Making the change for a better future in Llandrindod
Join our e-news list | Email us | Find us on Facebook |
November 2015 meeting: Living with the Land
Free Film Night - Short films on UK Permaculture projects
Tuesday 24th November from 7pm to 9pm
at the Herb Garden Café, Llandrindod
Produced by Permaculture People for Permaculture magazine, these 9 short films showcase a number of projects in the UK that demonstrate ecologically sound and regenerative land based practices. The film on Natural Building is presented by Grand Design's Kevin McCloud. The films were released to coincide with the 12th International Permaculture Convergence held in London this September.
Discover how regenerative agriculture can rebuild soil and repair damaged farm ecosystems, see urban permaculture in action with permablitz and watch natural buildings being made from local resources in front of your eyes. Get informed, get inspired, and get involved! (Read more below for details)
Admission to the meeting is free. A donation will be requested to contribute to the costs of refreshments.
A poster to help promote this meeting is available to download.
Read more about November 2015 meeting: Living with the Land
- Details
October 2015 Meeting: The Elan Valley Biochar Project
Guest speaker: Tony Davies
Tuesday 27th October from 7pm to 9pm
at the Herb Garden Café, Llandrindod
The uplands of the Elan Valley has areas of an under-utilized grass, 'Molinia caerulea' (Purple moor grass, Molinia). Molinia is a dominating species, and the spread of Molinia is having a damaging effect on species diversity, habitat quality, fire risk, access for recreation and agricultural productivity.
A project funded by the Welsh Government has been completed to look at methods of reducing the dominance of Molinia and the improvements to the habitat created by this removal. Experimentally processing the harvested biochar into Biochar has also been part of the project.
Biochar is produced through a process called pyrolysis that heats biomass with limited amounts of oxygen present. The carbon rich biochar resists degradation and can lock up carbon in soil for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Soil rich in biochar has improved water and nutrient retention and has potential commercial usage within the market garden and other growing sectors.
About the speaker
Tony Davies is a tenant farmer at Henfron Farm in the Elan Valley with a passion for renewable energy and sustainability. Tony is the fifth generation of the Davies family to farm at Henfron Farm, his ancestors having first moved to the farm in 1860. For more information please visit the Henfron Farm website.
Admission to the meeting is free. A donation will be requested to contribute to the costs of refreshments.
A poster to help promote this meeting is available to download.
- Details
September 2015 Meeting: Emergency Planning and Local Resilience in Powys
Guest speaker: Andrew Twigger
Emergency Planning Officer, Powys County Council
Tuesday 22nd September from 7pm to 9pm
at the Herb Garden Café, Llandrindod
Pandemic Flu, Flooding, Severe Weather, and loss of Energy sources are among the major risks to the community. In his talk, Andrew will describe the various organisations that are involved nationally and locally in dealing with these risks. In particular he will cover the Dyfed Powys Local Resilience Forum, which has the responsibilty to plan for, respond to, and recover from emergencies in our area.
The Community Risk Register for the Dyfed Powys area assesses the most significant risks to the community, and Andrew will go through those that are most relevant in the Llandrindod area. As well as describing how the Emergency Planning services prepare to deal with these issues, he will look at how individuals and households can best prepare themselves to mitigate the impact of major events.
Admission to the meeting is free. A donation will be requested to contribute to the costs of refreshments.
A poster to help promote this meeting is available to download.
- Details
Green Open Homes - Llandrindod Wells and Builth Wells
Saturday 26th September
10:00am to 4:00pm
Start from the Herb Garden Cafe
A Green Open Homes event is an opportunity to visit homes of people who have made energy saving improvements and see if the same thing might work for you. It's a great way to find out about the reality of getting solar panels, insulation, triple glazing, or new heating options without talking to a salesman. You can have a good look at the technology, ask the residents whether the installation was a hassle, and find out much they’re really saving on their energy bills as a result.
This year's event has been organised by Lightfoot Energy Service with support from the Llandrindod Transition group. So far, eight homes have agreed to take part where you can go and see a huge range of energy efficiency measures and talk to the owners about their experiences and reasons for choosing particular solutions.
The information hub for the day is at the Herb Garden Cafe, where expert advice wil be available from a number of suppliers and independant advisors including Severn Wye Energy Agency (SWEA) and specialist renewables installer M Bufton Ltd. Assembly Member Kirsty Williams will also be dropping by during the day.
We recommend you start your day at the Cafe, where you can talk to the experts and make arrangements to visit the properties that will be most relevant to your interests.
Read more about Green Open Homes - Llandrindod Wells and Builth Wells
- Details