A church institute has put on its winter woollies to help beat the cold weather blues.
Special insulation material made from sheep’s wool is keeping Henllan Church Institute warm as toast and cutting its heating bills by 400 per cent.
Last year’s bitter winter, the coldest for nearly 50 years, had sent costs spiralling and had put the future of the Institute in doubt until rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd came up with a survival plan – and the financial support to make it happen.
They have provided £79,000 of funding through their Innovation Denbighshire project and the Institute, a Grade Three-listed building, is now open every night of the week.
A warm blanket of sheep’s wool now helps keep the temperature up and the heating bills down and villagers are delighted with the results.
Gaynor Kumria, the chair of the Church Institute committee, said: “We’re really grateful to Cadwyn Clwyd who approached us and advised us on how best to access the money that was available.
“They’ve been fantastic and we just wouldn’t have been able to raise this sort of money so we are indebted to Cadwyn Clwyd and the way they were able to make this easy for us.”
The money is coming from the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government and public and private funding.
Cadwyn Clwyd Project Officer Silas Jones said: “This is a really valuable building which is used by all sections of the local community and we’re glad to have been able to help.
“The project is about developing innovative and sustainable solutions to energy issues and this doesn’t just have to be about power generation but can also be about power saving.
“Sheep’s wool is a natural insulator and this combined with other forms of insulation, a new heating system and double-glazing is making the building much more economically viable.
“Last year their heating bill was over £2,000 – this year I would expect it to be less than £500.”
Gaynor Kumria explained: “The Institute dates from 1948 and belongs to the Church. It was built with funds raised locally and it’s a fantastic amenity and has been well used ever since.
“But nothing had been done to it for years and it had a very high pitched roof so most of the heat was going up there and out of the building.
“We have had the ceiling lowered and wool insulation fitted as well as solid wall insulation and a new heating system while we have partitioned the building to make it easier to heat for small groups.
“What’s more here we are in Wales and it’s a perfect solution in a farming area like this to use a natural product like wool to insulate the building. It wasn’t a cheap option but it is working extremely well.
“It is used every night by groups as different as the Good Companions, a group for older people, the Guides, the Gardening Club and Tae Kwon Do.
“We have just had a party to mark the retirement of the Rector, the Rev Phillip Williams, and we had 200 people in the Institute for a meal.”
Jeff Jones, of NWPS in Rhyl, who supplied and fitted the wool insulation said: “Sheep’s wool is a natural insulator because it traps air in millions of tiny pockets and air is an excellent insulator since it does not conduct or disperse heat well.
“Wool is a more effective insulator than many synthetic products like glasswool and it also retains its structure and doesn’t break down and settle like many other insulating materials.”
Anyone interested in Cadwyn Clwyd’s Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Project can contact them on 01824 705802 or e-mail [email protected]
