Big Energy Savings Challenge Award

Six Transition Town Whitehead group members travelled to Armagh on Monday 25th June for the awards ceremony of the Big Energy Savings Challenge, hosted by Power NI, to announce the winner of the Challenge and give them £20,000.

There were six groups represented, all of whom had taken part in the Challenge over the past year by trying to reduce energy consumption in their respective communities.

We have made some excellent progress as a result of the Challenge. We used some of the initial grant to help over 200 households develop a better understanding of their energy usage and how they could reduce their bills. Over 600 people are now in contact with us and learning a bit more about energy conservation issues.

Our ‘Energy Audit’ was well received by all involved, with almost thirty households benefitting from a detailed examination of their energy use. As a result, several people have taken action to reduce their energy use and save money by installing new condensing boilers, lots of insulation and draught excluders and plenty of light bulbs. Energy monitors supplied free by Power NI have also helped householders to use their appliances to greater advantage and have saved money as a result. Two houses had completely new heating systems installed, driven by innovative new technologies, again through the support of Power NI.

The top prize in the competition was won by the small village of Annaclone but, although we missed out on the winners’ glory, we were congratulated on our efforts and came away with a creditable completion award of another £7,500 which will be used for further energy-saving initiatives in Whitehead.

Our plans include taking a stand at the Whitehead Festival Food and Folk day on 28^th July and we look forward to meeting more of you there. Please come and see us; we may be able to help you reduce your fuel bills and we may be able to provide some goodies to help you on the way. We also want your input, your membership and your ideas how we can be more effective and reach more people. Whether you are single, have a family or a business we may be able to help you on the path to reduce your energy bills.


David Penpraze
28 June 2012

Jubilee Wood Planting Photos

Around 1100 people turned out to plant the trees at Whitehead's Jubilee Wood a fortnight ago, including a few local politicians, including our local MP, Sammy Wilson. Many of them planted thirty or more saplings, so it seems reasonable to suppose that, between us, we managed to get over half of the whole woodland established in one day. Well done and thanks to everyone who came along.

With special thanks to Graham Ross, who provided all the photographs below, here are some of the participants.

There will be one further opportunity to contribute to the planting on Saturday 31st March. After that, Carrickfergus council has a couple of visits to explore the biodiversity of the area, with a Bug Hunt on 28th April and a guided birdwatching event on 6th May.

Some more information about our Jubilee Wood 

You may have seen the work taking place on the edge of the Bentra Golf course, where a path is being built along the Larne Road edge of the course. This will be the path that leads to the Jubilee Wood and the contractors have promised it will be ready for Saturday 25th February.

This is Northern Ireland’s only Jubilee Wood and it will cover a substantial area of ground. Basically, its boundaries are the edge of the Bentra golf course (where the hedge runs up alongside the third hole), the A2 Larne Road, the railway line and the path just opposite the new agricultural supplies store - about half a dozen big fields in total. 

Contractors have already started to get some of the new trees into the ground and children from quite a few local schools will have their own opportunities to plant some trees in the next fortnight but the mass planting takes place on Saturday 25th February. 

The path through the golf course will be the only way to get to the planting area on the day of the big event. The Woodland Trust is expecting as many as a thousand people here to help plant 20,000 trees. Visitors will be directed to park at the harbour car-park or elsewhere in town and there will be a shuttle bus running every 30 minutes from the railway station, with stops at the Recreation Ground, the harbour car-park and a few other points in between. The bus will take passengers up to a registration tent at the Bentra car-park, from where you’ll need to walk the last 500 metres or so to the new woodland. There will be no parking on the Larne Road nor, I suspect, on the Slaughterford Road.

The event starts at 1030 and carries on for most of the day. Some of our local churches are working together to provide refreshments at the start and the organisers have promised a variety of snacks for hard-working tree-planters, as well as a free barbecue lunch for the first 200 people to register with them. 

The vast majority of the saplings being planted will be our most characteristic native species - principally oak and ash trees, with some decorative species such as flowering cherries to add some colour. One special feature will be the planting of a ‘Commonwealth Avenue’ through the wood, where people from many Commonwealth countries will be joining us on the day to plant some commemorative trees.

There will be entertainment throughout the day, with roving musicians and story-tellers, face-painters, arts & crafts and archery available, among other pleasures. A travelling exhibition will bring The World of Owls to our doorstep. 

If you’ve got your own spade, bring it. If you’ve got wellies or good, strong boots, wear them - it’s almost certainly going to be pretty muddy. Wrap up warm if it’s cold.

But whatever you do, please make some time on Saturday 25th February to join us at Transition Town Whitehead and plant a few trees at Whitehead’s unique Jubilee Wood.