Maggie

Thanks Wayne. I did seem to be putting my hand up a lot during that part of the meeting. I would still like to see the children more involved in these discussions.

Is there a problem then because it would allow people to 'vote' more than once and so skew the results? I thought that there was still a decision needed about the site, after LJC meeting I came away thinking that Shrops Council were needing to get a majority go ahead from Maes Alwyn/ Weston Rhyn. The best way to find out what is needed in terms of play equipment is to talk to the children who will use it, and their parents, not us old miseries who haven't got much idea!

Nigel Keates, he head from the new St Martins school gave a good presentation to the LJC meeting on Tuesday night, and the Shropshire Star have a report for those who weren't there; http://www.shropshirestar.com/education/2013/06/19/work-under-way-at-shropshire-all-through-school-site/ Building work is about to begin on the new campus, which will see an integrated through school on a single site for infants to 16 year olds, by September 2014. There will also be a 'creative' hub space which has the potential to be used by the local community when not needed by the school. They also intend to work closely with the other primary schools in the area, so that their facilities can be shared, and provide access to these for primary children in the other villages.

People seem to be more concerned with visual intrusion than anything else. Nuclear power stations tucked away somewhere else might be preferred. But I agree with Laura, the amount generated from windfarms doesn't add up to much, and viable to developers because of the big grants available. This is an interesting site: http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/. It shows how much is being generated by what in real time. At the moment there is quite a healthy amount from wind farms, but in the winter there was hardly anything at all, and it was either still cold high pressure with no air movement or too windy to use the turbines. What do people think of coal methane generation? THIS is a probability in our area.

Looks like the Good Companions had an interesting day out in Ludlow yesterday! http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2013/06/14/ludlow-gridlocked-by-drivers-double-yellow-parking/

Couldn't agree more! I cannot understand why a few vociferous people can override the needs of the majority of children. Children in Maes Alyn are allowed to play within the estate but not cross the main road on their own. There was land set aside for play equipment within the estate when it was built, so why oh why have people blocked the project now the money to put it in has been made available? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Can't see any reason why not. Good luck.

Canal and River Trust have a new competition to win an IPhone. I've had a look at the gallery of photos so far, and really, we can do better! So come on, get down to your bit of the canal and give it a go! and lets raise the profile of out area too. http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/photography-competition

Oh look, here's another, rather more environmentally unreliable thing to do with underground resources. 'Underground Coal Gassification' plans for Dee estuary. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/oil-industry-expert-reveals-plans-3867952 Think this method involves heat to break up coal seams and release a mixture of gasses, including polluting gasses. This is from the Environment Agency: Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) involves the gasification of the coal in-situ by drilling boreholes into the seam, injecting water/oxygen mixtures down one pipe, igniting and partially combusting the coal and extracting the gasification products (known as syngas) through the other pipe. It produces a mixture of gases, (mostly carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane) that can be processed to provide fuels for power generation, vehicle fuels and chemical feed-stocks. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/122756.aspx but doesn't appear that any permissions have been given for this anywhere near us.

Over the last few years, as the price of natural gas and oil became more expensive, the extraction industry investigated new methods for getting fuel out of the ground from sites which were previously thought uneconomical. We have all heard of fracking by now, a controversial method of breaking up channels in bed rock to release shale gas. (causing earthquakes in Blackpool). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/8864669/Cuadrilla-admits-drilling-caused-Blackpool-earthquakes.html A second method for getting gas out of the ground has also been developed, Coal Bed Methane extraction entails drilling down to a coal seam, then pumping out ground water to release pressure and release methane which had been trapped in the coal. The drill head would have capture tanks for the water, and (depending on the purity of the methane) pipes to carry the gas (CBM) into the existing gas pipeline infrastructure. The anti fracking movement have also 'adopted' CBM and confuse the 2 on maps, campaigns etc. http://frack-off.org.uk/the-big-picture/ and our local group, called the North east Wales anti Fracking Network https://www.facebook.com/NEWAFAN I don't think this confusion is very helpful. We have 2 different methods with different capabilities and different problems. The main problems from CBM are pollution, with the possibility of gas (methane, carbon dioxide) ,escaping out into the atmosphere, and more problematically, the large amounts of water released from the ground typically contain dissolved salts which pollute and can kill livestock. http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2011/5196/ is a scientific study, and there are lots of anecdotal stories on sites such as Frack-Off. There are 3 potential CBM sites with planning permission in our area, all (now) owned by Dart Energy, an Australian Company specializing in CBM. http://www.dartenergy.com.au/, Brookfield Farm Babbinswood (Whittington), Old Marton Farm, New Marton, and Duddleston. The Duddleston one is part of PEDL 185 an onland area licenced for extraction of gas. It is part of the 'Cheshire' reserves. http://www.dartenergy.com.au/page/Worldwide/United_Kingdom/Cheshire/ The Dep of Energy and Climate Change licences online areas for extraction and has a map here https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/197090/landfields_lics.pdf I can only find local details from 2009 when people were objecting to 'future' drilling at New Marton and Babbinswood. Does anyone know whether any drilling has yet taken place? and if so, whether they found suitable reserves of gas? This is something we need to be aware of, and to watch out for in future developments. North Shropshire is also an aquifer for drinking water for Shropshire, so water pollution would be disastrous not only for nature and habitat but also for people.

Maybe we should start an online book club?

I spoke about the Incredible Edible project at the Big Local meeting last night, and tonight I am going to talk at Selattyn and Gobowen Parish Council's annual meeting. I will start soon by having some open meetings, but, despite not really wanting to get going until the middle of next month, I have offers of help and useful ideas and spaces to plant and have seen loads of enthusiasm from everyone I have spoken to.. Do people want meetings in each parish? and have people got ideas of spare bits of land we can use? Please let me know what you think, and join in because it should be a lot of fun. You can phone me on 773197 My plan is to use this summer for finding and clearing land and get a group formed, with some planting, but then to go for it next spring with fruit trees and food sprouting up all over the place. Hope people agree with this.

So can anyone tell me whether the Big Local meeting is tonight, as advertised on Community Online Calendar, or tomorrow, as on new website?

The new Glyn Wylfa centre in Chirk will have a free to use community room adjacent to the cafe, and the hope is that this will generate trade for the cafe from meetings. I expect Aqueducks will use this for our meetings, I cannot see how the village halls in Shrops can compete with that..

It would also be great if you are old and understand the problems faced by elderly people in our area. Bring you ideas for ways we can use the money to make this place better for everyone.

You don't do anything on video editing do you? I'm having to keep a video record of the Living along the Cut project, and I need some help with editing it to put onto websites!

Pretty good. I've got the grant, so now looking to form a group of people so we can crack on with it. Shropshire Council back the thing so there are opportunities for using some of their spare bits of ground. I intend to start off with some meetings, watch this space. I am inclined to think we need both Incredible Edible plantings for all to use, as well as small 'allotment' plots for individuals to grow food in, but lets see what people want! Comments please!

I have just heard I have got one too, to start an 'Incredible Edible' project across the area. I'm looking for people, and spaces to plant free food, starting with fruit trees along the canal, diggers would be helpful! (see Incredible Edible thread, and lovely article by Hayley in the Wren this month.)

Just a thought, have you made contact with disabled holiday information group in St Martins? There are several good local photographers involved with the group, plus tired carers! but they haven't been active on Com Online for some time.