During the first week of February the Soil Association held its two day, 2010 Annual Conference in Birmingham, on ‘The Future of Food’.

Keynote addresses were given by Patrick Holden, Director of the Soil Association, and Lord Peter Melchett, their Policy Director. The conference featured talks and discussion panels chaired by such well known media personalities as John Craven of BBC’s Countryfile, TV gardener Monty Don (the Association’s President) and featuring Hilary Benn MP (Secretary of State for Defra), amongst other leading experts in the food, farming, academic and commercial spheres.

Workshop topics included organic farming and its potential for sequestering atmospheric carbon; sustainable and local food sourcing for schools, hospitals and restaurants/hotels; opportunities and constraints for those entering the farming sector and organic textiles – the social and environmental obligations.

Other workshops were engaged with such subjects as the organic baby food market; alternative marketing routes for organic growers and suppliers; low and zero carbon farming and the international debate over the potential for the Global North and South working more closely together to develop more sustainable food and farming systems.

Controversial topics such as methane versus carbon and the role of livestock in sustainable agriculture, along with challenging organic produce as being an elitist and expensive commodity, sparked lively debates. The Food for Life Partnership explained its mission to transform food culture in schools and local communities. There was also discussion on harnessing the power of the world’s faith communities to transform and develop 21st century food and farming systems.

The Soil Association is involved in campaigns and policy advice, setting organic standards and certification, supporting farmers and growers, developing an organic farm network, Community Supported Agriculture, land trust, education and sponsoring the Food for Life Partnership along with International work and running conferences. 
For more information look at their web site: www.soilassociation.org

Following the success of last year’s Mold Spring Clean there’s going to be another one this year. Once again it will be a community event, with help from Keep Wales Tidy, Mold Town Council and the cleansing teams at Flintshire County Council.

Where would you like to see cleaned up?  This can include make-overs of flower beds and planters, railings painted and benches repaired etc – as well as litter picking. Phone Dave Hill on 01352 751819 to say where needs attention and, if you can, to volunteer to help please!

Planning officers at Flintshire County Council speedily intervened and report that Lidl has agreed to replant the hedge along the Denbigh Road frontage and to also relay the remaining hedges to the boundaries and put protective measures in place to make sure they are kept safe during site works. Lidl will not be removing any more hedging.

A revised landscaped plan will be submitted for approval to the County Council which will make reference to these details.

Tudor and Mona Jones of Dolwen Farm, Abergele, have been selling their quality meat directly to the public since 1974. Over the years they’ve noticed that people are far more conscious about where the food they eat has come from. At Dolwen all their meat has full traceability and is Farm Assured. Their livestock are bred and reared on the farm and the furthest they travel is eight miles to the abattoir at Rhyl, keeping their production local with low food miles.

Mr and Mrs Jones’ traditional breeds include Welsh Black crosses, native pig breeds, and Poll-dors and Lleyn sheep. Their customers say that the quality of their beef beats that of supermarkets hands down, there’s very little waste and low fat. Mr Jones explains that the beef is hung on the bone for two to three weeks giving the meat more flavour, and the bacon is dry cured, so shrinks less when cooked.

To find out more about Dolwen Farm Shop contact Tudor and Mona Jones, Cefn Fran, Dolwen, Abergele LL22 8NH phone 01492 680209, or talk to them at these local farmers’ markets:

• Mold – Celyn Farmers’ Market, St Mary’s Church Hall, King Street, 1st Saturday of month.
• Northop – Celyn Farmers’ Market, Welsh College of Horticulture, 3rd Sunday of month.
• Grosvenor Garden Centre, Belgrave, Chester – Celyn Farmers’ Market, 2nd Friday of month.

www.celynfarmersmarket.co.uk

After visiting the first UK town to ‘go transition’ I’d like to share the background to the movement and what motivates people to get involved in their community to engage with positive change for the future.

In his book, The Transition Handbook* Rob Hopkins (permaculture teacher and founder of the Transition movement) describes what inspired him to come up with the concept and what he saw as the need to build resilience in towns, villages and other communities in the face of increasing globalization, near-future oil shortages and the ramifications of increasing Climate Change.

He goes on to describe the inter-relatedness of these problems and provides a blueprint for a workable solution to the situation. The Transition Towns idea is based upon emphasizing localness – of supply and demand for goods and services and not depending upon the wider world for our essentials. It is also essentially about re-skilling our communities to survive in the face of global recession. The end of cheap oil means that to maintain some quality of life we will have to co-operate more, make and repair more, and to grow more of our own foodstuffs – within our own communities.

Oil is finite – it is going to run out in a relatively short time span with a corresponding devastating effect upon our way of life – unless we collectively do something about taking care of our essential needs now!

There are now around 100 Transition Initiatives in the UK and Ireland and nearly 40 in the rest of the world linked to the Transition Network**

It has been argued emphatically by experts in the field that Global Warming and Climate Change are at least partly a result of our 250 years history of ever-increasing industrial development around the world (or at least this hasn’t helped resolve a natural process). Now the age of cheap oil is ending and oil production has peaked in most of the world’s oilfields and will now continuously increase in price. Worldwide trans-shipments of mass production will reduce as we have to ‘make it and do it here’ to a greater or lesser extent. As a result of Peak Oil it is predicted that we will have to ‘downshift’; demand less and consume only what we can mostly make and grow with our newly acquired skills. Imports of items communities cannot grow or produce themselves will preferably come from as close as possible using more sustainable transport than at present.

The ‘Business As Usual’ model of endless economic growth and global industrial expansion made possible during the less than 200 years of the so-called ‘Oil Age’ has no place in a world without access to cheap energy and it is practically impossible to maintain beyond the next decade without worldwide environmental problems on an unprecedented scale.

*Hopkins R. The Transition Handbook From oil dependency to local resilience, Green Books Ltd 2008
**Transition Network.org. Who we are and what we do Version 1.0 – Feb 2009
www.transitionnetwork.org

Further reading: Chamberlin S. The Transition Timeline for a local, resilient future, Green Books Ltd, 2009
Pinkerton T. and Hopkins R. Local Food – How to Make It Happen In Your Community. Green Books Ltd, Sept. 2009

Research shows that junk mail comprises up to 4% of the 1.5 million tonnes of household waste produced in Wales each year. In the past two years alone, the Waste Awareness Wales No Junk Mail campaign has seen more than 49,000 individuals in Wales deregistering their details from advertising mailing lists, helping to reduce almost 60,000 tonnes of junk mail waste. Top tips for saying NO to junk mail are:

1. Stop mailing companies sending you addressed junk mail by registering with the Mailing Preference Service. Telephone 0845 7034599 or visit www.mpsonline.org.uk.

2. To stop unaddressed junk mail sent to ‘the occupier’, telephone the Royal Mail on 08457 950950, email optout@royalmail.com or write to Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS Royal Mail Door to Door Opt Out Services, Kingsmead House, Oxpens Road, Oxford OX1 1RX

The aims and objectives
MBF represents ALL business people; from hi-tech business and professional services, through to national chains, the independent retailer and sole trader. It provides an opportunity for all business owners, senior managers and other interested people to:

• positively take forward the message that Mold matters and is a jewel in the North Wales crown.
• collectively develop Mold’s ambition and key messages.
• access business networking with other business people, professionals and like minded people.
• act as a representative group to lobby politicians and influence local government for greater business friendly policies and strategies.
• influence national (and international) companies on the benefits of investing and locating in Mold.
• support events and initiatives that enhance the positive profile and economic success of Mold business.

To help achieve these objectives MBF has entered into partnership with North Wales Chamber of Commerce and negotiated very attractive membership rates, which provide inclusive access to the full range of Chamber of Commerce member benefits.
MBF meets regularly throughout the year, with breakfast and lunchtime meetings alongside special evening events. Members are also welcomed at all Chamber events and initiatives across North Wales and those taking place in West Cheshire, enabling all Mold business people to exercise influence and access opportunities across the local sub-region.

For further information
David Hill, Mold Town Centre Manager, 01352 751819
Martin Jones, MD Vaughan Davies, 01352 752632
Raymond Lloyd-Jones, Business Manager, Careers Wales, 01352 750456
Tracy North, MD Outwrite PR, 01352 706260

Roger took the name of his new stronghold and was known as Roger de Mont Haut (the ‘high hill’ in Norman French). Mont Haut slipped into Mohault, then Moald (recorded in 1284) and finally Mold by 1561.

The hill was irregularly shaped. Two of the flatter areas became ‘baileys’ or fortified yards. At the northern end the natural moraine was further heightened to become a ‘motte’ (mound) for a small keep or castle. The whole complex has long been known simply as ‘the Bailey Hill’.

Over the centuries the use of Bailey Hill has dwindled but it still remains of historic and environmental importance, which is why Cittaslow Mold are working with other groups such as Mold and District Civic Society, and the land owners Flintshire County Council, to start a rolling programme of improvements. The aim being to restore Bailey Hill to some of its former glory and make it a real asset to the Town.

Through the Mold Town Partnership, Cittaslow Mold has secured a £9,500 Welsh Assembly Government Tidy Towns grant. This will be used to repaint the entrance gates, put up new signs and marker posts for a historic trail, and produce a walking guide with detailed map for the trail. Work undertaken by volunteers is already in hand and this welcome grant will ensure that come Spring the new trail should be in place.

This is just the start of improvements and the group are keen to find out how you would like to see Bailey Hill develop, contact Geoff Collett, through Mold Town Council on 01352 758532.

Cittaslow Mold also secured funding for more cycle racks (£3,360), additional benches (£1,920), printing leaflets for commemorative benches (£600) – a scheme where the public can purchase a bench, and improvements to a town gateway display (£1,100).