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A farmer-owned co-operative which will plant 600 hectares of bio energy crops within the next three years says support from PLANED has been invaluable to the project. Pembrokeshire Bio-Energy Ltd, which has just secured a £175,000 grant to develop its biomass project over the next three years, has had support from PLANED since its inception in 2003. It funded a feasibility study to look at potential markets, says Graham Perkins, a founder member of the group. |
Paul Ratcliffe Chairman of Pembrokeshire Bio Energy Ltd is pictured with Bob Talbott next to an energy crop-fired boiler at the Pembrokeshire County Show.
Picture: Debbie James.
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“PLANED facilitated our meetings to enable us to develop the project,’’ he says. Steven Bradley, PLANED’s agricultural manager, was able to offer support under the LEADER+ programme, an initiative designed to create a culture of entrepreneurship and to develop enterprise opportunities. “We take a ‘bottom up’ approach to projects like Pembrokeshire Bio Energy,’’ he explains. “We are able to facilitate and to develop ideas from grass roots, drawing in appropriate organisations when they are needed.’’ PLANED also funded information boards which the co-operative displays at conferences and agricultural shows. “PLANED has been an enormous help to us, we would never have reached the stage we are at now without their support,’’ adds Graham Perkins.
Under LEADER+, PLANED aims to ensure added value and enhanced economic opportunities for the Pembrokeshire agriculture community.
Pembrokeshire Bio-Energy Ltd is just one of the projects it has identified.
Link: PBE Bioenergy |
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PLANED has brought together six of Pembrokeshire’s rural agricultural shows to develop joint marketing initiatives.
They have been able to share resources and raise awareness of the direct link between agriculture, local products and local consumers.
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The head of the Mongol empire almost certainly plotted the downfall of his enemies from the comfort of his yurt. But Genghis Khan probably never thought of holding a farming and countryside exhibition in one.
This centuries-old type of tent, still common among nomads across central Asia, is being used by PLANED to host an innovative exhibition to improve the public’s understanding of farming and the countryside.
 PLANED – Pembrokeshire Local Action Network for Enterprise and Development – commissioned a Pembrokeshire company to build a yurt using sustainable and renewable materials including wood harvested in Dinas.
The structure – standing four metres high - will house PLANED’s ‘Smells to Smiles’ interactive exhibition.
The project was piloted last year as part of a drive to regenerate the countryside post foot-and-mouth.
Although it achieved its aims of engaging and informing the public about agriculture and the countryside, PLANED was keen to take it to a new level.
It commissioned Sigma Exhibition Services Ltd, a Goodwick-based display specialist, to construct a yurt as a dedicated display area.
 The finished structure, which includes several interesting features such as a map of Pembrokeshire in the form of a boulder wall and a fully working model of a dairy cow, will make its first appearance at Pembroke Farmers’ Club Show at Lamphey on
August 2nd.
“This project demonstrates the innovative work PLANED is undertaking with communities in Pembrokeshire,’’ said the minister, who admitted it was the first time she had been asked to open a yurt.
Jane Howells, PLANED’s LEADER+ co-ordinator, said an emphasis of the project had been to use locally - produced and recycled materials. It was also important to create an exciting and fun exhibition area which would draw people to it, she added.
“We wanted to demonstrate the diversity of agriculture and inform the public about sustainable developments in that industry,’’ she said.
The project was funded through European Union LEADER+, a programme which encourages a community culture of entrepreneurship.
Kevin Bird, who runs Sigma and designed and built the yurt, said the whole structure could be composted or reused at the end of its useful life.
The company is at the forefront of sustainability – it is the only business in Pembrokeshire to achieve Green Dragon Level 4, an initiative which encourages environmentally sustainable practices.
One of the features of the mobile display is a climbing panel which people can use to scale their way around Pembrokeshire landmarks.
There is also a full-size working model of a cow which will be used to demonstrate milk production.
The LEADER + strategy is designed to create a culture of entrepreneurship to turn all activities, whether existing or new, into enterprise opportunities.
A central objective of this strategy is to ensure that as much money as possible earned in the local economy remains in the locality and recirculates in that area.
In Pembrokeshire, PLANED is achieving this through the Plugging the Leaks and Irrigating the Desert strategy and a network of Area Development Groups.
PLANED’s role is to take forward the ideas of the groups, to commission research and to pilot the ideas.
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.jpg) PLANED’s offices at Narberth could one day be heated by renewable energy.
A study funded by LEADER+ has been carried out to establish the feasibility of meeting the heating needs of the entire Old School site with a pellet-fuelled boiler.
This could include heating the Pembrokeshire County Council-
owned swimming pool.
It could link in with the Pembrokeshire Bio Energy Ltd project, using crops grown in the county.
“This could be a flagship project which could be used to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy to farmers and businesses,’’ says Steven Bradley, agricultural manager at PLANED.
A boiler and district heating system would cost £180,000. “We are investigating a number of possible sources of funding which would have to be match funded by PLANED,’’ says Mr Bradley. |
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The new chairman of a Pembrokeshire horticulture initiative says small producers must not be crushed by the might of the big growers.
Nick Bean, who grows six acres of strawberries near Manorbier, says producers with large acreages were keen to snatch what little share of the market businesses like his retained.
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But the smaller grower had many advantages over these, he insisted. “We mustn’t throw up our hands and give in to the bigger producers by accepting the wrongly held belief that they can do it better. They have enormous pressures in terms of labour shortages, costs and the fact that they are at the beck and call of supermarkets.’’
 Mr Bean, who runs Springfield Nurseries with his wife, Pat, was installed as chairman of the Pembrokeshire Growers’ Association.
This Association was established with support from PLANED’s LEADER+ initiative to promote and develop Pembrokeshire-based horticultural skills and products.
It now has 28 members growing a diverse range of hardy and exotic plants and produce.
Mr Bean says PLANED’s support had enabled members to attend training events and conferences.
“Without it there would be no forum in Pembrokeshire for growers who are growing quite a wide range of produce,’’ he said. “There would be no opportunity for them to talk and hold meetings and to access research and development.’’
Mr Bean wants to build on the success of last year’s Plant Trail leaflet which lists the nurseries run by the Association’s members. “It demonstrates the power of co-operation,’’ he said.
He has been growing soft fruit, asparagus and plant bulbs for over 20 years and now supplies a chain of shops in South Wales, wholesalers and Farmers Markets. He also runs a Pick-Your-Own service and supplies jam makers and outside caterers.
The LEADER+ strategy is designed to create a culture of entrepreneurship to turn all activities, whether existing or new, into enterprise opportunities.
A central objective of this strategy is to ensure that as much money as possible earned in the local economy remains in the locality and re-circulates in that area.
In Pembrokeshire, PLANED has achieved this through a network of Area Development Groups, each with its own Area Development Plan.
It has also worked in partnership with these groups to promote sustainable local economic development.
Link: Pembrokeshire Growers' Association
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