A message from Richard Waite, chair of TDT

Your TDT trustees have been busy … and there’s not much chance of winter hibernation either!

So here are a couple of dates for your diary and things you can be involved in:

Light Up Thornhill   

Save the date – Saturday 6th December

We may kid ourselves that this pre-Christmas celebration is for children.  Maybe! But it’s also a heartwarming midwinter gathering for everyone of all ages.  So come along and get involved if you can.

Advent windows, fancy dress, parades, music … what happens on the night (and in the run up) depends on collective enthusiasm and we would love to tap into yours!   LUT needs your ideas and help with planning, marshalling, lights, decorating, set-up and take-down.  If you can help a little or a lot, join us to plan it all out in the Community Hall at 9.30am on Friday 31st October.   

Thornhill Energy Solutions

Save the date – Monday 1st December, 7pm, Community Hall.

How can we make our homes more affordable, healthy and sustainable?  Compared with living in town, we use (on average) more fuel and electricity to live in a place like Thornhill.  This costs us more and produces more CO2.  Why?  More car use, weather, traditional houses with less insulation … the list goes on.   

Average household heating costs are especially high in a rural area like ours.  We don’t have mains gas (which is still by far the cheapest way to heat a home), so we spend more on electricity, oil, wood or coal.  

We have received a £3,000 grant from Forth Environment Link’s Climate Action Hub (thank you FEL!) and have employed Power Circle to consider what innovative heating technologies and solutions could fit best with our range of household needs and types.   We have specifically asked them to look at some new emerging solutions coming on to the market in the next few years. Advice is available from Home Energy Scotland on existing solutions. https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/

Power Circle (check them out) is a not-for-profit energy innovation company based in Bridge of Allan with considerable expertise and experience. 

What next?  Find out more at a public meeting in the Community Hall on Monday 1st December at 7pm.  Power Circle MD Jon Cape and Community Renewables Manager Alistair Roberts will be on hand to describe what’s happening, how you can be involved and answer your questions.  Please pass the word.  

Jon and Alistair will ask households to complete an online survey about their house and heating needs.   Please take part – more survey completions will make their conclusions more valid and useful.  The survey results will be anonymised in the report and won’t commit you to anything.  This is for everyone, tenants, homeowners, all different house types and income ranges.  So, as well as completing it yourself, please encourage your neighbours – especially those who may benefit from assistance to keep a warm home and anyone who may need your help to do the survey.

As well as reporting on solutions for our different house-types, the process should get Thornhill on the radar of companies and public bodies wishing to invest in a rural community that is ready for low-cost, low carbon heating solutions.    It would be good to get Thornhill at the front of that queue!

An appeal for TDT Trustees

We are lucky to have a wide-ranging skill-set amongst TDT trustees, but we can only do so much.  There are currently seven trustees and we can have up to 11.  More is merrier!    It’s helpful to have energetic representation from all sides of the community.  Right now, we are missing local business and farming (or aspiring young farmer) perspectives.  If you or someone you know would be interested in shaping what TDT does for the community, please get in touch with me.

Best wishes,

Richard

Email: Chair@thornhillstirling.org