The Tintern News
Produced by the Friends of Tintern –
December 2007
Tintern Senior Citizen’s Christmas Lunch
We are
very grateful and pleased to announce that Mr. David George of the Abbey Hotel,
Tintern has offered to host and finance
the Annual Tintern Senior Citizen’s Christmas Lunch.
This will be held on Tuesday 11th December 2007 at the Abbey Hotel,
starting at 12.00pm. The lunch is free to those residents of Tintern who are aged 60 and over. There will be bingo and a
free raffle.
If you wish to reserve a place at the lunch please inform or telephone Sue or Janet by Saturday 1st December, as place numbers are limited.
The is plenty of car
parking available at the Abbey Hotel, but if you do require transport please
make this known when you make your booking.
Sue Ball - 01291 689629,
Janet Hill - 01291 689591
Christmas Lights
The Committee of the Friends of Tintern
have been thrilled by the response to their request for donations and
sponsorship to help by for the Christmas lights in the village.
In particular, thank you to the following for donations
received and for sponsorship of lights:
Mrs. Mitchley, Rita and Ken Doano, John and Noelyn Allen,
Jean Davey, Rob and Liz Klinkert, Anne and Allan
Reid, Mike and Diane Taylor, Dr. Elizabeth Colter,
Sister Sally Mason, Ralph Duffield.
Susan Ball, in memory of her father Colin Morgan.
David Ball, in memory of his father Arthur Ball.
The Matthews and Morgan families, in memory of loving
husbands, fathers and grandfathers Ken Matthews and Colin Morgan.
Brian Shaw and the Edwards family, in memory of a loving
wife, mother and grandmother June Shaw (Ball).
Thelma Hamm (nee Morgan) formerly of Tintern,
in memory of her parents Kate and Edgar Morgan.
Tegan Cresswick, has sponsored a
Father Christmas light.
Betty Hoskins and family, in memory of her parents Wilf and Edie Jones.
Janet Hill, in memory of her parents Reg
and Dorothy Lawrence.
June Morgan and family, in memory of her father Reg Hussey.
Ruby Mason (of the Livox
cottages), in memory of her husband.
Sarah Adams, in celebration of all the children born in Tintern this year.
Paul and Helen Hayward, have sponsored a light for their
grandson Jacob.
Kath and Chris Mackie, in celebration of their
grandchildren Rhiannan, Jack and Lywis.
Elspeth Reid, in memory of her parents Jim and Margaret McTear.
Molly Ashe in remembrance of her husband Reg.
Also
sponsoring a light are D. A. Ball (Builders) and S. G. Ball (Construction).
Any
further contributions will appear in next month’s Tintern
News.
I have watched, read
and listened with interest, to the ever more vitriolic sparring between the, so called, “Green as grass” environmental zealots‚ and
the Luddite‚ Nimby bigots‚ regarding this proposed
scheme, depending on which side of an ever growing fence one sits upon.
I have considerable sympathy with both views and can see that the fundamental
ideal of a Hydro-Electric generating project would be an excellent idea in the
right situation. However what is being proposed, and is tearing this community
to pieces, will produce enough electricity to boil ten kettles! Yes, ten
kettles. You do the sums. A kettle uses 3Kw and according to TAP’s figures the
Hydro Electric Scheme will produce 30Kw.
Bear in mind also, that at night, we already have a massive surplus of Nuclear
energy which has to be burnt off‚ because you can’t shut those things down willy nilly‚can you? So only a
proportion of the TAP power, generated during the day, will be of any use, and
thus usefully included in annual statistics.
So, is it all really worth the expense, disruption and discord, not to mention
the possible damage to the environment, just to produce enough electricity to
have a morning cuppa? That is, of course if we don’t all want one at the same
time or the Luddites of Llandogo or the Bigots of Brockweir aren’t already brewing up and using our 30Kw.
Geoff Dawe, Brook House.
P.S. How about some kind of tidal barrier across the
Wye. That would produce enough electricity for the whole village and a healthy
profit for all of us to boot. Surely no-one would object to that, would
they???!!!!!
Angiddy Hydro Project
I was in
the Tintern Surgery the other day and spotted your
flyer [anghiddycare] on the subject project, in which
you stated that the flow rate was about 150,000 gallons per hour. This rate may
seem very large, but actually it is quite small when converted to the units
used to calculate the useful work available at the turbine shaft.
The flow rate using imperial units is calculated in cubic feet per second (cusecs),
so 150,000 gals/hr is the equivalent of 6.69 cusecs, obtained by dividing by
6.23, the number of gallons in a cubic foot, and again by 3600, the number of
seconds in an hour.
One cusec falling one foot represents 62.3 foot-pounds of work per second, as
the weight of a gallon of water is 10 lbs, so to obtain the theoretical
horse-power of a waterfall it is only necessary to multiply the number of
cusecs by 62.3 and the height of the fall (in feet) and divide by 550 (as 1hp =
550 ft.lb/sec).
On this basis the theoretical horse power, assuming a 60ft head (height of the
water fall), is calculated as 45.45 hp. The actual hp available at the turbine
shaft depends on the losses in the pipework, valves
and turbine, ie. on the overall efficiency of the installation,
often taken as 90%. The net hp is therefore 40.9 hp. Converting to
electrical units, 1.34hp = 1kW (1000 watts) and so 40.9hp = 30kW.
In making this calculation I have gone back to basics, and shown that this is a
very modest project that could only be used to power-up a small workshop or
provide electricity to a small business. I therefore have to question the
economics of this scheme, given that there is already a perfectly adequate and
reliable electrical distribution system in place, backed by an interconnected
network.
I make these observations as a retired power engineer who specialised in
development planning studies and worked for several years on international
projects. My concerns in those days was to balance the often conflicting requirements
of energy, economics, and environment in order to ensure that development was
sustainable according to the Brundtland Definition:
"Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet theirs". Knowing the Angiddy
Valley, I rather fancy that this project will fall far short of meeting those
obligations.
Yours faithfully,
W. Peter Lewis
Rose Cottage, Llandogo
TAP - Project
Update
Work
has started on the action points required to achieve all the permissions and
consents by Spring 2008.
The
Planning Application has been circulated by Monmouthshire County Council and
will hopefully be ready for discussion at the December meeting. A minor delay
has occurred due to an out of date document being sent with the application.
This has been corrected.
HydroGeneration have updated the feasibility study and confirmed that, provided the
predicted flows in the Angiddy are achieved, then the
Project is capable of achieving an output of 145000 Kwh
of electricity per annum, generating an annual income of £13000 at today’s
selling prices. The predicted flows used in the assessment were calculated
using the Environment Agency LowFlows software
package. LowFlows is a hydrological software package
that uses rainfall and evapo-transpirational data for
the whole of the UK to estimate the annual flow characteristics for a
particular site.
Actual
flow measurements are now being taken on a regular basis in the Angiddy and these will be used to verify the software
predictions. There was unusually low rainfall in the period 18th
October to 16th November (24 mm). During this period the flow
fluctuated between 146 litres per second and 174 litres per second. In the week
following the 16th November, when heavy rainfall was experienced,
the flow more than doubled. Fluctuations of this magnitude are expected. From
previous data it is estimated by the Environment Agency that the Project could
achieve full extraction for 45% of the year, no extraction for 13% of the year
and depleted extraction for 42% of the year, whilst leaving an adequate
residual flow in the Angiddy.
HydroGeneration have commenced working with the Environment Agency in order to obtain
the extraction and impoundment licences for the Project.
Adrian
and Elsa Wood of Wye Valley Surveys have had a good response to their request
for information about wildlife seen in the Angiddy
valley. They are following up each item with personal visits and checking all
previous records, in addition to undertaking a full survey of the Angiddy valley.
Neil
Phillips of A.P.A.C., having completed a general survey of the ground covered
by the Project, will soon be undertaking trial digs in order to evaluate the
possibility of currently unknown archaeological items of interest being present.
TAP
has set up an E Mail address which can be used to contact TAP with general
enquiries or with comments concerning the Project.
The
E Mail address is info@tapenergy.org
Future
copies of TAP News can be sent to individuals by E Mail. If you would like to
receive copies please contact the above E Mail address.
Membership
of TAP is approaching 80.
If
you would like to become a member please request an application form from the
above E Mail address.
I have recently received an e-mail from Judith Russill whom many of you will remember was on Tintern Community Council and lived at Wye Barn. She was prompted by Dougie Hughes’s letter in the August newsletter to make this response:
“……to remind those concerned that after
the Great Flood [of the late 80s], when I was on the Community Council, because
of the great damage to the Angiddy Valley, the County
Council agreed to clear the river bed of all rubbish, including the rocks etc.,
that are always getting washed down. They informed all householders whose
properties were affected, that they were doing this as a 'one off', and were
not creating a precedent for future cleanings of the river-bed. In other words,
those householders have a responsibility to keep the river clear. I would
assume, without any legal knowledge to back this statement up!, that if there
were to be future problems, cost for damages could be made against these
householders.” JR/ER
GINGER OAT BISCUITS
In
response to popular demand following the Flu Clinic, here is the recipe for
Jan’s Mother’s Ginger Oat Biscuits
8oz Butter
1 level tablespoon Golden Syrup
2 tea cups Castor Sugar
2 tea cups Self Raising Flour
2 tea cups Rolled Oats (may need
more if using large organic oats)
2 teaspoons Ground Ginger (or more
if liked)
Pinch of Salt
1
teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon Boiling Water
Warm
butter, sugar and golden syrup. Mix in remainder of ingredients. Put teaspoon-
sized pieces on a non-stick baking tray. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes at
160C. Makes about 50 biscuits. Be careful not to use too much golden syrup or
the biscuits will spread too much. Optional – add chopped up crystallised
ginger to the mix. Allow to rest for a couple of minutes before moving them to
a cooling rack.
Sale of
teas, coffees and biscuits at the clinic raised £90 for St David’s Foundation
Hospice Care. Many thanks to all who helped and contributed.
Many Christmas cards and decorations were created during the November meeting along with much chatter and drinking of tea. It helped to get us into the festive spirit.
Tintern WI members served tea, coffee and home made biscuits at the flu jab clinic in the Village Hall on 9th & 10th November. The profits from this were donated to the St Davids Foundation.
On Saturday 17th November Gwent WI held their Show Day at Drybridge House in Monmouth. Tintern WI members baked cakes and helped to run a cake stall on the day. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this.
On Wednesday 5th December the WI will again be giving our help at a Soup Lunch to be held in the Village Hall from 12.30 to 14.00 hrs. Most of our members help to make the soup and puddings for the lunch as well as serving the food and washing up on the day. Proceeds will go to the Village Hall but there will also be a Bring and Buy stall to raise money for Tintern WI.
On Monday 17th December however, for our monthly meeting, we will have a rest from cooking and washing up as members past and present will gather at the Florence Hotel for our Christmas Lunch. We are looking forward to this, as it will round off a good year of WI meetings. CMB
Our monthly meeting was held on Friday 16th November in the Village Hall when
Mr Graham Wren gave us a very interesting talk on the Arctic Summer in the north of Norway and Finland. This was illustrated with excellent photography of the unusual flora and fauna found in this extreme habitat.
Our next meeting is on Friday 14th December at 6.30 pm in the Village Hall when we will be having our Christmas Party. Bring along a plate of nibbles to share and something to drink. Please note that the date and time are not the same as for our usual meetings. We normally meet on the third Friday of the month but the party is on the second Friday in December. Also the start time is one hour earlier than our normal meeting time.
New members and visitors are always welcome; if you are interested and would like to know more come along to a meeting or call 01291 689 877 (Bernard or Christine Bradshaw). BDB
A big
thank you to Dave and Sally at the Moon and Sixpence for putting on a brilliant
Halloween party and for the fantastic firework display on bonfire night. This was enjoyed by a big crowd and much appreciated.
JH/SB
On behalf of Barnardo’s Children’s Charity the annual Candlelit Carol Service will begin at 7.00pm on 10th December 2007 at The Abbey Hotel. Hot snacks and mulled wine will be available from 6.00pm with partial proceeds going to Barnardo’s. There is no need to book so just turn up on the evening.
With best wishes for Christmas
and
a happy New Year
Home
Farm Trellech Grange NP16 6QW Telephone 01291 689559
E-mail annwebb@monmouthshire.gov.uk
Tintern Youth Club
Don’t forget that the
Youth Club is open every Wednesday evening in the Village Hall from 6:00
o’clock. Plenty of great things to do
on these dark evenings …..
We also now have a
new fantastic POOL Table
Come
and join us!
If you would like to help contact Dawn at Tintern
Antiques or ring her on 689705 or just turn up!
Church Services – United
Benefice of Tintern and Llandogo
with Whitebrook
St. Oudoceus Church, Llandogo – Communion Service 9.00am every Sunday (Rev. John Dearnley)
Sunday
23rd December - 4.00p.m. Nine Lessons
and Carols at Tintern Parish Church
Christmas Eve -11.30p.m. Midnight service of Holy Eucharist at Llandogo Parish Church
Christmas Day Eucharist at 9.00a.m. Llandogo Parish
Church and 10.30a.m. at Tintern Parish Church.
Services in Tintern
and Llandogo Village Halls
First Sunday of
each month; Family Service in Tintern Village Hall at
10.30am
Other Sundays; Worship Service with KFC for children at Llandogo
Village Hall at 10.30am (Rev. Canon Phil Rees)
Midweek; A range of day time and evening activities including; Bible Study
groups, Prayer Meetings, Youth Group and Book Club.
Anyone is welcome to come along to any of these events - transport can be
arranged.
For further details please contact Kate Barnes 680046 or Ruth Harper 689349
St. Michael’s Church - Cleaning Rota
- fortnight beginning:
3rd
December Ann and Barry
Richardson
17th
December Elspeth and Karen
31st
December Janet, Sue and
Barbara
14th
January Tintern WI
28th
January Hermoine Ford
11th
February Jude Spooner
25th
February Trudy and Nine
Phelps
Weekends during December – Parva
Vineyard – Nativity with live animals
Wednesday
5th December – 12.30pm to 2.00pm
– Christmas Soup Lunch – Village Hall. Seasonal special soups and
puddings, plus Christmas raffle.
Monday 10th December - Annual Candlelit Service at Tintern
Abbey
Wednesday
12th December – Christmas Bingo at the Anchor 7.30pm
Friday 14th December at 6.30 pm – VPA Christmas
Party in the Village Hall
Sunday 23rd December
- 4.00p.m. Nine Lessons and Carols at Tintern Parish Church
Christmas Eve -11.30p.m. Midnight service of Holy Eucharist at Llandogo Parish Church
Christmas Day Eucharist at 9.00a.m. Llandogo Parish
Church and 10.30a.m. at Tintern Parish Church.
If you wish to book the village hall please ring 07512
856024 or email: Tintern.hall@yahoo.co.uk.
Please note the following: Bookings need to be made at least 7 days in advance.
Payment will need to be made in advance except for regular users.
The Narth Singers, a mixed voice community choir. Are
performing a charity concert at St Nicholas Church, Trellech
on Wednesday 19th December 7.30. Admission is free. Refreshments will be
provided and a donation to the charity would be welcomed. Just turn up and
expect some lively entertainment, including light-hearted and serious seasonal
works, plus of course some sing-along carols.
Jenny Hickey
01600 860216
Whist Drives on Friday Friday 14th and 28th December.
Friday
23rd December – Christmas Carol Service with Monmouth Band.
Refreshments after.
New
Year’s Eve Party, 8.00pm – 1.00am. Hog Roast, surprise Cabaret, disco dancing.
Bring your own drinks. Rickets £20.00 per head to include free beer. Please
book early as this was a sell-out last year.
Yoga
classes now running Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings. Contact Ruth Routh on 01600 860648 for details.
Coffee
Mornings held on the third Tuesday of each month at 10.30 a.m. All
welcome.
For
details on all events or to hire the hall contact Rosemary Stephens on
01600-860451
The
Tintern News is delivered to approximately 250 houses
in Tintern. If
you would like to advertise something in the News the current rates is £5.00
for a small ad./half a page, and £10.00 for a full page (per month). Please send items to the editor at the
address below with full contact details.
Items
for the Newsletter – dates for the January 2008 edition
Items for the Tintern Newsletter can be
sent by email to andrew.elspeth@virgin.net delivered to Wye Barn,
Tintern, or tel 01291
689456 or to Jackie Langdon of 5 Park Glade, Tintern,
telephone 01291 689782 e-mail address: jackie.langdon@tiscali.co.uk
Items for the January 2008 edition
of the Newsletter should be received by Thursday 27th December,
2007.
The
Tintern News is a vehicle for the expression of
opinion by all members of the Tintern community.
While it does not necessarily endorse the views of any particular contributors,
it does wholeheartedly support the promotion of lively debate on the
development of the village and of freedom of speech in general. However, it
will reserve the right to edit any contributions in order to preserve
moderation and a spirit of good intent in the presentation of arguments.
Thoughts from everyone in our community will continue to be very welcome. ER
Tintern News is sponsored by Monmouthshire
County Council Welsh Church Act Fund.