Author: Erica Purvis

JOIN US AT OUR UPCOMING AGM AND ACTIVITY MEETING AT THAMES LIDO

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Join us on Tuesday the 26th of March from 6:30pm for a 7pm start, until around 9:30pm, for our Annual General Meeting.

What better place to have the Reading Hydro AGM than right next to Caversham Weir, at the Thames Lido? They’ve kindly donated their meeting room for our evening use.

We’ll be quickly going through our AGM business, review of activities and accounts for the 2017 to 2019 period, give you further updates on what’s been happening more recently, and then have an activity evening where you can all contribute. It’s a chance to hear more about key areas of support and skills we may be looking for in the next stages.

Member, community share investor, volunteer or just curious to get involved, we’d love to see you there!

If possible, please let us know if you’ll be joining so we can keep a track on numbers. You can let us know if you’ll be joining either via our facebook event or dropping us an email.


LAST CHANCE TO INVEST IN OUR PIONEER SHARES

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We hope you’re all having a wonderful festive season!

Huge thanks to all our supporters and community share investors so far for backing and sharing the project. It’s been amazing to receive all your goodwill and lovely comments of support and future help. Now we’re at 92% with only just over a day to go!

Alongside this we’ve received some good news, with the award of additional grant funding and also following an invitation to tender have appointed our contractor for the initial civils design. While all this is progressing, we’re awaiting the approval from the EA for our updated planning permission with a possible new technology.

So it’s all go before the governments withdrawal of the Feed in Tariff for renewable Energy at the end of March. We’ll be sharing more details of all of this soon, but back to an important point….

Have you looked at joining our Hydro Pioneers investment round?

BECOME A PIONEER INVESTOR IN READING HYDRO

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Announcing the Launch of Reading Hydro Pioneer Share Offer

We’re excited to announce the launch of our Pioneer Share Offer for Reading Hydro CBS. This is an initial investment round to support the early stages, including outline design work to ensure the viability of the project. You can support and invest in Reading Hdyro here!

Our Initial Pioneer Shares

We have got as far as we can supported by initial grants from the Reading Climate Change Partnership and the Department of Energy & Climate Change (now BEIS). All alongside countless hours from the support and work of our wonderful volunteers and growing community (that’s you).

 

Now we need to move quickly to the next stages! The government is ending the Feed In Tariff for renewable energy at the end of March 2019. In order to secure this extra income, essential for the viability for the project, we must register our scheme with Ofgem before then. We are working to achieve all the necessary permissions. In parallel we are commissioning an Outline Design for the project by an experienced contractor.

You can buy into our Pioneer Share Offer to kick start this project work. This will cover project permissions costs and the commissioning of the outline scheme design.

After all this we will be able to do a full design for the project, make our Main Community Share Offer, and build the scheme.

Without the money raised from this Pioneer Share Offer the project won’t happen for years.

All Pioneer Share owners will be members with a vote in our Community Benefit Society, be eligible to have their investment repaid over time once the scheme is up and running, and gain other perks along the way. If the scheme cannot be built the Pioneer Shares will not be able to be paid back.

Your money is at risk if the project fails; your support makes it more likely we will succeed.

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED TO FIND OUT MORE, INVEST IN SHARES, OR SUPPORT IN WHATEVER WAY YOU CAN, THEN PLEASE READ MORE ABOUT OUR PIONEER SHARE OFFER ON CROWDFUNDER.

JOIN US AT READING TOWN MEAL – 29th September 2018

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There’s a distinct chill to the air, the leaves are turning hues of gold and rust red, drifting and floating down the river. Alongside this the squash are ripening! This means its most definitely Autumn and it’s time for the glorious Reading Town Meal .

This year, we’re delighted to be teaming up with The Reading Sustainability Centre to be popping-up in Forbury Gardens on Saturday the 29th of September from 12 to 4pm.

Alongside the delicious free veggie food that will be distributed, cooked by Reading College catering students and made from donated veggies from local allotment holders and home growers. There will be lots of interesting workshops, stalls, live music and yes, us, to come and chat to and share your eco waste and energy tips that we’ll be harvesting for Reading.

It will be a chance to chat with us to find out more about both organisations, where we’re up to with the project, as well as join as a member or get involved volunteering to help make Reading more sustainable.

We’ll give you a little tip in advance. Make sure you’re there early as the food goes fast!

WE’VE BEAN BUSY

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It’s been a busy couple of months for Reading Hydro since our AGM at the end of March.

Firstly we want to say thank you to all who joined us there, voted, ate cake and helped us take Reading Hydro forward. Alongside this a huge and overdue welcome to all our new members that joined that evening and since. Apologies for our slow response in sharing more information about what we’ve been up to since then, alongside the different ways you can get involved:

To name a few:

There’s our facebook group where all can share ideas, inspiration and events (whether you’re a member or not). You can also follow and interact on our various social medis platforms, Twitter and Instagram. You can also ping us @rdgHydro or #rdgukHydro and we’ll pick up what you’re sharing (we love anything around the river, on the river, incolving the community, environment and renewable energy).

We’ve been holding monthly action evenings although in the last months have interspersed this with being and taking part at some events andworking on our plans.

As well as this, members can also opt in to join our slack working group communication, if you want to get active on particular topics. A key one at the moment is further publicty and communication support, digital online, graphic design, social media and community building.

Sun and Smiles on Bean Pole Day

No it wasn’t a spelling mistake in the title. Last month we took part in a wonderful yearly event held in the beautiful Caversham Court grounds. Bean Pole day, put on by Reading’s and Berkshire’s EcoNet conservation volunteers.

What is Bean Pole day, I hear you say? Well it’s an opportunity to buy Bean Poles (long thin peices of wood) as well as peas sticks, that you will be able to use to truss your beans and peas to.

Alongside this there were a whole host of local growing and green, ethical groups inlcuding growers from Tilehurst, Friends of the Earth, Global Justice now, the Reading Beekeepers and Food 4 Familes.

” But this seems to be something that would be too good to be true in Reading” – New member 

We had a great time sharing what we’re up to at Reading Hydro as well as welcoming new member to the Community Benefit Society.  A definite event to look out for and attend next year (especially when the sun shines)!

Hydro Field Trip

Members of the team and some of our wider board of experts also undertook a trip to the wilds of Cambridgeshire to visit a hydro scheme under development at the moment at Eaton Socon.

Here they are actually implementing the same VerdErg Venturi Enhanced Turbine Technology that we are looking at implementing in Reading. Like us, the part of the River Great Ouse that it is being implemented in has a low head of 1.4m.

It’s actually being installed right beside The River Mill pub that was the old mill there, so soon the pub will be getting much of it’s electricity from renewable hydro power and in a lovely sort of way, reclaiming it’s original heritage. We can’t wait to see it working later this year.

Planning Planning

The great thing about Reading Hydro is  seeing the different skills and support from our members and team that come forward to help with certain aspects.

Over the last number of Action Evenings, we’d been focusing on planning and structuring the different tasks. Ultimately ensuring that all the activities were documented and the flow of getting to building the Hydro were captured.

Recently we got together and restructured and detailed our planning and now have our Project Control Centre  or PCC, (as all good engineering projects should be filled with acronyms), up and running. Particular thanks to all who have been involved with this. 

Look Out For Our GDPR Communication and Updates

By now you’ve no doubt been unundated by countless emails from organisations, asking you to reconfirm you’d still like to hear from  them, alongside our own.

For those of you who are members, as part of your membership is our communication to you on Reading Hydro and key events such as our AGM, so this additional email is primariliy related to our wider supporters who may not be members. Howevere, it’s quick and easy though to review and update your email details (or even sign up to our newsletter if not already) here.

We look forward to collaborating and sharing more with our growing community.

WORLD WATER DAY 2018

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Today is World Water Day 2018

It’s a day designated by the United Nations to focus the attention on the importance of water!

As yes, as the saying going ‘Water is Life” 

Sustainable Development Goal 6 commits the world to ensuring that everyone has access to safe water by 2030, and includes targets on protecting the natural environment and reducing pollution.

This years theme is ‘Nature for Water‘, exploring how we can use nature to overcome the water challenges of the 21st century.

So let’s respect it, cherish it, protect it and learn from the energy and life it creates!

Show your water love and take a picture of the water in your life for Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and tag it #rdgukhydro

JOIN US FOR OUR AGM, ACTION EVENING (AND CAKE) – 27th of March, 7:30pm to 10:00pm The Outlook

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Come along to Reading Hydro’s 2nd AGM , hear updates, get involved and celebrate the progress we’ve all made!

We’ll be sharing where we’re up to with the project and reflect what we’ve done towards our objectives. Then carry on building on this together.

As a member it’s important that you are able to share your views, ideas and help us shape Reading Hydro going forward!

If you are not already a member you are more than welcome to join us as well and if you want can also join there. Just £1 to join our community co-op (we are a Community Benefit Society)

We’ll be downstairs at The Outlook  (which also serves food) and we’ll be bringing some cake (including Vegan).

We’re looking forward to seeing and working with our members, volunteers and supporters to continue moving Reading Hydro forward!

READING HYDRO PLANNING EVENING – 7:30pm Monday 19th of February, The Outlook

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JOIN OUR  OPEN ACTION EVENING  FOCUSED ON PLANNING DOWNSTAIRS AT THE OUTLOOK

Come and join us for Discussions, a Drink, and some Doing,  helping us out on keeping the Reading Hydro Project moving forward.
If you are not already a member, don’t worry, you can join us at this or any other open members’ event (and perhaps sign-up while you’re there).
This week we’ll be focusing on planning and project management.
  • How we can clarify and structure the next steps both more detailed and clearer.
  • Looking at the best tools we can use for collaborative working
  • Reaching out for expert insight in project planning, civils, procurement and more.

If you have interest, or skills in any of these particular areas ( or others) then this is the night for you!

In the meantime you can get in touch with us at reading.hydro.cbs@gmail.com 

READING HYDRO – ACTION EVENING 7:30pm Tuesday 23rd of January, The Outlook

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JOIN OUR FIRST OPEN ACTION EVENING OF 2018, DOWNSTAIRS AT THE OUTLOOK

Come and join us for Discussions, a Drink, and some Doing,  helping us out on keeping the Reading Hydro Project moving forward.
If you are not already a member, don’t worry, you can join us at this or any other open members’ event (and perhaps sign-up while you’re there).
Topics we’ll be looking at, as well as running through key steps in the next year, include:

  • Applying for seed funding – grants, fundraising idea
  • Building our Hydro Community, publicity and awareness  – what could are next main activity be?
  • Education and open data – planning school resources and data possibilities and signage
  • Next steps with choosing the Technology and potential details we need help with
  • ???????

There’ll also be some specialist ‘jobs’ you could take on or suggest to suitable friends. Current key areas of expertise that we’re in need of support with include:

  • NEGOTIATION: Contract negotiation for a variety of building, contractual and partnership needs
  • CIVIL ENGINEERING: Insight and experience in building development, price estimations, concrete needed etc
  • LEGAL: Contracts, liability, advice
  • FINANCE AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Additional support in managing the planning and financing of the project
  • WEB & DIGITAL: Website review and development support, data integration
You can get in contact with us here or email reading.hydro.cbs@gmail.com directly.

Bring your ideas, pens and digital devices!

Find us downstairs at The Outlook pub, 76-78 King’s Rd, Reading, RG1 3BJ, from 7:30pm. If you like, you can let us know you’re joining via our facebook group event or ask any questions in advance.