So, haven’t we seen enough of it lately? Why do we want to start collecting the damned stuff? It’s everywhere, after all!

There is nothing new about rainwater harvesting; it was even done in pre-Roman times. However, in the UK we are far behind mainland Europe for collecting rainwater. Around 400 new rainwater harvesting systems installed per year in Great Britain – compared to over 50,000 each year in Germany.

In the UK, we are complacent about our water. It’s cheaper than in many other countries, and only 22% of domestic properties are metered. Despite our wet weather, the UK is still classified as having insufficient water. (Believe it or not, Madrid and Istanbul have more water available per person than London.) The demand for water has been constantly rising, whilst availability is dropping. An October 2008 report by the Environment Agency warned that Britain’s rivers, which provide 70% of our water, will drop by 10-15% in volume within 40 years.

Water conservation therefore needs serious consideration. It has been suggested that households need to reduce water consumption by a third, and rainwater harvesting could play a significant role in achieving this target.

Of the 150 litres of water that each person uses daily, between 30% and 50% does not necessarily have to be of drinking quality. On average, 50 of the 150 litres are merely used to flush the loo.

In the UK, mains water is cleaned to drinking water standards – but as we’ve just seen, we don’t drink most of it. Energy is used to clean water to a much higher standard than we need for washing, garden watering and toilet flushing. Collecting and using rainwater for some of these functions can save both energy and money.

Rainwater harvesting systems, like the one currently being installed in the new Memorial Hall, collect rainwater from the roof and store it in large tanks. This water can then be used for non-drinking applications, such as flushing the loos.

It’s also worth pointing out that the government now offers 100% tax relief to business owners under the enhanced capital allowance scheme, whenever rainwater harvesting systems are installed.

- Kevin S.

This week the floor slab has starting being laid and should be finished by next Friday.  The rainwater harvest tank has been positioned and when fully installed will take most of the rainwater from the roof and it will be used to flush the toilets.  The photo shows the tank being lowered into its new home – and this is the only time it will be seen.  Work will be continuing tomorrow until early afternoon.

On Tuesday Parwich Memorial Hall were delighted to receive a £10,000 cheque which was presented to Jane Harris, chair of Parwich Parish Council by Derbyshire County Councillors, Simon Spencer and Chris Jackson as part of the Derbyshire Aggregates Levy Grant Scheme (DALGS).   Official notification of this grant was received in late August.

Yesterday the steel frame began to be erected, by tonight it should all be up and we will be able to see the outline of our new hall.

Thanks to Ben & JF-S for the photos.

We are delighted to report that we have seen the back of the drilling, no offence to the drillers.   As you have probably gathered the last two weeks have not gone as smoothly as we all would have wished.  This was due to mechanical breakdowns and geological conditions.  The drillers have been extremely concerned about the intrusion of noise levels in the village and have been very considerate.  Real thanks must go to those living in close proximity to the site, and particularly to Simon, Tracey-Ann and their young family for their positive attitude throughout; especially last night when the drilling had to go on rather late.

Tomorrow the steel will arrive and by the end of the week we should see the outline of the new hall emerging.

Due to further mechanical problems with the drilling rig, work will continue this weekend.  Wildgoose again apologise for any inconvenience.

Some of the old bottles and jars that were found when clearing the Memorial Hall site are on display in the entrance hall at the Sycamore Inn.  They were given to the Local History Society, but left at the pub so people can see them.

There are not particularly old, probably the 1950s or more recent, but this will mean more people will remember them and will be able to identify them.

Presumably they were dumped before the first Memorial Hall was built in 1962/63.  They will be on display for a few weeks, but it is probably not worth keeping them long term.

In recognition of the community’s support for the Open Gardens Day, Parwich & District Horticultural Society each year gives money to local causes. This year Open Gardens was particularly successful.  At Friday’s AGM the Society wanted to support something that will benefit the whole community and that is gardening related.

We agreed to donate £1,000 towards the planting in the grounds of our new Memorial Hall. The Society also left open the possibility of the Committee donating more at a later date depending on our finances and the final planting scheme costs.

Nia L, Chair
Peter T, Vice-Chair
Ben B, Treasurer

Though Remembrance Day is technically the 11th of November, usually we mark it on the nearest Sunday, which this year is tomorrow the 8th November:

• In Parwich Church there is a joint Anglican and Methodist Remembrance Service at 10-15am.
• In Alsop Church the Remembrance Service is at 10-45am

To understand more about the origins of the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance Day click here to see our last year’s post.

The deaths in Afghanistan make Remembrance Services much more immediate this year, but there are also reasons closer to home that make this year more significant.

Given our Memorial Hall is currently being rebuilt, it is a good time to think about how we remember those who gave their lives.  The names on our War Memorial and where they are buried can be seen by clicking here.  The majority are buried or commemorated overseas, but Pte Ronald Cotterill and Trp Robin Philips who died during World War II are buried in Alsop Church Yard.

Parwich & District Local History Society is gathering any information on the people named on the War Memorial (e.g. Brunskill Lowes), so please send any information you have to them or to us here at PARWICH.ORG.

A message from Debbie Webster: “I know that I can borrow the old memorial hall table and chairs from Val or Janet, but where are the plates/cutlery/etc because I need to borrow those as well. Thanks! Debbie”

The drilling team hope to finish their work by early to mid next week.  Today the first hole has reached a depth of 80 metres, only another 20 to go.  If you have not seen the two men drilling, it is a filthy job.  Water goes in as they drill and as the drill powers down, spray goes everywhere!  For a full explanation about ground source heat pumps click here.

Until this week, we have been extremely fortunate with the weather, but the puddles in this photo taken yesterday show the rain that had fallen, this doesn’t include today’s deluge. 

Martin C has sent in a video of the drilling – what a drenching!!

Martin has created his own “channel” at YouTube and by clicking here  you can view thumbnails of all his videos.   By using the icons just below the video clip you can alter the volume and watch in full screen size.

This week, drilling begins for the installation of the Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) for the new Memorial Hall.  Without wishing to bore you (sorry) with too much technical information about GSHPs (and I could, I really could), I thought this would be a good time to provide a little background about what they are and what they do.

The new hall has been designed to maximise energy efficiency.  To this end, renewable energy will be used, as opposed to burning fossil fuels such as coal or oil.  The GSHP provides a way of heating the hall by making use of the renewable energy stored in the ground.  As such, it is now regarded as one of the most energy efficient ways to heat buildings.

So how does it work?  A GSHP works a bit like a fridge, but in reverse.  If you hold your hand at the back of your fridge, you will feel heat coming out.  That is because the fridge is effectively pumping heat from inside the fridge to the outside air, thereby making the inside of the fridge cold.  A GSHP works by pumping heat that is stored in the ground into the water pipes of the building’s heating system. 

In order to do this, pipes are sunk deep into the ground, usually up to 100 metres down – hence the drilling this week.  When the system is completed and operational, water is circulated through these pipes to extract heat from deep underground. which is then used to heat the hall.

GHSPs provide constant heat to a building with low running costs. An oil-fired boiler would cost considerably more to run, and electric heating would be at least three times as expensive.

There are no hazardous gas emissions, no flammable oil, LPG or gas pipes, no flue or chimney and no unsightly fuel tanks. GSHP systems have absolutely no site emissions. There is no need for regular servicing or annual safety checks and maintenance is very low.

For these reasons, GSHPs are becoming increasingly popular within the Peak Park.  Over Haddon’s new village hall will use a GSHP for its heating, for example.  The Peak Park has also installed GSHPs in the new Moorland Centre in Edale, the new cycle hire centre at Parsley Hay, and at the Bushy Heath Farm training barn in Tideswell.

Our GSHP has been financed by a generous grant from the Peak District National Park Authority Sustainable Development Fund.

Click here to see photos and video footage of the work actually taking place in Parwich.

- Kevin S.

This week, week 5, has seen the completetion of the footings with the steel bolts in place ready for the main steel structure.  Tomorrow a specialist company will start drilling 3 bore holes approximately 100 metres deep for the ground source heat pump, which will then heat the new hall.    The Marshalls have completed the new substation and what a great job they have done.

Although this blog is events-based, there are certain building blocks of Triangle music that anyone looking to learn more about it just needs to know, like the history of a little Chapel Hill record label called  Merge Records and its impact on the local scene. However it isn’t just important for the Triangle, it’s a staple in talking about indie rock in general, from Neutral Milk Hotel to The Magnetic Fields to Spoon.

Listen to an interview with founders Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance by Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal about the label’s impact and success.

The now Durham-based label kicked off its 20th anniversary celebration this summer with the XX Merge festival at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro and Memorial Hall at UNC-CH. Tickets for the July 22-26 festival sold out immediately and sad ticket-less locals (like me) were forced to constantly refresh a Twitter search for #xxmerge instead. But now other kindred  spirits can find solace in this performance and interview video archive on Babelgum.

Performances included 33 bands from Merge’s two decades, including The Rosebuds, Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band (Oberst’s otherwise known for his work in Bright Eyes), Telekinesis, Polvo, Arcade Fire, She & Him (M. Ward and actress/as of recently Mrs. Death Cab Zooey Deschanel) and Superchunk, which kicked off the festival and includes McCaughan and Ballance.

The founders recently teamed up with journalist/Superchunk fan John Cook (of Gawker and formerly Radar) to pen the history of Merge in “Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, the Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small.” The 320-page book is packed with plenty of text in an oral history from the founders and others integral to the label’s birth, and is balanced out with coffee table-worthy images of concert posters, its first company invoice and enough behind-the-scenes pictures to fill several photo albums. The forward’s even written by long-time Merge fan/N.C. native/musician Ryan Adams. It’s available in stores and Merge’s Web store now.

But the  celebration doesn’t end there, “The Merge Records Companion,” a limited-edition picture book discography of the label’s first two decades is available for pre-order now and set to ship on Nov. 3.

Check out this UNC TV special on the anniversary

For more info on Merge’s anniversary, check out this Indy article by Grayson Currin, the accompanying links on the same page, and an interview with Cook and favorable book review, both by Marc Masters.

If you just happen to be in New York on Friday, Oct. 23, Mac and Laura will  read from “Our Noise” and perform some songs at Housing Works starting at 7 p.m. Check here for more info.

There will surely be many more great things coming from the folks at Merge, but not just musically. It seems that they have a knack for innovation as the label was the first ever to sell “LP3s” in 2005, which means that when a customer buys one of its releases on vinyl, he or she also gets a digital version at no extra cost.

For more general info on Merge, check out its blog and Twitter.

Expect future installments on other locally based labels.

Two years  ago we had a lovely party in the Hall to celebrate our daughter’s 40th birthday. (Balloons by Christine and David Goldstraw.) Cheers John F-S.

The main excavation work has finished and Wildgoose are presently digging out the footings ready for concreting next week.  Thank goodness for the good weather this week.

The Marshalls are doing a beautiful job of walling the new substation.

Thank you Sandra for emailing these memories of the building of the old Memorial Hall:

Following on from my recent comment here are some of my memories of the Memorial Hall.

It was great how everyone worked together to raise funds. We children were involved in concerts which took place in the old Institute (a tin shed!). These concerts were put together by Evelyn and Elsie, two village ladies who put a lot of time and effort into them. It was great fun taking part in these shows for adults and children alike.

I also recall walking past the site on my way to school and seeing the builders Tyler and Coates a local building firm from Ashbourne who had been given the job of building this exciting new hall for us with joy of joys!! ……. Inside Toilets!

We were very fortunate to have Sir John Crompton-Inglefield living at Parwich Hall at the time and he very generously matched our fund raising pound for pound so the village only had to raise half the amount needed. That is not to say it was an easy task, it seemed an awful lot of money in those days.  So I can understand why people are sad to see the old hall go, myself included. We have very happy memories of the good times we had there: our wedding reception, birthdays, pantomimes, dances to name but a few.

Hopefully the next generations of villagers and children will have as much fun as we did, in a facility which has been built to today’s standards and which will provide a warm and safe environment for all their activities. The word warm certainly strikes a chord with me, as one who has stood many hours at events over the years in that bloomin freezing kitchen!!

Finally I do sincerely hope that when the new Memorial Hall has been built and has been re-dedicated to the fallen (as it will be), that people will feel as proud of it as we did all those years ago and if not then at least acknowledge that it has been another remarkable achievement for a small village.

Sandra

The minute books of the Memorial Hall management committee go back to before the start of the building work and the early entries make fascinating reading.  The old Memorial Hall was built at a cost of £6,000 by the Ashbourne firm Tyler & Coates.  The village raised half this sum and Sir John Crompton-Inglefield provided the rest. 

Sir John, who through his mother was descended from the Comptons, a Derby banking family, settled in Parwich in the early 1930s, but was not able to fully immerse himself in village life until after the Second World War, during which he served as a major in the Derbyshire Yeomanry.  He initially fought in North Africa under General Alexander, and then undertook a lecture tour on the North Africa Campaign in the United States.  Following this he worked on the trials of the ‘Funnies’, tanks specially developed for the D-Day beach landings.  He landed in France himself a day or so after D-Day and saw action in France, Belgium and Germany under General Sir Percy Hobart in the 49th Armoured Division.

The Crompton-Inglefields gave up Parwich Hall during the War so that it was available as ancillary accommodation to Parwich Hospital for wounded service men.  It does not seem to have been used for this, though convalescing soldiers did use the Hall gardens, playing football on the main lawn.

With the three daughters staying with their grandmother at Flower Lilies, Lady Crompton-Inglefield at first worked in the Land Army Office in Matlock, and then in the Motor Transport Corps, before joining the ATS in 1943.  She worked through the ranks to junior Commander with the 21st Army Group in London.  She requested to serve overseas, but this was not allowed because she was a mother.

The money raised for the Hall even with Sir John’s matched funding was not sufficient for the fitting out of the Hall, which was further covered by Sir John and his wife. We welcome any further memories and photos, particularly of when villagers came together to re-roof the old Memorial Hall.

What’s happening to the materials from the demolished hall, that is the question that some people have been asking.

Wildgoose the building contractors have a strong policy on sustainability and responsible building practices, with the recycling of building materials being a cornerstone (excuse the pun) of their business.  If anyone saw the demolition or watched Martin’s great video on the Blog they will have seen the care taken over the demolition, separation and removal of all the old materials off the site.  The recycling is then carried out by Transcycle who are specialists in this field.

Wildgoose aims for a high percentage of  recycling  on all their projects, with a target of around 83% of materials being reused.  On this project the roof and woodwork were the first materials to to be removed and taken away for pulping.  The hardwood floor is enjoying a new lease of life as a recycled floor, here, in our parish.  Next the stonework was removed, this will be crushed and will be reused in another project.  The wiring will  be melted down. 

This week the footprint of the new build is being dug out to lower the roof line.  Large amounts of soil and rubble will have to be removed,  before being screened and crushed and screened for future use.

It looks like 80% to 85% of the old hall will be recycled and reused to benefit other projects.  Thank you to Wildgoose, Rob the site manager (photographed on the left) and his team for minimising disruption during this phase  and running a spotless building site.

Ben Bennett

Image from sonjahaynesstonectr.unc.edu

New York’s dominant Afro-Puerto Rican bomba and plena group Los Plenores dela 21 (LP21) is coming to UNC-Chapel Hill this weekend to perform in Memorial Hall’s Beasley-Curtis Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.

The group’s album Para Todos Ustedes was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2006.

LP21’s music is a combination of the bomba and plena genres that date back to the 17th and 20th centuries respectively. The group consists of intergenerational Puerto Rican folk masters and musicians, and the group’s music often combines tribal hand-held drum rhythms and African tribal dances with  jazz, salsa, rock and rap tones.

The performance is free, and tickets are available at the Memorial Hall box office, so come check it out!

Thank you to Martin C and to Rob (Wildgoose) for this video – something to add to the history of Parwich.

We have a new site manager, Rob Osborne, who will be looking after things during this project.  He will be on site most of the time.   A specialist firm is just completing the removal of all the asbestos from the old hall and we should get the all clear today, this will mean that the demolition should start by Wednesday at the latest.  Obviously during the demolition phase there will be increased activity on the site, with more vehicle movements as the rubble is removed.  Mains electricity is being established today, our thanks to the Parwich Legion for facilitating this.   Thanks, Ben.

According to Wikipedia: “Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging a desire or appetite for certain activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure.”

Now that our Memorial Hall fund-raising drive is reaching its final stages, perhaps it’s time to think once again about ways in which we can help to raise additional funds for the project.

With this in mind, here’s one possible idea: a sponsored “Abstinence Week”, in which some of us will pledge to give up some of our favourite indulgences, in return for donations (from friends, relatives, colleagues, and anyone else outside the village who might be feeling supportive) to the building fund.

For example: if you enjoy a drink, then why not give up alcohol for a week? Or if you’re a smoker, could you be persuaded to give up tobacco for seven days? For younger people, how about pledging to stay away from sweets and fizzy drinks?

There are loads of other possibilities. Ladies could spend a week “au naturel“, without using make-up or other beauty products. Gentlemen could go without shaving. Internet addicts could refrain from surfing the web. Telly addicts could switch off their TV sets. Game players could shut down their Playstations or Xboxes. Or perhaps users of “colourful language” could promise not to swear!

These are just a few suggestions. But before we commit to organising anything, we’d like to hear from you.

If you had to give something up for a week, what would you choose? Please let us know in the comments box!