Monk Fryston and Hillam Community Association

COVID might have closed us down but it certainly didn’t knock us out! In fact, in the past few months of the lockdown we have been busy getting things done and preparing for better times - we hope.

On the getting things done front - with the help of a grant from international Engineering Company WSP, we have insulated the Community Centre north wall to the latest energy saving standard. This means not only that it performs well by retaining heat but also you can’t see any changes on the inside. The before and after photos taken by our recently acquired Thermal Imaging Camera proves the effectiveness of adding insulation.

The newly installed solar panels are now generating electricity for us and the display screen in the entrance hallway is recording the energy made in real time, over their lifetime and the amount of CO2 saved. Over the next couple of months, we will be doing maintenance work to the grounds, trimming overhanging branches, painting the Youth Shelter and gates and improving safety in the children’s playground. By June, when we hope the end of restrictions happens, the Centre will be spruced up and ready for use.

As we travel along the Government road map, the Centre will be progressively opening up. The Before and After School Club is already operating. Other regular groups and activities such as the Scout groups, What the Dickens, Baby Sensory, and Daisy Foundation (post and ante-natal) groups are preparing to restart. We are taking bookings for parties on a no risk provisional basis - hirers must demonstrate they are complying to Government guidelines and the Association’s Ts & Cs. We don’t want to be the source of any possible COVID outbreaks.

Sadly, it’s not all good news. Unfortunately, the pandemic has meant that our long-term client, Bee Able, who provided fortnightly respite for Parents looking after children with disabilities, has had to retrench and withdraw from the Centre. The COVID secure cleaning regime was just too much for them to cope with, plus they decided to just run from one venue . Also, the Mums and Tots playgroup ‘Little Monkeys’ has paused while new leadership is sought, and the group, which has run for over 30 years, can re-established. If anyone is interested in making it happen, please get in touch with Sally (Bookings Secretary) on 07790 018745 or email thecommunitycentre@outlook.com

The really good news is that we are starting to consider staging a community event, to celebrate the end of the lockdowns, so, ‘Save the dates’ for the weekend of 17/18 September - and let’s just hope it can become a reality! But don’t hold your breath yet!

Finally, the CA will be inviting all residents to either renew or apply for membership in the next month or so. Under the terms of our charitable status, it is important for us to have active members of the Community Association, as well as the regular support of our committee members and Trustees. Please respond to the newsletter which will be coming through your letter box with the membership form and more CA news.

The sun is shining - better times are ahead - and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Robin Parkin Chair and Trustee

Our project is just about one year old. Apart from the first meeting of the Steering Group, no one has physically met, and yet we have had an incredibly good year, thanks to zoom meetings, phone calls and emails and lots of individuals doing their bit - in a socially distanced way, even when isolating or shielding.

The Community Buildings Renewable Energy Feasibility Study is complete and will shortly be shared, as promised, with every household in Hillam and Monk Fryston. We have a project plan which we can implement to help us Future Proof our buildings by reducing their Carbon Emissions. This is something we will all have to do in our homes, before too long.

We have been fortunate to have been awarded two further grants. These have paid for the Solar Roof Panels and the WSP Eco Wall installation at the Community Centre, and a thermal imaging camera. The panels were installed in February and are now producing electricity both for the Centre and for exporting to the grid. Both installations have provided a great insight into the best way to order and set up new technology; again, that is something that all of us can relate to in this fast changing 21st century of pandemic and climate change challenges. The Thermal Imaging Camera has shown us how effective the Eco Wall insulation is in preventing heat escaping from the room and of cold seeping in where floors and ceilings meet and around the doors and windows.

You might say ignorance was bliss but it was also expensive!

So - what next towards Future Proofing our buildings?

We will search for the grants to implement the renewable energy projects, but more importantly, we will need to start saving energy and money by undertaking the energy efficiency work in the community buildings. All the project partners will conduct their own thermal imaging surveys to look for places to stop heat loss and the cold entering. After that programme is completed, then residents can contact us to have a survey on their property. Although we may think we know which doors, windows and rooms are cold or draughty, the camera can reveal things that will surprise you.

Finally, it is our intention to create a bank of knowledge and case studies for everyone to be able access for impartial advice.

The Steering Group

The great news is that on Friday 5th March, we started to generate and use electricity at the Community Centre funded by the Post Code Lottery. One of the features we bought was access to see what our system was doing via an app. We soon started to get the information from the smart meter type device. It is pretty straight forward as you can see from the screen shot. A few days earlier at a Community Association committee meeting, someone asked what the benefits of a smart meter were? Basically, as you can see from the image to the right, it’s all about what’s happening in real time. On this particular day, when the Centre was being used by the Before and After School Club, we were generating about 1/3rd of the electricity we used. Almost as important, it showed us something which we have yet to investigate, about what is happening on a regular basis when the Centre is closed. We have some ideas … but we are not speculating. What is clear is that we are consistently using about half a Kilowatt of electricity 24/7/365 to power our CCTV cameras, Fire exit signs and internet. Another grant, from Engineering Company WSP, funded our insulation of our Main Hall north wall, which was the only remaining original wall.

Below are some before pictures from inside and outside.

This is a Thermal Imaging picture showing the eastern end of ‘Eco Wall’ and adjacent kitchen wall (near the steps) Pipes for underfloor heating (UFH) clearly visible in wall and the extent of UFH pipes.

The side colour scale shows the temperature range and the two spots the actual temperatures. Note the dark ’cold’ blue above the windows and the door.

This is the outside the north wall between the sheds and the Community Centre. When we first saw these pictures, we just couldn’t remember what the pipe was!

Later, we identified it as the former soil vent pipe (SVP) from the original Community Centre gent’s toilet. It was much warmer than the external face of the wall and losing heat to the outside. It appears that in our rush to redevelop the Community Centre in just 6 weeks in 2014, we must have blanked it off with plasterboard but didn’t remove or thermally insulate it. Also, the location of the internal under floor heating pipes, which showed up as yellow columns in the inside picture can be clearly seen in the picture above. More information with be in the Feasibility Study report.

Ray Newton and Jon Blaza