News

The National Street Choir Festival is heading to the south-east for the first time in its 26-year history. Over twenty-five choirs will be joining us over the weekend of 11th-13th July 2008 to share their songs with the people of Brighton and Hove and take in the unique style of this vibrant city. The festival, to be known as ChoirFest 2008, is being hosted by Brighton a cappella favourites Hullabaloo and is supported by the Mayor of the City of Brighton and Hove.

The National Street Choir Festival is an annual weekend of song, organized each year by choirs in different towns and cities, that aims to create a connection and sense of community between choirs nationwide. The festival began twenty-six years ago in the north as part of the political protest song movement and has since expanded to include community choirs of all types with the aim of encouraging more people to use song - collectively, publicly and powerfully - as a contribution to progressive change.

http://www.choirfest.org/

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As part of Bike Week 2008 (14th to 22nd June) cyclists from all over Wales and beyond will converge on the Senedd in Cardiff for a rally to promote environmental sustainability. Youth, cycling and environmental groups in mid-Wales have taken the initiative to promote the ride, the ‘Carbon Cycle’. This growing network includes the Welsh Youth Forum on Sustainable Development, Gwerin y Coed (The Woodcraft Folk), Scouts, and Grŵp Beic Aberystwyth. In mid-Wales the Carbon Cycle will start in Machynlleth on Wednesday 18th June and finish in Cardiff on Saturday 21st. The ride of more than 140 miles will take four days, stopping off in Rhayader, Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil.

In the spirit of Bike Week, the ride aims to promote cycling as a healthy and sustainable means of transport that is also seriously fun! The goal is to involve as many cyclists as possible. Riders will lobby Government to commit to investing more resources to promote cycling as an everyday means of transport rather than just a leisure or sports activity. En route, cyclists will stop-off to find out about local environmental campaigns. In Merthyr Tydfil, for example, cyclists from mid-Wales will meet Residents Against Ffos-y-Frân, the environmentally disastrous open-cast coal mine. Riders also intend linking up with peer groups along the way to discuss promoting cycling as a viable way of getting to work and school.

Speakers at the Senned include Gordon James of Friends of the Earth Cymru and Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood. Youth groups will hand Leanne Wood a petition asking for more cycle lanes and provision for bikes on public transport. They hope Leanne will take their concerns and aspirations to the heart of government in Wales.

To illustrate the need behind their petition, the mid-Wales cyclists looked into getting home from Cardiff by train. Of course, poor transport and environmental planning means there is no direct line! The train runs from Cardiff to Hereford and then Shrewsbury before connecting with a train to Aberystwyth via Machynlleth. Train company policy is that cycles are carried free of charge on all services subject to space being available. The space on trains into Aberystwyth is limited to just two bikes, however. To add insult to injury for the fifty-plus young cyclists needing to get home for a well deserved rest, on Saturday 21st June the train between Hereford and Shrewsbury has been replaced by a coach service on which no cycles at all can be accommodated.

Fel rhan o Wythnos y Beic (o’r 14eg hyd y 22ain o Fehefin) bydd beicwyr o bob cwr o Gymru a thu hwnt yn ymlwybro tua’r Senedd yng Nghaerdydd. Yno, byddent yn cynnal rali i hyrwyddo cynaladwyedd amgylcheddol. Mae grwpiau ieuenctid, grwpiau beicio a grwpiau amgylcheddol wedi bod yn flaengar wrth drefnu’r Gylchred Garbon hon. Ymysg y grwpiau yw Fforwm Ieuenctid Cymru ar Ddatblygu Cynaladwy, Gwerin y Coed, y Sgowtiaid, a Grŵp Beic Aberystwyth, ac mae’r rhwydwaith o gefnogwyr wrthi’n tyfu. Bydd y Daith yn cychwyn ym Machynlleth yng Nghanolbarth Cymru ar ddydd Mercher 18fed o Fehefin ac yn diweddu yng Nghaerdydd ar ddydd Sadwrn yr 21ain pellter o dros 225 cilomedr (140 milltir). Bydd y Daith yn cymryd pedwar diwrnod, gan alw yn Rhaeadr Gwy, Aberhonddu a Merthyr Tudful.

Yn naws Wythnos y Beic, amcan y Daith yw hyrwyddo beicio, ffordd iach a chynaladwy o deithio sy’n llawer o hwyl hefyd! Gobeithiem y bydd cymaint o feicwyr â phosib yn cymryd rhan. Byddem yn galw ar y Llywodraeth iddynt addo buddsoddi mwy o adnoddau er mwyn hyrwyddo beicio fel ffordd o deithio pob dydd (yn hytrach na weithgaredd hamdden neu chwaraeon). Ar hyd y daith, bydd beicwyr yn ymweld ag ymgyrchoedd amgylcheddol lleol. Ym Merthyr Tudful, er enghraifft, byddent yn cyfarfod â thrigolion (RAFF) sy’n gwrthwynebu gwaith glo brig Ffos-y-Frân. Mae’r beicwyr yn bwriadu cyfarfod â’u cyfoedion ar hyd y daith hefyd, er mwyn trafod beicio fel ffordd ymarferol o gyrraedd gwaith neu ysgol.

Mae’r beicwyr yn trefnu deiseb sy’n galw am ragor o lonydd beicio a gwell wasanaeth ar gyfer beiciau ar drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, a byddent yn ei gyflwyno i Leanne Wood AC. Dyma enghraifft o’r angen am ddeiseb o’r fath: ymchwiliodd y beicwyr o’r Canolbarth a fyddai’n bosib dychwelyd o Gaerdydd ar y trên. Yn niffyg cynlluniau trafnidiaeth amgylcheddol hirdymor, nid oes rheilffordd uniongyrchol! Mae’r trên yn mynd o Gaerdydd i Henffordd ac yna i’r Amwythig, lle mae’n rhaid newid i drên sy’n mynd i Aberystwyth trwy Fachynlleth. Polisi’r cwmni trenau yw bod beiciau’n cael eu cludo’n rhad ac am ddim ar unrhyw drên, cyn belled bod lle ar gael. Ond mae cyfyngiad o ddau feic yn unig ar drenau i Aberystwyth, ac mae newyddion gwaeth i’r hanner can beiciwr ifanc a mwy bydd wedi llwyr haeddu mynd adref i orffwyso. Ar ddydd Sadwrn, Mehefin 21ain, bydd bws yn cymryd lle’r trên rhwng Henffordd a’r Amwythig, a does dim lle o gwbl ar gyfer beiciau arno.

Further information:

Anna Bullen lbb00@aber.ac.uk Tel: 01970610095 or 07976918270

Welsh Youth Forum on Sustainable Development http://www.wyfsd.org/
Sign petition http://www.wyfsd.org/cycle/index2.php

Grŵp Beic Aberystwyth http://www.grwpbeic.org.uk/
Bike Week 2008 http://www.bikeweek.org.uk/
RAFF www.stopffosyfran.co.uk

1. Housing sub-group to meet as soon as practicable, and to re-visit original plans.

2. Active participation and support for the Aberystwyth Area Community Land Trust in developing affordable and sustainable housing for local people, to include provision of allotments and low carbon buildings. CAT have offered free places on training courses for this group. (Gill
Ogden)

3. A leaflet with a simple check-list of user friendly ways to make a home energy efficient to be published and distributed. (Sam Saville?)

4. A check-list for landlords on energy efficiency with a rating to be provided for tenants.

5. ‘Drop in’ energy use surgeries to be commissioned, possibly using the Penparcau Communities First office and other venues. (Dylan Lewis)

6. Participation in community events, to target ‘hard to reach’ individuals within the community.

7. An audit of households to be conducted by questionnaire (Sophie Wynne-Jones)

8. Eco-build help-out sessions, learn on the job, at sites in Pembrokeshire at the end of June. (Sophie Wynne-Jones)

Contacts: Gill Ogden: ggo@aber.ac.uk Dylan Lewis: Lewisdylan@yahoo.com

NATURE’S GARDEN PARTY - Saturday 14th June, 2pm At Tom’s house, 31 Maes Maelor, Penparcau (call Tom on 07968086371 to find it) Informal open garden, meet friendly chickens, collect cuttings and seeds from native medicinal and culinary plants. Bring food/drink to share.

BIKE WEEK PREPARATIONS! - Sunday 15th June, 1-4pm venue TBC. Bicycle repair and maintenance, with expert/goodwill assistance! Good time to prepare for the ride to Cardiff www.grwpbeic.org.uk

REMEDIAL HERBS - Tuesday 17th June, 7-9pm, Treehouse Discussion with Danielle Marsden about common and less familiar herbs, their classifications, culinary and medical properties, and how to go about doses and decotations. Bring your own knowledge and herbs, where applicable.

TOOL MENDING - Sunday 29th June, 2.30pm, Eco-Art studios, 13A Portland Road.
Peter Drake will again demonstrate and assist with the sharpening and mending of common household gardening tools. Bring yours along that need shaping up, from scissors to secoteurs, shears, and loppers. it is likely there will be spare handles available for spades, sledgehammers etc.
Remember to wear hard shoes!

If you would be interested to help with dry stone walling as part of Estate Skills activities on CCW sites, call Peter for information on 01970 820441, as places are limited.

KNITTING CONTINUES - Orangery, every Thursday (as long as they are open) from 7pm.
Join us for a chat and knit over a coffee/beer/pizza.

We also have MAKE-N-MEND at the Eco-Art this Sunday, 2.30pm - it is on Portland Road, number 13A, and will be marked so you’ll spot it. Bring your clothing casualties.

Thankyou for all the help and positive feedback so far. If you can help out with the publicity, please pop into the Treehouse and pick up some flyers. Contact Nicky npa_butler@yahoo.com

PRESENTATION:
• Lotte WILL have English powerpoint presentation to presnt at next meeting on 7 July.
• Simon Rodway will help and translate into Welsh
• Simon to organise Welsh presentation with help from (hopefully) Mark Strong, Simon Thomas, Cynog Dafys plus UMCA (Welsh Students’ Union). Target date Sep/October when students are back.

TARGET GROUPS (If anybody has contacts within these groups, please contact Lotte)
• Young farmers, CFU, County Council, Town Council (Alec Dauncey will organise invitation), Planners (incl. Master Plan Steering group), Chamber of Commerce, Landlords & Tenants associations, Schools, Hospital, University

Additional education/awareness raising points:
• Sophie Wynne-Jones will organise TTAber info stall for Freshers’ Fayre in Sep/Oct
• Nicky Butler will work on getting an ‘action box’ ofready for quick assembly stalls. Away till July.
• Nicky will lead on the ‘Edible Schools garden Project’.
• Sophie will incorporate TTAber into Ceredigion schools groups outdoor activities.
• Peter Unger is in charge of the documentary film club (and a public talks series). This is due to start up again in September. Should be promoted through Freshers’ Fayre. Sophie and Simon to help.
• Simon Rodway & Nest Howells offered help with translation - please give then reasonable time!
• Bob Shaw will lead on big TTAber event at Plas Crug, similar to previous FoE events

IF YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH REALLY DOIING STUFF, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH ACTIVITY LEADERS VIA LOTTE lotte.reimer@btinternet.com

Matchmaking gardens and gardeners: People who have more land than they need or can manage and people who want to gardens Contact chloe.ena@hotmail.co.uk . We will keep an up to date list and put put people in touch

1. Campaign for cycle lanes and bikes on public transport

 (a) Critical Mass bike ride on the last Friday of every month, meeting 6 p.m. outside the Glengower Hotel on the seafront, see http://www.grwpbeic.org.uk/ for dates and downloadable poster/flyer. The ride is a fun, not physically taxing, and a friendly invitation to everyone in Aberystwyth, particularly drivers, to support the campaign for cycle lanes. There is always the opportunity for a Transport Group meeting after the ride if anyone has something to discuss and wants to convene it.
(b) Bike Week Carbon Cycle: A ride from Machylleth to the Senedd in Cardiff to present a petition to the Welsh Assembly Government. The ride is organised by the Welsh Youth Forum on Sustainable Development, Scouts, Woodcraft Folk and Grwp Beic Aberystwyth. See http://www.bikeweek.org.uk/  Contact Kelvin kjm04@aber.ac.uk  or Sophie svw05@aber.ac.uk , Tel: 01970 622 610

2. Biodiesel (recycled)

 We have a bilingual technical brief on using recycled biodiesel and can arrange delivery from Sundance Renewables for anyone interested, Contact Sophie svw05@aber.ac.uk, Tel: 01970 622 610 or Kelvin kjm04@aber.ac.uk