We'll soon be 15 years old and meeting via Zoom for now

We're pleased to report that the Board of our community energy company is continuing to operate 'as normal' using Zoom video conferencing: from left to right starting at the top - Roy Alexander (chair), Garry Charnock, Kate Harrison, David Wilson, Lauren Colville, Andy Pennick, Maria Lindley and Richard Stradling (no image).The latest meeting was on Thursday 24th September where we discussed a range of matters including some new sustainability initiatives for 2021 and reviewed the continuing income from our solar panels on the school and pavilion. We also reviewed the progress of our project timeline poster that we hope to have finished by 26 January 2021 which will be our 15th anniversary. Here is a photo of the launch event all those years ago!

 

"Growing up green" study findings by Rebecca Collins

Last year, Rebecca Collins of the University of Chester examined how the Going Carbon Neutral Project influenced young people and if their behaviours went beyond the village. Rebecca has prouced this short summary of her findings...

“I think the impact that it has on the young people in those towns you know, one to many and then one to many again if you can inspire a group of individuals who will become more involved in politics and move to another city and start to try and replicate those things and spreading it.” (Project Participant 4)

In 2018 I was awarded a Small Research Grant by the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) (RGS-IBG) to investigate the extent to which the individual and household behaviours associated with carbon neutral living, promoted through Ashton Hayes’s ‘Going Carbon Neutral’ (GCN) project, travelled beyond the village. Given my research interest in the ways that young people engage with climate change/sustainability initiatives, my project specifically explored whether young adults who had ‘grown up green’ in the village during Ashton’s push towards carbon neutrality were able to carry that ‘greening’ with them – both in terms of aspiration and practice – as they moved on from the village to form independent households elsewhere.

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Ashton Hayes Community Energy AGM in March 2020

The Annual General Meeting of our community energy company (Ashton Hayes Community Energy C.I.C.) was held on Thursday 12th March at 19.30 in the Parish Rooms. Company Chair, Professor Roy Alexander, ran the meeting with support from the board directors. The organisation's objectives are to develop, install, manage, operate, generate, transmit and provide the supply of energy from renewable energy sources. And to promote awareness of environmental issues, renewable energy and energy efficiency. The current directors (volunteers) are:-

•Roy Alexander (Hon. Chair)
•Garry Charnock
•Kate Harrison (Hon. Secretary)
•Maria Lindley
•Richard Stradling
•David Wilson (Hon. Treasurer)
•Lauren Colville (from March, 2020)
•Andy Pennick (from March, 2020)

A PowerPoint presentation was given by Roy and can be downloaded here.

Anyone interested in understanding more about the 15 year history of the project can view a video of Garry’s presentation at the 2019 ACRE conference on 26th November 2019 on this link https://youtu.be/sbzNPz_sLcw 

Presentation to SWANC and Extinction Rebellion groups in Galloway

20 February 2020: Garry Charnock presented the 15-year history of Ashton Hayes GCN project to an audience of about 40 people in Castle Douglas, Galloway. Several groups have declared an Exctinction Rebellion in the area and were keen to understand how we motivated the village residents.

Inspiring water industry leaders in Bristol

12 July 2019: The Institue of Water invited leaders of the UK water industry to hear about community engagement on climate change in Ashton Hayes. Garry Charnock spoke to an audience of about 50 people at the amazing SS Great Britain conference centre and then joined everyone later for a formal dinner on board the ship.