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DYSERTH ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT - SEPTEMBER, 2007
Delivered at the group’s AGM.
As is obvious from the minutes of our last AGM the previous year was one of real achievement. This past year has not been quite as spectacular but I feel that we have progressed a number of project even if comparatively few have been completely finished. The “Walks” leaflet was finally launched on October 10th – we were a little disappointed that the County Tourist Department’s finances could only stretch to a run of 2000 but we now “own” the booklet and can perhaps obtain money for a reprint at some future date. The sale of calendars designed and produced by Peter Robinson went well – they were much admired and financially successful and plans for another one this year are well advanced. We had a river clean-up in November and have continued to pick up litter although rather spasmodically. The weather over the past year was somewhat against us and resulted in the cancellation of a walk up the Gop and the subsequent lunch although we did manage to achieve both later this year.
To our great regret one of our two lady founders, Margaret Williams, resigned from our group this year. She has been a tower of strength in the group and was especially valuable because of her detailed knowledge of people and places. We have welcomed 3 new active members – Keith Tierney and his wife Jenny, and Naomi Cole.
After all accounts had been settled in connection with our Dyserth booklet we found we had a substantial surplus which we were allowed to carry forward and which we decided would be used to provide four information boards at strategic place around the village. We can afford four because the work of installing them will be carried out by our own members. Bill Smuts, who did the art work for our booklet, has been commissioned to produce these and they are progressing well. For the one at the entrance to Gibbs wood Peter took a photograph across the vale of the Snowdonia range, Bill commissioned a watercolour from this and is in the middle of the final draft before production. The lime kiln board is also well underway and we await initial drafts of the waterfall and village boards.
We are still experiencing difficulties over our planned slate identification plaques. The exact date of the old school hall is still not forthcoming, the fate of the old quarry office (the current surgery) seems in the balance and the old spring opposite Dyserth Hall needs such a lengthy description that we have decided a small information board would be more suitable.
We have agreed to present a bench by the new MUGA and await a base to be installed.
An unspectacular but necessary activity is to draw attention to various subjects of interest and concern to the village by writing letters to the appropriate authorities. These subjects have ranged through fly-tipping, the state of the High Street, the possible provision of allotments, a new local burial ground, community policing, the surgery closures, the state of the old toilets and so on and so forth.
An item of particular concern to us is the state of the SSI off Pandy Lane. This is reverting to scrub land and needs drastic action. We have been in contact with The North Wales Wildlife Trust who own this and volunteered our help in attempting to claw back this area from total degeneration. They have responded by saying that they are currently in negotiations with a contractor and will contact us when a date has been arranged.
An old large map produced in 1871 from the first Ordnance survey of the area has now been given a protective cover and has been hung on the wall in the Church Hall. The covering was done at a very modest cost by the county Conservator in Harwarden. It has been given a permanent home in the Hall and we are very grateful to the Vicar for this.
I suppose that our most satisfying outcome this year is about to be demonstrated to you. We applied for and received a grant from Awards for All Wales to buy the necessary equipment to be able to mount digital shows of our work about the village and to show some of the many postcards and photographs of local interest that our member Peter Robinson has obtained, many of them through the publication of our booklet and through material Peter has put on his Dyserth website. This will be all self explanatory in a few minutes. Finally I continued my twice yearly correspondence with the Crown Agent for the old quarries over the possible acquisition of one of the old lime kilns. The position remains unchanged for the last four years – plans for the old quarry are being progressed – they are expected to be finalised early this year and they will keep our expressed interest in mind and will advert to us when the position is clear.
I would thank all members of the group for their support and hard work together with a number of officers of the local authority, especially Gary Davies who has been very ill over the past year but who thankfully seems to be making a good recovery.
Last but now least I would offer the congratulations and very best wishes of the group to our hard-working secretary. She obviously finds time for other activities as she is getting married in October and so we wish her and Dave every happiness.
The secretary of the Group is Jackie Evans. Email: 
Every member of the village is a member as of right although as yet few realise this.
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