Hampshire Group visit The Natural Garden and hear talk by Ecoliving 18th August

[Debbie Mauger]

Thursday 18th August: Frank McElroy of Ecoliving (AECB Member) will give a talk at The Natural Garden, Highclere

 
Ecoliving is a provider of micro-renewable energy solutions, distributing innovative and sustainable heating, cooling and ventilation systems from pioneering manufacturers of heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, solar thermal panels, solar PV, wood and pellet boilers and wood-burning stoves.  www.ecolivinguk.com

Time: 6.30 for snacks and refreshments (for 7.00 start).

Venue:  The Natural Garden, Hollington Lane, Highclere, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 9SA www.thenaturalgarden.co.uk

About the venue . . . .

The owners of this extraordinary plant and fish centre have already started with their own innovative sustainable building with the renovation of the cafe and sales area to make use of natural daylight with their own solution to insulation!  This shows what can be achieved with some unorthodox methods worth a visit for this alone.

The Natural Garden plans to create a garden and pond area, completely devoted to wildlife as well as a garden area that will be used to demonstrate how to create gardens that are wildlife and family friendly.  There will be an information centre to help you learn about wildlife and create your own wildlife friendly gardens

The gardens are currently under construction and will evolve and change especially over the coming years.  When complete it will include: wildlife areas, ponds offering different, pond dipping, bird hide, bird feeding station, ponds and water courses, reed bed, water saving, water recycling, various styles of garden planting, composting, gardening for the disabled, raised beds for vegetable
www.thenaturalgarden.co.uk
 

OCTOBER (to be confirmed) Ecotecture's Curly House and the new Building Crafts Gallery at the Weald and Downland Museum

A joint event with the Brighton (aka South East) Group and the Kent Group is being organised for a weekend at the end of October.  Ecotecture are arranging for us to visit their CURLY HOUSE project.  This will be a unique opportunity to visit this amazing building and hear how it came about.  More details on their website  www.ecotecture.co.uk

Following this will be a visit to the Building Crafts Gallery at the Weald and Downland Museum where AECB members, Greenman Carpentry, will be informing us on the sustainable building decisions they made on construction methods  of the new Building Crafts Gallery as well as their other projects throughout the region.  See their website for further information www.greenmancarpentry.co.uk
 
Leaders of the Hampshire Group - Debbie Mauger and Brian Layton - invite you to come and join the fun.

[Debbie Mauger]

Thanks to those who braved it through the localised floods to the meeting.  13 of us made it and were rewarded with interesting discussions on the controversial subject of heat pumps.  Frank McElroy of AECB member 'Ecoliving' gave us up to date information from the point of view of those installing and commissioning various types of heat pumps in different situations.  We were not an easy audience but Frank managed to stimulate discussions so that contributions from many of the members set us all re-thinking our views on the subject.

Thanks must also go to the hosts, Ann and Lez of the Natural Garden, who showed us great hospitality. We could also experience first hand their DIY insulated daylighting system that has proven very successful in the conversion of a chicken shed into a fish and sales area.  

[Debbie Mauger]

More photos  . . .

[Debbie Mauger]

and another pic