmental Issues. To this end under the direction of Cllr Eberlin a Climate Change evening was held in April with very pleasing attendance. It is hoped that this will be the beginning of like – minded people in Abberley developing, at the least, a forum where ideas will be discussed and hopefully action will result.

At the suggestion of Cllr Eberlin Natural Networks made an assessment of how to improve the biodiversity of those sites mentioned in our Neighbourhood Plan. This was then circulated to the various entities responsible for those sites to see whether they would like to make use of any funding available. It should be noted that much of what has been done and is being done already shows great awareness of the proper guardianship of the land.

Underpinning these actions are two new policies devised by the Parish Council which relate to Zero Carbon and Dark Skies. They also form part of the NDP.

We are blessed with numerous walks in some of the most glorious countryside in England and the new Geopark signs, to which cost the Parish Council made a contribution, are now installed and will inform any walkers and interested parties about the fascinating geology of the area.

Other purchases include a new noticeboard, long overdue and a second defibrillator which is now located on the carpark wall at The Manor Arms whom we must thank for allowing us to use that space. Grateful thanks also go to Cllr David Chambers for funding this with a contribution from Cllr Paul Cumming as well.

We have also adopted the telephone box as a piece of historical street furniture.

Parking and speeding remain a constant source of concern with several visits to Abberley by Highways and our County Councillor to see where improvements can be made. We were unable to institute a 20mph zone outside the school but there have been improvements to the flashing lights indicating a school presence.

 To stave off the horrendous problems of the last few years yellow conservation lines have been drawn along the Shaver’s End Road. It was done with reluctance but out of necessity in conjunction with Astley and Dunley Parish Council. The aim is to allow fines to be issued by traffic enforcement who will visit the site on an ad hoc basis. The idea is that once this has filtered through there will be less inclination for people to flock to the quarry. Initial reports suggest that this action is having an effect but the summer will be the real test.

And last but not least we are now the proud possessors of an adopted Neighbourhood Plan. I’m sure Councillors will agree it was a marathon but we made it in the end. The referendum on June 24^th 2021 had a very good turnout with 89% of voters in favour.

 Malvern District Hills directs other Parish Councils to our plan as an example of what a sound, easily accessible plan should look like and I have had requests from other Parishes for advice on how to go about creating one. I tell them to take a deep breath and don’t give up.

Thanks must go now to all those individuals and groups who contribute so much to life in Abberley the Garden Club, the Village Hall, The Village Green Trust, the WI, the Churches Restoration Committee, the Parochial Church Council, the Young Farmers, Nora Parsons, Abberley Care Farm and all the various groups and societies which enrich our daily lives.

Thank you to all those who have reported to the Parish Council and to Mr Joel Turvey and Mr Jonnie Besley, respective headmasters of Abberley Parochial Primary School and Abberley Hall Prep.

A big thank you must go to Cllr David Chambers, our County Councillor, who has shown himself to be an attentive listener and someone who is more than willing to address the issues we raise and is proactive with sensible suggestions.

Cllr Paul Cumming works tirelessly on our behalf, particularly so this year, with all the trials and  tribulations as a result of the two current developments. It is not always appreciated that a lot of work goes on behind the scenes in order to get a result and Cllr Cumming is unfailingly resolute in trying to produce desired outcomes.

As Chair I value highly the good sense, knowledge and support provided by Councillors and so say thank you to them for their proactivity and willingness to tackle various issues and their continued resolve to do their best for all Parishioners.

Final thanks must go to Mrs Carole Hirst, our Parish Clerk, whose good offices and dedication to detail make sure that we all stay on the straight and narrow. As has been suggested elsewhere the hours designated as part of the job do not in any way reflect the actual hours spent in ensuring all is well.

To conclude on a joyful note we have planned a Celebration Picnic on the Village Green for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on 5^th June and hope very much that people will take the opportunity to get to know each other a little better.

Catherine Knight

Chairman

Climate Change Evening – Next Steps

Thank you to all those who attended our climate change evening. It was great to have so much interest in progressing climate change improvements in our parish and also to hear views on what is on people’s minds.

At the session we focussed on some of the practical points about how best to reduce heat loss from our homes (start with your loft) whilst keeping the house adequately ventilated. We also looked at how much carbon we can save from changing over our oil boilers to heat pumps, installing Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and Electric Vehicle savings. Some shared their experiences and could offer useful advice to others. (The Parish Council can’t recommend installers). Energy costs are rising and will rise again and it is clear that any improvements you make to your home will save on your energy bills. The IPCC are telling us to halve our emissions by 2030.

Feedback: Some people needed help deciding what to do next in their homes. Some commented on the need to have further support as to how to do this which we can investigate. Some were interested in having a group that could improve sustainability, reduce waste, reduce travel impact through lift sharing, support biodiversity projects etc. Please let us know if you’d like to be part of such a group.

Funding: It is possible to access funds through the latest initiative where Worcestershire Council and Malvern Hills have funds under a crowdfunding scheme, capped at up to £20k per project to contribute funds to sustainability projects that that are supported by communities. This could be, for example, a project to improve the sustainability of the village hall or biodiversity in our community. It might be possible to apply for funding to engage independent support for providing free or low cost professional advice to residents, or to support a community led PV scheme to generate green electricity for community services.

Please look at the following links and let us know what ideas you would like to progress for our community. If there is enough support, those who are interested can form a group and we can kickstart your idea. There are various funds but projects must have a clear goal and broad community benefit and can include restoration, new facilities, biodiversity, community events.

www.spacehive.com/movement/worcs

Please note the government’s new scheme Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) for supporting renewable technology is going live now, worth £5,000 for air source heat pumps or biomass boilers, or £6,000 for ground source heat pumps subject to your house having cavity wall insulation if applicable and enough loft insulation.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-may-be-eligible-for-the-boiler-upgrade-scheme-from-april-2022

Remember if your home is suitable for PV panels or other renewables then currently there is a VAT exemption making the technology cheaper. If you are not ready to take this step start by taking advantage of the zero VAT on insulation.

Please contact us with your ideas and what you’d like to see happening next. Please provide your email address if you’re interested in being involved in a climate group in the parish. Replay to

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