Monk Fryston and Hillam Sustainability Project

We hope you notice our two logos; the original Green House logo has featured on our previous Project updates. It has been joined by a new badge designed by a Monk Fryston Primary School pupil. This was chosen with much difficulty from a shortlist of inspired designs made during their recent Environmental Green Flag work. The Steering Group were so impressed by all the designs they decided to award a badge to each pupil to recognise their learning to improve the world they live in. A very big ‘Well Done’ to Pupils and Staff of the school.

Well – despite the project getting off to a great start last year, I don’t think anyone was sad to see the back of 2020. The New Year is here and we wish everyone all the best for 2021. We have lots happening on the project and want to let you know about the progress … so let’s get started.

The Locogen Feasibility Study

The second and third Covid lockdowns have delayed the study but the draft Final Report has arrived and we hope to finalise it by the end of February and then it is really down to work!

News from Rick Weights the Head Teacher

The School is working on energy efficiency by following the best practice ’Energy Hierarchy’ and by submitting an application for Salix Funding to convert all the lighting to energy-efficient LED units. In addition, have invested over £5,000 to rectify the school heating system controls which I am sure everyone has appreciated during the recent winter cold snaps – maximum heat at minimal costs.

The Peoples Post Code Lottery

We are absolutely delighted to report that our application for a grant has been successful, so a BIG THANK YOU to the People’s Postcode Lottery. We have been awarded a grant of £19,200 for a Thermal Imaging Camera Plus Solar PV panels and battery storage for the Community Centre. We have now purchased and received the Thermal Imaging camera. It will be used to survey all the Partner Buildings to identify areas of heat loss and later local people will be trained to survey local homes and buildings.

A working party of Community Association members are now finalising the purchase of the Solar Panels and batteries which should be installed by the end of March. This process has provided lots of learning which we have documented, so if anyone is thinking of investing in solar panels or storage batteries and wants some impartial advice please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The WSP Eco Wall

In November a village resident, Ben Thompson, told us that his Company, the engineering group WSP UK, were running a competition to award a £2,500 grant which he thought might complement our project. A week or so of mulling over ideas resulted in a bid to insulate one of the original walls at the Community Centre. In addition to this being good energy efficiency practice, we will use it as a Before and After case study for the Community Thermal Imaging Campaign.

Just before Christmas we received the wonderful news from Ben, that we had won the £2,500 grant to create the WSP Eco Wall at the Community Centre. This work is scheduled to take place in what would have been the school half term… it is always great when a plan comes together… and fingers crossed everything goes to plan! Thank you WSP.

The Community Thermal Imaging Campaign

As you will have read earlier the Post Code Lottery have funded a Thermal Imaging Camera to survey our Community Buildings and pinpoint where they are losing heat. This is a key part of each Partner Building’s energy efficiency drive to reduce their energy consumption. We will use it to take before and after thermal pictures of the WSP Eco Wall at the Community Centre. Our next step is to offer village residents and other local building owners the chance to have a thermal image survey so they too can take remedial action.

If you would like to join Jon, Ben or Kate as a member of our Community Thermal Imaging Team, or have your house surveyed please get in touch. We already have several homes on the list so you may have to be patient – but there seems to be plenty of cold weather left in this winter’s system!

Other News from our Partners

St Wilfrids’ Church and Church Hall. The Church of England has announced that it aims to become Carbon Neutral by 2030 so St Wilfrid’s have offered to become a pilot scheme.

The Cricket and Football Clubs. Both clubs share many facilities including the power supply and waste water treatment. They have become victims of their own success as more people are using their facilities year on year – which is great news but they have identified that their current waste water management system – a cess pit which requires regular emptying by road tanker is not sustainable – so we have added finding a sustainable waste water solution to our project.

Hillam Parish Council: The Council have asked us examine if their land on Betteras Hill could be used for sustainable power generation. We have asked Locogen to investigate this as part of the study so we will soon know the answer.

What Next? Four Major Steps

1. The receipt of the final Feasibility Study and each Partner organisation to decide how they want to proceed.
2. Sharing the report with every resident via an online link.
3. Finding the funding for all the energy efficiency and renewable energy investments.
4. Building our on-line Energy Sustainability Information and Advice Centre. It will be available to everyone to share in our project learning. Currently, the intention is for this to be hosted on the Monk Fryston and Hillam Community Association website – look out for it – and watch it evolve at www.mfhcc.com

Thank you for your support.

The Steering Group and Project Partners