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Community

Britain’s freezing homes, ‘a silent killer’

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COLD homes are a bigger killer than road accidents, alcohol or drug misuse, new research shows.

During the Coalition Government’s five years in power, 46,700 people have died simply because they live in cold homes.

Analysis of official data by the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE) today reveals, for the first time, the number of deaths each year directly related to cold homes. This represents 30% of the total number of Excess Winter Deaths according to the World Health Organisation.

The new figures from ACE estimate that this winter (2014/15) has been the deadliest in the last five years, with two thirds more cold homes deaths than the average.

The Energy Bill Revolution, the world’s largest fuel poverty campaign, has slammed the Coalition for failing to live up to its rhetoric on cold homes.

Over 46,000 people have backed an Avaaz petition which was delivered to George Osborne, Ed Balls and Danny Alexander today demanding that all parties prioritise using infrastructure funds to invest in home energy efficiency in their manifestos which are due to be finalised this week.

Campaigners point to a long list of Government failures throughout the last Parliament which have seen an unprecedented fall in the support available to people who can’t afford to heat their homes:

  • The Coalition has cut the Energy Companies Obligation, presided over Green Deal debacle, and abolished schemes like Warm Front.
  • The most effective way to bring down energy bills is to install energy efficiency measures which can save a household more than £400 per year. But the amount of energy efficiency support available to the fuel poor has plummeted 80% in the last two years. This year saw the lowest number of families since 2002 receive Government insulation support to keep their homes warm, according to today’s ACE research.

The Government boasts about installing energy efficiency measures in 1 million households under their new schemes but if they had kept to their old schemes, 2.8 million households would have received them. As a result 1.8 million families have missed out on home improvements during the Parliament.

Ed Matthew, director of the Energy Bill Revolution, said: “Cold homes are one of the most deadly killers in Britain today, but this silent menace is too often ignored because it happens behind closed doors. The evidence shows that insulation support for the fuel poor has plummeted through the floor during this Parliament. The Government must step up and put a stop to these unnecessary deaths, by committing infrastructure funds to home energy efficiency and ending our cold homes crisis once and for all.”

Today’s figures show that cold homes killed more people in 2013 than carbon monoxide, fire, assault, and road/rail accidents combined.

Britain is second only to Estonia for fuel poverty in Europe, and cold homes have led to more people admitted to hospital with breathing problems than Sweden over the past five years.

The NHS is bearing the burden of this Government failure. Cold homes cost the NHS £1.36billion every year, according to Age-UK.

Leaky and cold homes are a cause of illnesses including chronic lung disease, asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia.

According to consultants Cambridge Econometrics, investing just 3% of the infrastructure budget in energy efficiency would take 2 million homes out of fuel poverty by 2020. Such a programme would increase UK GDP by £13.9billion a year by 2030 and create 108,000 new jobs.

Mass public support saw the Energy Bill Revolution’s campaign video recently go viral. The video of political leaders singing a spoof version of Frozen hit ‘let it go’ reached 5 million people.

Sam Barratt, Campaign Director of Avaaz said: “David Cameron may think insulating homes is ‘green crap’, but having a warm home can be the difference between life and death for the most vulnerable in our society. It really is a disgrace that only Estonia has worse fuel poverty than Britain in Europe. All parties must commit to radical action using infrastructure funds to insulate homes to save lives in their manifestos to stop this country’s cold home killer.”

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Community

Restoring lost lichens in Pembrokeshire’s Celtic rainforest

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A LICHEN success story is being celebrated in an area of ancient rainforest in Cwm Gwaun thanks to the conservation efforts of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.

Cwm Gwaun is one of the treasures of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, renowned not only for its deep-rooted Welsh language and culture but also for its ancient Celtic rainforest. This unique landscape is home to five Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), each nationally significant for its lichen-rich woodlands.

Lichens thrive in well-lit, humid environments with exceptionally clean air. However, in recent decades, these delicate ecosystems have declined due to changes in traditional woodland grazing practices and the impact of agriculture and industry on air quality.

One of the most striking lichens, Tree Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria), was recorded on only five trees in the valley in 2007. Encouragingly, recent signs suggest that conditions are once again becoming favourable for its recovery.

A breakthrough moment came in 2017 when a Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority Conservation Officer discovered a small fragment of Tree Lungwort on the ground following a storm at the Sychpant picnic site. Using netting from a fruit bag, they secured the fragment to a nearby ash tree, where it has since thrived. This unexpected success inspired a larger-scale effort to restore this vital species.

As part of the Cysylltu Natur 25×25 project, a lichen expert has now transplanted 46 small, windblown fragments of Tree Lungwort onto 20 trees across three carefully selected sites in Cwm Gwaun. These locations were chosen following thorough surveys, which confirmed the presence of other old-growth forest lichens with similar habitat needs.

Each tree has been mapped and labelled, allowing volunteers to monitor the progress of the transplants in the months and years ahead. The storm that once dislodged a fragment of Tree Lungwort may ultimately help breathe new life into Cwm Gwaun’s extraordinary lichen communities.

Mary Chadwick, Conservation Officer for Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, remarked, “Tree lungwort is a stunning lichen that embodies the essence of Atlantic rainforests. It’s exciting to contribute to its gradual recovery across Cwm Gwaun.

This project is funded by the Nature Networks Programme and delivered by the Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government.

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Community

Best practice showcased at Pembroke river restoration project

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A RECENTLY restored section of the Pembroke river, near Milford Haven, will be used as a demonstration site for future river restoration projects following a series of interventions to improve the health of the river and the estuary downstream.

Delivered by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in collaboration with the landowner, large woody material has been placed into a 200 metre stretch of the river in a bid to restore natural river processes and ‘re-wiggle’ the river.

This helps to create different flows within the river, and encourage natural bends, known as meanders, to form over time. These are currently lacking in the river as it has historically been straightened for human purposes.

The wood also traps silt and debris, encouraging the regeneration of habitat for invertebrates and other species. It provides shelter for migratory fish who travel upstream to reach spawning grounds.

To reduce soil erosion and improve water quality, 570 metres of fencing has been installed to prevent livestock from entering the river with new, alternative drinking water sources introduced.

With support and funding from the Pembroke River Restoration Project Partnership, 600 trees were also planted to create a woody corridor alongside the river. Once matured, the trees will provide a buffer zone between productive agricultural land and the river, reducing nutrient run-off impacting on water quality.

NRW now hopes to use the project to showcase river restoration practices using nature-based solutions.

Andrew Lewis, from NRW’s Marine Projects Team said: “Sadly, many of our rivers no longer function in their natural state due to human interference, climate change and pollution. This can have huge impacts on water quality, habitat and wildlife in some of our most protected rivers and estuaries.

“As well as impacting the environment, the recurring issues in the Pembroke River and the Pembroke Mill Ponds are having a negative impact on community wellbeing and local tourism.  

“The nature-based solutions delivered here are simple but effective, and will contribute to wider efforts and initiatives to drive down nutrient pollution in our waterways.

“The project highlights the importance of partnership-driven conservation efforts, and it is our ambition to showcase what we’ve achieved here so it can successfully be replicated elsewhere.”

The Milford Haven Waterway is designated as a Marine Special Area of Conservation, while significant stretches of its coastline are also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Both the Pembroke river, and the Milford Haven inner transitional water, are both failing to meet ‘good’ water quality status. High levels of soil erosion and nutrients cause sedimentation and algal blooms in the nearby Pembroke Mill ponds each summer. Mud also gets deposited on protected habitats such as maerl beds in the Haven, which is a protected feature of the SAC.

The project has been funded by the Welsh Government’s Water Capital Programme, which supports a number of environmental priorities including river restoration, metal mine remediation, fisheries and water quality.

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Community

Choir joins Welsh Guards Band for memorable concert

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PEMBROKE and District Male Voice Choir shared the stage with the renowned Band of the Welsh Guards during the band’s tour of Wales, delivering a stirring performance at Harri Tudur School hall.

A capacity audience enjoyed the collaboration, with the choir and band uniting for powerful renditions of Welsh classics Cwm Rhondda and Gwaddoloddiad. The Band of the Welsh Guards also performed a medley of traditional Welsh folk tunes and music from the acclaimed film Wicked.

Choir MC Matthew John introduced the evening in his distinctive style, while the choir’s set—featuring newly added pieces Let A New Day Dawn and Tell My Father—was selected by Musical Director Juliet Rossiter. Accompanist William Lambert, a recent addition to the choir, provided support on the keyboard.

The event was co-ordinated by Councillor Aden Brinn, with distinguished guests including Deputy Lord Lieutenant Sharon Lusher, Pembrokeshire County Council Chairman Councillor Steve Alderman, Mayor of Pembroke Councillor Ann Mortesen, Senedd Member Sam Kurtz, and mayors from neighbouring communities.

Proceeds from the evening were donated to the Welsh Guards Charity. A special guest was David Silcox of Haven Self Storage, whose company has sponsored an impressive banner to promote choir concerts.

A moment of silence was observed in memory of the choir’s senior member, Frank Harries, who recently passed away at the age of 95.

The following evening, the choir performed again at Monkton Priory Church, raising funds for the RNLI in another well-attended concert.

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