Allerton Environmental Group aims to support the villages of Stone Allerton and Chapel Allerton in Somerset as a sustainable local community - raising awareness about environment issues and developments and taking forward projects which should lead to improvements in the villages’ environment.  It was set up early in 2009.

The group is currently working with five themes:

• Local Food
• Wildlife and the Countryside
• Transport
• Recycling
• Energy and Climate Change

These pages aim to provide information which may be of use to those who live in the Allerton villages and also include external links to other websites. News about future meetings and events are posted on the website and reports of meetings and updates on projects are also made available.

Meetings are held several times a year normally on the fourth Tuesday of the month.  Discussion meetings provide a forum for issues of concern to the villages and enable specific projects to be set up.  Some meetings with speakers are held.  These provide wider information about particular topics and allow discussion of relevant issues. There are also occasional outings or visits.

Information is also made available through Allerton News.

The group will work in close collaboration with other local Eco groups – in particular the Wedmore Green Group whose website includes a great deal of information of interest to anyone living on the Isle of Wedmore.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Please contact any of the group’s officers for further information
Frances Good (Chair) 712606
Fiona Torrens-Spence(Secretary) 710188

allertonegroup@yahoo.co.uk

Proposed new major power line

Latest Information:

HINKLEY POINT C CONNECTION PROJECT
Most people in Allerton will now be aware of the project which involves running a high voltage (400KV) overhead line on large pylons (up to 47 metres) from Hinkley point to Avonmouth.  All houses in the Allerton villages should have received a pamphlet from the National Grid setting out the proposals and inviting people to attend exhibitions.  The two in Mark and Biddisham have already taken place.  There are further meetings – the nearest is at Puxton Park on 24 November at 2-4pm or 6-8pm. 
Overview of Exhibitions
The exhibition consisted of a series of posters and maps showing the corridors in which the lines are likely to run.  Members of National Grid staff were available to answer questions.  A consultation feedback form was also made available.  The following points emerged:

• Two broad corridors for the new power line are being proposed: Route 1 follows the existing line either with the current pylons being replaced (IA) or parallel to the existing pylons (1B); Route 2 runs to the east of the current line passing between Mark and Blackford and on to the west of Chapel and Stone Allerton.  If the line is built on the most easterly edge of the corridor, it will be extremely close to Stone Allerton.  The cost of the two options is similar.
• It is unlikely that much, if any, of the line in this area will run underground because of the very high costs of underground lines.  Low profile pylons (chunkier but only 35m tall) might be used but a case would need to be made for these.
• No decision has been made on the route.  This will be made following the current consultation taking people’s views into account.  The criteria will include the impact on local communities and the environment, current legislation and guidance and the views of statutory consul tees such as Natural England.  This consultation ends in early January 2010.
• Between March 2010 and spring 2011, environmental studies will be undertaken.  There will also be a final consultation.
• The plans will then go through Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) processes in summer 2011.  The construction is planned for 2012-2017.
• When a proposed route is known, there will be an opportunity to comment on the route and the locations of the pylons.
• Temporary roads will be built to allow large vehicles to bring in the necessary equipment (large cranes, pile drivers etc).
• National Grid said that there was no firm evidence of health effects from high voltage cables but would avoid building near houses because of visual impact.
• Some trees are likely to be planted to screen the line of pylons partially.
• Alternative routes combining parts of the proposed routes would be welcomed by National Grid in responses to the consultation.

Further information and an on-line feedback form are available here

CAMPAIGN TO FIGHT CORRIDOR 2 ROUTE:  NO MOOR PYLONS

Anyone interested in learning more about the campaign can find out more by emailing action@no-moor-pylons.co.uk .  The No Moor Pylons website can be found here, and on Twitter here.

There is a possible route which crosses between Mark and Blackford and then crosses the A38 between Badgworth and Biddisham.

Below is a link to maps of the proposed routes, full details and reports and also details of the consultation meetings being held locally soon.

http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Electricity/MajorProjects/HinkleyConnection/RouteCorridorStudies/index.htm

The route corridor study report gives reason for the route choices.

MEETINGS IN 2010
Meeting on 23 March 2010
This meeting was concerned with honey bees.  The DVD ‘Vanishing Bees’ was shown at Sleepy Hollow.  It provided an overview of the problems facing bees particularly in the USA but the difficulties in the UK, France and Germany were also covered.  Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is causing major loss of bees in the USA particularly but the cause is unknown.  Various changes including pesticides, feeding on sugar solutions, transporting the bees over long distances to pollinate crops, monocultures and the verroa mite were thought to contribute to the problems.  However, more research is needed if the drastic reduction in bees is to be overcome. 
Following the viewing of the DVD, those attending the meeting discussed the issues and considered what might be down particularly in the local area.

AGM on 23 February 2010
The Officers elected were:

• Chairman: Frances Good
• Secretary: Fiona Torrens-Spence
• Treasurer: Chris Pike

The financial position of the group is satisfactory with a balance of £158.  Voluntary donations at meetings have exceeded costs.  It was felt that this method of raising funds was satisfactory and that it would not be necessary to introduce an annual subscription.  There are currently 26 members of the group.
The activities of the group during 2009 were summarised.  These have included speaker meetings, visits, projects and initiatives, responding to consultations and general discussion meetings.
Speaker Meetings
These have included a meeting on the Severn Barrage, one on vegetable gardening, a joint meeting with Cheddar at Wills Barn on the Yeo Valley farms, and a talk on the Challenges to Allerton Moor.  All these meetings were well attended and led to considerable discussion.
Visits
As well as the visit to Wills Barn, which involved the use of the Wedmore community bus, the group went on an interesting visit to the Carymoor landfill site to learn about how waste is being managed.
Projects and Initiatives
The initial project was to set up pages on the website which has been maintained as a valuable source of information. Most of the others projects have been carried out in conjunction with the Wedmore Green Group.  These include the Isle of Wedmore Tidy Up which is now undertaken regularly ensuring that the verges around the Allertons are kept tidy; the use of ecometers to test electricity use; and access to the Warm Front scheme to encourage energy saving measures in homes.  The Allerton group also had a stall promoting composting at the Wedmore Green Fair.  The main local initiative has been the bulk purchasing of oil which has proved to be very popular and provided considerable savings for those who have joined the scheme.
Responding to Consultations
There have been two main consultations during the year: the Severn Barrage and the Route for Pylons.  After general discussion, sub groups of around 6 members were set up to consider the issues, with particular emphasis on environmental matters, in more detail and to draft responses on behalf of the environmental group.  Agreed responses were submitted to both consultations.
General Meeting
These meetings were normally held in the Wheatsheaf.  As well as considering future plans and various projects, a wide range of topics have been covered.  These include various energy saving topics, the post office, rescuing battery hens, and cycle paths. 
Following the formal AGM, there was a discussion of meetings for 2010 over a glass of wine.  Details of future meetings are available under ‘Events and Meetings’.

Meeting on 26 January 2010
Following the closure of The Wheatsheaf, the meeting was held at The George in Wedmore.  This venue was not considered to be ideal because of there is no door to provide a degree of privacy.  The continuing concerns about the planned route for pylons gave rise to much discussion at this meeting with Fiona Torrens- Spence providing an update from the No Moor Pylons group.  The next Isle of Wedmore Tidy Up will take place on 28 March.
Ideas for meetings in 2010 were discussed with suggestions on Encouraging Wildlife in the Garden; Low Food Miles Supper; Apple Tree Pruning; Bee Film; and Plant Sale all being considered suitable.  There was less enthusiasm for a trip to Rosemoor Gardens.
The arrangements for the AGM were discussed and nominations for officers considered.  The need to discuss a subscription was discussed and those at the meeting were generally in favour of introducing a £5 subscription.

NEXT MEETING:

ENCOURAGING WILDLIFE IN THE GARDEN: TUESDAY 25 MAY

The next meeting of the Environmental Group will be on Tuesday 25 May. Nigel Phillips of the Somerset Wildlife Trust will be talking about wildlife gardening and answering our questions. Nigel was the Head of Nature Reserves for the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust for 30 years until he retired recently. He has an extensive knowledge of wildlife matters and is continuing his work as a volunteer on the SWT’s wildlife gardening programme.

The meeting will be held at Ashton House at 7:30. There will be the opportunity to look round the gardens to see some of the wildlife friendly features including the pond and the partly established wildflower meadow.

There will also be a plant sale including saplings and vegetable plants. Donations of any spare plants, of whatever kind, would be appreciated. A contribution of £2 will be requested to help cover costs. Tea or coffee will be provided.

JUNE MEETING: WETLAND BIRD WALK

Greg Glendall will lead an evening bird walk at the Ham Wall reserve on Tuesday 22 June. Before setting out on the walk, he will provide an update on the Crane Project. Meet at Ashton House at 8pm – from there we will travel in shared cars to Ham Wall.

June (date tbc)
Wetland Bird Walk led by Greg Glendall

Late August or September (date tbc)
Low Food Miles Supper
Members to contribute dishes that minimise food miles with local drinks provided – plus sale of local produce.

Tuesday 26 October
Planning Meeting

Tuesday 23 November
Orchard Management and Apple Pruning
Talk by David Banwell

Recycling and Freecycling in the Allerton area

The Allerton Environmental Group is keen that we recycle as much as possible, based on the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra. This not only preserves scarce resources and reduces waste to landfill but also uses less energy than creating entirely from raw materials. 

Freecycling – A way of getting rid of items which other people may value.  

The Freecycle Network™ is made up of almost 5000 groups with over 6 million members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills.

Membership is free, and everything posted must be FREE, legal and appropriate for all ages.

The onus is on the recipient to collect. 

Freecycle UK

This site is a useful resource allowing you to locate local groups and providing guidelines on posting offers and requests.

Freecycling Days
The Wedmore Green Group holds two Freecycling days a year which are like a car boot sale but with no money changing hands.  All the Group asks is that anything of yours, not exchanged, is taken home with you. 
Remember: Freecycling is not a way of dumping useless rubbish, which should go to a recycling centre or a skip.

The Wedmore Green Group also has a site on the Regional Freecycle Website, which is an online version of the Freecycle days and suitable for heavy or bulky items (e.g. a piano) 
If there are no takers in the Wedmore area you can advertise items on the North Somerset site.
You can also request items (eg baby high chairs).

Eco-Food Shopping

To explore the world of eco-shopping we enter a world of claim and counter-claim, fact and a great deal of fiction. Some arguments are laid out below as we try to minimise the ecological impact of our food consumption habits in the Allertons.

Food Miles

Food miles for determining environmental impact is increasingly questioned as misleading, and certainly difficult to calculate.

Two commonly used examples:

1) Major supermarkets may air-freight Fine Green Beans from farms in Kenya, which use manual labour. It is argued the ecological impact is considerably less than force-growing the same product in the UK or Europe during winter using heated poly-tunnels, nitrate fertilizers, and tractors.

2) Apples, grown mostly in the UK and France are available year round at all major supermarkets and local greengrocers. This is only possible because apples store very well for extended periods in cold storage. From April onwards it is also possible to Sea Freight Apples from overseas e.g. South Africa.

In an American study (Weber, C.L. and Matthews, H.S. (2007) ìQuantifying the Global and Distributional Aspects of American Household Environmental Impact Ecological Economics, Journal of Environmental Science & Technology.), it was suggested that purchasing local products would not necessarily be the most environmentally sound choice in all cases. They suggested the changes in what we eat may have greater significance, as can issues of storage.

The study found that replacing red meat and dairy products once per week with chicken, fish or vegetables has the same effect as eating a locally sourced diet.

We can make easier choices to grow, or rear, as much of our own food as space and time may allow and buying locally produced food whenever possible, and buy it locally! There is no great saving ecologically or financially in buying locally produced cream, cheese or cider, from a supermarket in Highbridge, that gets there via Stafford and Chepstow. There are many genuine examples of food produced less than 10 miles from the Allertons, and available in the local supermarkets, that travel 300 miles+ by lorry in order to get there!

Reducing the impact of food shopping has as much to do with our choice of what we buy and when, as it does where we buy.

Local Food Shopping

• Grocery Box scheme: All fresh / frozen / grocery / produce available to order from Rachel at the Post Office, making the most of bulk buying and no car trips
• Farmers Markets at Axbridge and Cheddar
• Mobile Greengrocer
• Mobile Fish Monger
• Local Food retailers or farm shops from business directory.
• Freezing / pickling / preserving as much as possible
• Veg. Exchange scheme If you have spare, post it on the web-site.
• Ask your local supplier - where his produce is sourced and how far it traveled to reach the store.

Energy Saving – The Starting Point – Low Energy Light Bulbs

Low energy light bulbs are here to stay and switching is easy and relatively cheap.

• They do take a minute or so to reach full light output especially in cold rooms in the winter.
• If you have poor sight you may want to keep a traditional bulb in a critical light position, such as on stairs.
• Even if you switch to a low energy bulb of higher equivalent light output, it will still use far less energy than a traditional tungsten bulb.
• Start by changing just some bulbs and see how you get on.

Light Energy Saving Steps:

• If you have glass light fittings, clean them regularly, especially if you smoke in the house.
• Turn lights off when not required.
• Consider timed light switches in places where lights can be accidentally left on, such as cloakrooms or utility rooms; they can be set to turn off after 1 to 10 minutes or more.
• Consider proximity lights that only turn on when you walk into an area, especially outside or cloakrooms, etc.
• Outside security lights are often 500 watt floodlights. Make sure they turn off after the required period and make sure they are not triggered unnecessarily by animals or passing cars and people.

Make sure they are positioned so as not to dazzle passing motorists.

• When you want low energy bulbs remember, they are now available in all shapes and sizes, including spotlights. Check out cheap deals at supermarkets and DIY stores, energy suppliers – may be offering free bulbs check on-line.
• Use solar lights outside if you want to light paths and drives, also consider a solar fountain for your pond.

REMEMBER - You may not like low energy bulbs but you cannot afford NOT to use them, even if you don’t want to save money. We can no longer use energy wastefully when it can be saved.

BE A RESPONSIBLE ENERGY USER.

Rating:

Traditional Bulb

Low Energy

100W

18W

75W

16W

60W

11W

40W

9W

35W

7W

Cavity Wall Insulation and Loft Insulation

Grants are available to cover cavity wall insulation and loft insulation available from utility suppliers or local authority. Private house owners can obtain grants to cover most of the cost requiring the householder to pay typically £199 for a typical 3-4 bedroom house. If you are 70 or over you may be eligible for a grant for the full cost.
Use this link to find out what grants are available for the area.

Useful Sites

A really useful and practical site to look at is that of the Energy Saving Trust.  A non profit organisation which has practical information on reducing and improving your energy use around your home.  It has a calculator which enables you to calculate your own carbon footprint and see what changes you can make to how you run your household in the following areas: insulation, lighting, travel, use of appliances, and heating.  They also have information on renewable energy to use in the home and alternative fuels.
 
Another site which is very similar is that of the Carbon Trust.  It also has a calculation system and both sites do describe how you can get energy grants to make your household reduce energy usage.  They also provide helpful information and assessments for business too on how to reduce their carbon footprint.
 
Saving on the use of Heating Oil Many people who live in the Allertons using Heating Oil may be interested in the site Boiler Juice, which works on the basis that you can bulk buy with others in your postcode to reduce the cost of heating oil by through buying it together.  There is space on the Allerton Villages website that we could use to promote this as an energy saving activity.

Another useful site is the DirectGov environment and greener living site.

Public Transport in the Allertons

Yes it does exist - we have a bus service albeit limited to a shopping service on Tuesdays and Thursdays to Tesco Supermarket, Weston Super Mare.

The times for the outbound and return bus are as follows:

Slinky Bus
'Door to door' pre-book service, available for those unable to access public transport, or without their own transport.
Details on our local service:

Service Available: Monday – Saturday (excluding Public Holidays) 9am to 7.15pm (2pm on Saturdays)

To Book: 01749 331234 Mon – Fri 10am-1pm.
information on destinations and fares here

Mobile Phone Text: Traveline timetables can be texted direct to your mobile phone (chargeable) -

Wedmore Community Transport

Seats must be pre-booked the evening before travel. For destinations, timetables and booking phone numbers by destination:
printed timetables available.

Information on all public transport in Somerset
or call Somerset Direct 0845 345 9155 including timetables and mailing list.
or the local libraries, bus station or Tourist Information Centre will have timetables.
Note: The 0845 number may cost you several pence per minute.

Shared Transport in the Allertons: Car Sharing

Is about sharing regular journeys with one or more persons rather than each person traveling separately in a vehicle. It reduces vehicle based emissions and reduces mileage, wear and tear on your vehicle. Car share Somerset puts people with the same journey in touch to car share. Sign up for free and offer your journey, or check out the registered journeys in the area and see if one matches your requirement.

Sign up for car sharing