An exciting new initiative based in Llangollen sees business, community groups and house-holders join together in working towards making Llangollen and the Dee Valley carbon neutral. The Llangollen and Dee Valley Low Carbon Trust brings together four projects on energy efficiency, renewable, local shopping and waste minimisation/recycling.

The Trust has been launched with financial support from local activity centre and outdoor shop ProAdventure, which donated £4000 to get the charity off the ground. Through its membership of global organisation ‘1% for the Planet’, ProAdventure donates 1% of its profits to a nominated environmental charity.

‘We wanted to be involved with an environmental charity that was innovative and locally based’, explains Pete Carol, ProAdventure’s Managing Director, ‘the Llangollen and Dee Valley Low Carbon Trust will promote and deliver local energy conservation and sustainable energy development, carbon reduction and education for home, business and leisure’.

Existing groups in the town have risen to the challenge. The injection of instant funding is already being put to good use. A team of ten volunteers, mainly from the local Friends of the Earth group, have recently been trained as energy auditors and have just begun conducting household energy efficiency surveys with follow up advice across the town, whilst a feasibility study focusing on potential sources of renewable energy in the area is planned. A retail group driven by members of the Llangollen Enterprise will be encouraging people to shop and eat locally, and bring retailers, cafés and restaurants together to work on this and other plans to help the town's wide range of independent shops and businesses.

‘Llangollen has a unique and special mix in terms of its community, independent shops and tourist offer’ said Llangollen County Councillor Lucy Morris , also a trustee of the charity, ‘the Trust will bring the entire town together in a variety of ways to lower our carbon footprint and do so in ways that benefit the local economy and community’.

Picture shows Cllr. Lucy Morris (left), with Lesley Carol (centre) and Pete Carol (right) of ProAdventure , with the £4000 cheque donated by ProAdventure to support the Llangollen and Dee Valley Low Carbon Trust.