What we could NOT fit into the August Magazine

Is my home suitable for solar?

UK Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) make solar photovoltaic (PV) panels an attractive investment for homeowners who have savings. The soon to be introduced Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will also provide better returns for solar water heating (SWH). But there are some points to consider before chasing quotes:

  1.  Which way does my roof face?
    A south facing roof is best but panels can deliver very good results facing anywhere between east and west, through south.
  2.  Do I have the roof space?
    A minimum of about 10m2 of panels are needed for solar PV and approximately 4m2 for SWH (based on a household of 4 people). Sections of roof shaded by trees or buildings are to be avoided.
  3.  Will I get the most benefit?
    Daytime users of electricity and hot water have much to gain by directly replacing energy they'd otherwise have to pay for with free solar energy.
  4.  Can I afford it?
    An ideal budget would be in excess of £8,000 for PV and £3,500 for SWH. It’s important to remember that in order to be eligible for FITs and RHI your system must be installed by an MCS certificated installing company.

To find out more, check out Cocoon's new on-line 'Solar Suitability Checker'. This tool allows you to find your roof on a satellite map, check its size and orientation, and see what returns an investment in solar might deliver. No personal details are required. The tool will go live in Summer 2011 at www.cocoonyourhome.co.uk

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

This months article can be found here

Social Club Members Shoot On Target

Members of the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Inter-Varsity Club (BNHIVC) discovered the delights of archery at the weekend at the Old Basing Archers Club.  An active sports and social club, members took a morning taster session to learn the basics of how to shoot an Olympic style recurve bow.  They were also given demonstrations of the different styles of bow from the traditional Longbow to the Modern Compound.   Members also learned about the history of the Old Basing Archers club which was founded in 1967 and provides facilities for members to receive tuition, improve their skills and compete in the sport of Archery. 

Basingstoke & North Hampshire IVC is a non-profit making sports and social club for professional and like minded people.  As well as archery, the club organises many events including cinema trips, theatre, concerts, restaurants, walking, cycling, roller skating, climbing and much more.   The club is a great way to make new friends and a hassle-free way to develop your social life in North Hampshire. 

Shoot on target with the BNHIVC.   To find out more visit: www.bnhivc.org , call 0844 587 1985, or email enquiry@bnhivc.org.

THE MILL FIELD CONSERVATION GROUP

EVENT NEWS ~ August sees the return of our annual Duck Race!  This event will be on Sunday 14th August on the river Loddon near to the Millstone PH, starting at 2:00pm.  This event is always great fun with everyone getting into the spirit, shouting encouragement and willing “their duck” to cross the line first!  It is our annual (and only) fund- raising event, so please come along and support us.  Look out for signs around the field from the beginning of August to let you know where you can buy your “Duck Tickets” from.  They’ll also be available through any Mill Field Conservation Group committee member, and will also be sold on the day of course.

SIGHTINGS ~ Bird activity in the field during August will see the migrants moving back through the field, with the departing house martins, swifts and swallows moving on southwards.  The sight of the hobby hunting overhead should not be a surprising sight, and dusk will bring out the bats, too.

Dragonfly numbers will be increasing, due to the migrant species – look out for the southern hawker and brown hawker.  Butterfly numbers have been much improved this year, and should still be keeping up throughout the month.  There are also some interesting spiders to be found, such as the wasp spider – a relatively rare species previously seen in the Mill Field during August.  Finally, for the plants, look out for the large yellow daisy-like flowers of the fleabane – a magnet for butterflies in past years.
 
 
Keith Swan (07973 801669)
Email: millfield_oldbasing@yahoo.co.uk

Thank you

A big thank you once more to all those in the village who supported our garden opening for the National Garden Scheme on 26th & 28th June.  Thanks to the generous support of those who baked cakes, washed up crockery, served tea and cakes, lent us furniture, gave up their time or, most importantly, paid to visit the garden, we raised £886 shared between the National Garden Scheme charities and St Michaels’ Hospice.

 
The charities supported by the NGS are shown on their website at www.ngs.org.uk .

Jan & John Mabbott

Phoenix Badminton

Phoenix Badminton are looking for experienced new players for this season.

 We are a friendly but competitive club, with 5 teams in the Basingstoke and District league.

Club nights are held on Tuesdays 7.30-10.30pm at Sherfield School, off the A33, Sherfield on Loddon.

For further details please contact Mike Taylor Club Chairman on 01256 842468 or by email to mike3749@hotmail.co.uk

Anvil Arts

Unfortunately, we have been asked to cancel two shows for the autumn at Anvil Arts – Respect La Diva at The Anvil on Friday 30 September and Gardeners’ Question Time-The Live Tour at The Anvil on Saturday 22 October. The Anvil Arts box office will contact all those that have booked so far, but can you just make sure you do not mention/list the two shows from now on.

Here are the statements from the respective companies:

Respect La Diva
In the past few days we have had some serious realisations about the current viability of the autumn tour for Respect La Diva even after much hard work in trying to make it work.
We could cut the production in half, but it would not be the show that we wish to present or the show we have been selling to all the venues including your own.

Instead our only option is to focus on our West End launch from the 7th-24th September, and hopefully show to you and other venues/promoters the potential the production has – so that we can book a more substantial tour in 2012.

I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and late notice but hope to work with you again following the success of the West End run.

Gardeners’ Question Time
A planned theatre tour of Gardeners' Question Time has been cancelled due to low advance ticket sales, which promoters attribute to the adverse economic climate.