With winter well and truly arrived this week, we know how vital it is that we stay warm during the cold weather, and this is especially important for older people.
So this week I’d like to start by talking about a revolutionary new communal solar heating system that the Council has installed at our 14 bungalows in Deacon Gardens, North Bournemouth, helping some of our older tenants stay warm and safe.
Residents had complained of the poor performance of their electric storage heating system, so, after researching the options, this latest solar technology was installed.
It is used to heat residents’ homes through conventional radiators and provide hot water … and is cheaper to run – by around 40% - with lower CO2 emissions.
The outcome is so successful that we are looking at more options for installing this and similar technology across our various Council buildings.
This will include the use of Photo Voltaic, or PV, energy, which generates electricity through solar panels.
Plans are being developed by our Housing Landlord Services team, and these include employing and training up to 30 local people over the next six months.
Local people that will be trained in PV and solar installation in many of our buildings, installations to generate power that we estimate will pay for the cost of the panels in around seven years. I will keep you updated in a future blog.
Whilst I am on the subject of the extreme weather, I must pay tribute to our dedicated gritting teams and other Street Services staff.
Our gritters have been out in force for the last two nights and have more work to do over the weekend, with the cold spell set to continue.
These guys really keep the town moving – they mean we can get to work, to school, to medical appointments and the like and as such play a vital role in supporting our economy and helping us stay safe.
I was pleased to attend a meeting of the Springbourne Area Forum on Wednesday evening, along with the Chief Executive, Pam Donnellan.
I was able to respond to a number of questions, including “who runs the Town Hall?”, and “what's going to happen to the Imax?”, and residents queries about guidelines for our recently announced zero tolerance approach to litter, the proposed Ice Rink in Kings Park, the Mouchel outsourcing contract and the big budget decisions to be made over the next few months.
Pardon the plug, but there will be more on much of this in the next edition of BH Life, out in early January.
Last night I attended the annual Bournemouth Tourism Awards 2010 ceremony, held at the BIC.
The event celebrates the very best of our tourism industry and recognises the innovation, investment and drive that keeps Bournemouth at the top of UK resorts – and in turn makes this town a truly great place to live.
It was a fabulous evening for all in tourism, especially the Council’s Transport Team and their ‘Getting About’ website, which won the Transport Initiative of the Year award for their work with Yellow Buses and Wilts & Dorset. Check it out at www.gettingabout.info .
Whilst the full list of winners last night will be in tomorrow’s Echo, I’d particularly like to congratulate the Bournemouth Lifeguards for winning the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award.
Their work often goes unnoticed but they really are, or were until last night, the unsung heroes of the beach and our whole tourism industry. Of course their very presence benefits every one of us – locals and visitors - who has ventured into our Blue Flag waters throughout the year.
One quick mention as well to the Escoffier \Restaurant at The Bournemouth & Poole’ College’s Lansdowne Campus. The restaurant won Tourism Investment award – a fitting tribute to an international class establishment.
It was a privilege to spend an evening with so many people absolutely dedicated to Bournemouth, and fantastic to approach the end of 2010 on such a tourism high – especially so in the current national economic climate.
It is easy to forget that, without this vital visitor income, the attributes that we most value about our town – its beaches, its perfectly-manicured open spaces, the fabulous variety of restaurants, and our vibrant performance scene, topped by the offerings of the BIC and Pavilion, wouldn’t be as they are.
Until next week.
